1 66 



FUNDAMENTALS OF AGRICULTURE. 



Roots Contain Much Water. " One of the objec- 

 tions to roots as a food product lies in the fact of their 

 high water content. This limits the amount which 

 may be fed and becomes of special importance when 

 they are fed in connection with silage. On account of 

 this high water content it is not practicable to feed a 

 sufficient amount entirely to take the place of the ce- 

 reals, even should this be desirable for other reasons. 

 The trend of experimental evidence is that the feeding 

 value of the different types and varieties of root crops 

 depends more largely on the percentage of dry matter 

 than on any other factor; for example, the percentage 

 of dry matter apparently modifies their feeding value 

 more largely than the percentage of sugar. 



Yield of Root Crops. " The following table shows 

 the minimum, average and maximum number of 

 pounds of dry matter per acre which was obtained at 

 the Cornell Experiment Station in 1904, 1905 and 

 1906 from sowings made during May: 



Minimum 



Mangels 2,168 



Half-sugar mangels 5,480 



Sugar beets 6,014 



Rutabagas 3,537 



Hybrid turnips 2,584 



Common turnips 1,710 



Kohlrabi 3,570 



Cabbages 4,076 



Carrots 1,878 



Parsnips 2,080 



" The estimated yield of grain from flint corn, the 

 same seasons, at this station was approximately 2,000 

 pounds; while the yield of dry matter in silage from 

 dent corn was about four thousand pounds. It is prob- 

 able that the season of 1904 was relatively favorable 

 to the production of roots as compared to Indian corn, 

 but this was not true of 1905 and 1906. In the latter 

 years the average yields from roots were better than 

 in 1904, although the land used was conceded by all 

 interested to be less favorable than that used in 1904. 



