VALUES OF VARIOUS NEW FEEDS FOR DAIRY COWS 
ia 
ses is inconvenient to feed, attracts flies, and, considering the nutrients 
it contains, is expensive. The question arises, therefore, whether 
it is advisable to feed molasses to cows that will normally take the 
required amount of feed to maintain production without molasses. 
Tables 20, 21, and 22 are drawn from an experiment designed to 
answer this question. 
Eight cows on advanced-registry test were divided into two groups 
closely balanced as regards production. The reversal method was 
used for two periods of 40 days each, 10 days of which were allowed 
for the cows to become accustomed to their rations. One group 
received the usual feed plus \}4, pounds per cow per day of molasses 
diluted with water, the solution being used in moistening the dried 
beet pulp. The other group received no molasses. No attempt was 
made to regulate the other constituents of the ration. The result 
as shown in Table 20 was that the molasses-fed group consumed more 
feed and produced more milk and butterfat, but the increase was not 
economical. 
Table 20. — Feeds consumed when molasses was added to the ration and cows were 
allowed to eat what they would of other feeds 
Quantity of feed 
Yield 
Group 
Grain 
Alfalfa 
hay 
Corn 
silage 
Beet 
pulp 
Molasses 
Milk 
Butter- 
fat 
Groups with molasses 
Pounds 
2,778 
2,771 
Pounds 
3,392 
3,120 
Pounds 
4,074 
4,006 
Pounds 
1,290 
1,260 
Pounds 
360 
Pounds 
6, 364. 
6, 184. 6 
Pounds 
283. 76 
Groups without molasses 
275.28 
Difference in favor of molasses... 
7 
272 
68 
30 
360 
179.4 
8.48 
In return for 7 pounds of grain, 272 pounds of hay, 68 pounds of 
silage, 30 pounds of beet pulp, and 360 pounds of molasses, the 
increase in yield was only 179.4 pounds of milk and 8.48 pounds of 
butterfat. This is not enough to pay for the molasses alone. It 
should be noted that in this experiment the molasses was added to a 
ration already more than sufficient to maintain production according 
to the feeding standards. 
In another experiment with the same number of cows and for 
periods of the same length, 1.1 pounds of molasses a day were added 
to the ration of each cow, the other constituents of the ration remain- 
ing practically the same for both groups. As in the preceding experi- 
ment, the ration according to standards was ample for the quantity 
of milk produced, without the molasses. 
Table 21. — Results of adding molasses to a ration not otherwise appreciably 
changed 
Quantity of feed 
Yield 
Group 
Grain 
Hay 
Silage 
Beet 
pulp 
Molasses 
Milk 
Butter- 
fat 
Pounds 
3, 101. 
3, 069. 5 
Pounds 
3,192 
3,191 
Pounds 
3,448 
3,458 
Pounds 
1,257 
1,257 
Pounds 
264 

Pounds 
7, 570. 9 
7, 480. 8 
Pounds 
345. 21 
Groups without molasses 
352. 99 
Difference in favor of molasses. _. 
31.5 
1 
-10 

264 
90.1 
-7.78 
