TRAA'SACTIONS. 271 



verted sod was pressed down with a heavy roller, then well 

 harrowed lengthwise the furrows, with a kind of horse 

 rake; drills were made at the distance of 27 inches; a 

 sprinkling of De Burg's superphosphate was strewn in the 

 drills ; seed sown by band, and covered by the use of a 

 common hay-rake. The plants came up in a few days and 

 were not injured by any insect through the season. 



In July, commenced thinning the plants, and fed them to 

 my cows morning and evening, till the plants averaged 

 about two feet each way. This brought it up to sixty-five 

 days from the time the land was plowed. At that time, I 

 cut at the surface of the ground, every other plant on two 

 square rods. The lightest plant weighed three pounds 

 four ounces ; the heaviest, nine and a quarter pounds ; the 

 whole number averaged a little over five and a half pounds 

 per plant. There were fifty-six plants per square rod. But 

 to be sure of not overstating, I will call it fifty plants per 

 square rod, which gives just twenty-two tons per acre of 

 the choicest kind of green food for milch cows, &c., in less 

 than sixty-five days from the time the seed was sown. I 

 then commenced cutting a large wheelbarrow full, twice 

 daily, for my cows, till they were used up, by which time I 

 had a full supply of early York cabbage for the cows, nu- 

 merous sprouts sprang from the stumps of the rape plants 

 after being cut, and yielded at the rate of several tons 

 more per acre of second crop. By the side of the rape, on 

 the same kind of inverted sod, I raised a large crop of 

 several varieties of cabbages, turnips, kohl rabis, &c., and 

 was never more successful in growing these kinds of plants 

 than on Grreed sward land. But the season of 1855 was 

 wet, and rather cool, perhaps much resembling the climate 

 of England, which is considered more favorable for grow- 

 ing the cabbage and turnip tribes of plants than our usn. 

 ally hot and dry summers. 



However, I was very successful in growing the rape 

 on old ground, the last season (I80G.) I left about twenty 



