Feeding Dairy Cattle 



ail}- other feed. A gcjud cane iiic.ilasses should ha\-e not over 

 21 to 22 ijer cent, water, not over 6 per cent, ash knd not less 

 than 53 to 55 per cent, total sugar. 



The total digestible nutrients in molasses of about this 

 composition add up to 1184 pounds to the ton. This shows 

 that on the basis of digestil)le material, molasses is worth 

 just about three-fourths the value of corn meal, and the price 

 one should pay for it might verv well be based on this com- 

 parison. Another comparison would be with wheat bran. 

 There are in one ton of wheat bran, 12 18 pounds of total 

 digestible nutrients. Therefore, one could not afiford to pay 

 more per ton for molasses than good wheat bran. The wheat 

 bran has the added value of considerable protein and mineral 

 matter, which is not supplied in the molasses, the value of the 

 molasses being almost wholly in its sugar content. 



(^f course, there is a value in molasses in that it tones up 

 the ^^-hole digestible s)'stem and keeps the bowels of the 

 animal in a free and open condition. Because of this phj^sio- 

 logical effect and the fact that molasses helps to smooth up 

 the hair and make the skin more mellow, the first pound of 

 molasses that one feeds is more ^•aluable than any other 

 pound. Therefore, as a conditioner, a little molasses in the 

 ration ma}' be ver}- valuable. This is particularly true if one 

 does ncDt have corn silage. 



Molasses is very valuable in feeding coans on advanced 

 registry tests and no feeder of a co^^' on test either for a short 

 or long period, tries to feed without molasses. It is not 

 usually fed to these test cows in a large amount, but is used to 

 the extent of tMo or three pounds daily. The molasses is 

 usuallv diluted with water, and the water used to soak up beet 

 pulp. A customary dilution is one quart of cane molasses to 

 ten quarts of warm water. Used in this way, molasses is 

 very valuable indeed, and is sought for, for this purpose, irre- 

 spective of cost. 



In ordinary every day feeding, molasses is a little difhcult 

 to handle, unless one has a supply of hot water available at 

 all times. I think that it is good practice to feed all animals a 

 little molasses, particularly at the price that it can be bought 

 at this time (1921). 



I do no think much of beet molasses, and I see no reason 

 for feeding it. The difference l)etween beet molasses and 

 cane molasses is largely in the high content of alkaline salts. 

 These salts cause the molasses to have a purgative action, 

 and I would not advise the feeding of beet molasses when 

 cane molasses can be obtained. 



Page Forty-six 



