RAP 



to the roots of geiiifta or broom, wlicncc it is called rapum 

 genijld:, or broom rape : it is alfo found among corn. The 

 herb prclcrvcd, or its lyrup, is faid to be of excellent life 

 in Iplenetic or hypochondriac diforders, and an ointment 

 prepared of it with (wine's fat, is good for hard and fcirrhous 

 tumours. 



Rape, IVllJ. See Mu.stard. 



Rape, in Gardtning, the common name of a plant of the 

 cabbage kind. The variety called the French turnip, or 

 BraJJlca ntipus, has been long cultivated upon the continent, 

 and preferred to the common turnip as a culinary vegetable. 

 And it has been lately noticed in the " Traiifaiilions of the 

 Horticultural Society," that it has been brought to tlie 

 principal London markets for more than twelve years pad 

 by one perfon only, and fold chiefly to foreigners, thougli, 

 when once fully known, it will be found a very uleful and 

 acceptable root in molt families, as being more delicate in 

 its flavour than the common turnip. It is ufed in much the 

 fame manner. It enriches foups, and there is not any necef- 

 fity for cutting away the outer flcin or rind, but only to 

 fcrape it, as it is a great deal thumer than that of the turnip. 

 When lleived with gravy it forms an excellent dilh, and 

 being white and fliaped like the carrot, when laid alternately 

 with thofe on a dilh, they become very ornamental. The 

 French drefs them fomewhat in this manner. 



The roots are to be walhed quite clean by means of a brulh ; 

 then fcraped, cutting a thin fliee away from the top and 

 bottom parts, fo as to make them all of equal lengths : 

 after which boil them in water, with a httle fait, until they 

 are tender; then put them into a flew pan, with a gill of 

 veal gravy, two fpoonsful of lemon pickle, one of mufliroom 

 ketchup, a little mace, and fait, letting them jull fimmer, 

 but by no means boil, for a quarter of an hour ; afterwards 

 thicken the gravy with flour and butter, ferving the whole 

 up quite hot. Some add a few fpoonfuls of cream mixed 

 with yolk of egg to this, juft before difhing up ; and others 

 drefsthem in a limilar mannerto theabove, diced ratherthinly, 

 with Madeira, or other wines, after they have been fried to 

 a brownifh colour. See Bras.sica. 



Rape, in Agriculture, the name of a plant much cultivated 

 for its feed, and alfo as a green food for cattle and (hcep. 

 The methods of culture and management that are necelfary 

 m raifing crops of this fort, have been already defcribed and 

 explained. (See Cole.) It may, however, be here necef- 

 fary to detail a few of the experiments that were made 

 under the direftion of the Dublin Society, by Mr. Whyn 

 Baker, about the years 1769 and 1770, as they tend to 

 throw additional light on the nature of the plant, as well as 

 its cultivation, though the foil was not the moll fuitable for 

 it." It was a fliallow foil, of a itrong adhefive nature when 

 wet, and when perfeftly dry, in lumps, almolt impregnable ; 

 but between wet and dry, reducible. It lies upon a bed ot 

 linie-ftonc quarry, and has a natural declivity to the north- 

 well ; naturally very poor, and, he believes, never received 

 any manure until he drefled it. Three acres of this land were, 

 in 1768, under potatoes, in the ordinary method of the 

 country, in feven-feet beds, and four-feet trenches. In 

 1769 they were under drilled turnips. 



The froft, fnow, hail, and rain which they had this year 



in the months of March and April, rendered it impoffiblc 



fo get the grouud in any tolerable condition for the rape- 



f^^ed before the 28th day of April. On that day twenty 



Rows. 



ton 

 N"" I. Single row produced . . . - i 



2. Double row ditto .... 1 



3. Single row ditto .... 1 

 J.. Doi'.ble row ditto . . . - i 



R A V 



broad fets were fown, with twelve ounces of rape-feed to 

 each fet or ridge. He intended to have fown it earlier, but 

 the event wdl fliew, that, as it was, he fowed it too early, 

 at lead upon this ground. 



It was (low in coming up, and made but a poor figure 

 until July. After which it (hot forward ; but inftead of 

 aflbrding a plentiful mowing crop for the purpofe of fod- 

 dering cattle, it foon began to run up very fall, broke out 

 into branches, with few and fmall leaves, like rape in 

 blodom from the autumn fowing, but with (Irong branches 

 and few leaves ; and, in a fhort time after, began to groiv 

 hard, pipey, and the feed to form. 



It September he began to mow it far cattle, and they ate 

 it with great cagernefs, but every day it became worfe, by 

 growing harder ; infomuch, that before it was exhaufted there 

 was very great walle, as to the object of (odder, but it won. 

 derfuUy raifed the dung.hill, which, in his mind, is of the firlt 

 moment to the farmer ; for if he has manure in plenty, and 

 difpofes of it judicioufly, there is hardly any thing he need 

 to fear, except climate. 



It was pretty far in Oftober before all his rape was cut, 

 (and the feed coming forward very fall,) although it was 

 brought home in great profufion. It was fo ftrong, that 

 the mowing of it could not be accomplilhed with a common 

 fcythe ; it would have broken an hundred ; but he had by 

 him a Ihort ftrong fcythe, with a thick back, intended to 

 mow budkes and other rubbifli ; with this inftrument he 

 got it mowed, but not fo clofe to the ground as lie wilhed, 

 it being next to impoflible to mow fuch ftrong plants as 

 thefe were clofe to the ground ; and he became the lefs foli. 

 citous about it, as from the ftrength of the rape ftumps and 

 roots, and the weeds which were upon the ground, owing 

 to the rape Ihooting up in tall ftems, he gave up his inten- 

 tion of fowing the ground with wheat, as was originally 

 intended. Hence he concludes, tlwt the rape was fown 

 much too early. 



On the 1 6th of July he tranfplanted fome of this rape in 

 rows upon ridges (our feet wide ; thefe plants flouri(hed 

 much better than the former, and were at leaft four times 

 the fize of any of thofe left in the ground where they were 

 fown. Neverthelefs, thefe alfo ran to feed ; but the cold 

 nights coming on prevented their forming their feed like 

 the former. They were vaftly more fappy, and much 

 better food for cattle. 



On the 24th of July, he drilled rape-feed upon the fame 

 ground. 



N° I. Six ridges four feet wide, and thirty-two perches 

 long in (ingle rov.s. 



N° 2. Six ridges the fame length and breadtli, in double 

 rows, ten inches afunder. 



It is obferved, that the double and fingle rows were drilled 

 alternately on the fame ground, on the i8th day of July. 



N° 3. Six ridges four feet wide, and thirty-two perches 

 lonsj, drilled in linjrle rows. 



N° 4. Six ridges the fame length and breadth, in double 

 rows, ten inches afunder. 



He remarks, that thefe were fown in alternate rows, on 

 the fame ground, on the 24th of Jul.y. And that the feveral 

 rows were thinned the latter end of Auguft, and twice 

 horfe-hoed during the fummer. On the third of April 

 1 77 1, he had a row of each of thefe cut and weighed, and 

 the produce was as follows : 

 Weight. Prod. p. Plant, acre. 



. cwt. qr. II). t n. cwt. qr. lb. 



2 1 II 7 c II 0^1, f 29 6 I 16 



!■ Sown July i8th -j ,; ,, , ,, 



4 3 13 J ' J 32 12 2 23 



5 ; «} Sown July 24th {33 H « ^6 



3I 2 



