Improved Food Stuff for Cattle.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improved Food Stuff for Cattle.
I, GEORG BECKSTROEM, of Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg, Germany, Apothecary, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
According to my said invention I take unturfed sphagnum moss (turf_moss or
marsh moss) and after depriving it of water by pressing and drying I cut or
chop it into short pieces and then mix it with six or eight times its own weight
of molasses. Turf moss possesses in the highest degree the power of absorbing
and retaining liquids. The absorption of the molasses by the spiral cells of such
moss is intracellular and the molasses is gradually given back by the turf in the
animal digestive organs without injuring them.
The absorptive media hitherto used for molasses only absorb it intercellular in
small quantities and part with it rapidly frequently causing interference with
the digestion.
Other advantages are that the turf moss itself only consists of natural cell
matter without deleterious ingredients. It is capable of resisting decay or decom-
position in a high degree and mixed with molasses it keeps indefinitely.
:
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M. Inst. C.E.,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.
I, GEORG BECKSTROEM, of Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg, Germany, Apothecary, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
•
My said invention relates to an improved food stuff for cattle produced by
impregnating sphagnum moss with molasses and using it alone or mixed with
other food stuffs.
Many attempts have been made to produce a cattle food from molasses in
combination with dried food stuffs in order to make use of the sugar contained in
the molasses as a food. Such mixtures as have hitherto been used were very
limited in their capacity for taking up the molasses in which respect they are
vastly excelled by sphagnum moss which as I have found from experiment is
particularly adapted (in consequence of its greater intercellular as well as intra-
cellular absorptive capacity for fluids) for taking up great quantities of molasses.
Ordinary turf corn cobs husks and the like only absorb intercellular while
according to my process the molasses penetrates right into the hyaline spiral
cells of the moss thus distinguishing moss from the other substances named.*
C

page_text: Food stuffs made in accordance with my said invention consist of mixtures of
comminuted sphagnum moss with many times its own weight of molasses either
without or with the addition of other food stuffs such as palm kernels cocoa
products maize meal of maize oil cake clover rice flour or other similar products.
The food stuff is pressed into the form of cakes which are dessicated into firm
dry cakes or tablets containing accurately determined quantities and qualities
of molasses and other materials.
I now find the best proportions and method of making such cakes is to take
one kilogramme of dry coarsely comminuted sphagnum moss and to mix it with
25 kilogrammes of molasses. That is the proportion which is absorbed by the
moss and completely distributed throughout the mass. To this mixture 25
Kilogrammes of other food stuffs such as palm kernels cocoa nut products earth
nuts rice flour clover corn colis dried husks or other similar dry foods which may
be obtainable or desirable are added.
While for example if say four parts of molasses are added to one part of ordinary
furf the pressure of the finger is sufficient to express the molasses in drops it
is remarkable that the above described scarcely moist mixture can be subjected
to a very high pressure without liberating the molasses.
I take 1020 grammes of the mixture press it into a cake and subject it to a
temperature not exceeding 100° C. for the purpose of expelling the water. In
order to produce a uniform mixture it is necessary that the molasses be first
mixed with the moss and then that the other materials be added. If the order
be reversed pasty lumns along with dry moss will be produced. Unless care is
taken thus to uniformly distribute the molasses through the whole quantity of
material there may arise not only irregularity in the quantity or dose in the
cakes but also a complete failure as regards the use of the molasses for food
purposes. By mixing them in the order described I attain a perfectly uniform
distribution and preservation of the molasses.
The proportions of the molasses to the moss may be varied. In my Provisional
Specification I described a mixture of one to six or eight, but I have since found
that the absorptive capacity of the moss is much greater than I then supposed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The process of producing food stuffs by impregnating dry comminuted
sphagnum moss with many times its own weight of molasses.
2. The process of producing a food stuff by mixing dry sphagnum moss im-
pregnated with molasses with other food stuffs.
3. A food stuff consisting of a mixture of sphagnum moss impregnated with
25 times its own weight of molasses and 25 times its own weight of other food
stuffs pressed into a cake and dessicated by heat so as to remove the moisture
substantially as set forth and described.
D
1000
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M. Inst. C.E.,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.