116 The Colorado Experiment Station 
Three samples of Steffens waste water which had been con¬ 
centrated showed the presence of from 0.15 to 0.61 percent of nitric 
nitrogen. These figures indicate that large quantities of nitrogen 
as nitrates go into the waste water. I have not sufficient data rela¬ 
tive to the individual samples to justify me in making any attempt 
to present the amount, either relative or absolute, thus eliminated. 
This amount relative to the total present must be very high, practi¬ 
cally 100 percent. The nitric nitrogen in the Colorado molasses 
examined averaged in 1910 0.34 and if we assume the yield of 
molasses as 7.5 percent, which may be too high for some factories, 
but not for others, we will obtain for the average percentage of 
nitric nitrogen in the crop, 0.0212, whch is not far from the average 
indicated by the samples grown on good soils without fertilizers, 
0.0229 percent. In Landw. Vers. Stat., 1900, p. 118, are given nine 
analyses of German molasses, four of which seem comparable to 
our Colorado samples. The percentages are on molasses, not on 
dry substance. 
Percent of Total 
Total Nitric Nitrogen Present as 
Nitrogen Nitrogen Nitric Nitrogen 
1 . 1.942 0.04157 2.14 
2 . 2.131 0.04252 2.00 
3 . 2.229 0.03637 1.63 
4 . 2.162 0.04157 1.93 
The nitric nitrogen is given in the analyses as “nitric acid,” 
which I have assumed to mean N 2 0 5 and have calculated the ele¬ 
mental nitrogen on this assumption. The rest of the samples an¬ 
alyzed contain considerably smaller amounts of nitric acid, but they 
were produced from juices to which raw sugar had been added, or 
were the products of other methods. We do not know the per¬ 
centage of the molasses calculated on the beets from which it was 
produced, but its weight was probably less than five percent that of 
the beets and even if it were much more than this the amount of 
nitric nitrogen would still be very much less than we meet with in 
the Colorado product, from one-tenth to one-twentieth as much. 
These nitrates in our Colorado beets may contribute directly to 
Ware, Cattle Feeding with Sugar Beets. Sugar and Molasses, p. 236. says, 
“Briem says molasses contains 8 percent digestible proteid, apparently exces¬ 
sive as Beyer found 1.47 percent nitrogen of which 5.3 percent was protein, 
29.3 percent betain. glutamin and asparagin and 48.3 percent amid compounds, 
Kuehn gives from 22.7 to 75.7 or an average of 34.4 percent of the nitrogen as 
amids. Albuminoids are entirely absent. Authorities, such as Kuehn. Ramm 
and Moussen assert that these nitric substances have a very doubtful nutritive 
value, certainly not greater than that of carbohydrates as their use for flesh 
and milk production is infinitesimally small. They are mainly thrown out in 
the urine. 
Weiske and Schulze declare that they are without nutritive value and are 
simply acid amids, hence it is argued that no allowance should be made for 
them in the calculation of rations. 
Voeltz. Naehrwert der Amide der Melasse, Zeitschrift des Vereins der 
Deutschen Zucker Industrie 1907 p. 681, concludes “That the amid compounds 
of sugar beet molasses can completely play the role of the proteids in the 
metabolism of mature ruminates.” 
It does not seem probable that the nitrogen of sugar beet molasses has any 
considerable feeding value. 
