ROOT CROPS 



149 



shire unless it can be made to grow upon land now entirely 

 worthless. 



II.— ROOT CROPS 



During the past three years root crops have been grown to a 

 limited extent and fed to the College herd. They have been 

 replaced by ensilage in most sections in late years, and while 

 this has been to the advantage of farmers generally, we must 

 not forget that roots have their value. It often happens that 

 roots can be used to advantage as a catch crop ; also, that land 

 under certain rotations would yield a crop of roots with rela- 

 tively little loss of plant food. Even where ensilage is com- 

 monly the succulent food, every herd has its complement of dry 

 cows, young stock, and bulls that will utilize the roots to advan- 

 tage. They can readily be shifted from one place of feeding 

 to another, the only thing necessary being to keep them from 

 freezing. 



As compared with ensilage corn, roots are more troublesome 

 to raise for the general farmer, for where cultivation with com- 

 paratively little hand-hoeing is required with the former, with 

 roots hand-hoeing and weeding are important problems. Under 

 the best conditions as much digestible dry matter can be raised 

 per acre with roots as with ensilage corn. The problem is 

 mainly one for the individual to settle, as the nature of the 

 soil, conveniences for handling, the animals to be fed, etc., are 

 all-important factors. Doubtless a person who leans toward 

 gardening will make better success with root crops than one 

 more interested in general farming, as they need the care and 

 attention the former would give, 



Wohauka Sugar Beet. — Two varieties, Nos. i and 2, the seed 

 of which was sent us by the Austrian government, have been 

 grown at the Station. They yielded on an average 9 tons, 880 

 pounds per acre. These varieties are both shown in Fig. 13. 



Matmnoth Long Red Mangel- IVtirze I, Fig. 13. — This is a 

 long, red, smooth-skinned variety, of large size, and a heavy 

 yielder. In 1896 under ordinary culture it produced 17 tons, 

 880 pounds. 



