410 



EAPE SEED. 



canvas. It is carried by two persons across the field, and they gather 

 up the sheaves, which, as lightly as possible, they deposit in the 

 cradle or hand-crib. When they arrive at the threshing place, they 

 simply overturn the cradle and leave the sheaves on the floor. 



The least possible stroke of the flail suffices to dislodge the seed. 

 After threshing, the grain requires to be constantly turned in the 

 store, or it will speedily heat, and consume the strength of the oil. 

 The produce of an excellent crojp is half a French bushel, or 25 French 

 quarts (litres), to every perch of 24 square feet. In round numbers, 

 the yield of the crop may be estimated at 25 bushels to the acre, 

 and it often exceeds this. The profit is so very considerable, that 

 for many years it was estimated that the Norman farmers paid rent 

 and expenses from the rape-seed crop alone. The land rent may 

 be averaged at 1 franc the perch, or 70 francs the acre, which 

 includes all rates and taxes. 



If the plant be cultivated too often upon the same soil, without 

 adequate change of rotation, it will, as is often the case with clover, 

 degenerate rapidly, and produce an inadequate return. A crop which 

 stands well and thick on the land will not always turn out to be the 

 best oil-hearing crop. The average is, that it requires 4 hectolitres, 

 or 400 French quarts of seed, to give 200 lbs. of oil in the rough. 

 The expressing the oil, facilities for purchase of steam fuel, or water 

 power, and the chemical processes connected with rectification, are all 

 elements of the expenditure. It is generally believed that the English 

 market can be more readily and cheaply supplied by purchasing the 

 grain in France, and crushing and refining in England, than by buying 

 the article ready-made for use in France. 



Colza culture extends through the regions of the north-west and 

 the plains of the north, but is little known in the south and the 

 mountains of the centre. 



The production of colza has declined in France, owing to the more 

 extensive employment of mineral oils. While there were in culture 

 in France more than 300,000 hectares under oil-seeds in 1862, in 

 1871 there were only 226,667 hectares, which produced 3,198,398 

 hectolitres of seed. Seven-tenths of this were colza. Deducting 17,110 

 hectolitres used for sowing, there remained 3,181,288 hectolitres to 

 be converted into oil. As one hectolitre of seed yields on the average 

 23 -89 kilos, of oil and 38*11 of cake, this gives a total production of 

 759,348 cwts. of oil, of a value of 83,319,538 francs, and for the oil-cake 

 1,212,291 cwts., worth 19,593,080 francs, together 102,912,618 francs. 

 The departments where this oil-seed is principally grown are Pas de 

 Calais, Calvados, Seine Inferieure, Nord, Somme, Saone et Loire, and 

 Eure. 



The current prices of rape seed in the London market in the 

 beginning of 1877 were, for Calcutta brown, 59s. Qd. to 60s. per 

 quarter, and for Ferozepore, 59s. 



Imports of rape seed into the United Kingdom : 



1840 

 1850 

 1860 



Quarters. 



81,745 

 107,029 

 269,403 



1870 

 1875 



Quarters. 



551,107 

 496,541 



