138 DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING STUFFS 



than oats, and, pound for pound, as valuable as a feed for horses." 

 Experience from abroad suggests a fruitful line of experimentation 

 for American feed manufacturers with this product, as there can be 

 no question but that our potato industry can be readily further 

 developed, and that it would be of great benefit to potato growers as 

 well as to feeders to have cull or other potatoes made into a feed of 

 unquestioned merit which can be kept indefinitely. 



Miscellaneous Succulent Feeds. — A number of miscellaneous 

 succulent feeds of minor importance for stock feeding, like cabbage, 

 rape, kale, pumpkins, etc., may be conveniently considered at this 

 time. 



Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is a favorite feed among many 

 sheep men, especially for fitting sheep, for shows. It is also occa- 

 sionally fed to milch cows and laying hens. On account of the 

 relatively small yields obtained and the expense of growing cab- 

 bages, it will not pay to use them for stock feeding, except in the 

 case of unfavorable market conditions, or where the cost of the 

 feed is not an important factor, as in the case of feeding for ex- 

 hibition stock or preparing cows for official tests. As with other 

 plants of the mustard family, cabbages are likely to taint the milk 

 when fed to dairy cows, unless fed after the milk has been removed 

 from the stable. Cabbages contain, on the average, less than 10 

 per cent solids, 2.6 per cent digestible protein, and 6.1 per cent 

 digestible carbohydrates and fat, the nutritive ratio being 1: 2.7. 

 A considerable proportion (30 per cent or more) of the protein is, 

 however, present in amide form, in this as in other green plants, 

 making it less valuable as a source of protein than is indicated by 

 its narrow nutritive ratio. Trials conducted at the Cornell station 

 showed that on the average for three years cabbages yielded 22.5 to 

 43.8 tons to the acre, containing 1.8 to 3.1 tons of dry matter (aver- 

 age dry matter, 6.3 to 7.1 per cent) .* Much succulence is obtained, 

 but little dry matter. 



Rape (Brassica napus) is a valuable forage crop, especially 

 adapted to a relatively cool and moist climate. It does well in 

 northern United States and Canada, but can also be successfully 

 grown further south and in the semi-arid sections of the country, 

 either with or without irrigation. The parts of the plant eaten by 

 stock are the numerous leaves and fleshy stems. Rape is used 

 either for pasturage or as a soiling crop for sheep and swine, 

 generally the former, while it is cut and fed green to cattle. It 

 may be sown broadcast in the early spring and later at intervals of 

 * Bulletin 242. 



