ioo Molasses and Sugar Foods for Live Stock, [may, 
doubtedly be ascribed to the activity of micro-organisms in 
the intestinal tract, which bring about greater losses from 
fermentation in the case of sugar than they do in the case of 
starch. The other sugars — dextrose, levulose, raffinose — 
^present in molasses, as well as the nitrogen-free extract sub- 
stances which are not sugars, have not been carefully studied, 
but it may safely be assumed that the former group has a 
feeding value closely allied to that of cane sugar. 
The nitrogenous substances found in molasses are not true 
protein or albuminoids like those present in such a feeding 
stuff as linseed cake. They are of an amide nature, and 
substances of this class have not the food value of the real 
proteins. Opinions differ as to the value which should be 
given to amides, and in some respects modern views are not 
in accordance with what was previously thought to be the 
true state of affairs. Recent investigations have gone to 
show that in the case of ruminants it is possible for these amide 
substances to be built up into true proteins in passing through 
the walls of the intestine, so that they may, under certain 
circumstances, act like the true proteins found in feeding 
stuffs. Where the animal is well nourished it is safe to say 
that these amide nitrogenous substances have a feeding value 
which is not superior to the carbohydrates, for they do not 
then play the part of true proteins in building up tissue, but 
simply yield up the energy which they contain, and this 
can go to the heating of the body, the performance of work, 
or the formation of body fat. 
It is necessary that this point should be understood by 
the buyer, for it is not right that he should be led to think 
that molasses contains the same class of nitrogenous sub- 
stances as does a concentrated feeding stuff, the money and 
feeding values of which are considerable. On this account 
the practice adopted in some analytical reports of multiplying 
the nitrogen found in molasses or molasses feeds by the usual 
factor for converting it into true protein or albuminoids, and 
then allowing this figure to appear as though it really 
expressed a certain amount of protein, is to be strongly 
deprecated. 
Another point which ought also to be noticed in this con- 
nection is the fact that these amide substances — aspartic acid, 
