Under ordinary field conditions tlie plant reaches a height of from 

 1^ to 4 feet, and the strong-growing roots penetrate the soil to a con- 

 siderable depth. 



Rape is either annual or biennial. The annual varieties (summer 

 rape) are grown chiefly for the seed, and have not been much culti- 

 vated in this country. The biennial varieties (winter rape) are 

 used largely for forage. 



NATIVITY, USES, AND EXTENT OP CULTIVATION. 



Rape, like the turnip, is a native of northern Europe, ranging east- 

 ward into Siberia. Although it has long been cultivated in the Old 

 World, it has received but little attention in America until within 

 comparatively recent years, and is now much more widely grown in 

 Canada than in the United States. Practically, all the rape grown 

 in this country is the winter or biennial sort, but in Europe, especially 

 in England, summer rape is widely cultivated. The seed yields 

 about 33 per cent of expressed oil, which is of value for lubricat- 

 ing, and is also used for lighting. The compressed rape-seed cake 

 is used as a food for stock and as a fertilizer. It is regarded as par- 

 ticularly valuable as a fertilizer for flax and turnips. The seed is 

 much used as a bird food. In this country rape is grown almost 

 exclusively for forage, being used chiefly for soiling and summer 

 and autumn pasturage. 



Rape is best adapted to rather cool, moist climates, such as prevail 

 in portions of Canada and the northern United States. It can, how- 

 ever, be successfully grown as a forage crop in many of the warmer 

 and dryer sections. Thus in favorable seasons or with a small 

 amount of irrigation excellent crops of rape are grown in Wyoming, 

 Montana, the Dakotas, and other States in the so-called semiarid 

 region, and many instances are on record where good crops have 

 been produced without irrigation, under conditions of drought so 

 severe as to cause the failure of corn and other farm crops. In 

 parts of the South rape may be grown for late fall or winter forage. 



SOIL REQUIREMENTS. 



For its best development rape requires a rich, moist, loamy soil, 

 and will usually do well on any but light sandy soils and stiff clays, 

 such soils being usually deficient in vegetable matter. In general a 

 soil that will produce good crops of turnip, cabbage, wheat, and corn 

 will be suitable for rape. 



Rape is a gross feeder and draws quite heavily on the nitrogen as 

 well as the mineral constituents of the soil, and hence should be used 

 in rotation with crops that feed largely on other elements of plant 

 food. For example, rape and fodder corn take about the same pro- 

 portions of nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid from the soil, and 



