FOOD FROM FIELD ROOTS AND TUBERS 335 



the coarse growing varieties are sometimes very large, as 

 large as 9 to 12 tons of tubers per acre, and in some instances 

 the enormous production of 18 tons per acre has been 

 reached. The average yields, however, are considerably 

 lower than 9 tons per acre. To grow the crop at its best, 

 requires a loam soil, inclining to sandy, porous and natu- 

 rally fertile or made so. Sweet potatoes may be grown even 

 for live stock, southward from the Potomac and Ohio riv- 

 ers, in the East, and southward from the latitude of Des 

 Moines, Iowa, and in the mountain valleys, southward from 

 say Walla Walla in Washington in the West. They are usu- 

 ally fed in the sliced form except when fed to swine. The 

 perishable nature of sweet potatoes tends to shorten the sea- 

 son for feeding them, and to encourage the feeding of the 

 crop as soon as is reasonable after it has matured. 



For cattle, the aim should be to feed leguminous ad- 

 juncts along with sweet potatoes. Though relatively better 

 adapted for fattening than for milk production, they are 

 more commonly fed for the latter end. A few pounds fed 

 daily to calves and young cattle will aid them materially. 

 Large quantities may be fed with safety to beef cattle, but 

 moderate quantities will probably be found relatively more 

 profitable. In some instances 40 to 45 pounds per day have 

 been fed to cows in milk. But these quantities would seem 

 excessive of a food so rich in carbohydrates. The results 

 will probably be more satisfactory when not more than 15 

 to 20 pounds are fed daily along with concentrates such as 

 soy bean or cottonseed meal. 



To sheep, sweet potatoes are seldom given, largely 

 for the reason that where they are grown most extensively, 

 sheep are not much grown. They may be used with ad- 

 vantage in feeding off the tops before the crop is har- 

 vested. For sheep that are being grazed on such pas- 

 ture as cowpeas or Japan clover, especially with a view to 

 fattening them, sweet potatoes should furnish a very suit- 

 able complement. A few pounds fed daily should suffice, 

 but heavier feeding may also sometimes be in order. 



