354 THE EAPE CROP. 



how greatly we might economize our resources, were we 

 to pay a little more attention to the principles which he 

 and other chemists have made known to us. 



The quantity of farmyard manure to be applied to the 

 rape crop must, of course, be governed by the supply at 

 command. Where this is ample, a liberal dose should 

 be given say 20 to 30 tons to the acre of long dung, or 

 from half to two-thirds of that quantity if in a well-rotted 

 state. The addition of from 2 to 5 cwts. of "superphos- 

 phate " will always add materially to its fertilizing powers, 

 and make up for any deficiency in the quantity applied. 

 In all cases where rape is cultivated, chloride of sodium 

 (common salt) should be added to the manure applied. 

 On reference to the analysis (p. 362) it will be seen how 

 large a proportion of this salt is required by the plant to 

 perfect its growth. 



If the land, however, be, from previous good manage- 

 ment, sufficiently clean to admit of an intermediate crop 

 being taken before the rape, choice would naturally be 

 made of such an one as would admit of the ground being 

 cleared at a sufficiently early period to allow of the rape 

 crop being got in, so as to come to maturity at the time 

 needed for stocking. Due preparations should always be 

 made beforehand for such a mode of cropping, as time is 

 of great importance at this, the growing season of the 

 year ; and the necessary tillage operations require to be 

 carried through without any intervals of delay, as the 

 ground gets speedily dry and hard, and the succeeding 

 crop is sure, more or less, to suffer from it. Plenty of 

 labour should be at command, and the proportion of man- 

 ure in a fit state and ready for carting to the ground, where 

 it should be spread and ploughed in as quickly as possible, 

 no more being carried to the field than can be covered in 

 by the ploughs on the same day. So important is it to 

 preserve as far as possible the moisture in the manure and 



