The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-30
CROW ROOTS FOR STOCK
GROW ROOTS FOR STOCK.
Their Feeding Value Entities Them to
More Consideration Than is Given
by the Average Farmer.

More Consideration Than is GiVel
by the Average Farmer.
BY w. r. GILBERT.
Carrots and parsnips are not grown
extensively in this country, partly be-
cause they do not grow such heavy
crops as turnipS and mangel anC
partly because their cultivation is
more troublesome.
When we consider that these roots
are so much less watery than turnips
the question of light cropping may be
them will yield about as much real
feeding matter as an acre of the
heavier cropping turnips.
These two crops have almost the
same food value, the difference be-
tween them being that the carbchy-
drates of carrots are principally sugar,
while in parsnips they are largely
starch. They may be used to advan-
tage for any kind of stock.
Carrots are particularly useful to
tempt the appetite of sick animals
when off their feed. A few of them
added to the feeding of horses are
we'll known to ave a good effect on
the skin and coat. There is no green
feeding better than carrot leave for
dairy cows.
A few drills of one Or other of these
crops should be SoWn with the green
crop ZACH year. Carrots are the heav1ei
choppers of the two. but they require
rather light soil. Where the soil is
strong parSnlpS are more likely to sue
coed than carrots.
Cabbage deserves to be used IN any
dairy country more extensively than
it is. It has about the same nutritive
value AS swedes and is a heavier crop
per. 1t has the further advantage of
not causing an objectionable flavor in
milk, such as follows the use Of tur-
nipS.
Still. in feeding cabbage to dairy
cows great care must be taken to be
sure that no unSOund leaves are used,
as unsound cabbage leaves cause a
most decided faint in the milk. 1t is
useful also for sheep feeding, either
for keeping the ewes in milk or for
fattening.
kohlrabi is a cabbage plant, with a
bulb like a turnip growing on it's stem.
1t is not such a heavy as
either cabbage or turnipS. Both the
bulbs and the leaves may be used for
any kind of stock including dairy
cattle, as kohlrabi does not faint the
milk.
Rape is one of the rapid rover
which is used principally for sheep
feeding by folding the sheep on it;
but it may be used with advantage
for soiling cattle and farm horses.
Rape is a very nutritious food, con-
tanning practically twice as much
albuminoids as are found in cabbage.
Vetches are deserving of more Gull
tivation than they receive. This crop
has q good deal of resemblance to
clover in its composition, being very
rich in the flesh-forming material of
albuminoids.
On this o it should be fed in
combination with foods low in albu-
minoids. such as straw, poor hay, corn
or meal.
When given with such foods as cot
ton cake it is too albuminous. Such
feeding would be not only wasteful,
but dangerous to the health of the
stock.
Seeing that the difficulty on the
farm is to get food with enough aIbu-
minoids, this is a crop that should not
be neglected.
Vetches may be fed either green
become overripe they are apt to be
too heating and constipate the bowels.
The proper time to cut is when they
are in full flower, and small stretches
should be sown in succession, so as to
have the feed coming to hand as re-
CURED. II the stock cannot consume
the crop before the pods are begin
ming to fill it should be made into hay.
SPECIAL CROPS OR FARMING.
Diversified Farming is Necessary If