260 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



serve the top-leaves, or the crown of the plants. The leaves 

 may be taken off every fifteen days after the first gathering. 

 Oxen, cows, and sheep, devour them greedily, and fatten 

 readily upon :hem. All domestic poultry eat them readily, 

 when chopped fine and mixed with grain. Horses will feed 

 upon them very well, mixed with chopped straw. Hogs also 

 fatten upon them. 



' " Cows fed upon this root solely give a greater quantity 

 of milk and cream, and of better quality for the first fifteen 

 days, after which they grow too fat, and the milk lessens. 

 The food of cows must therefore be varied. Oxen and sheep 

 fatten very well upon them. Cows should have grass in 

 proportion of one-third to the beet leaves, or every third day 

 they should be turned to grass. In this mode their milk 

 will be excellent. The trouble of gathering the leaves is less 

 than that of gathering any other green fodder. It may be 

 done by children, while men are required to cut other green 

 food for cattle. It is the surest crop, since the plant will 

 stand the longest droughts. The roots are gathered and 

 treated like those of the common beet. The skin is very 

 tender, and care should be taken to handle them so as they 

 may not be wounded, as they will, in that case, not keep so 

 well. In order to preserve the seed in purity, care must be 

 taken to change the ground in which the seed beets are 

 planted. The seed can be preserved, after it is gathered, 

 three or four years, without injury. In giving these roots 

 to cattle for food, they are first washed, and then cut up into 

 pieces about the size of a nut. It is always best to accom- 

 pany them, when given to horned cattle, with clover, or other 

 hay or straw, and if the hay or straw has been previously 

 cut fine, it will be preferable. If horses are fed with this 

 root, with a proportion of hay or cut straw, (half of each,) 

 they will be fat, vigorous, and healthy. If they are worked 

 severely, a little oats or corn may be added. It is thus they 

 are treated in Germany, where this root stands in the stead 

 of meadows or grass lands, and whose excellent horses are 

 well known. 



' " Hogs, fed upon them raw, after they have been cut up 

 fine and mixed with milk or other drink, fatten as well upon 

 them as upon boiled potatoes, by which the fuel and trouble 

 of boiling is saved. 



' " As to the quantity given to animals, much will depend 

 on the proportion of other fodder which you allow them. 

 Cows fed twice a day in winter upon eighteen pounds of 



