236 



Journal of Agriculture. 



[10 April, 1909, 



on the land on which it grows but is also a danger to neighbouring land, 

 if it seeds freely and is prickly, or poisonous, or obnoxious in any way. 



The only means of keeping such plants within bounds is by proclaiming 

 them as noxious pests, which has accordingly been done. Speaking with- 

 out prejudice and from a purely botanical point of view absolute extir- 

 pation is unnecessary in the case of any non-poisonous plant used for 

 hedges, but it is a moot point whether the State would not have been 

 better off had Gorse, and Box Thorn never been introduced. No such 

 reservation applies to Dodder, Bindweed, Thistles, Bathurst Burr, or St. 

 John's Wort, &c., but many days are likely to pass before these plants 

 become rare curiosities grown only in Botanical Gardens as living 

 mementos of the neglect in early days which allowed such objectionable 

 aliens to freely enter and colonize a fertile country. 



THOUSAND HEADED KALE. 



//. W. Ham, Sheep Expert. 



We are obliged to a correspondent for suggesting a short article on kale 

 as a fodder plant for use by farmers in fattening ewes and lambs. 



Kale is more a plant to be plucked of its leaves and sprouts, and hand- 

 fed to stock, than to be grazed off. It is very suitable for small patches of 

 rich soil in good rainfall and cool districts. To pluck the sprouts and 

 leaves for large numbers of sheep and lambs is, wdth our present labour 

 conditions, out of the question. 



THOUSAND HEADED KALE. 



It is not as suitable for wholesale cultivation as rape ; it takes longer 

 to establish, is slower coming to the feeding stage, and will not do so 

 well on average quality or plain clayey land, and besides, is very liable 

 to blight at the first approach of warm weather. 



Broadly speaking, rape and oats, for the reasons explained in the 

 January number of this Journal, is the best foddej- crop for sheep work. 



