On the 11th February the cattle were again weighed, when their increase was found to be as follows:—
| Weight on Jan. 12. | Weight on Feb. 11. | Increase in 30 days. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cwt. | st. | cwt. | st. | st. | ||
| 1 | } Lot 1, fed on Kohl-rabi, &c. } | 10 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 | |
| ——— | ||||||
| Total | 5 | |||||
| ——— | ||||||
| 3 | } Lot 2, fed on Swedes, &c. } | 7 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 7¼ | 5½ | |
| ——— | ||||||
| Total | 11½ | |||||
The results of this experiment show that the animals fed upon Swedish turnips, hay, and oil-cake, increased in weight at a rate more than 100 per cent. greater than the lot supplied with equal quantities of Kohl-rabi, hay, and oil-cake. The superiority of the Swedish turnips was rendered more evident by the results of subsequent experiments. Nos. 1 and 4 were not tried after the 11th February; but Nos. 2 and 3 were kept under experiment. No. 2 was put on Swedes, and No. 3 on mangel-wurtzel, and after an interval of a fortnight No. 2 had increased much more than they had done on Kohl-rabi.
Specimens of the Kohl-rabi and Swedish turnips employed in this experiment were submitted to me for analysis by Mr. Baldwin, and yielded the following results:—
| Kohl-rabi. | Swedish Turnip. | |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 87·62 | 88·84 |
| Nitrogenous, or flesh-forming principles | 2·24 | 1·66 |
| Non-nitrogenous, or fat-forming principles | 7·78 | 6·07 |
| Woody fibre | 1·34 | 2·73 |
| Mineral matter (ash) | 1·22 | 0·70 |
| ——— | ——— | |
| 100·00 | 100·00 |
These results show a slight superiority of the Kohl-rabi over the Swedish turnip; the great difference in their nutritive power, as shown by Mr. Baldwin's experimental results, must therefore be due to the superior flavor and digestibility of the turnip.
Dr. Anderson's analysis of Kohl-rabi afforded results more favorable to the highly nutritive character assigned by some feeders to that bulb than those arrived at by me. The bulbs, it should however be remarked, were grown, no doubt with great care, by Messrs. Lawson and Son, the well-known seedsmen:—
| ANALYSIS OF KOHL-RABI, BY DR. ANDERSON. | ||
| Bulbs. | Tops. | |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 86·74 | 86·68 |
| Flesh-forming principles | 2·75 | 2·37 |
| Fat-forming principles | 8·62 | 8·29 |
| Woody fibre | 0·77 | 1·21 |
| Mineral matter | 1·12 | 1·45 |
| ——— | ——— | |
| 100·00 | 100·00 | |
The Radish is a plant which deserves a place amongst our field crops, though hitherto its cultivation has been restricted to the garden. At one time its leaves were boiled and eaten, but in these latter days they are subjected to neither of these processes. The root, however, in its raw state, is, as every one is aware, considered one of the dainties of the table.