CHAPTER XV 



BOOTS, TUBERS, AND MISCELLANEOUS FORAGES 



I. ROOTS AND TUBERS 



In northern Europe and in eastern Canada root crops are extensively 

 grown for stock, but in this country such use has never assumed any 

 great importance. Indeed, over 5,000 acres of corn are raised in the 

 United States for each acre of roots grown for live stock feeding. 

 Having cool summers, northern Europe is well suited to the growth of 

 roots but not to the culture of corn, while in most parts of our country, 

 with the hot summers, this imperial grain and forage plant thrives. 

 As shown later in this chapter, where corn flourishes it furnishes a 

 palatable, succulent feed at less cost than do roots. Hence, it is reason- 

 able to expect that in the United States the culture of roots for forage 

 will increase only in districts having summers so cool that these crops 

 give better returns than corn, and on farms in the corn belt where too 

 few animals are kept to use corn silage economically, or where roots 

 serve as a relish for show animals and dairy cows on official test. 



365. Use and value of roots. Roots should be regarded not as rough- 

 ages, but as watered concentrates, high in available energy for the dry 

 matter they contain. (22) All are low in crude protein compared to 

 their content of carbohydrates. The studies of Friis 1 in Denmark and 

 Wing and Savage at the New York (Cornell) Station 2 show that for 

 the dairy cow a pound of dry matter in roots has the same feeding 

 value as a pound of dry matter in grain, such as corn, wheat, or barley. 

 (638) Wing and Savage found that mangels could replace half the 

 grain ordinarily fed in a ration of grain, mixed hay, and silage without 

 reducing the yield of milk or butter, and that with grain at $30 per ton, 

 mangels were an economical substitute when they could be grown and 

 stored for $4 per ton. 



Since nearly 90 per ct. of the dry matter in roots and only 66 per ct. 

 of that in well-matured corn silage is digestible, one would expect the 

 dry matter of roots to have somewhat the higher value. However, in 

 the majority of the trials in which this question has been studied with 

 the dairy cow, just as much milk was produced from 100 Ibs. of dry 

 matter in the silage ration as in the ration containing roots. (638) 



In addition to the nutrients they furnish, roots and other succulent 

 feeds have a beneficial tonic effect upon animals, and are highly esteemed 

 for keeping breeding cattle and sheep in good, thrifty condition. Many 

 successful stockmen recommend roots highly for animals being fitted for 



J Expt. Sta. Bee., 14, 1903, p. 801. 3 N. Y. (Cornell) Bui. 268. 



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