THE RAPE PLANT 



Quite often rape will be a great help. If a 

 small field can be sown early to tide over the hot, 

 dry part of summer and fall it will be of great use, 

 and it may be sown in the corn at the time of last 

 cultivation where it will to a large extent keep 

 down weeds and after the corn is cut it will come 

 on if the season is favorable, and make a lot of 

 fall and early winter pasturage. It will be nec- 

 essary to haul away the corn before sheep can 

 be turned in, as they soon learn to hunt for the ears and gorge them- 

 selves. In truth in cutting the corn, or in husking it from the stalk, 

 unusual care should be taken not to let too much corn remain scat- 

 tered on the ground. Dorset ewes have the sharpest eyes and the 

 best appetites of any sheep and will gleam every ear before they do 

 much else. There is danger, of course, of their getting too much 

 corn. Rape is generally safe feed, though there are times when it 

 will bloat the ewes. It is not usually safe to allow them to remain 

 constantly on it for they will become too fat. This is not true after 

 lambing. We have, seen them bloat to distress on rape but have 

 never had any die, and there is probably little danger from feed- 

 ing it at any time. It should never be turned on when frozen, not 

 that it will hurt the ewes so much but each leaf that is bent or dis- 

 turbed when frozen, will be killed and wasted. It takes a cold of 

 about 12 degrees to kill rape. In selecting a field for rape good land 

 should be chosen and it should be remembered that ewes will need 

 to run thereon when it is moist so that if it is a field of clay, apt to 

 pack hard, it may be unwise to sow to rape. If the sheep are taken 

 off at Christmas, however, there will generally be time for frost to 

 liven up the packed land. 



"Rape may be sown with oats, barley, winter rye or wheat. 

 If sown with winter rye or wheat, harrow the rye field in early 

 spring and sow about two pounds of rape seed per acre, harrowing 

 lightly again after the seed has been sown. Such harrowing will 

 usually be helpful to the rye crop. Rape seed can be sown with 

 oats or barley, but if this is done the growth of rape is liable to be- 



