1 86 Soiling. 



lent, rich and nutritious pasture at a season of the 

 year when most needed. The rape plant grows 

 slowly at first, but after a time pushes ahead rapidly. 

 Where the conditions are suitable, an average crop 

 grown in drills should furnish not less than ten tons 

 per acre, and when the conditions are all favorable, 

 it should be quite possible to produce at least twenty 

 tons of green fodder per acre. A large percentage 

 of Canadian lambs shipped during the more recent 

 years to Buffalo market from Canada have been fin- 

 ished on rape. Larger crops can be obtained from 

 rape sown in drills rather than broadcast. 



" Salt is a valuable fertilizer for rape on certain 

 soils. In some seasons a good crop of rape can be 

 grown after a crop of winter wheat has been re- 

 moved. We found that one acre of rape would pas- 

 ture thirty-six to thirty-seven head of lambs for two 

 months. It would probably be correct to say that 

 rape will grow in fine form in any soil that will pro- 

 duce an abundant crop of turnips or Indian corn. 

 Rape calls for fine pulverization of surface soil free 

 from undecayed vegetable matter. Rape responds 

 vigorously to the application of barnyard manure. 

 Rape is a gross feeding plant ; therefore, has much 

 power to gather plant food in the soil. 



"Rape is unrivalled as a pasture for sheep in 

 autumn. As a fattening food in the field, it is with- 

 out a rival in point of cheapness or effectiveness. 

 It does not detract from the fertility when the sheep 

 which eat it off are inclosed upon it." 



