268 GARDEN FARMING 



As a rule kale is less affected by insects than heading cabbage, 

 although sometimes seriously infested with aphis, the treatment 

 of which is the same as for cabbage aphis. 



Harvesting. The crop is harvested between December i and 

 April i, depending upon the state of the market. The crown of 

 curly, fleshy leaves at the summit of the stalk is cut and packed in 

 half-barrel baskets, or in veneer barrels 16 inches in diameter at 

 the head and 28 inches high. Most of the crop is marketed in 

 these barrels, which are closely packed and heaped above the chime. 

 The burlap covering is drawn tightly over the whole by driving- 

 down the loose top hoop. 



Kale must be shipped immediately after cutting, for it soon de- 

 teriorates. The large sorts usually cultivated for market yield, under 

 favorable conditions, from 250 to 500 barrels per acre, and superior 

 crops sometimes yield 600 barrels. The average yield is probably 

 about 250 barrels per acre. The price is sometimes as low as 

 fifty cents and sometimes it reaches $2.00, but the usual price is 

 about $1.00 a barrel in New York. The cost of harvesting the 

 crop, according to Professor T. C. Johnson of the Virginia Truck 

 Experiment Station, is as follows : 



Cutting $0.05 per barrel 



Barrel 17 



Burlap cover 015 



Cartage from farm 05 



Freight, Norfolk to New York 15 



Icing .03 



Total $0.465 



The crop is not expensive to produce, and when the yield and 

 the price are normal it gives a fair profit. At $ i .00 per barrel in 

 New York the average crop of 250 barrels per acre should net the 

 grower $100.00 per acre. 



Varieties. The so-called Scotch kales are the strains chiefly 

 grown for market in the Norfolk area, the Dwarf Green Scotch 

 being the most popular. This is a good grower and returns a large 

 yield per acre. Siberian, or Blue, kale is grown to a limited extent 

 for the late spring market, as it can be planted from three weeks 

 to a month later than the Scotch, but the latter is the standard 

 for the autumn and the winter markets. 



