FOOD FROM FIELD ROOTS AND TUBERS 333 



while the former are also more highly relished. Those re- 

 jected for cooking, however, because of insufficient size or 

 because unshapely, may always be turned to good account 

 when judiciously fed to farm animals. 



Potatoes are rich in starch and, therefore, may be used 

 with profit under some conditions in fattening animals, 

 more especially swine. They are so bulky, however, and 

 contain so much water, that it has been found more profit- 

 able when feeding them for fat production to remove much 

 of the water by first cooking them. To other classes of 

 stock they are more commonly fed raw. But potatoes, old 

 and shrivelled, or that have sprouted, should not be so fed, 

 as they contain a principle, solanim which is dangerous to 

 live stock and which is removed by boiling the tubers. Like 

 all classes of tubers and field roots, they have a beneficial 

 influence on the digestion apart from the nutritive value, 

 consequently when fed to farm animals maintained on dry 

 food, they aid in keeping the digestion in tone. Except 

 when fed to swine and grown sheep, they should usually be 

 sliced. Cattle may choke on them when fed whole. 



To cattle of all classes, potatoes may be fed with more 

 or less benefit when they can be spared for such feeding, 

 unless when the animals are being maintained on succulent 

 food. A few pounds only should be fed to calves daily. 

 Cows in milk should not be given potatoes in large quanti- 

 ties except in conjunction with protein foods, owing to their 

 highly carbonaceous character, otherwise they may tend too 

 much to the production of fat rather than milk. With such 

 foods in plentiful supply, as many as 15 to 20 pounds per 

 day may be fed without harmful results. Cattle that are be- 

 ing fattened will take as much as 30 pounds per day, but 

 usually smaller quantities will suffice. 



To sheep, a few pounds fed daily when on dry feed 

 will aid materially in promoting thrift in the flock. Usually 

 2 to 4 pounds may be fed with benefit to breeding sheep not 

 on grass. Twice these amounts and even more may be fed 

 to sheep that are being fattened. When sliced they may 



