Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-02-27
BEET PULP.
Good Food For Milk Cows, Fattening
Cattle and Lambs.

Cattle and Lambs.
Experiments at tho Michigan station
combined with the experience Of prac-
teal farmers show that steers, milk
cows and sheep are fond of beet pulp.
In an experiment on farm where
steers were fed with the object Of car
ryiDg them through the winter with as
little outlay as possible and where the
ration was made up Of mixed hay,
shredded corn stover and grain ration
consisting Of corn and beet seed ground
together, one lot Of thirty steers had
pulp while a second lot Of twenty
steers had the same ration of hay, sto-
yer and grain, but no pulp. 1t required
Der day and steer with the pulp fed
lot % pounds Of pulp, SO pounds OF
mixed hay, 4 pounds of shredded corn
stover and "a pounds OF the ground
grain. On this ration the steers made
an average daily gain of 1.42 pounds
The lot receiving no pulp had for
daily ration 11.5 pounds Of mixed hay,
pounds of shredded corn stover and
"a pounds of grain and made a daily
gain of 6S4 pounds. Comparing the
amounts of food consumed by each pen
to produce 100 pounds Of gain and
computing from this data the value OF
a ton of pulp as an additional succu-
lent fodder, the tests show that under
the conditions existing ton Of pulp
fed with the other factors of the ration
took the place of 421.5 pounds OF corn
stover, 274 pounds Of mixed hay and
6S.S pounds Of grain. Practical feeders
will naturally wait for the conf1rma-
ton of these figures by future expert
mentA before basing their operations
upon them.
In another farm experiment a herd
Of twenty steers Of mixed breeding
and in poor condition was divided into
two lots, to one of which was given q
ration of mint hay, somewhat moldy,
but palatable, wheat bran or oats and
cornmeal, while to the other lot was
given the same ration. and beet pulp
In addition. The latter lot made an
average daily gain of 2.52 pounds,
while the steers which had no pulp
made a daily gain Of 1.S4 pounds.
Making the computations as before to
lnd the estimated value of a ton Of
pulp, we find that under the conditions
existing q ton of pulp took the place OF
244 pounds Of mint hay, 1876 pounds
of wheat bran, 296 pounds of corn
meal and 27.2 pounds Of oats. During
the last week of this experiment the
lot of steers having no pulp were on
feed and made no gains. If for this
reason the experiment were brought to
q conclusion a week earlier, the esti-
mated value of the pulp would be re-
duced approximately by one-third.
These figures result from a single ex-
pertinent and must therefore await
confirmation before being taken as the
statement of the station in the matter.
Where in the last experiment two
lots of ten steers each were fed the
same kind and amount of dry feed for
six weeks and to the ration of one lot
pulp was added, the feeding of 1915
pounds Of pulp gave an Increased gain
of 2S0 pounds.
When fed to milk cows at the college
with mixed hay and grain ration of
two parts bran to one Of corn, the pulp
added nothing to the yield Of butter
fat. 1t increased somewhat the milk
flow.
Experiments with milk cows at the
Cornell On. " experiment station In
dicated that the dry matter of the beet
pulp and of corn silage were Of equal
value. To furnish the same quantity
of dry matter requires twice as much
OF ordinary pulp as Of silage.
The consensus Of opinion among
farmers who have fed pulp is that for
milk cows it is a good feed, although
the pulp from frozen beets should be
used with caution. Growing and fat
tening cattle do well on 1t, and owners
declare that 1t saves one-third OF the
coarse fodder. Both fattening lambs
and breeding ewes like pulp, and for
them it proved a valuable factor In
the ration.