220 BETTER DAIRY FARMING 



out. If left in piles it spoils quickly in hot weather. Some farmers 

 find it convenient to spread the green crop out on the barn floor. 

 This will keep it from spoiling but the more it dries out the less 

 is its value as succulence. It must be remembered that soiling- 

 crops contain lots of water and that two or three times as much 

 must be fed as of dry roughage to furnish the same amount of 

 nutrients. (47) 



387. Mangels. — Mangels are the favorite roots for the dairy 

 farm, because they can be grown with the least labor and because 

 they have the best keeping qualities. They are the greatest 

 yielders, in terms of green material, but in terms of dry matter 

 their superiority is not so great. Mangels, as is the case with all 

 roots, should be stored where it is dry, dark, well ventilated, and 

 cool. They should not be fed in any large amount when freshly 

 harvested, as scouring may result. 



388. Other root crops. — Rutabagas and sugar beets are other 

 roots which may be grown. The former, also called swede, are the 

 easier to cultivate, but do not produce as much dry matter. They 

 should be fed after, rather than before, milking because, other- 

 wise, they may taint the milk. Sugar beets are very palatable and 

 are the roots preferred by many for feeding cows on test. 



389. Feeding roots. — Roots are generally fed by slicing them 

 and placing in the manger with the grain sprinkled over them. 

 From 30 to 60 pounds per day can be fed. To obtain the same 

 amount of food value the amount fed must be somewhat larger 

 than with silage because the latter has more dry matter. For 

 the cow on test the addition of roots seems to increase the milk 

 flow even where silage is being fed. This is attributed to their 

 cooling effect. It has been shown that, except where records are 

 sought, the feeding of roots in addition to silage is not justified 

 because the increase in milk will not pay for the additional feed. 

 However, where roots are fed somewhat less grain is necessary. 

 Ten pounds of roots will replace one pound of grain. 



