178 



Marrow- Stemmed Kale for Poultry. 



[May, 



summer, but the real value of these greens is found when the 

 first frosts have come, and succulent vegetables are scarcer. 

 Any leaves left on the plants will succumb to the frost but 

 the " marrow " contained in the stem, from the presence of 

 which the plant obtains its name, will be protected by the 

 outer covering which will by this time have become fibrous as 

 in herbaceous plants. These stems should now be pulled up, 

 and split in halves lengthwise, and thrown into the house or 

 run. It will be found that the fowls readily eat the pith or 

 marrow, leaving only the woody fibre of the outer coat of the 

 stem, and in doing this they also obtain a good deal of exercise. 



In order to ascertain exactly how much food was contained 

 in the stems, some of them were weighed before being put 

 in the runs and the woody remains afterwards gathered up and 

 weighed. The following results were obtained : — 



1. The finest individual stem was 34 in. in length, and 

 had a circumference of 7J in. Its weight was 2 lb. 14 oz., 

 and the weight of the outermost coat after the fowls had eaten 

 the " marrow " was 13 oz. Thus the amount of food from 

 the one stem was 2 lb. 1 oz. This plant had been grown in 

 the seed bed and transplanted. 



2. Seven of the transplanted individuals, not selected, but 

 taken in order from the plot, weighed 15 lb. 8 oz. The 

 greatest length of a single stem was 36 in., and the greatest 

 girth 7 in. The waste amounted to 4 lb. 3 oz., the quantity 

 of food from the 7 stems being 11 lb. 5 oz. — an average of 

 1 lb. 10 oz. 



3. Five consecutive groups of plants from " dibbled " seeds 

 had the following respective weights : — 6 lb. 8 oz. ; 2 lb. 10 oz. ; 

 5 lb. 1 oz.; 5 lb. 7 oz.; 5 lb. 9 oz.;— a total of 25 lb. 3 oz. 

 The greatest length of stem was 39 in., and the greatest 

 circumference 8 in. The amount of waste was 7 lb. 2 oz., the 

 food extracted weighing 18 lb. 1 oz. — an average from each 

 hole of 3 lb. 10 oz. 



The results shown in (3) demonstrate clearly the superiority 

 of the second method of sowing. The results as a whole show 

 what a valuable green food this kale provides for poultry- 

 keepers, especially when it is remembered that the food from 

 the stems was available throughout a period of fairly keen 

 frosts. 



