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, 



