146 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



moist. And when the rape crop is planted in drills 

 on such land with enough distance between them to 

 admit cultivation, the said cultivation, when given, is 

 further very helpful to the retention of moisture, as 

 well as to the more vigorous growth of the plants. 

 It is, also, peculiarly helpful in such a season in 

 cleaning the land. Rape should not be sown in sum- 

 mer weather on cloddy land as the seed will not 

 germinate under such conditions. 



When rape is grown for soiling food, the aim 

 should be to secure all the growth possible. Hence 

 it should be sown on land naturally rich, or made so 

 by applying fertilizers. Rape has special adaptation 

 for being grown on lands enriched with heavy appli- 

 cations of farmyard manure. In fact, the luxuriance 

 in the growth of the plants is usually proportional to 

 the degree, to which the soil has been enriched. This 

 plant would almost seem capable of growing in a 

 manure heap. And because of its great power to 

 appropriate food, manure applied in the fresh form 

 would seem to answer the end sought about as well 

 as when it is applied in the reduced form. But to this 

 there are some exceptions. Manure, fresh and con- 

 taining much litter, should not be applied in great 

 bulk, except in rainy climates, lest it hinder to so 

 great an extent the impaction of the soil as to allow 

 the too rapid escape of moisture. Slough and 

 swamp soils are oftentimes so rich that an application 

 of a fertilizer on these would be thrown away. 



Commercial fertilizers are of course helpful to 

 this plant when farmyard manure cannot be obtained, 

 and also when it can be obtained, but not in 

 sufficient quantities. A light application of farmyard 



