ROOT CROPS. 



223 



then plenty. The value of mangold leaves as a food for milch 

 cows stands high amongst green fodder, as tested by a series of 

 carefully-conducted experiments made at this (the Albert) 

 institution, of which the following table shows the results : 



The mangold leaves are very much relished by milch cattle, 

 and from six to eight stones * per day in alternate feeds, with 

 hay or straw, is a good allowance for an ordinary sized beast. 



"The leaves of the plant," remarks Professor Wilson, "also 

 appear to possess a far higher value, both as a feeding and as a 

 manuring substance, than we are accustomed to assign to 

 them. Boussingault (Annales de Chimie) gives us an organic 

 analysis of the roots and the leaves, of the plants ; a compar- 

 ison between their respective compositions will be very much 

 in favor of the leaves for the purposes just mentioned. The 

 substances were dried necessarily previous to their analysis. 



Their proportions of water were about the same, and their 

 elementary composition was as follows : — 



Boot. 



Root. 



Carbon, 

 Hydrogen, 



Oxygen, 



Nitrogen, 



Ash, 



42.75 

 5.77 



43.58 

 1.66 

 6.24 



42.93 

 5.94 



43.23 

 1.66 

 6.24 



38.1 

 5.1 



30.8 

 4.5 



21.5 



* A stone is 14 lbs. weight. 



