KALE 



KOHLRABI 



389 



Because of the high nutritive value of these 

 plants, they should be fed carefully and never be 

 used to make the bulk of the ration. All kinds 

 of stock are fond of kale. Remarks on the feeding 

 value of kohlrabi (see succeeding article) apply 

 more or less closely to kale. 



Enemies. 



The cabbage root-maggot is the worst pest in the 

 growing of kale, and, indeed, of any of the cabbage 

 family. When this fly is abundant, it is some- 

 times advantageous to sow a few cabbages in 

 the field or transplant them to the field before 

 setting out the main crop ; then when the fly 

 has deposited her eggs on these, they may be 

 destroyed by applying kerosene oil directly to 

 the plants and soil. The writer has found that 

 thousand-headed kale is not so seriously attacked 

 as curled kale or cabbage. 



The cabbage worms, as a rule, do not seriously 

 attack this crop, but when they do they are easily 

 destroyed by spraying on a wa,rm, dry day with a 

 solution of pyrethrum. 



Jersey kale. Pig. 584. 



A tall-growing collard, grown in the island of 

 Jersey for stock feed, from which place it has been 

 introduced into California. At the California sta- 

 tion it produced green feed at the rate of sixteen 

 tons per acre, and started again quickly after cut- 

 ting. It seems to have value as a summer and fall 

 feed for poultry as well as for stock. It requires 

 an abundance of moisture, and does well under 

 irrigation. It is hardy, and will thrive for several 

 years if the ground does not freeze in winter. The 

 leaves frequently attain a breadth of twenty-eight 

 inches. There is very little available experience 

 with this plant in North America. 



In the island of Jersey, the leaves are broken 

 from the main stem for feeding to pigs and cattle, 

 leaving pronounced scars on the stem. It is the 

 third year, often, before the plant blooms, and by 

 this time the stiff stem may be ten feet or more 

 high. The stems are much used in the Channel 

 islands for the making of canes and sticks to sell 

 to tourists. 



KOHLRABI FOR STOCK-FEEDING. Brassica 

 oleracea, var. caulorapa. Grudferce. Fig. 585. 



By J. W. Gilmore. 



Kohlrabi is valuable for stock-feeding, not only 

 because it contains a considerable amount of nutri- 

 ents, but because these nutrients are in a highly 

 palatable and digestible form. In the latter respect 





Fig. 584. The taU kale, "cow cabbage" or "Jersey cabbage 

 of the Channel islands. 



Fig. 585. Kohlrabi. On the left, tankard form and coarse 

 top; on the right, globe form and short top. 



the dry matter which it contains compares favor- 

 ably with concentrated feeds from cereals. As an 

 offset to these qualities, however, are the facts that 

 it is rather high in water content, thus necessita- 

 ting feeding it with dry grains or roughage ; and 

 that it is more expensive to grow per unit of area 

 than corn. 



Kohlrabi for stock-feeding may be considered as 

 a concentrate from the standpoint of the 

 high digestibility of its nutrients and the 

 large amount of net available energy de- 

 rived from them. But, in common with other 

 food products of this class, as mangels, 

 turnips and rutabagas, it is so watery and 

 succulent that it can not be fed in sufficient 

 quantities to supply the amount of nutrients 

 required. Hence it is a part of rational 

 practice to feed it with grain of sufficient 

 quantity and quality to make up a balanced 

 ration for the purpose for which it is fed. 

 It is not, therefore, the intention to recom- 

 mend kohlrabi as a substitute for silage, 

 or even to be fed with it, but it may be 

 desirable to grow and feed it when condi- 

 tions of soil and climate prevail that do not 

 permit the production of corn. It is ex- 

 tremely desirable that all domestic animals 



