ROOTS, TUBERS, AND OTHER SUCCULENT FEEDS 139 



two to three weeks. This will secure a succession of green feed 

 for summer and fall feeding that will serve to make the farmer 

 independent of short pastures and will keep the stock in a vigor- 

 ous, thrifty condition (Fig. 25). Eape is also sown in drills, about 

 30 inches apart, with the plants two to three inches apart in the 

 row, either with spring grain or with corn just before the last 

 cultivation. This will furnish an abundance of green forage for 

 fall feeding. Rape may be cut or pastured from eight to ten weeks 

 from the time of seeding, when it will be 12 to 15 inches high. 



FIG. 25 Pigs on rape. This crop forms a very valuable succulent feed for pigs and sheep. 



(Wisconsin Station.) 



The variety of rape generally sown is Dwarf Essex, which is a 

 biennial. Nearly all the seed of this variety on the market is im- 

 ported. The seed of bird-seed rape, which is an annual, is some- 

 times sold as Dwarf Essex, and care should, therefore, be taken to 

 buy seed from reputable seedsmen only, as the former variety is 

 worthless for forage purposes. 



Rape contains about 14 per cent dry matter and 2 per cent 

 digestible protein, its nutritive ratio being about 1 : 4.3. Both on 

 account of its relatively high water content and its narrow nutri- 

 tive ratio, it will not give satisfactory results when fed alone, but 

 should be supplemented with grain feed, preferably with low- 

 protein feeds, such as corn and other cereals, wheat middlings, or 



