MANUAL OF CATTLE-FEEDING. 3G1 



potash and contains also considerable pliosplioric acid, but 

 only a little lime and soda ; this nmst be borne in mind 

 when they ai^e used for feeding milk cows or young and 

 growing animals. 



ArtichLokes. — These may be mentioned as being the 

 only other tubers which are of practical importance as 

 fodder, and even they are seldom raised on the large scale. 



The tubers of this plant are more watery than the potato, 

 but somewhat richer in proteni, so that tlie nutritive ratio 

 is on the average about 1 : 8. The stalks may also be used 

 as fodder for sheep, the animals being allowed to select for 

 themselves the leaves and tender plants. 



Roots. — Composition. — Potatoes and artichokes are tu- 

 bers, though often included under the term roots or root 

 crops. 



The feeding-stuffs wdiich we are about to consider, how- 

 ever, are true roots, and the difference shows itself even in 

 their chemical composition, while among themselves they 

 a.re so similar that a separate consideration of each kind is 

 hardly necessary. 



They contain much more water than the tubers, and are 

 characterized by the fact that while in the former the 

 nitrogen-free extract consists ahnost wholly of starch, in 

 tlie roots it consists of sugar and bodies of the pectin 

 group, with no starch except in a few cases, e, ^., in the 

 carrot. 



That pectin is easily digestible, at least by ruminants, 

 was found in experiments made long ago, by Grouven, at 

 Salzmiinde, on oxen, and this result has been confirmed by 

 the fact that in numerous experiments shice made on sheep, 

 in IJohenheim, the nitrogen-free extract of roots was very 

 completely digested, often up to DS per cent., even when 

 largo quantities of rooth were fed. The nutritive effect, 



