Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 537 



the cost of manipulation in France is about $1.20 for the quantity- 

 just mentioned. But as the weight of a given quantity of leaves 

 diminishes one-half in consequence of the elimination of a' large per 

 centage of the water naturally contained in them, these figures must 

 be doubled when reference is had to an equal weight of the pre- 

 served leaves. (Here, of course, the expense of labor is greater.) M. 

 Dumont states that he prepared many thousand pounds at the close 

 of the beet-root harvest of 1870, and experimented on a sufficiently 

 large scale to secure exact data of their value as food for milch cows. 

 He concludes that in quality and quantity the yield of milk is supe- 

 rior to that obtained from an equal weight of unprepared beet-root 

 leaves fed at the usual season and in the ordinary manner; the but- 

 ter made from the milk is, moreover, liner in flavor, of a more yel- 

 low color, and of a somewhat richer character. But it must be. remem- 

 bered that the quantity fed represents a much larger quantity of the 

 original forage in the one case than in the other. During the whole 

 time of feeding with the preserved leaves the health of the animals 

 was excellent, and none of the drawbacks commonly experienced from 

 full feeding with unprepared beet-root leaves was observed. During 

 the experiment, continued through several months, the cattle invari- 

 ably consumed the prepared leaves with avidity. M. Andre certi- 

 fies to the fresh odor of the preserved leaves, proving them exempt 

 from decay or alteration, and further expresses the belief that the 

 process is destined to render great service, especially in moderate 

 and minor agriculture, where sheep are not owned, to provide for 

 the feeding of the beet-root leaves, and in which there is almost 

 always some scarcity of forage for the winter. , 



In comment, Prof. Whitney said it will probably be some years 

 at least before beet-root culture will be sufficiently extended to 

 render the method of much value in this country in the preservation 

 of the materials upon which it is used abroad, while the greater 

 expense of labor and acid will much reduce the economy of its appli- 

 cation as compared with the results of foreign practice. But there 

 are innumerable instances in which any probable increase in the 

 cost of milk is as nothing to its value as a healthful article of food. 

 In such cases the crop from an acre of heavy grass, clover or sweet 

 corn, kept green and succulent, and combined witli oil cake and dry 

 feed enough to correct any hurtful tendency of its watery character, 

 would furnish feed by which a milch cow should be kept in full 

 yield of milk throughout the winter months. 



