Cultivation of Kold-Rahi. 
469 
crop, which stood tlie winter well, furnishing very excellent feed 
for the ewes and lambs through March and most of April. We 
always in this case adopt the Hertfordshire system, using lamb- 
hurdles, which allow the lambs to run first, eating the tops with 
a few cut bulbs, the ewes in the fold cleaning up after them, and, 
before the Kohl-rabi is exhausted, give a little mangold in the fold. 
We have seldom had them do so well, and never since have felt 
any necessity for a change. It is a good practice, however, when 
in the spring the Kohl-rabi gets hard, to run the offal through the 
cutter and put it into troughs. The food being always clean, this 
may be done without inconvenience. 
Within the last few years we have abandoned the seed-bed, 
drilling our general crop on the fallows in May on ridges : the 
surplus plants will be quite fit for transplanting b}' the time the 
green crop is mown off the land which is intended to be sub- 
sequently planted with Kohl-rabi ; so that by one operation we 
provide sufficient plants for setting, and at the same time leave, 
properly singled out, enough for the general crop. Light one- 
horse [or donkey carts track the rows close at hand, to receive 
and carry them off to the parties planting them. 
It may be useful here to observe, that the general crop should 
be drilled on ridges, at some little intervals as to time ; because 
the exact period required to raise the plants will depend more or 
less upon the weather, and it will take comparatively but few 
acres from which to draw plants for a considerable area — the 
surplus plants of a single acre will lurnish enough (after casting 
the bad away) to plant four or five. 
Our practice has been, not to drill the Kohl-rabi before the 
middle of May. It may be wise, however, to commence with 
some a fortnight earlier if the land is in good order. We seldom 
use more than about 2 lbs. of seed per acre, drilled on ridges at 
twenty-seven inches apart, thinning the rows to about sixteen 
inches from plant to plant. 
The mode of cultivation pursued by us has been the same as 
for Swedish turnips, using about 10 loads or tons of farm-manure 
and from a fourth to a fifth of a ton of good artificials, such as 
blood-manure, superphosphate, rape-cake, or the like, drilled 
down the ridge or scattered on the manure. We prefer the latter 
mode, as it spreads the hand-tillage over rather a broader space. 
By this kind of cultivation, on land worth 30a'. per acre to rent, 
we usually grow from 25 to 30 tons per acre of excellent bulbs, 
besides the tops, which are the best of food ; and where a dairy 
is kept, and tolerably near at hand, they are of no small value 
to the milking cows, giving no unpleasant flavour to the 
butter. 
The transplanted crop will perhaps be from 5 to 7 tons per 
