REPORT OF THE CHEMIST 



173 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



land influence it is crowded out by other plants, but in the harder central portions it 

 is easily the most prominent. Cattle turned out in the summer thrive on the various 

 wild plants they can pick up. They are seldom seen to browse on the leaves of bushes, 

 and the only other fodder for them is blue-joint grass. This does not occur in sufli- 

 cient quantities to sustain the number feeding upon it and they are forced to rely on 

 what can be gathered on the bog. Apparently, given the choice, they will always eat 

 blue-joint grass, but the sedge is often their principal feed. Cattle living on this food 

 are particularly well muscled and strong.' 



THE KELATIVE VALUE OF FIELD EOOTS. 



In this research we have determined, season by season, for a number of years past, 

 the percentages of dry matter and sugar in the following root crops, mangels, turnips 

 and cai*rots. It is thus possible, from a study of the results, to obtain a very fair 

 knowledge of the comparative feeding values of a large number of the more commonly 

 grown varieties. 



The two chief influences affecting the composition of roots are those of heredity 

 and of season. If we could feel assured that the seed of any particular variety was 

 always from the same strain then we could say, in comparing the figures of that 

 variety from year to year, that the diiferences in composition to be observed were due 

 to seasonal characteristics. But, unfortunately, such is not the case — seedsmen are 

 not particular in this matter — and, further, confiision is frequently caused by the 

 constant renaming by seedsmen of well known varieties, and this fact makes identifi- 

 cation in many cases well-nigh impossible. 



However, in spite of these difficulties, our work has made evident that the influ- 

 ence of heredity is to be observed among the varieties upon the market, for arranging 

 the roots of any one class according to order of merit (as based on dry matter and 

 sugar content) it will be found that any particular variety occupies practically the 

 same position year after year. This will be more apparent in discussing later in this 

 article the case of the mangels, Gate Post and Giant Yellow Globe, which we have 

 examined for the past nine years more particularly from this standpoint. 



MANGELS. 



In the following table are presented, in the order of feeding value, the data ob- 

 tained from the examination of twelve varieties of mangels grown on the Experi- 

 mental Farm, Ottawa, during the season of 1908. They represent those which in 

 previous trials had given the best results in the field, though there are one or two that, 

 judging from their names, are now analysed for the first time. 



Analysis of Mangels, C. E. F., Ottawa, Ont., 1908. 



Variety. 



Perfection Mammoth Long Red . 



Mammoth Red Intermediate 



Half Sugar White 



Half Sugar White (Vilmorin's) . . 



Crimson Champion 



Gate Post 



Prize Mammoth Long Red 



Yellow Intermediate 



Jumbo 



Selected Yellow Globe 



Giant Yellow Intermediate . . . . 



Giant Yellow Globe r. 



Average 



weight 



of 



one root. 



Lbs. Oz. 



2 

 2 

 2 

 2 

 1 

 1 

 2 

 1 

 1 

 2 

 1 

 2 



9 

 

 3 

 7 

 9 

 11 

 4 



10 

 15 

 12 

 14 

 4 



