Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1912-03-15
Beet Pulp Cheap and Satisfactory
Feed

Feed.
The valuable qualities of beet pulp
as a feed for dairy cows and other
animals are comemnted upon in Or
anpe Judd Farmer in its issue OF DC
tober J, 1911. 1t says:
Dairymen and farmers in general
are finding that beet pulp rom the SUI
gar factories is a valuable feed. This
pulp is sold by the factories as wet or
dried, depending upon the facilities
the factory may have for drying. In
the west thousands of cattle are fat
tened on this by-product OF the STU
gar factories. Clover or alfalfa hay
is used in addition The cattle COM
mand good prices on the eastern mar
kets. and in many cases make no little
profit for the feeders. Immense
numbers of sheep are also led beet
pulp. The sections surrounding the
sugar factories in Colorado and Utah
IRE the feeding grounds for thousands
If sheep. which find beet pulp their
main ration. Cows, horses, steers,
and sheep all seem to relish and to
regarded as worth little or nothing
from the feeders standpoint.
Sugar beets will yield fifteen to
,wenty tons per acre. About two
thirds OF this weight will be returned
as pulp. The tops make additional
iced. The dry matter contained in
a pound of beet pulp is about equal to
the dry matter in an equal amount OF
the ordinary roots, such as mangels
or rutabagas. 1t has been found that
one pound of corn is equal to eight
pounds of wet beet pulp when fatten-
ing lambs. Beet pulp, either wet or
dry, constitutes an important addi-
ton to tn list of feeds that the dairy
man may feed to his cows. When
the pulp is fed to steers. alfalfa or
clover hay should constitute part OF
the ration. 1t has b found advis-
able ts-discontinue~lt eeding OF the
pulp about FIVE or 81 weeks previous
to the time the stet;S are to be sold
and Substitute sonat9ieh concentrate
as corn. If this is ri done, the flesh
of the steers will be f&ind more wat
cry than is desirable.
The pulp when dried more OF its to-
tai nutritive value than when it re-
mains wet. 1t is estimated that one
during the time it is usually kept in
silo. The wet pulp may be kept
in a silo used for corn silage.. Some
farmers construct a pit in the base
ment OF the barn in which it is stored.
Others find it will keep If properly
pittcd in the ground. Trenches about
;, feet deep and 6 feet wide, with
slightly sloping bottom, are dug in
ground that is as high and dry as
possible. Two or ) inches of beet
leaves are placed in the bottom OF
the trench. to keep the pulp from
touching the earth. The sides of the
pit may or may not be boarded. The
pulp is covered with hay. then with
dirt. 1t soon sours, but this docs not
injure its feeding value. Stock seem
to relish the soured pulp.
Experiments in feeding both wet
and dried pulp have been carried on
at some of the stations. The Utah
station found that horses will eat as
high as twenty pounds daily OF wet
pulp. Combined with oats and alfal-
ia, o.5 pounds of the wet pulp were
found equal to Is pounds of oats.
At this rate, with oats at 40 cents
bushel. wet beet pulp is worth about
81 a ton. Colorado has found that
,tecrs grow thrifty on a ration OF
pulo and alfalfa hay. Nine pounds
Of wet pulp were equal in feeding
value to rs pounds of alfalfa. or one
pound of ground corn. II alfalfa hay
IS worth SI2 ton. then pulp is worth
nearly 81. In feeding steers and
lambs, in the west finishing is always
done on grain ration, as the use OF
pulp up util the time of shipping
makes 10. oft flesh.
German investigations have shown
that one pound of the dried pulp is
equal to eight pounds OF the wet. Ex-
periments at the Michigan station in
dictate that the dried pulp will com
pare favorable with corn meal in the
fattening of sheep and steers. Trials
were made through three winters
with fattening steers. using pulp as
one of the main feeds. Growth rath-
or than fat seemed to result from
feeding pulp. In this respect the ex-
perience of theswcstcrn feeders has
simply been repeated. 1t was found
that I.ooo-pound steer would con-
sumo ten pounds daily. Another ex-
pertinent would indicate that dried
beet pulp is worth about two-thirds
the value of wheat bran. Such an es-
innate would brine the value OF the
pulp up to at least SEQ ton.
1t will be seen that in the main the
experimental work with both wet and
dried pulp agrees as TO the value in
feeding. The differences that have
arisen in the results may be attributed
to such factors as difference in the
pulp or other factors which do not at
fart the couclu siOus