BEE 



BEE 



43 



root stands in the stead of meadows 

 or grass lands, and whose excel- 

 lent horses are well known. 



Hogs, fed upon them raw, after 

 they have been cut up fine and 

 mixed with milk or other drink, 

 fatten as well upon them as upon 

 boiled potatoes, by wiiich the fuel 

 and trouble of boiling is saved. 



As to the quantity given to animals, 

 much will depend on the propor 

 tion of other fodder, which you 

 allow them. Cows fed twice a 

 day in winter upon eighteen 

 pounds of these roots at each 

 time, together with four pounds 

 of hay or chopped straw, will give 

 as much and as good milk as in 

 summer, and they will be kept in 

 the best possible state. 



Oxen fed with forty weight of 

 these roots per day, with ten 

 pounds of hay for one month, and 

 after that with fifty weight per day 

 of the roots alone, will be fat 

 enough for sale in two months 

 more. 



Any person disposed may, from 

 the facts above stated, calculate 

 how many cattle will be support- 

 ed by a single acre of land on 

 which this plant is cultivated. 



Men can eat this vegetable 

 throughout the year, it is agreea- 

 ble and healthy. No insect at- 

 tacks it, and it suffers but little 

 from the variety of the seasons. 

 The leaves of this plant form alone 

 an excellent food for every species 

 of domestic quadruped during four 

 months in the year. Turnips and 

 other vegetables are besides liable 

 to be destroyed by insects, whereas 

 this beet is not. Tlie roots can 

 be preserved eight months in a 



sound state, while turnips are of 

 little value after March. In some 

 soils turnips will not grow, partic- 

 ularly in those which are very slifJ' 

 or strong. The root of scarcity 

 grows every where. The milk of 

 cows fed on turnips has a bad taste. 

 That of those fed on this plant is 

 excellent, as is also the butter 

 made from it. This forage on 

 green fodder comes also at the hot 

 seasons, when almost all other 

 green food is scarce, and some- 

 times not to be procured. Cattle 

 never get tired of it. In many 

 parts of Germany where it is rais- 

 ed with success, they prefer it to 

 every thing else to fatten those 

 large herds of cattle which they 

 armually export to France. In 

 feeding cattle with beets the same 

 dry food must be given which is 

 usually given with turnips. 



Sugar may be made from this 

 root, and for this purpose it is said 

 the white beet excels. For de- 

 tails respecting the mode of manu- 

 facturing sugar from the beet, see 

 Rees'' Cydopadia, Art. Beta. 



We shall add to this article a 

 brief account of the mode of culti- 

 vating this plant in Bedford, in 

 England. 



In the middle or latter end of 

 April, the furrows two icet apart, 

 are double ploughed, (hat is, the 

 plough returns on the furrow to the 

 point whence it set out, forming a 

 ridge between the furrows. In 

 these furrows, the manure, which 

 should be well rotted is deposited, 

 at the rate of six cubic yards to an 

 acre. 7'he ridges are then split by 

 the plough going and retumincr the 

 same way as before mentioned, 



