The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-30

means more than the mere utilization of
the by-products of the sugar factory; it
means that both the beet top and the root,
as taken from the beet fields, will be used
as material for fattening beef, mutton and
pork.
Practical tests of the beet and beet top
have been made IN Poudre valley, and the
results have been highly fiattering. The
most interesting test was that made by
Fort Collins.
Mr. Bushnell has been for quite a number
of years a feeder of lambs according to
the approved method extant in Larfmer
county. /. e., the feeding of lambs in transit
on rations consisting of alfalfa, hay and
corn, shipped in from Kansas and Ne
braska. Some years ago Mr.. Bushnell had
not found this business profitable and last
year, both lambs and corn being high
priced, he decided TO try something else.
He decided to feed sheep, hogs and mich
cows. And he further decided to feed these.
excepting possibly the cows, neither corn
nor alfalfa hay; on the contrary he de-
cided TO try sugar beets, both he and two
or three near neighbors having raised small
patches of this vegetable.
He bought in Colorado and Wyoming
1900 head of old ewes, which he got very
cheap, the animals having outlived their
usefulness on the range. Some of these he
got as cheap as 30 cents a head, while the
balance cost him cents per pound at the
shipping points in Wyoming. Then he
bought forty head of hogs, and having
number of mich cows on hand he started
in on his beet-feeding experiment
In order to fully carry out the expert
ment he bought his neighbOrs' beet patches
and as soon as his sheep arrived from the
ranges he commenced herding them In the
beet fields in order to utilize the beet tons
which lay scattered over the ground lust as
the tOppers had left them. He did not per-
nit the animals TO gorge themselves upon
the tops, but gave them a spell Of about an
hour and half in the morning and two
hours i'm the afternoon.
The sheep took to their new diet with
great avidity and refused any other fodder
so long as the beet tops lasted. The sheep
were thus fed for whole month, receiVin q
no other kind of fodder whatever. Then
they were put into the lamb-feeding pens
placed upon an exclusive ration of sliced
beets, which they appeared TO relish Just as
we'll as they had the tops. The sheep were
given an average of two pounds of beets
per head per day. For a month at the latter
part of the feeding season they were given
an additional ration of half a pound per
head per day of corn chop. Both the beets
and corn chop were given in two equal
daily ratiOns.
The sheep showed remarkable improve
ment right along. A part of them were
marketed in Denver, where they brought
$3.50 per hundred weight and the balance in
Omaha, where they brought Sis per hun
to 10 pounds per head. So 1t is easily seer
that Mr.. Bushnell made big money on q
lot of old WORKOUT ewes
This year he is feeding 100 head of the
same class of sheep upon similar ratiOns
The only change he makes in the pro-
gramme is to feed for a shorter period on
tops and a longer one on beets.
Next year he will plant twenty-five acres
of sugar beets for the exclusive use of stock
feeding.
He also ascertained that sugar beets were
an excellent feed for dairy cows.