FOOD FROM FIELD ROOTS AND 'TUBERS 347 



the same is true of peanut cake or of the meal made from 

 the same. (See p. 300.) When peanut hay is fed to horses 

 with the nuts adhering, some caution should be exercised 

 owing to the richness of the food. 



Tops of roots and tubers. The various roots and tu- 

 bers, the tops of which may be used as food for stock, in- 

 clude mangels, sugar beets, rutabagas and turnips, carrots, 

 sweet potatoes, peanuts and artichokes. The tops of Irish po- 

 tatoes and cassava are possessed of little or no value for feed- 

 ing. The value of the tops of roots in feeding live stock is 

 measurably dependent on the way in which they are fed, and 

 on the relative cost of handling them. The tops of field roots 

 when fed, are either consumed in the field after the crop has 

 been removed, or are drawn daily and strewn over pastures 

 where live stock, may gather them, or they are fed in man- 

 gers. When gleaned by the stock in the field, they are much 

 liable to induce scouring because of their succulence and the 

 extent to which they are consumed, but this tendency lessens 

 proportionately with the wilting of the leaves. Because of 

 this hazard, many growers simply spread them and then 

 plow them under for the benefit of the soil. Sheep will con- 

 sume them with less waste than other classes of live stock, 

 and if given access to an old pasture while thus consuming 

 the tops, the tendency to scours will be measurably removed. 

 When drawn and fed, the amount consumed, may of course, 

 be controlled. The tops of roots are specially valuable in 

 furnishing milk. 



Mangel tops. The proportion of the tops to the roots 

 of mangels varies much with the variety. With most vari- 

 eties it is probably less, rather than more than 20 per cent. 

 The leaves of mangels are removed without any portion of 

 the root adhering to them, as in the case of sugar beets, 

 hence, they are less valuable relatively for feeding. Under 

 intensive conditions, the lower leaves are sometimes re- 

 moved from the growing crop and fed to live stock. This 

 may be done as it approaches maturity with little or no det- 

 riment to the crop. The leaves of both mangel, and sugar 



