MANY OR SPECIAL PURPOSES 347 



price runs between 12 and 40 cents. The crop 

 pays well, unless it is an off year, when weather 

 and insect enemies are against success. 



RAPE 



A certain amount of rape-seed must go into the 

 bird-seed ration of the canary, or your singer will 

 not be well and happy. This every person who 

 keeps a bird knows. Rape-seed produces an 

 oil that is valuable for a number of different uses, 

 and is as common in European countries as kero- 

 sene is in the United States. 



The rape plant is a thin-rooted relative of the 

 turnip, with a decided turnip odor, when a leaf is 

 bruised. Above the stringy root rises a large 

 head of succulent blue-green foliage, the leaves 

 much divided and curled, like leaves of some of the 

 kales. The tops grow two and three feet high on 

 good, mellow soil; even four feet in soil especially 

 rich and well-tilled. 



The farmer sows the seed broadcast on a field 

 from which he has harvested an early crop, like 

 oats. Two months later he turns his pigs or 

 sheep in, and they graze the tops off. It is best 

 to let the stock have grass pasture, too, for rape 

 alone makes flabby flesh, and animals are likely to 



