The Nutritive Value of Wood Molasses as Compared with Cane Molasses

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Abstract
Wood molasses produced by the U. S. Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wis., from pine wood wastes was compared with cane molasses. The physiol. utilization of both the protein and the energy of the 2 molasses were studied by means of 12 complete balance expts. with 6 dairy heifers using a mixed hay as the basal maintenance ration. The apparent digestibility of the protein was depressed when both cane and wood molasses were added to the basal ration. However, almost all of this effect was accounted for on the basis of the increased metabolic N in the feces. The digestibility and the metabolizability of the energy was not increased significantly when either molasses was included in the ration. The metab-olizable energy per g. of dry matter was essentially the same for both molasses. These results indicate that wood molasses is comparable to cane molasses as a feed for dairy cattle.