Comparative value of Beets and Turnips. 
53 
On tlie comparative Feeding Properties of 
Masigold-Wnrsnel and Swedish Turnips. 
BY EARL SPENCER. 
My Dear Sir, —You expressed a wish that 
I should again publish the results of an experi¬ 
ment which I made fifteen or sixteen years ago 
on the comparative feeding properties of Swe¬ 
dish turnips and mangold-wurzel. It was pub¬ 
lished in the “Farmer’s Journal” of that day, 
but I believe it is now very little if at all re¬ 
membered ; and I agree with you in thinking 
that it may be more interesting now, when 
men’s minds are more turned to this sort of 
investigations. 
The mode of ascertaining the nutritious pro¬ 
perties of different kinds of vegetable food by 
chemical analysis, which was adopted by Sin¬ 
clair and other scientific men, gives a reasonable 
probability of their relative value: but we know 
so little of the processes of nature in converting 
food into the flesh of the animal that consumes 
it, that this mode has never appeared to me 
quite satisfactory. Although, therefore, I be¬ 
lieved that mangold-wurzel contained more 
saccharine matter than Swedish turnips, and 
ought consequently to be the more nourishing 
root of the two, I determined to try practically 
whether an ox fed upon mangold-wurzel in¬ 
creased in weight more than one fed upon 
Swedish turnips, in proportion to the quantity 
of each consumed. In order to have rendered 
my experiment perfectly accurate, I ought to 
have ascertained the weight of hay consumed 
by each beast during the progress of the trial, 
but I did not do this, although I am pretty con¬ 
fident that the quantity consumed by each was 
nearly the same. I selected two steers, tolera¬ 
bly and at least equally well bred: No. 1 calved 
March 29, 1823, and No. 2 calved May 6 of 
the same year; and on the 24th of December, 
1825, I put No. 1 to Swedish turnips, and 
No. 2 to mangold-wurzel. I ascertained their 
weight by measurement, and both of them 
measured the same, viz. 4 ft. 10 in. in length 
by 6 ft. 5 in. in girth, making them to weigh 
668 lbs. each. On the 23d of January, No. 1 
had consumed 1,624 lbs. of Swedish turnips, 
arid measured 4 ft. 10 in. in length by 6 ft. 7 in. 
in girth, making him to weigh 703 lbs. and to 
have increased in weight 35 lbs., or at the rate 
of 48# lbs. for every ton of Swedish turnips 
consumed. No. 2 had consumed 1,848 lbs. of 
mangold-wurzel, and measured 4 ft. 10 in. in 
length by 6 ft. 8 in. in girth, making him to 
weigh 721 lbs., and to have increased in weight 
53 lbs., or at the rate of 65 H lbs. for every ton 
of mangold-wurzel consumed. 
This difference, however, might have arisen 
from No. 2 having a greater propensity to feed 
than No. 1; I therefore now put No. 1 to 
mangold-wurzel, and No. 2 to Swedish turnips. 
On the 20th of February, No. 1 had consumed 
1,884 lbs. of mangold-wurzel, and measured 
4 ft. 11 in. in length by 6 ft. 8 in. in girth, 
making him to weigh 734 lbs., and to have 
increased in weight this month 31 lbs., or at 
the rate of 36# lbs. for every ton of mangold- 
wurzel consumed. No. 2 had consumed 1,880 
lbs. of Swedish turnips, and measured 4 ft. 11 in. 
in length by 6 ft. 8 in. in girth, making him to 
weigh also 734 lbs., and to have increased in 
weight during this month 13 lbs., or at the rate 
of 15# lbs. for every ton of Swedish turnips 
consumed. I then put both to mangold-wurzel, 
and divided the food equally between them. 
On the 19th of March, they had each consumed 
1,792 lbs. of mangold-wurzel; No. 1 measured 
5 ft. in length by 6 ft. 10 in. in girth, making 
him to weigh 784 lbs., and to have increased in 
weight 50 lbs.; No. 2 measured 5 ft. in length 
by 6 ft. 9 in. in girth, making him to weigh 
765 lbs., and to have increased in weight 
31 lbs. 
It would appear, therefore, as if the pro¬ 
pensity to feed of No. 1 was greater than that 
of No. 2 in the proportion of 50 to 31; but, 
notwithstanding this, in the first month, when 
No. 1 was upon Swedish turnips, and No. 2 
upon mangold-wurzel, No. 2 beat No. 1 in the 
proportion above stated of 65# to 48#. It ap¬ 
pears as if there could be no great inaccuracy 
in estimating the relative weight of the animals, 
as soon after the experiment was concluded I 
sold No. 1 to a butcher in the country for 24 1 
3s., and No. 2 at Smithfield for 24/. 
It will be for practical men to decide upon 
the value of this trial ; what appears to me to 
be the most conclusive part of it is, that No. 2, 
who had during the first month, when he was 
feeding upon mangold-wurzel, increased in 
girth 3 in., in the next month, when his food 
was changed to Swedish turnips, did not in¬ 
crease in girth at all, and when in the third 
month he was feeding again upon mangold- 
wurzel he again began to increase in girth, 
because it is very well known that, if an animal 
is changed from more to less nutritious food, 
the probable consequence will be that his growth 
will be stopped. The result appeared to me 
so decisive, that I have not tried the experiment 
with the same accuracy since; but I did try 
the following year the feeding a cow alternately 
on Swedish turnips and mangold-wurzel, and 
though I have not by me the details of the trial, 
I remember that the result confirmed the ex¬ 
periment of the previous year. 
Believe me, my dear Sir, 
Yours most truly, 
Spencer. 
Philip Pusey , Esq. 
