THE FEEDING VALUE OF ROOTS 27 



that the larger yield was of milk of the same richness as the 

 milk produced without the addition of roots. On weighing in 

 some of the experiments the amount of water drunk by the 

 cows, it was found that the cows fed on roots drank less water, 

 and that this decrease was about equivalent to the amount of 

 water contained in the roots they consumed. It has, further, been 

 clearly established by these experiments that different varieties 

 of roots have different feeding values, according to their varying 

 contents of dry matter or total solids ; that the different 

 strains within the same variety have different contents of dry 

 matter and, therefore, different feeding values ; that, conse- 

 quently, some strains are more profitable to grow than others. 

 As a general conclusion it has been proved that 1 Ib. of dry 

 matter in roots has the same feeding value as 1 Ib. of corn, or 

 is equivalent to " one unit of food." In the 30th Report 

 (1895, p. 19) it was found that, pound for pound, the dry matter 

 in mangels and in carrots had the same feeding value for pigs ; 

 in the 42nd Report (1899, p. 23) it was found that, pound for 

 pound, the dry matter in Yellow Tankard and Bullock turnips 

 and in Bangholm swedes had the same feeding value for pigs 

 as the dry matter in Eckendorf mangels ; in the 53rd Report 

 (1902, pp. 7 and 11) it was found that 1 Ib. of dry matter in 

 mangels had the same feeding value for milch cows as 1 Ib. of 

 corn when fed in the usual mixed fodder with a nitrogen ratio 

 varying from 1-5 to 1-9 ; in the 55th Report (1904, p. 136) it 

 was found that 1 Ib. of dry matter in Barres and Elvetham 

 mangels and in swedes had the same feeding value as 1 Ib. of 

 corn when fed to milch cows ; and in the 89th Report (1915, 

 p. 16) it was again proved that the dry matter in mangels and 

 in swedes had the same feeding value, pound for pound, when 

 fed to milch cows. 



In the 55th Report (p. 137) it was recommended to devote 

 to the cultivation of roots one-third of the acreage under fodder 

 crops for feeding the cattle during the winter. 



These feeding trials had been planned and conducted on 

 farms in different parts of the country after full consultation 

 with the farmers, and the published reports had been written 

 so carefully and yet in such simple language that the results 

 were easily assimilated, and gained the complete confidence of 



