ROOTS AND TUBERS FOR FORAGE 309 



deep and three feet wide in which the cabbage is set with the heads close 

 together and the roots bedded in soil. As cold weather approaches they are 

 covered with straw and a few inches of earth. Slight freezing does not 

 injure them, but they should not be subjected to alternate freezing and 

 thawing. They should be well ventilated while in storage. Cabbage 

 makes a good roughage for dairy cows and young stock. 



Kale. — Thousand-Head 3d kale is the variety best adapted for forage 

 purposes because of its large, rank growth and heavy yield. It somewhat 

 resembles cabbage and makes a succulent forage which can be fed from 

 October until April in regions where the winter is mild. It is best fed fresh 

 or allowed to wilt, but should not be cut more than four or five days before 

 feeding; neither should it be fed while frozen. 



The methods of growing are similar to those for cabbage, the plants 

 being grown in a seed-bed and transplanted in the field early in the spring. 



Cabbage and any of the root crops that tend to give a peculiar taste 

 to milk should always be fed soon after the milking period and never for 

 several hours just prior to it. This precaution in feeding is said to obviate 

 the disagreeable flavor which is frequently imparted to the milk. 



Artichokes. — This crop, of which there are several varieties, belcngs 

 to the sunflower family, and both the tops and tubers are relished by 

 livestock. They are cultivated much after the manner of potatoes, although 

 planted somewhat farther apart. Yields of 200 to 500 bushels of tubers 

 per acre have been reported. 



Artichokes are valuable as forage, chiefly for hogs, which may be 

 turned into the fields and allowed to harvest the crop themselves. The 

 tubers keep in the ground all winter and usually enough of them are left 

 by the hogs to produce a new crop for next year. 



Cassava. — This plant is a native of the tropics and is adapted to Florida 

 and the Gulf Coast portion of the states bordering on the Gulf of Mexico. 

 It is a large growing, bushy plant attaining a height of four to ten feet and 

 produces horizontal, fleshy roots or tubers three to five feet long and from 

 one to two and one-half inches in diameter. While it will grow on quite 

 a variety of soils, it can be economically produced only on loose, sandy soils 

 which will enable the easy harvesting of the roots. On fertile soils and with 

 good cultural methods, yields of five to ten tons per acre of roots are 

 reported. The roots are very high in starch and sugar content and make 

 an excellent food for all kinds of livestock. The crop is quite extensively 

 used in the manufacture of starch. 



Cassava is propagated by means of portions of the roots or stems which 

 are stored in the dry during the winter. The roots or seed canes are cut 

 into pieces of the desired length and planted in the spring after danger of 

 frost is past. They are usually planted four feet apart each way and cov- 

 ered with a few inches of moist earth. 



Chufa. — This is a sedge-like plant with creeping root stocks which 

 produce great numbers of edible tubers. These are small, sweet and 



