CHAPTER VII. 



RAPE AND CABBAGE. 



Several plants of the Brassica genus have been 

 grown as forage for many years in Great Britain 

 and other European countries, and so they will be, 

 doubtless, in the near future in the United States. 

 Only two of these, viz., rape and cabbage, will be 

 considered here, as these are the only two species of 

 this genus that have hitherto been grown for forage 

 on this continent. Some of the other plants of the 

 Brassica genus that may yet be introduced will be 

 considered in Chapter XL Of these two plants, 

 rape is unquestionably the more important for for- 

 age, but the day is probably near w r hen cabbage also 

 will be extensively grown, more especially to pro- 

 vide late pasture for sheep. 



RAPE. 



The rape plant (Brassica napus) is beyond all 

 question one of the most useful fodder plants that 

 has yet been introduced into the United States, and 

 so it is likely to continue through all time. In writ- 

 ing to the agricultural press in 1890, the author ven- 

 tured the opinion that the day would come w r hen 

 10,000,000 sheep and lambs would be fattened every 

 year in the United States on rape. Why should 

 such a statement be looked upon as extravagant? 

 It would require only 1,000,000 acres of rape to 

 accomplish such an end. 



10 145 



