ROOT CROPS. 227 



condition daring the winter and spring months fed on boiled 

 mangolds mixed with a little bran or bruised oats, in addition 

 to hay or oat straw. About six stones of mangolds, with inter- 

 mediate feeds of hay or straw, is a fair day's allowance for an 

 ordinary sized cow. 



It appears to me desirable to give the following extracts from 

 the opinions recorded on the value of mangold as food for fat- 

 tening cattle, milch cows, and other animals, by gentlemen 

 distinguished by tlieir practical and scientific attainments : — 



" The mangold is known to be good for all animals giving 

 milk. But it also appears, from a remarkable experiment of 

 Lord Spencer, that this root is good for fattening also. The 

 two beasts put up by him made even more progress when fed 

 alternately upon mangold than upon turnips, and he considers 

 the result to be decisive." — Mr. Pusey (^Journal of the Royal 

 AgricuUural Society of England, Vol. iii. p. 201.) 



" All stock like it, even horses thrive upon it ; it is cheap 

 food, and may be given to cattle in autumn if chaff is but 

 admixed witli it to counteract its laxative effect." — Mr. Bond 

 ( Fa rmer'' s Mag a z in e . ) 



" This root is a very valuable food for cattle, is much relished 

 by them, fattens well, and gives a rich milk." — Professor 

 Johnston (^Highland Society'' s Journal, p. 607.) 



" Its use is principally as food for milch cattle, for which it is 

 superior to all other kinds of green crop, yet its culture has not 

 extended by any means in proportion to its value." — Professor 

 Murphy (^Agricultural Instructor, p. 52.) 



" Field-beet is the best of the root class of vegetables for a 

 cow giving milk." — Martin Doyle. 



" My experience of the value of this root has been so long 

 and so uniform that I have no hesitation in calling upon my 

 l)rother farmers, who are similarly situated as to their climate 

 and soil, to participate in its advantages." — Mr. Paget (Journal 

 of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Vol. xvii. 

 p. 408. 



" Experiments have been made to test the value of mangold 

 wurzel compared with Swede turnips in the fattening of cattle. 

 The experiments which have come under my knowledge — ^the 

 estimate of the increase of weight of the animals experimented 



