Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-07-23
A Free Expression About Root
Feeding.


the assertion so often made that there
is no value in roots. Old farmers,
who never raised bushel of mangels
or swedes, will tell us that quart of
potatoes, fea to calf daily, will cause
it to grow faster and 60 through the
winter in great deal better condition
than if fed entirely on dry food. The
more modern agriculturist will insist
that all young animals, if allowed to
have small quantity of any kind of
roots with their feed, will also do bet
ter. Common sense teaches that there
should be combination Of dry and
succnIent food, and that hearty food
should be mixed with that waich is
more digestible, or else the stomach
will become feverish and weak. Every
person who takes any note OF their own
condition may derive from experience
useful lessons, which apply US we'll to
other animals organisms as to their
own. Men of theory" AS George
Geddes calls them, and men Of expert
ment, may argue tn. It steers will gain
rs much on hay alone as when fed par
TALLY with roots. In my judgment
these experiments where the hay and
roots are weighed off. ETC., do not es
tablish any Trustworthy conclusions. l
do not dispute the facts as ssated, but
must take exceptions to the conclusion,
as demonstrated, that there is no
profit in the culture and feeding of
roots.
Hay has range of value from worth
less upward, and as between poor and
good there may be difference of IS
per cent. There is fully this difference
also ia clover-hay, which may be
caused by condition of ripeness, or by
the curing; hence tests III regard to
pounds of hay and turnips, and pounds
of gain in the animal to which it is fed,
may be exceptional. and therefore do
not establish any certain principles.
One steer differs from another steer.
One may have capacity for growth, or
taking on flesh, 80 per cent greater than
another, or there may be as much again
difference, arising from difference III
breed or constitutional peculiarities.
Every once in while the readers of
agricultural papers are enlightened by a
reprint of certain tables setting forth
the value of roots in their various con
stituents by analysis, which tables are
copied from authors Of books, who III
turn have copied from each other, aud
the only particular respect, in my judg-
ment, to which the tables are entitled,
is the respect which their antiquity de.
mands, as most of them date uack to
unknown periods. In most OF these
tables the nutritive value If beets is
put down as about or 8 per cent,
whereas in an analysis Of sugar beets
grown by us last year, the sugar alone
Was found by the chemist of the Agri-
cultural Department ut Washington to
BIZ 1850 per cent.
We had found out by the experience
of several years that we could winter
hogs in good condition ON raw beets or
even mangels, feeding them nothing
else. and have them perfectly healthy
all Of the time. Last winter we WIN.
tered ten breeding sows on swedes,
aud they all had pigs and were fit to
butcher in the spring. A month before
the time for pigs they were fed CORN
with the swedes. All Of tho roots were
raw. They ran in the field until De-
cember, the fall before, and had nothing
to eat except the beet tops and fat tur-
nips which were grown IN the lot. Ac-
cording to these tlme-honored tables,
there il not more than 5 or 6 per cent
Of real food in turnips, and "men of
theory" will tell us that hog will have
to eat its full weight Of these watery
things in order to get meal which
would furnish food enough for any
growth. We also wintered flock OF
breeding ewes on oat straw and turnips.
They did we'll. The best mutton we
ever ate was made almost entirely upon
turnips. This Is the practice of the
English stock-raisers, and to them,
with their hundreds of acres OF roots
and tons of meat fed on them, it must
sound queer enough when they hear
that it is disputed question whether
roots pay. 1t has been my experience
that any animal will thrive better with
a daily feeding of roots, and that all
fattening animals will lay on flesh fast
er with an allowance of roots with their
other feed.
A feed of mangels three times day
with its meal helped to put a work
horse in good condition, which the
meal alone did not do. Roots take the
place of grass the most perfectly of any
food; and if grass is healthy and nutrI-
tious so are roots, for they embrace the
laxative, succulent and nutritious prop
critics which are contained in the most
perfect of all foods, grass. Roots vary
in their chemical constituents and in
their value as food, and on this account
they should be fed mixed. In this
mixed condition they will come the
nearest to grass. The different kinds
of roots seem to be suited for different
animals; thus, carrots for horses, tur-
nips for sheep, and the various sorts Of
beets for pigs. Pigs do not take to tur-
nips readily, but will eat them if they
have nothing else to eat, and when the
taste is formed they will thrive on them.
Cattle are fond Of any kind of roots,
but beets are less liable to affect the
milk than any others. Pigs and horses
are fond of parsnips. Turnips are not
so good for COWS giving milk, as their
strong aromatic flavor is liable, if fed
in any quantity, to faint the milk.
Nothing will exc out q small haymow
more than big pile of roots, or keep
the corn.crib from getting lower. No
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