114 



Bulletin 243. 



However, they are useful for early feeding, and are especially valuable 



for sheep. 



Carrots and parsnips, while yielding a fair percentage of dry matter, 



do not yield a sufficient quantity of food material to warrant general 



planting for stock-feeding. However, they are exceptionally good as a 



condimental food, and for horses. 



The results of 1904 

 and 1905 show plainly 

 that early planting of all 

 roots for stock-feeding is 

 desirable. Rutabagas, 

 however, may be planted 

 a little later than the 

 others. It has not been 

 shown that the more fib- 

 rous and heavier ruta- 

 bagas of a longer-grow- 

 ing season are less digest- 

 ible or palatable than the 

 more succulent roots of 

 the shorter-growing sea- 

 son. 



HARVESTING AND 

 STORING ROOTS. 



Roots are generally 

 harvested by hand, except 

 in the case of the sugar- 

 beets, when a plow may 

 be used to raise them 

 from the ground. When 

 turnips, rutabagas and 

 mangels are grown for 

 succession-feeding, the 

 turnips are generally harvested first, before frost. Slight frosts in the 

 late fall will not injure rutabagas or mangels, although the first frost 

 should be a sign of harvesting time unless it be exceptionally early and 

 very sure to be followed by later warm weather. In late summer and 

 early fall, the tops do not grow much, yet the roots are developing and 

 ripening rapidly. 



In the case of mangels, rutabagas and most turnips the plants can be 

 pulled by hand, the tops twisted off as they are pulled and th^ XQQt,s piled 



Fig. 31. — Carton's Monarch rutabaga. Upper row 

 early sown; lower row late sown. The roots are 

 generally imiforni in size and shape and are 

 solid. They are somewhat affected by clubroot 

 disease. 



