D THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



principal forage crops are maize, sorghum or Kafir corn, milki 

 oats, barley : among the legumes are cowpeas and soy beans. 

 The rape plant is used somewhat as a forage crop. 



12. Tubers. — The only tuber of importance cultivated in the 

 United States is the potato. Although the area devoted to the 

 crop in this country is small compared to the total area under 

 cultivation, yet the large yield of food per acre, the ease with 

 which it is prepared for use, and the intensive character of the 

 cultivation required, all conspire to make it an important crop. 

 It is a relatively still more important crop in Europe, where the 

 agriculture is more intensive. 



The Jerusalem artichoke and chufa are also grown in a 

 minor way for their tubers. 



13. Roots. — Generally speaking, the climatic conditions do 

 not favor the production of root crops in the United States. In 

 Great Britain especially, turnips, ruta-bagas and the various 

 forms of the beet are grown largely for stock food. These 

 crops are quite as important there as maize is in the United 

 States. Canada also raises root crops somewhat abundantly. 

 The sweet potato is raised extensively in the southern part of 

 the United States and is an important article of diet in that 

 section. Chicory and cassava are minor crops. 



14. Sugar Plants. — The principal sugar plants are the sugar 

 cane and the sugar beet. At the present time the latter fur- 

 nishes more of the sugar of the world than the former. In the 

 United States the most sugar is produced from the cane. The 

 area over which sugar cane can be raised is not believed to be 

 large, while the area over which beets can be successfully grown 

 for the production of sugar is believed to be much more consid- 

 erable. It seems probable, therefore, that the production of 

 sugar from the beet will continue to increase until much the 

 jarger part of the sugar will come from this plant. Sorghum is, 

 also, grown for the production of syrup, and hard maple forests 

 are maintained both for the production of sugar and syrup. 



