SIGNIFICANCE OF BOOT-CROPPING 277 



food is manifested in heat and helps to keep the 

 animal warm, and is therefore not entirely lost 

 when the ration is merely for maintenance. But 

 since, in any liberal feeding for the production 

 of work, the production of meat, or of milk, 

 the amount of heat thus produced is sufficient 

 to keep the animal warm, the figures given above 

 may be taken as representing their true food 

 value. 



"One of the objections to roots as a food prod- 

 uct lies in the fact of their high water content. 

 This limits the amount which may be fed and be- 

 comes of special importance where they are fed in 

 connection with silage. On account of this high 

 water content it will not be practicable to feed a 

 sufficient amount entirely to take the place of the 

 cereals, even should this be desirable for other 

 reasons. The trend of experimental evidence is 

 that the feeding value of the different types and 

 varieties of root-crops depends more largely on the 

 percentage of dry matter than on any other factor ; 

 for example, the percentage of dry matter appar- 

 ently modifies their feeding value more largely than 

 the percentage of sugar. 



"The problem in New York state is whether we 

 can afford to raise roots, and, if so, what kind. 

 The following table shows the minimum average 

 and maximum number of pounds of dry matter 

 per acre which was obtained at the Cornell Experi- 



