KALE 265 



Marketing. In some of our larger cities, horse-radish can be 

 marketed in carload lots, the price varying from $20 a ton to as 

 high as $100 per ton. As horse-radish frequently yields from 4 

 to 6 tons per acre it is in general a profitable crop ; but as the 

 amount which can be used by any one market is limited, it would 

 be" an easy matter to have an overproduction of it. Before mar- 

 keting, the roots should be washed to make them clean and bright 

 and a part of the top should be cut away. For retail trade straight, 

 well-formed roots are frequently offered for sale in small bunches ; 

 the usual practice, however, is to offer them in barrels. 



Some growers, instead of selling their product as roots, grate 

 and bottle it. While this requires a much larger outlay of both 

 time and money, it is the most profitable method of marketing the 

 crop. In nearly every city market place, there are stands where 

 the grated fresh roots are offered for sale. It is also used to a large 

 extent by pickle packers in the preparation of various mixed pickles. 



KALE 



Kale is the name given to a variety of nonheading plants of the 

 Cabbage family. The diversity of forms in this group is well illus- 

 trated by the dwarf curled kale commonly cultivated for market in 

 the neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia, and the marrow kale, which 

 is grown to some extent as a stock food in the Puget Sound region 

 of the state of Washington. Figure 96 shows a field of kale of the 

 dwarf type, while figure 97 shows a plant of the marrow kale. 



Distribution. Kale culture in the United States presents an 

 extreme illustration of the localization of an industry. Commercial 

 kale culture is confined almost wholly to the immediate vicinity of 

 Norfolk, Virginia, and to a limited area on Long Island, New York. 

 This is not because kale cannot be grown in other localities, but is 

 the result of peculiar economic and climatic conditions. Kale, like 

 many other members of the cabbage group, thrives best under mari- 

 time conditions, such as are found in the Norfolk area and on Long 

 Island. In order that kale may be harvested and marketed to the 

 best advantage it must be grown where it can be harvested at any 

 or all times during the winter. The mild climate characteristic of 

 both Long Island and Norfolk provides these conditions. Kale is 



