VEGETABLES 199 
Potatoes, when available, can be used in the feeding of poultry. 
They are best cooked and mixed with wheat bran. On farms the 
small potatoes which are unmarketable can be economically used. 
Care should be used to regulate the amount, as their extended 
use is apt to make the poultry lose their appetite, become dopy 
and out of condition. Good potatoes bring more for market than 
when fed. 
Beets, containing more water than most root crops, constitute 
one of the most valuable feeds which can be given for succulence. 
Mangel beets are easy to cultivate and harvest. They give a 
large yield of dry matter on a small area. The sugar beet, named 
Fie. 117.—Mangel-wurzel beets at harvest time. The topsare cut green and fed immedi- 
ately; the roots are pulled and, after curing a few days, are stored for winter feeding. 
because it has a higher sugar content, will give about the same 
yield as the mangel, but will require double the labor in harvesting. 
Every poultry farmer should attempt to grow beets, store them, 
and thus insure a palatable, succulent winter feed. 
Other Root Crops.—In addition to the potato and beet, other 
root crops can be used for poultry feeding, but it is doubtful if 
any of them other than beets can be economically grown for that 
purpose. Carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, and artichokes 
have all been used, when available, with success. All root crops, 
if grown for winter feeding, should be stored in a dry, well-venti- 
lated cellar or pit, and the temperature should be maintained 
just above the freezing point. Roots can be fed either whole or 
ground. ; 
