134 DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 



the dry matter of mangels is 87 per cent, and that of the carbo- 

 hydrates 95 per cent. The carbohydrates are largely sugar and 

 pectins, and make up nearly 70 per cent of the total dry matter. 

 The protein substances (nitrogen X 6.25) consist of only 40 per 

 cent of true protein, the balance being amides and nitric acid com- 

 bined with alkalies. Very large yields of mangels are grown on 

 rich land and with an ample water supply. Ontario Agricultural 

 College reports a yield of nearly 28 tons to the acre, and Cornell 

 station 23. G tons, the fine average for five different stations being 

 about 20 tons. 



Mangels grow considerably out of the ground and are easily 

 pulled by hand. In the mild winter climate of the southern States 



Fig. 22. — Half-sugar mangela. The most desirable kind to grow for stock feeding, according 



to Cornell Station. 



and California they are generally left in the field until wanted for 

 feeding, while in the eastern and central States they are stored in 

 root cellars in the fall and kept cool and ventilated. They should 

 not be fed for a few weeks after harvesting, as the freshly-harvested 

 mangels tend to scour stock. Mangels furnish a good feed for all 

 kinds of livestock, except perhaps horses. They are usually run 

 through a root cutter or pulped before feeding. Danish feeding 

 experiments have shown that the dry matter of mangels has a 

 feeding value similar to grain feed, pound for pound, and that 

 they may largely replace grain in feeding milch cows when sub- 

 stituted in this ratio — say 1 part of grain for 10 to 15 parts of 

 roots, according to the water content, or, on the average, 1 to 12y 2 

 by weight. Danish dairy farmers feed as much as 100 pounds of- 

 mangels per head daily to their cows, and similar heavy root feed- 



