191 1.] Molasses and Sugar Foods for Live Stock. 99 
that the feeding value of the two as regards carbohydrates 
(mainly sugars in each case) is the same. The composition 
of molasses may vary somewhat from the above figures, but 
that is due more particularly to the percentage of water 
present. Calculated upon the dry matter, the quality of 
molasses, even of widely differing origin, is remarkably 
constant as regards the sugar which it contains. 
Previous to September 1st, 1903, all molasses imported into 
this country had to pay a duty of is. per cwt., but since that 
date exemption has been granted in the case of molasses 
intended to be used solely as a food for stock or in the manu- 
facture of cattle foods. This privilege has enabled the West 
Indian sugar planters to dispose of their molasses to better 
advantage than previously, since cane sugar molasses is 
generally preferred by the feeder. 
Enormous quantities of molasses are produced annually 
in the large Continental factories which make sugar from 
sugar beets, and most of the reliable investigations on the 
use of molasses as a food for stock were, in fact, made with 
beet molasses. The agreement in the composition of cane 
and beet molasses, which has already been pointed out, 
enables the results of these investigations to be applied 
equally well to cane molasses. There are one or two minor 
differences between beet and cane molasses, to which attention 
will "be called later on. 
The nitrogen-free extract substances, or carbohydrates, 
which are present in molasses are mainly sugars, of which 
cane sugar (saccharose) is the chief representative. Invert 
sugar — dextrose and levulose — raffinose, as well as varying 
quantities of organic substances, gums, mucilage, &c, which 
are not really sugars, are also found in molasses. 
The feeding value of cane sugar was tested as long ago as 
1855 by Lawes and Gilbert, who came to the conclusion that 
it was equivalent to that of starch. Since that time' a great 
deal of experimental work has been done with sugar, either 
in the pure form or in molasses, and the results on the whole 
agree with those obtained by Lawes and Gilbert. The very 
careful investigations of Kellner have, however, led him to 
place a less value upon sugar than upon starch for the pro- 
duction of body fat. The reason of this may almost un- 
it 2 
