MANGOLDS. — PARSNIPS. 195 



The Mangold Wurzel, a variety of the Beta vul- 

 garis, is often cultivated with great success in this 

 country, and fed to cows with advantage, furnishing a 

 succulent and nutritive food in winter and spring. The 

 crop is somewhat uncertain. When it does well an 

 enormous yield is often obtained ; but it often proves a 

 failure, and is not, on the whole, quite as reliable as the 

 ruta baga, though a more valuable crop when the yield 

 is good. It is cultivated like the common beet, in moist, 

 rich soils, three pounds of seed to the acre. The leaves 

 may be stripped oif, towards fall, and fed out, without 

 injury to the growth of the root. Both mangolds and 

 turnips should be cut with a root-cutter, before being 

 fed out. 



The Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a very sweet and 

 nutritive article of fodder, and adds richness and flavor 

 to the milk. It is worthy of extended culture in all 

 parts of this country where dairy husbandry is pur- 

 sued. It is a biennial, easily raised on deep, rich, well- 

 cultivated and well-manured soils, often yielding enor- 

 mous crops, and possessing the advantage of withstand- 

 ing the severest winters. As an article of spring feed- 

 ing, therefore, it is exceedingly valuable. Sown in 

 April or May, it attains a large growth before winter. 

 Then, if desirable, a part of the crop may be harvested 

 for winter use, and the remainder left in the ground till 

 the frost is out, in March or April, when they can be 

 dug as wanted, and are exceedingly relished by milch 

 cows, and stock of all kinds. They make an admirable 

 feed at the time of milking, and produce the richest 

 cream, and the yellowest and finest-flavored butter, of 

 any root with which I am acquainted. The good dairy 

 farmers on the island of Jersey often feed to their 

 cows from thirty to thirty-five pounds of parsnips a 

 da} r , iD addition to hay or grass. 



