THE BOOT CROPS AND RELATED PRODUCTS 333 



RAPE 



Rape is a native of northern Europe, where it has been 

 grown for many years as a forage crop. It was introduced 

 into the United States several years ago, where it has been 

 grown in a small way in several localities. It has only 

 been within the past few years that its great usefulness 

 has become appreciated, and it has, during this time, 

 rapidly gained in popular favor and extended culture. 



349. Description. Rape, Brassica rapus, is closely 

 related to both cabbage and rutabaga, and is grown for 

 the stem and leaves. The leaves of rape are similar in 

 appearance to those of rutabaga, while the root system 

 is very similar to that of cabbage. There are two types 

 of rape, namely, annual and biennial. The annual or 

 summer type is grown for the seed in England and on the 

 Continent, but is not grown in the United States. The 

 biennial type is a larger, ranker growing plant and is 

 grown for forage. The biennial type produces seed only in 

 mild climates where the plant lives through the winter. 

 A small amount of seed is produced in the Pacific Coast 

 States, but most of the seed used in this country is im- 

 ported from England and the Continent. When grown 

 for seed, the biennial type produces as much as 1000 

 pounds per acre. The Dwarf Essex is the best known and 

 the most important variety of the biennial or winter rape. 



350. Distribution and adaptation. Rape is a cool 

 weather plant and is especially well adapted to the northern 

 part of the United States and Canada, where it is grown 

 most extensively. Rape grows best in moist, fertile 

 soils. It is especially adapted to soils rich in organic 

 matter, and for this reason does not do well on stiff clays 

 or heavy soils. It is a gross feeder, and is able to utilize a 



