196 



FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



tensively grown for stock, but in this country potatoes are not usually 

 fed to stock, unless low in price or too small for marketing. They 

 are fed chiefly to pigs, but can also be given in limited amounts to 

 cattle, sheep, and horses as a partial substitute for grain. For pigs 

 they should be steamed or boiled. The heavy feeding of raw potatoes 

 is not advisable as it induces scouring. The bitter tasting water in 

 which potatoes are cooked should be thrown away, likewise all unripe 

 tubers and the sprouts, which may contain considerable solanin, a 

 poison. German experience shows that half the dry matter in rations 



Fig. 56. — Sweet Potatoes after the Vines Have Nearly Covered 



the Ground 



Sweet potatoes are one of the best root crops for pigs for fall and early winter 

 feeding in the South, and may also be fed to cattle or horses. (From U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture.) 



for fattening cattle and sheep, and one-fourth in those for horses, 

 may be furnished in potatoes. Feeding over 35 lbs. per head daily 

 to dairy cows injures the quality of the butter. 



Jerusalem artichoke. — The tubers of this hardy perennial, which 

 resemble the potato in composition, are sometimes grown for stock. 

 The tubers live over winter in the ground and enough are usually left 

 to make the next crop. They may be harvested like potatoes, or pigs 

 may be turned in to gather the crop, being fed grain in addition. 



