Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-04-28

Roots for Cattle.
1t may be and really is true that the vast
root crops grown by English farmers for feed
ing would not be grown so largely if some pro-
| life grain like our corn could be grown there
| The value of Indian corn for feeding pur-
poses is so manifest, and it produces such
bulk of feed, and so easily, that it is no won
| der American farmers have relied upon that
and grass almost exclusively as their cattle
| feed
Yet the English can raise barley and oats
more successfully than we can. These are
not perfect substitute for corn yet were
not roots found by long experience to have
decided value of their own when fed in
connection with grain, the English would
not cover such great fields with them. Grain
crops of any kind are exhausting to the
land and there is too great temptation to
sell them instead of feeding them. The
same is the case even with a culinary root
like the potato. But with cattle beets and
turnips we are in no danger of being di-
verted from a well-settled and intelligent
purpose of improvement by the temptation
to turn them Immediately into money. Con
sequently roots, like clover, are renovating
crop. Farms where they are grown (and
where the manure from them is all saved)
constantly increase in productiveness and
value.
But besides this reason Sufficiently i'm
NJ nh Ia al tLo
of liberal quantity of roots in connection
with hay and grain fed to cattle is promo
tive of positive profit. Cattle, and especially
cows in milk, need variety in their food
and they need some green, succulent food to |
keep them healthy during the long and ex-
haustive confinement of our New England |
winters. Now that winter dairying is be-
coming recognized as profitable branch OF |
the business among us, it is especially i'm |
portant, not only that we should have plenty |
of tirst-rate early-cut hay but that we should |
have roots, so that the cows can have at |
least one moderate ration every day. A |
peck of beets, fed either at morning or at |
night, will well take the place of the usual |
ration of grain, and single daily ration OF |
beets in the morning and of grain at night, |
or rice versa, will be found both cheaper and |
more profitable than two rations of grain.
With dry cows, young stock or fattening |
cattle, rutabagas may be profitably substi-
tuted for the beets while the English turnip
may be safely used, even in a fancy dairy,
for cows in milk, if fed during or immedi-
ately after milking.
Having been engaged for upwards of a |
dozen years in growing beet and turnip seed,
we have good opportunity to learn about |
the extent to which roots are being grown |
by our farmers for feeding purposes. There
is certainly steady increase of this crop.
The introduction of the Lane sugar beet, a |
large, easily-grown, very sweet variety which |
keeps well and is greediy eaten by stock OF |
all kinds, encourages this increase. The |
seed for an acre Give pounds) can be bought |
for S3 the amount of manure required is
not more than ought to be given to an equal |
area OF corn; and this, if fine and well rotted |
is best strown in the burrows, the earth |
back'furrowed upon it, smoothed off with |
drag and the seeds planted by hand, two or |
three in place, one inch deep, at intervals
OF ten inches. To get perfect stand, which
is sometimes difficult when cut worms are
plenty, the vacancies can be replaced with |
rutabaga turnip seed at the first hoeng of
the beets, and the turnip plants thinned at
the second hoeing. If the rows are made at