166 CROPS FOR SEMI-ARID REGIONS. 



Beet leaves and tops may be utilized to good advantage in 

 Colorado, Arizona and other sections by means of the silo. They 

 should be washed free of dirt and sand, well drained and some- 

 what dry. The writer quoted above says that "this material 

 sometimes contains as much as 3y 2 per cent of oxalic acid in the 

 dry substance, of which one-half or more may be soluble in water. 

 Oxalic acid has the property of withdrawing lime from other 

 substances, with which it forms an insoluble oxalate. For that 

 reason it is best not to feed beet leaves or beet leaf ensilage to 

 growing stock since it is apt to produce unduly soft bones by 

 rendering insoluble the lime necessary for their nutrition. Even 

 for mature animals the oxalic acid should be rendered harmless 

 by adding one or two pounds of slaked lime per ton of leaves 

 and tops when they are siloed. Since beet leaf ensilage has 

 marked laxative properties, it must be combined with a liberal 

 amount of straw or other dry forage. It is best adapted for 

 feeding steers, but may also be given to sheep. Dairy cows are 

 said to prosper on it, provided it does not exceed one-third of the 

 total ration." 



At the Colorado Station, nine feet of beet tops were placed in 

 a 12x50 foot silo, after being run through a silage cutter. The 

 tops had been frozen and were not in good condition, but they 

 came out in the same condition as when put in. "Twenty-five 

 pounds of the beet top silage was offered each cow of the dairy 

 herd in place of the twenty-five pounds of sugar beet previously 

 fed, the balance of the ration remaining constant. They ate the 

 tops rather reluctantly, some of them finally consuming their 

 entire allowance, others never doing so. That the tops had a 

 greater laxative effect than corn silage was apparent when a 

 change to the latter was made." Beet pulp is siloed to some ex- 

 tent. A high silo used for this purpose "should be provided with 

 special drainage for carrying away the large quantity of water 

 given off by the pulp. (See also page 156.) 



"There are a great many Russian thistles all over the dry- 

 farming sections, and these are becoming a great*pest," says Prof. 

 Simpson. "There have been a few endeavors to make silage from 

 them, and with a fair degree of success. * * * Of course, we 

 do not advocate planting thistles for silage, but it makes a good 

 maintenance ration when made into silage, and this is one of the 



