30 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
upon them, they therefore leave that subject and proceed to 
the consideration of the second proposition, namely, water. 
All domestic animals require water in proportion to the 
quantity of dry provender they consume; and sheep require 
particular attention in this respect, as well as some care in 
regulating the quantity, according to circumstances. Warm 
springs are always to be preferred, though individuals are 
frequently to be seen eating snow, which may generally be 
attributed to fever; and is by no means to be considered a 
substitute for water. 
It is desirable that the flock should be able to drink without 
wetting their feet or wading into mud, both which are not 
only very injurious by creating disease in the foot, but deter 
sheep from drinking as often as inclination prompts. 
Protection against the inclemencies of the season is the 
third consideration in the “ feeding and management of sheep 
in winter.” It is almost as necessary to their health and pros¬ 
perity as food itself, and for this reason, comfortable shelters 
should be built for them; they not only do much better, but 
it is a great saving of time, fodder and manure. It will be 
found that ten tons of hay, fed to sheep that have warm shel¬ 
ter, will go further than twelve tons fed out to them from a 
stack, and when they have no other protection from the in¬ 
clemencies of the weather than the side of a stack or fence. 
Such stables, if properly constructed, will at least pay from 
15 to 25 per cent interest annually. This alone should prompt 
the owner of a flock to provide comfortable lodging places for 
them. But “ a merciful mm is merciful to his beast.'’ 
Each full grown sheep requires six square feet of room, in¬ 
cluding racks. The stable should be eight feet high, with 
windows in the upper part, that may be closed as circum¬ 
stances require. The floor over head ought to be made tight, 
that nothing can fell through. They must be well littered, as 
it will add much to the health and comfort of the animal. If 
they are not well littered, the dung accumulates, and creates 
an offensive smell; sheep are then very loth to enter them. 
It is but too often the case, that when farmers do shelter their 
sheep, the stables contain a mass of dung, so offensive that 
the flock would not enter them, and if forced in and confined 
there, would prove injurious; and lienee the prejudice, “that 
housing sheep is injurious to their health.” 
Your committee regrcl, that circumstances over which they 
had no control, prevented their coming together sufficiently 
early to do justice to the importance of the subject committed 
to them. FRANCIS ROT CM, Chairman. 
Report of the Committee on Root Culture. 
The committee appointed at the last meeting of the Society, 
to “ report on the best vegetable or root crops for feeding 
cattle, and the best means of cultivating the same,” report 
as follows:— 
The culture of roots, as farm crops, for feeding and fatten¬ 
ing domestic animals, is of such recent introduction, and so 
limited, among us,—and the few experiments that have been 
made, to ascertain the relative value of these roots, have been 
so loosely managed, that the committee do not possess the 
data that they could desire, to make a satisfactory report, 
adapted exactly to our practice. But they are nevertheless 
satisfied, from the numerous experiments which have been 
made in Europe, in a climate very similar to our own, and 
from the partial ones which have been made among us, that 
the culture of roots is destined to effect here, what it has ef¬ 
fected elsewhere—-a great and salutary change in husbandry; 
•—not only as furnishing the easiest and cheapest means of 
feeding and fattening domestic animals, but as an important 
source of fertility to the farm,—and of securing the mam point 
—ultimate profit—to the owner or cultivator. 
Under these strong impressions of the advantages of en¬ 
couraging and extending root culture, your committee pro¬ 
ceed, with the limited means at their command, to fulfil the 
duties assigned to them by the Society. 
The Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland have re¬ 
cently awarded liberal premiums for experiments in fattening 
neat cattle,-- -first, upon different kinds of roots, as the pota¬ 
to, turnip and mangold wurtzel;— second, upon raw and 
cooked food; and third, upon roots entirely, and a mixture of 
roots, grain, pulse and oil-cake. These experiments have 
been made with a view of accurately ascertaining the compa¬ 
rative value of each kind of root and other food, and the eco¬ 
nomy of each mode of feeding it. The experiments have 
been numerous. They have been made upon ten to thirty 
head of cattle at a time; and they have been continued from 
three to six months. The animals were weighed or measur¬ 
ed at the time of starting the experiment, at the close of it, 
and generally at intermediate periods, particularly when the 
food was varied; and the quantity of routs and other food 
given was accurately noted,—so that the result has indicated 
tiie relative value of each kind of food in the fattening pro¬ 
cess, and the best mode of feeding it. The committee pro¬ 
ceed to state, in a summary way, the results of some of these 
experiments. 
* 1. The relative value of different roots. 
Mr Howden, with a view to the experiment, set apart the 
product of two acres of mangold wurtzel, amounting to fifty 
tons, five acres of Swedish turnips, being 140 tons, and two 
acres of potatoes, weighing 29 tons 4 cwt. The experiment 
was made with 21 head of cattle, which received, in addition 
to the roots, a few distillers grains and a little straw. The 
following table shows the roots appropriated to each lot, and 
the monthly increase of the animals in girth. The abstract is 
made from the prize essays of the society, which cannot now 
he referred to; but the impression is, that in all the experi¬ 
ments which we quote, the roots fed to each lot was precise¬ 
ly the same in weight. Lot No. 1 was fed from the product 
of one acre of potatoes, one acre of mangold wurtzel, and 
one acre of Swedish turnips; No. 2 from one acre of potatoes 
and two acres of Swedish turnips; and No. 3 from one acre 
of mangold wurtzel and two acres of Swedish turnips. 
Dale. 
Lot No 1 
Lot No. 2 
Lot No. 3 
133 L, Nov. 30,. 
35ft. 8 inches. 
35ft. 9 inches, 
35ft. 8 inches, 
Dec. £0,. 
36 “ 6 “ 
36 “ 7 
36 “6 “ 
1832, Jan. 30,.. 
38 “ 2 “ 
38 “ 4 
U 
38 “2 “ 
March 1, 
39 “ 7 
39 “ 8 
Cl 
39 “ 6 “ 
“ 30, 
40 “ 8 “ 
40 “10 
u 
40 “6 “ 
April 30, 
41 << 4 “ 
41 “ 7 
ll 
41 “3 “ 
Twenty-eight tons of mangold wurzel and Swedish tur¬ 
nips were withdrawn to feed other stock. 
On the 30th January Mr. Howden took a pair of cattle out 
of eachlot, and fed No. 1 with potatoes and water, No. 2 with 
Swedish turnips, and No. 3 with mangold wurtzel. The fol¬ 
lowing shows their relative increase in three months. 
Lot 1 
Lot 2 
Lot 3 
Date. 
Potatoes. 
Swed. turnips. 
Man. wurtzel. 
1832, Jan. 30,.. 
10 ft. 8 inches, 
10ft. 5 inches, 
10ft. 4 inches. 
April 30,. i ll “ 6 “ 
11 “3 “ ill “2 “ 
When the cattle were sold, the purchasers agreed that the 
lot fed on Swedish turnips were from 7s. to 10 s. ($1.54 to 
$2.22) ahead better than the other lots. The average ad¬ 
vance upon the original value of each was £ 6 . 12 , and the 
cost of the grains being deducted, there remained £120 ($532.- 
80) in return for the eight acres of produce cousumed, or 
$66.60 for each acre. 
From the above statement it would seem there is no great 
difference in the fattening properties of the three kinds of 
roots; and that so far as measure or weight, is concerned, it 
matters little which are employed in feeding. We will note 
here for future reference, the product per aoro, of each kind 
of roots, upon Mr. Howden’s ground, adding the product in 
bushels of 56 lbs. 
The potatoes gave 12 tons 4 cwt. equal to 483 bushels. 
'The mangold wurtzel 25 tons “ 1,000 “ 
The ruta baga 28 tons “ 1,120 “ 
2. The comparative economy of feeding rate or prepared food. 
In 1833 the society offered a premium of 30 sovereigns for 
the best report, founded on actual experiment made for that 
purpose, on a number of oxen or heifers, not fewer than six, 
the animals lobe of the same breed, age and sex, and the 
term of feeding not less than three months. Several reports 
were received and published in 1834. From these we ab¬ 
stract the following: 
Mr. Walker made his experiment with six two year old 
heifers, and four two year old steers. Each parcel was divid¬ 
ed into two lots, and fed on like food, except that one half 
received their food raw, and the other half in a steamed or 
cooked state. The food consisted of Swedish turnips, pota¬ 
toes and crushed beans, with a little salt and straw. At the 
end of three months, it was found that the three heifers fed 
on steamed food had gained 48J stone, or 679 lbs. and the 
three heifers fed upon raw food had gained 45J stone; but the 
quantity consumed by the first lot exceeded that of the lat¬ 
ter. 
Cost of feeding on steamed food,. £14 1 3 
“ on raw food, . 10 8 7J 
The first cost more than the last.£3 14 8 J 
Deducting the first cost, and the price of fattening from the 
price paid by the butcher, there remained a profit on the 
three heifers fed with steamed food, of 9s; while the profit on 
the three fattened with raw food amounted to £3 IDs 6 d. By a 
like estimate, the loss on tiie steers fed with steamed food was 
3s. 8 d. and the profit on those fed with raw food 10s. 6 . 
Andrew Howden made a like experiment with 18 cattle, 
in six lots. Their increase, and expense of keeping for three 
months, from the 20th March to the 20th June, were as fol¬ 
lows: 
Incr. in lbs. Expense. 
Three heifers on raw turnips,. 392 £6 18 0 
“ on steamed turnips,. 532 8 18 0 
“ on raw potatoes,. 600 10 7 0 
“ on steamed potatoes,. 572 10 7 0 
Three steers on raw potatoes and corn, 722 9 4 0 
“ on boiled potatoes and corn, 689 9 5 0 
John Baswell fed ten horned cattle. The expense of keep¬ 
ing the five cattle on raw food was £32 2. 1, while that of 
the cattle on prepared food was £34 5 10. On being slaugh¬ 
tered the two lots appeared to be very similar, but the parti¬ 
cular weight is not mentioned. 
3. Relative economy of feeding with turnips alone, or with tur¬ 
nips and other more expensive food. 
Robert Stevenson was the successful competitor for the so¬ 
ciety’s premium. He took 18 oxen; their live weight was 
ascertained at the beginning, at the end, and at intermediate 
periods of the experiment, which continued 119 days. 'The 
cattle were divided into three lots of six beasts each, and a 
correct account was kept of the weight of food consumed by 
eachlot. Lot 1, was allowed lintseed cake, bruised beans, 
and bruised oats, in addilion to turnips, and during the last 
24 days of the experiment, 20 lbs. of potatoes were given per 
day to each. Lot 2, received the same allowance except the 
lintseed cake, and half the potatoes. And lot 3, was fed upon 
turnips alone. The cost of the keep of each animal, during 
the 119 days, was as follows: 
Total cost of feeding one beast of lot 1,.£5 2 7 
do do do of lot 2,. 3 17 0 
do do do of lot 3,. 1 18 7J 
The improvement in live weight was as follows, 
First lot increased in weight,. 108 stone. 
Second do do .. 101 “ 
Third do do . .49 “ 
Abstracting the cost of feeding from the value of the increas¬ 
ed weight, the loss and profit would stand as below: 
Loss on feeding lot 1, .£3 15 8 | 
Profit on feeding lot 2, . 1 19 3 J 
Profit on feeding lot 3, . 2 11 1 
“ Thus, when turnips alone were used, a profit of twenty- 
two per cent, was realized; where beans and oats were used 
along with the turnips, the profit was diminished to eight and 
a half per cent; but when still more expensive food was tried, 
that is, grain and lintseed cake, along with turnips and pota¬ 
toes, a loss was sustained of no less than 12 -3.16 per cent.” 
Lot 1, were the largest oxen. They were fed each with 
132 lbs per day of Swedish turnips; lot 2, were fed each with 
120 lbs. of the same per day; and lot 3, being the smallest, 
received but 115 lbs. per day, and for twenty-four days but 
ninety two pounds. 
Lot 1, cost 4.484 pence for every pound of increased live wt. 
Lot 2, “ 3.92 “ “ “ 
Lot 3, “ 3.39 
The turnips were estimated at four pence per cwt; the po¬ 
tatoes at Is. 6 d. per cwt.; oats and beans at 3s. 6 d. per bushel, 
and lintseed cake at three-fourths of a penny per pound. 
“ In conclusion “ says Mr. Stevenson,” on this part of the 
subject, “ we give it as our opinion, that whoever feeds cattle 
on turnips alone, will have no reason, on the score of profit, 
to regret their not having employed more expensive auxiliaries 
to hasten the fattening process.” 
It would seem pretty evident, from the foregoing experi¬ 
ments, that ruta baga and mangold wurtzel are the best root 
crops for feeding cattle. The profit of cultivating and feeding 
these roots will be more manifest, if we compare their acrea- 
bie product with that of hay, potatoes, and the coarse grains 
which we feed to fattening animals. To enable the commit¬ 
tee to make this comparison, they assume the following as the 
average products of crops, and attach to each of these an esti¬ 
mate of their marketable value. Both the product and the 
prices will greatly vary; but those assumed are deemed suf¬ 
ficiently correct for comparison. 
An acre of grass, 2 tons at $10,. $20 00 
do corn, 40 bushels at 75 cts. 30 00 
do oats, 30 do at 37 Jets. 1120 
do buckwheat, 30 do at 50 cts. 15 00 
do potatoes, 150 do at 25 cts.. 37 50 
do ruta baga, 600 do at 25 cts. 150 00 
do man. wurtzel, 600 do at 25 cts. 150 00 
Estimating the cost of the roots, in labor, at twenty dollars 
an acre more than that of the hay, oats and buckwheat, it 
still leaves a great disparity in the profits; and considering the 
cost of culture equal to that of Indian corn, there is a mani¬ 
fest advantage in the turnips and mangold wurtzel over the 
corn crop, as a material for cattle food. Good beef cannot be 
made on hay alone, in winter: and those who do not feed 
roots, must resort to some more expensive food, as the meal 
of Indian corn, oats, buckwheat, &c. The turnips and man¬ 
gold wurtzel, on the contrary, with the aid of perhaps a lit¬ 
tle straw, will serve of themselves to feed and fatten animals. 
In this matter the chairman can speak from experience. 
He purchased four oxen a little before Christmas, and kept 
them till some time in April; after a short time, they ate each 
two bushels a day of ruta baga;—they would eat very little 
else, though laid before them, not even lintseed cake. They 
made good beef, and afforded a handsome profit on the turnips 
consumed. 
If we now assume that an ox will require a quarter of a 
hundred of hay per diem to keep him in good condition, and 
that it will require an addition of four quarts of corn meal, or 
eight quarts of crushed oats or buckwheat, per diem, to fat¬ 
ten him; and if we consider 112 pounds or two bushels of 
roots equivalent to a ration of hay and grain, then the seve¬ 
ral crops will feed an animal as below. 
One acre of grass, and half an acre of corn will feed 160 days. 
One and a half acres of mangold wurtzel, or Swed¬ 
ish turnips will feed. 450 days. 
One acre of grass, and one acre of oats or buckwheat 
will feed.160 days. 
Two acres of Swedish turnips or mangold wurzel 
will feed. 600 days. 
One acre of potatoes will feed. 75 days. 
One acre of Swedish turnips or mangold wurtzel 
will feed. 300 days. 
Making very liberal allowance for the difference in the ex¬ 
pense of raising these crops, and for any error the committee 
may have made in fixing the daily rations, or in the acreable 
produce of each, they think that no doubt can for a moment 
be entertained, that the Swedish turnip and the mangold 
wurtzel are decidedly the best crops that can be raised for 
feeding and fattening cattle. 
The committee have no doubt that the sugar beet and the 
carrot offer advantages nearly or quite equal to the roots above 
recommended. Their product and nutrient properties are 
very similar, and the expense of culture is not very dissimilar. 
The sugar beet is probably richer in nutriment than the man¬ 
gold wurtzel, though its product is ordinarily less. The car¬ 
rot may require more labor in the culture; but it is superior as 
food, particularly for horses. 
Arthur Young highly extols the carrot. Upon the pro¬ 
duct of three acres of this root, he assures us, he kept for 
more than five months, twenty work horses, four bullocks, 
and six milch cows; nor did the animals, during that period, 
he adds, taste any food, except a little hay. Our enterprising 
fellow citizen, Col. Meacham, of Oswego, has gone largely 
into the culture of carrots, as cattle feed, as well as many of 
his neighbors; and they speak highly of the profits of the cul¬ 
ture. 
Some highly satisfactory experiments have also been made 
among us, on a liiuiied scale, in cultivating and feeding the 
sugar beet. There seems to be little doubt, from the high 
state of perfection and of profit, which the business has arriv¬ 
ed at in France and Germany, that the culture of this beet 
will soon be extensively gone into in this country, for the pur¬ 
pose of making sugar; and if so, the residium of the beet 
will form an important item in the material for fattening cat¬ 
tle. 
There are other advantages resulting from root culture 
which should not be overlooked. It tends greatly to increase 
the quantity of manure on the farm, to meliorate the texture 
of the soil, and to furnish excellent alternating crops in con¬ 
vertible husbandry. In selecting for culture, the farmer 
should choose the roots that are bestadapted to his soil. The 
turnips prefer a dry sandy soil; the beet a clay loam. 
As to the best means of cultivating these crops, the com¬ 
mittee summarily remark, that the product and profit will ma¬ 
terially depend upon the following contingencies: viz, that 
the soil be dry; that it be rich; that it be deeply worked; that 
it be well pulverized; and that the after culture be well ma¬ 
naged. The implements necessary to cultivate them advan¬ 
tageously, in addition to the plough and harrow, are the drill- 
barrow and cultivator. The season for sowing the beet is 
from 10th to the 20th May;—of sowing the Swedish turnip, 
from the 10th to the 25th June. The drill or row culture is 
decidedly the best. A detail of the whole process of culture 
would occupy too much space for this report, and is unneces¬ 
sary, as these processes are already understood by many, and 
have been minutely described in the agricultural periodicals 
of the day. The committee will merely recommend in con¬ 
clusion, that the roots be always cut, previously to being fed 
to cattle, for which machines maybe procured, at a moderate 
charge, which will cut a bushel in one to three minutes. If 
cut, the roots are eaten entirely; if not cut, a portion is apt to 
be rejected and wasted. 
The chairman has received a communication from Col. 
Meacham, stating his mode of cultivating the carrot, the pro¬ 
duct, and manner of using the crop. He cultivates them in 
drills, from 20 to 24 incites apart—he gets one thousand bush¬ 
els an acre, at an expense of $25 to $30; he kept six work 
liors'es on them from Nov. 1836 to June 1837, without grain, 
and they remained in good plight, and performed as well as 
he ever had horses perform;—and he thinks they are worth 
double as much for stock as ruta baga. 
Upon the subject of the carrot culture, which is perhaps 
less understood among lit, thar that of the beet and turnip, 
