262 VETEEINAEY HYGIENE 



Turnips and Siredes. — These may conveniently be con- 

 sidered together as they belong to the same family. The 

 swede is distinguished from the turnip by the neck or 

 collar it possesses, and is of two kinds the green and 

 purple top. They should not be used for feeding purposes 

 until they are ripe. As they mature before mangels they 

 should be used before them for early winter feeding. 



There are many varieties of turnip, the names of which 

 it is unnecessary to mention. They afford most excellent 

 feeding material, and are used in the North and in Scotland 

 to the exclusion of mangel, which does not do well there 

 owing to the short season. 



Turnips give butter a bad taste, and many devices have 

 been adopted to prevent the milk getting infected, such as 

 cutting off the crown of the turnip and feeding on the 

 lower portion ; steaming the root before administration ; 

 putting a little nitre in the milk-pail before milking, or 

 even by giving furze to the cows, which is said to correct 

 the taste given by turnips. Perhaps the most common 

 preventive is to give the turnips after milking. 



Turnips possess an aperient effect which may be bene- 

 ficial ; if excessive this is corrected by reducing the amount 

 and giving a little more hay. 



Turnips during their growth are very liable to be attacked 

 by a fungus which produces a distorted condition of the 

 root, to which the name ' fingers and toes ' has been 

 given. 



Swedes and turnips for cattle must be sliced or pulped 

 and mixed with the hay and meal. From 60 lbs. to 70 lbs. 

 are given to cattle, 16 lbs. to 20 lbs. daily to sheep. 



Turnips to the extent of over 200 lbs. daily have been 

 given to cattle with a poor nitrogenous diet, viz., straw, 

 but such feeding, though common in Scotland during the 

 winter, is not to be recommended, when it is borne in mind 

 that there is more water in turnips than in milk. 



Sheep generally get their turnips by grazing and gnaw- 

 ing the root crop in the field, the animals are folded on the 

 land, and while they are feeding they are manuring and 



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