ROOTS, TUBERS, AND OTHER SUCCULENT FEEDS 133 



fed heavy rations with a view to securing a maximum production 

 of milk. For these purposes no crops are equally valuable to 

 farmers and breeders. Roots are also grown to advantage where 

 Indian corn will not do well on account of climatic and other 

 conditions. They grow best in a cool and moist climate. This 

 may be inferred from the fact that they are important crops in 

 European countries, especially Great Britain, where the growing 

 of turnips is a distinctive feature of farming and figures largely 

 in the making of the fine quality of mutton and beef produced 

 there. Also in Denmark, a highly specialized dairy country, the 

 growing of roots, especially mangels and rutabagas, is largely 

 practised, and their culture has increased in a marked manner 

 during the present century, because the dairy farmers have found 

 it advantageous on agricultural and economic grounds. 



Roots are, in general, characterized by a high digestibility and 

 palatability. They contain large proportions of water, as has been 

 shown, viz., 70 to 90 per cent, and only small amounts of both fat 

 and fiber. The protein is also low, and about 40 per cent thereof 

 is in non-protein form. The nitrogen-free extract, on the other 

 hand, is relatively high and consists largely of soluble. carbohydrates. 

 The root crops are, therefore, especially valuable sources of carbo- 

 hydrates. They are greatly relished by stock and have a favorable 

 influence on their digestion and general health. The only exception 

 is that care is necessary in case of feeding root crops (mangels and 

 sugar beets) to breeding rams and perhaps also to ewes and cattle, 

 on account of the possibility of formation of kidney and bladder 

 stones. There is no danger in this respect in the case of fattening 

 animals, according to the Iowa station. la 



The main root crops used for feeding farm animals in this 

 country are mangels, rutabagas, turnips, sugar beets, and carrots. 

 Cabbage, rape, and kale belong to the same botanical genus as tur- 

 nips and rutabagas (brassica), of the mustard family (Latin name, 

 cruciferce), and parsnips belong to the carrot family (umbelliferce). 

 These crops will now briefly be considered. 



Mangels are also called mangel-wurzels or field beets (Beta 

 vulgaris, Fig. 22). Like root crops in general, mangels have a 

 high feeding value for the amount of dry matter they contain, 

 which is less than that of any other root crop, viz., 9 per cent on 

 the average. There is considerable difference in different varieties 

 in this respect, the average dry matter contents of these ranging 

 between 6 and 16 per cent. The average digestion coefficients for 



^Bulletin 112; Farmers' Bulletin 465. 



