APPLE BY-PRODUCTS AS STOCK FOODS. 25 
of the pomace. The opinion, at one time widespread, that the feed- 
ing of pomace or pomace silage to milch cows has a tendency to cause 
a shrinkage in milk How has never received substantiation in any 
feeding trials conducted along scientific lines, although as much as 
35 pounds of the silage per cow per day is commonly fed, and the 
feeding of from 45 to 50 pounds a day without ill effects has been 
reported. Investigators agree, however, that caution should be used 
in introducing pomace into the ration. The animals should become 
gradually accustomed to the new feed. French authorities insist 
that it should not constitute more than from one-fifth to one-half 
of the ration. 
Some evidence exists that the ingestion of too large quantities of 
whole apples or of freshly pressed apple pomace may cause trouble. 
Marchadier and Goujon (111) state that more than 22 pound- of 
fresh pomace per day causes diarrhea in neat cattle. Hills (84) 
quotes his staff veterinarian as having frequently observed that 
after getting into orchards and eating heavily of apples cows " lie- 
came sick, losing control of their limbs and appeared as if intoxi- 
cated.'' In many cases there was a serious shrinkage in milk flow 
and in other instances the animals dried up within 24 hours, even 
though in full flush of milk, Death ensued in some cases. On the 
other hand. Frear states (68) : " Experience has shown that farm ani- 
mals can be fed on rations containing a large proportion of apples, 
not only without injury to health, but with positive advantage." 
He adds that it has been found possible to avoid any injury from ex- 
cess of free acid by sprinkling the pomace with chalk before feeding. 
Strictly fresh pomace and whole apples may be classed together 
with respect to potential fermentation (content of fermentable car- 
bohydrates). Grisdale, Robertson, and Bedford (75) fed refuse 
apples to dairy cows at the Canada Experimental Farms. 22 pounds 
per cow per day, with a slight increase in milk flow. There was a 
corresponding decrease in milk yield when the apples were not fed. 
Strictly fresh moist apple pomace is rarely obtainable for any 
extensive period of time and then only by feeders near cider mills. 
Most so-called fresh apple pomace must have undergone some change 
of a fermentative character, so that in reality it is in the early stages 
of silage. 
APPLE-POMACE SILAGE. 
Xo record of digestibility trials with ensiled apple pomace has 
been found. American investigators appear to have accepted for 
the silage Lindsey's digestion coefficients for apple pomace. Wolff's 
1895 figures for the content of digestible nutrients in "fermented' 3 
pomace, '•mashed" pomace, and dried pomace are derived from their 
percentage composition by the same coefficients as those for his 
"fresh" pomace, which evidently were not based on actual digestion 
experiments. 
Several valuable feeding trials to determine the comparative milk 
production value of apple-pomace silage have been conducted. The 
most extensive were those carried out at the Vermont Agricultural 
Experiment Station from time to time between L888 ami 1903. In 
the five trials 27 cows were fed the silage. The results, summarized 
