138 
fS OUT HERN CULTIVATOR. 
der of the season. If cultivating solely for fruit, the run- 
ners must be scrupulously kept down. 
Weeds will now begin to infest youa^ardens, and must 
be ruthlessly destroyed at their first appearance. 
THE ORCHARD AND FRUIT GARDEN. 
Destroy CalterpiUar^s nests wherever fuund on your 
fruit trees. If the branches are crowded or over- laden 
with thickly set fruit, thin out one-half of it, and the re- 
mainder will be enough better to pay for the trouble. 
Dust over the PLiim and Nectarine trees with a mixtuie 
of quick-lime, ashes and sulphur, while the dew is on the 
leaves, to destroy the curculio. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Shade, water, weed, cultivate and inuLh your flowers, 
and notice the general directions for last month in this 
department. 
RAPE OR COLZA-AGAIN. 
Robt, Nelson, Esq. — Dear Sir: — In an article from 
the Sruthern Cidtivator, on the culrivation of t! e ‘‘Rape, 
or Colza,” you are good enougli to tender to any one who 
may desire further information, such explanations as your 
experience enables you to give. May I trespass upon you, 
therefore, with the request that you would favor me with 
answers to th* following questions, in the order in which 
^ney occur ; 
1. Is it best to procure imported Rape-seed, or can the 
seed be procured here, as well 1 
2. Is the stiff cla.y snil of our river bottoms capable of 
sufficient pulverization to suit the growth of Rape I 
3. W i[[ the product be greater if sown in dril's than 
broadcast, and what would be iht probable difference in the 
production I 
4. If &o\vn broad cast, w'ill the crop require to be vsorkcd 
at all, and if so, in what way can it be worked 1 
5. Have you tried this crop, sown either in drill or 
broadcast, or both, in Georgia, and what was the yieid in 
ZuisAe/s to the acrel Ifyouhuveno experience as to its 
productiveness in Georgia, have you any as to the yield 
in any Southern State 1 
6. Oil river latuis, which yield in this State from 40 to 
CO bushels o^corn to (he acre, what would prnbably le ila 
yield in Rape-seed, if drilled, and what iheptobable yield 
if sown broad.tast? 
7. Is not the climate of this State loo hot for the success- 
ful cultivation of Rape % 
b. Is a crop of Rape more exhausting to the soil than 
Corn, Colton or Wheat 1 
9. Do you know at what price Rape sells ptibushd 
in any SouLkern or Norlkern market? 
10. Do you know wliat price ifie commands per gal 
Ion in a Soulkernoi' Northern m-Hrlteil 
1 1. Can you give me an idea of the manner in which the 
oil is expressed, the machinery necessary, &c.'? 
12 Is there greater difficulty in ihreching out the seed 
o^Rape with the fiail, than in thieshing out Rice oi 
Wheal with it I 
13. Is Rape seed or the oil in such demand asfo insure 
a ready sale in any seaport of the South, and is its use con 
fined to ligtuhouses and raihoadsi 
14 Does your experience enable you to say h/w mavy 
cc/csofRape can be planted and tended by a full hand, 
and vvhai tiuaniity an able bodied man can cut with a 
scythe in a day '? 
15. In VI, liui respects does the scythe used for cutting 
Rape, differ from that used for cutting U’heat, and can a 
scythe begot in this country 1 
1 fear 1 shall trouble you very much by asking these 
questions, but &s 1 am fond of experimenting in agricul- 
ture, and your account of the cultivation of this plan in- 
duces me to lake some inierest in it, I trust you will pai^ 
don the trouble i may give you. 
Very respectfully , your obedient servant, 
F. D. RjciiARrsoN. 
Charleston, S. C., March, 185G. 
Reply. — 1. As very little Rape is cultivated in America, 
most of the seed is imported from Europe, and can be ob- 
tained in all the large seed stores at the North. But as 
there is a variety called “Summer Rape,-' it will become 
necessary to order “ Winter Rape,” 
2. The stiff clay soil of our river bottoms can be perfect- 
ly pulverized to suit Rape, by repeated plowings and har- 
row ings. 
3. The produce will be a fourth to a third larger, wheJi 
sown in drilD, as by that method it is easy to thin out the 
plants to a proper stand ; if the plants could be thinned in 
such a way as to grow from 18 to 20 inches apart, the 
greatest yield could be produced. 
4 If sown broadcast, the crop can not be worked, and 
will, in fact, if the soil has been properly prepared, not 
need it much; as ii issown so late that weeds will not trou- 
i*le the crop to any extent in the fall, and in the spring the 
Rape will start so early and grow so luxuriantly as to take 
care of itself. 
5. Not carrying on farming, lam only raising it here in 
Macon for horticultural purposes, feeding the surplus to 
my stock ; but judgioir from its luxuriance, I have every 
reason to believe that it will fully come up to the largest 
yield,: in Europe, provided the soil be rich and properly 
(>repared. 
fi. The yield of Rape-seed on river land, will, of course, 
depend on the richness of the sod, tlie preparation of the 
land, and on the season. From what 1 have tried, 1 tiiink 
the yield will compare favorably with the produce on the 
best lands in Europe. 
7. It suit- this climate as well as Collardsdo. 
8. It is more exhausting than either Corn, Colton, or 
Wheat, and it is well known that the whole Cabbage tribe 
requires a very nutritious soil. 
9. 1 do not know the price of Rape-seed. In ffict, as it 
is not much raised in America, there cannot be any regu- 
lar market f-'i-- hjr it; the oil is geriCrally imported, 
more than the seed. 
10. 'i'he pi ice of Rape oil is mostly regulated by the price 
of whale-oil, it always being higher than the latter ar- 
ticle. 
11'. The oil is expressed in a way similar to that of ex- 
tracting the Castor oil. 
12. Being liable to lull out easily, theseed can ofcoursebe 
(hreshed out on a threshing machine more easily than any 
grain; but if it were to be hauled home to the threshing- 
mill, a great waste of time and seed might occur. A por- 
table threshing-mill would certainly be the best way of all. 
13. Besides burning in lighthouses, the Rape oil is used 
for lubricating all kinds of machinery, for which purpose 
it is supeiior to any other oil, except Olive oil, and, of 
course, much cheaper than the latter. It is evident, that 
in a country like America, where all kinds of steam en- 
gines are in use to an enormous extent, the demand fox 
