THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



29 



to 10 per cent. The use of oatmeal is, therefore, 

 more favourable to the production of muscle 

 than flour. 



Rye is generally used as cattle food in this coun- 

 try in a green state. It resembles wheat in its 

 composition more than either of the other cereals, 

 and is inferior to barley for feeding purposes. 

 It only contains about one per cent, of oil or fatty 

 matter; 60 per cent, of starch and sugar; 14 per 

 cent, of flesh-forming substances; 10;^ per cent, 

 of husk or woody fibre; if per cent, of ash; and 

 13 per cent, of water. 



Although Indian corn is not grown in the 

 British islands, its use for feeding purposes has 

 become much extended of late years. It contains 

 a larger per-centage of oil than oats — being as 

 much as 8 to 9 per cent,, and is, therefore, a 

 valuable auxiliary ill the fattening of our domestic 

 animals. The flesh-forming constituents of Indian 

 corn amount to 11 J per cent. ; the heat and fat- 

 producing substances to GTi per cent. ; woody 

 fibre, 5 per cent.; ash, H per cent.; and water, 

 15 per cent. 



Turnips. — The nutritive value of turnips varies 

 with the variety, the climate, the soil, and the 

 manure used in their cultivation, and, therefore, 

 any arrangement of their flesh-forming and fat- 

 forming elements can only be an approximation to 

 the truth, even in the same kind of turnips if 

 grown under different circumstances. All the 

 varieties contain a large per-centage of water — 

 namely, from 86 to 94 per cent. — and from. 6 to 14 

 per cent, of dry solid matter. Taking the average 

 composition, the latter may be stated as follows : — 



Swedes, in the natural state, 89.260 per cent, of 

 water; 1*443 per cent, of nitrogenised or flesh- 

 producing substances; 8'474 per cent, of non- 

 nitrogenised matters, the elements of respiration 

 and fat ; and 0"623 per cent, of ash. The ash of 

 all turnips is chiefly made up of potash, soda, 

 common salt, lime, phosphoric and sulphuric 

 acids. Aberdeen Yellows, in the natural state, 

 contain 90'578 per cent, of water; 1'802 per cent, 

 of flesh-forming matters; 6*97l of the elements of 

 respiration and fat; and 0.649 of ash. From 

 the great variation in the composition of turnips, it 

 is desirable that further investigations should 

 be made by scientific men, in connection with the 

 practical experiments of the feeder, and by those 

 means some dark points relative to the nutritive 

 properties of turnips would be elucidated, and the 

 practical man guided more clearly than he is 

 at present. 



Mangel Wurzel. — The average composition of 

 this variety of roots contains, in the natural state, 

 rsi per cent, of flesh-fofming substances; iri9 

 per cent, of the elements of respiration and fat ; 



0-96 per cent, of ash — of which the largest ingre- 

 dients are potash, soda, and common salt — and 

 86'04 per cent, of water. The orange globe 

 variety has been found to contain a larger amount 

 of the elements of respiration and fat than the 

 long red, which agrees with the practical results 

 obtained by the use of those varieties in feed- 

 ing. The tendency of fresh mangels to produce 

 scour when given to cattle is well known to all who 

 have used them, and also the fact that when 

 the roots are kept over for some months before 

 being given to cattle this scouring property disap- 

 pears. It arises from a certain acrid substance 

 which exists in the fresh root, the nature of which 

 has not yet been clearly ascertained, but which 

 gradually disappears after the roots have been 

 raised and stored. The quantity of sugar con- 

 tained in mangels which have been kept for some 

 months is greater than in the fresh roots, for 

 which cause also cattle thrive better on old roots 

 than on those which have been recently drawn 

 from the soil. The old roots become riper and 

 sweeter, in the same manner as the apple or any 

 other fruit becomes sweeter as it approaches 

 maturity. Dr. Voelcker states that he has found 

 mangels "to be about the worst description of 

 roots that can be given to sheep." In an experi- 

 mental trial of different feeding materials, he found 

 that whilst " sheep fed on swedes and hay increased 

 on an average 2^ lbs. per week," those fed on 

 mangels and hay "at the end of four months 

 had not increased a single pound." From this he 

 infers that there exists some peculiarity in the 

 constitution of sheep which prevents them from 

 deriving benefit from mangels, whilst cattle thrive 

 rapidly upon them. This is another point which 

 requires co-operative investigation on the part of 

 scientific and practical men. 



Carrots. — The white Belgian variety has been 

 analyzed by Dr. Voelcker, who found it to contain, 

 in its natural state, 87*338 per cent, of water; 

 0*667 per cent, of flesh-forming or nitrogenised 

 substances; 11*250 per cent, of non-nitrogenised 

 matters capable of supporting animal heat and the 

 formation of fat; and 0*745 per cent, of ash. 

 Dr. Voelcker's analysis shows that the carrot does 

 not contain any appreciable quantity of starch, 

 but this want is counterbalanced by the existence 

 of 6*544 per cent, of sugar. The amount of solid 

 matter in the carrot is fully 12 per cent. The 

 largest portion of the ash consists of potash, 

 soda, common salt, hme, phosphoric and sulphuric 

 acid. 



Parsnips contain starch, which does not exist in 

 carrots, to the amount, according to Voelcker, 

 of 3*507 per cent.; but the quantity of sugar 

 is less than in the carrot, being only 2*882 per cent. 



