On the Kohl-Rahi. 
519 
and most judicious method of securing this portion of the crop, 
becomes a most important subject for consideration. Unfortu- 
nately, we have no experience on the large scale to guide us ; but 
a parallel case, in regard to stripping the leaves of the mangold- 
wurtzel (a member of the natural order Chenopodiacae), having 
recently been published* from the pen of Mr. William Boyle of 
Glasnevin, we think it right to draw attention to it, and to re- 
commend the practice for experiment with the Kohl-Rabi : — 
"As the leaves of mangolds have always been found on this farm to possess 
valuable feeding properties when given to the milch cows, it has been the 
custom for several years past to carefully and judiciously pull off the drooping 
leaves from the middle of August to the middle of October. An experiment 
was instituted last season, and carefully carried out on a pretty large scale, 
with the view of determiuing whether the roots gained or lost in weight by 
the stripping off, at intervals, of the falling outside leaves. The leaves, it 
must be borne in mind, were most carefully and rather sparingly removed at 
the first and second strippings, and not more than 3 or 4 taken from a plant 
at one time. In this way 5 tons of leaves per statute acre were taken off for 
feeding purposes from the 12th of August to the 15th of October. The experi- 
ment was carried out on 4 acres of the mangold crop — 12 drills, each 200 yards 
in length (that being the entire length of the field), were left untouched, 
whilst the remaining portion of the crop was treated as above detailed. It is 
deserving of remark that there was no apparent difference in the two lots at 
any period during the season, and the crop was considered by the numerous 
visitors to the institution and farm as a remarkably even and regular one. 
" The following table shows the result of the experiments, and the manures 
employed for the general crop, &c. : — 
No. 
of 
Lot. 
Variety 
of 
Mangold. 
Date 
of 
Sowing. 
Manures employed per 
Statute Acre. 
Leaves 
taken off per 
Statute Acre. 
Weight 
of Bulbs per 
Statute Acre. 
Date 
of 
Lifting. 
1 
New 
Oval 
Yellow 
CO 
< 
(30 tons of farmyard,) 
< 1 cwt. of Peruv. guano, \ 
\ 6 cwt. of common salt J 
tns. cwt. Bt. 
5 0 0 
tns. cwt, St. 
45 1 0 
Oct. 27 
2 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
None 
40 8 6 
Do. 
"The result here given was not altogether unexpected, as in former years 
the crop did not appear to sufiFer from the removal of those leaves which were 
believed to have ceased to perform their special functions, as indicated by their 
drooping appearance and somewhat altered colour ; but that so considerable an 
addition to the weight of the crop should have arisen from taking off the leaves 
was not by any means anticipated. 
" It is true that the removal of the leaves admitted a freer current of air to 
the plants, and also exposed them to a greater degree of light, two agents which 
must exert important influences on the growth of plants, and it remains for 
vegetable physiologists and agricultural chemists to say whether this freer ex- 
posure to lie air and light could have such an effect on the plant as to increase 
* See No. 1 of the 'Agricultural Gazette ' for January 7, 1860, p. 11. 
