lo Feb., 1911-] Rape. 87 



grow from 25 to 30 leaves, and it will be noticed that four of the bottom 

 leaves and four to six of the top leaves are of inferior quality. There- 

 fore, in topping, the inferior leaves should be removed with the bud from 

 the upper portion, and not more than eighteen left on, exclusive of the 

 four inferior bottom leaves. If the crop is late, and frost is feared, then 

 it is better to top lower, and the plant will mature quicker. In extreme 

 cases only four leaves are left on the plant, in order to secure them in 

 time for a cure. Tobacco should all be brought as nearly as possible to 

 the ripening stage about the same time. On poorer .soils fewer leaves, 

 should be left on the plant, which otherwise might not have sufficient 

 strength to mature properly. In pinching out the bud care must be taken 

 not to injure the leaves left on the plant. 



After topping nature asserts herself, and in the effort for reproduction 

 the plant sends out suckers at the intersection of the leaf with the stem. 

 These, if left, will produce seed, and they should be taken off, by breaking 

 sideways close to the stem, before they are 3 inches long. This work 

 will have to be done about three times between the time of topping and 

 harvesting, and is absolutely essential, for if the plants are allowed tfv 

 seed the leaf is never as good quality, and the weight also is much less. 



{1^0 be coHi'i lilted.) 



RAPE. 



/. M . B. Connor, Agriculiural Su-pcriiitcndeut. 



The accompanying photograph, taken on the 29th Xo\ember, repre- 

 .sents a crop of 55 acres of rape a\eraging between 7 and 8 feet high 

 growing on the farm of .Mr. C. Henry, 5 miles south of Garfield, <;n the 

 K(x>-\Vee-Rup swamp. This paddock was in a similar condition to that 

 illustrated on the next page. The stum^js were burned off, after a heavy 

 rain, during the early part of March, 19 10. Rape was sown broadcast 

 over the ashes at the rate of 2 lbs. of seed per acre. When one takes 

 into consideration the unprepared and rough condition of the seed-bed, 

 together with the small quantity of seed sown, the results obtained are 

 phenomenal. Of course, the method and time of burning off the stumps 

 on peaty ground, like that under review, require serious consideration and 

 can only be safely attempted after heavy rains. The top layer of soil 

 is then saturated with moisture and the stumps burn out when reaching 

 the damp soil ; otherwi.se, if set alight when the ground is dry, the 

 peaty soil and stumps embedded in the soil would burn for weeks and 

 the after results would be .serious. rrrcjution, in this respect, cannot 

 be too strongly emphasized. 



Mr. Henry informs me that, after commencing to harvest the crop, the 

 district was unfortunately visited by a very severe storm accompanied bv 

 htMvy hail, with the result that the rape was broken down and nearly all 

 the seed shaken out of the pods. The quantity of .seed harvested so far 

 has, however, returned over one ton per acre and is being sold at 2\(\. 

 per lb. This gives a gross return of over J[^2}, per acre, which must 1h' 

 ron*iid(Ti'd satisfactory umler the circumstances experienced, togetht-r with 

 the dilllcultv of .securing suitable I.il>our. 



Rape grows well and produces large (]uantitics of succulent crops of 

 first class foddiT over a large range of soils, luring lK)th winter and 



