CHAPTER XVI 



THE CABBAGE TRIBE 



Sevekal members of the mustard family (Cm- 

 ciferse) of the cabbage kind are useful forage 

 plants, aud their cultivation seems to be increas- 

 ing. In general feeding practice they may be 

 compared with root-crops. In fact, kohlrabi is 

 often classed with root -crops, and well it maybe, 

 since it is very closely allied to the turnips and 

 rutabagas, differing chiefly in having the thickened 

 part above ground rather than below ground. The 

 leading cabbage -like forage plants are rape, cab- 

 bage and kohlrabi. The kales are not much grown 

 for forage in North America. Their culture does 

 not differ greatly from that of rape. Thousand- 

 headed kale is the kind mostly recommended, but 

 it does not appear to have any advantage over 

 rape for forage. 



As a forage plant rape is a recent introduction 

 into the United States. Several varieties have 

 long been grown in Europe and other countries 

 for forage purposes. Of the various kinds, but 

 two are generally grown, — Dwarf (Dwarf Essex) 



(292) 



