Cultivation of Kohl-Rabi. 
471 
calves, and pigs — eat it most freely, and do remarkably well 
upon it. 
We have hitherto done but little in the way of storing the 
crop, save to get up a few to carry us through the frost ; nor does 
it seem necessary, for we have scarcely seen a decayed bulb on 
the farm since we commenced growing it, bearing out the state- 
ment of Mr. Stewart, of the Norwich Nursery, that " Kohl-rahi 
will stand a severe winter.^'' It will this season, however, be 
severely tested. 
Our report so far will be regarded as favourable to the cultivation 
of this plant. It will be but fair now to notice some of the 
objections which are urged against it ; the principal of which 
are — first, that it is a great exhauster of the land ; and, secondly, 
that the stalks and roots are both inconvenient and troublesome. 
Taking the subject of exhaustion first, it will be but fair to 
admit that, with common cultivation, it may pull somewhat 
harder upon the land than the common turnip : but the question 
is, to wliat extent you may rely upon receiving value in ex- 
change. 
We have already stated that our practice has been to cul- 
tivate just as highly as for Swedish turnips, and that from the 
fallow crop we invariably draw off one-third of the bulbs, and 
often the greater part of the tops — feeding only two-thirds upon 
the land ; and hitherto, we have had no reason to complain of 
the succeeding crop of barley. It has not been quite so bulky 
as after turnips, but stifFer in the straw, and of better quality ; 
the crop last season, in particular, was worth considerably more 
in value per acre than that after turnips, side by side, in the same 
field. We come next to the objection as to the stalks and roots, 
and it will be candid to admit that to a beginner the complaint 
is not altogether groundless. The stalk running from the root to 
the bulb is very hard, and if not properly severed from the latter 
is apt to damage the cutter. This, however, may be easily 
obviated by a properly made pecker,- formed somewhat like 
a cooper's adze, only not so wide or so much hooked, and the 
severance should be made close to the bulb, when, without the trouble 
of tailing or cleaning them, a perfectly clean mass of bulbs may 
be thrown together quite fit for use — a benefit to the sheep which 
all practical men will know how to appreciate. 
The next inconvenience complained of is that the stalks prevent 
the furrow being properly tuined, and interfere with the working 
of the land. The too general system has been to plough thin, 
work out the roots and carry them off before sowing the barley. 
This is faulty in principle, and unnecessarily expensive. Our 
plan is to send a man over the ground with the same sharp pecker 
as before, and peck them off close to or a little in the ground — the 
