236 FORAGE CROPS. 



headed kale." It produces fine and tender herbage, 

 which is greatly relished by lambs, and is also very 

 suitable for them. Kale bears no little resemblance 

 to rape in what may be termed its general habit of 

 growth. It produces only leaves and stems the first 

 season, and in these its virtue consists as a pasture 

 or as a soiling food. The common varieties of kale 

 do not seem so well adapted as rape to furnish either, 

 since, on many soils at least, they do not grow so 

 quickly, nor do they produce so much in bulk. 



The trial plots grown at the Minnesota Uni- 

 versity experiment station proved fairly satisfactory. 

 When sown late in May, the plants were ready for 

 being fed off by the middle of July. Those not 

 used as food at that season lost what may be termed 

 their bloom, while the hot weather lasted, but when 

 the autumn rains began to fall, they measurably 

 revived and retained their greenness until the 

 approach of winter. 



Kale is adapted to the same kinds of soil as 

 rape (see Page 152). The preparation of the soil 

 is also the same. But it will probably be found that 

 kale is not so well adapted to broadcast sowing as 

 rape, since it is not so vigorous a grower. When 

 sown in rows these should not be closer than twenty- 

 four inches. The directions given for sowing rape 

 in rows will apply equally to kale. From one to 

 two pounds of seed will be sufficient to sow an acre. 



The wisdom of sowing such varieties of kale to 

 provide pasture as are usually grown in our gardens 

 is at least to be questioned. Dwarf Essex rape will 

 probably better serve the end sought. But the 

 variety grown in Great Britain as "thousand-headed 

 kale" may yet be given an important place in our list 



