BEETS FOR STOCK-FEEDING. 61 



tion, and hence the market-value per pound of the l utriment 

 they furnish. Experience has fully demonstrated, that, in 

 regard to its yield, the ease with which it is cultivated, and 

 its freedom from disease and insect-pests, the sugar-beet far 

 surpasses all other roots ; and when it is taken into consid- 

 eration that in nutritive qualities it is only surpassed by the 

 potato and carrot, both of which are greatly inferior to it as 

 producers, and far exceed it in the cost of cultivation, it must 

 be conceded that the sugar-beet is, all in all, much the most 

 profitable root we can grow, and is suitable alike for } 7 oung 

 growing animals, fat cattle, horses, milch cows ; and even 

 sheep and swine might advantageously be treated to an oc- 

 casional meal of these palatable and nutritious vegetables. 



Having stated what, to the best of my knowledge, is the 

 most profitable root-crop to grow, let me make a few sugges- 

 tions with regard to the cultivation and use of roots. And 

 first bear in mind that a hundred and fifty pounds of beet- 

 tops are equal, for fall feeding, to a hundred pounds of the 

 best meadow-hay. There is a great difference between grow- 

 ing beets for sugar, and beets for cattle : in the former case 

 it is the chief aim of the producer to exclude all the nitrogen 

 possible ; while, in the latter, it is desirable that the plant 

 store up the largest possible amount of tins element. 



Therefore beets for feeding-purposes should be grown on 

 heavier Jand, or that containing more organic matter, and 

 given all the nitrogenous food they will assimilate. 



Notwithstanding opinions to the contrary, I do not believe 

 in cooking roots for horned cattle. The animals relish the 

 raw vegetables best. The amount of woody fibre is so small, 

 and the elements of nutrition are all so soluble, and readily 

 taken up by the system, that the increased nutritive quali- 

 ties of the food,, if they exist, will not nearly compensate for 

 the increased cost of feeding. An acre of land that will 

 produce three tons of hay will grow twenty tons of beets ; 

 and when it is remembered that three hundred pounds of 

 sugar-beets are the nutritive equivalent for one hundred 

 pounds of meadow-ha} 7 , it will be seen that an acre of beets 

 furnishes more than twice as much nourishment as does an 

 acre of hay, and that the nutriment furnished by them is in 

 the cheapest possible form. But, as it is not natural for the 

 animal to take the bulk of its food in this condition, it 



