CHAPTER 21 



Roots and Tubers for Forage 



In the United States roots and tubers are grown principally as vege- 

 tables or for sugar production, but in Canada they are quite extensively 

 grown for forage purposes. In such root crops as the beet, turnip, parsnip 

 and carrot, the edible part is really an enlargement of the upper portion of 

 the root and the lower portion of the stem merged together. Roots, such 

 as cassava and chufa, are enlargements of the roots. 



According to the last census Canada produced nearly 200,000 acres of 

 root crops, while those grown in the United States for forage purposes 



Root Crops, 1909-1910. Figures = Acres. 1 



aggregated only about 15,000 acres. Mangels, rutabagas, turnips, beets, 

 carrots and cabbage are best adapted to cool, moist climates. Of these the 

 rutabaga and turnip may be successfully grown further south than the 

 others. The accompanying map gives the acreage of root crops in the 

 United States and Canada by states and provinces according to the latest 

 census figures. 



Relation to Other Crops. — The economy in growing root crops for 

 forage purposes depends chiefly on whether or not other succulent crops 

 suited to feeding livestock can be more cheaply produced. It also depends 

 on the relative yields of the different crops. 



1 Courtesy of The Maemillan Company, N. Y. From " Forage Plants and their Culture," by Piper. 

 20 (305) 



