The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-05-08 00:00:00

Corusprmknu.

PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE

Unica No. XI!.

ON " SOKINO RAP! AFTER TARE!; WHY • IZMIR
RAY-GRASS SEED SHOVLD BE ADDED; WHY TIER
CoMMON PLAN OF MANAGING RAPE IR ABSURD ;
AND WHY THIN CROP, PROPERLY HARLOW, MUST
BE PROFITABLE.

To di Editor of the Dorset Cows, &prose mei

A gricultur al Gazette.

Dorchester, 7th May, 1840.

Si,—As I have said a great deal lately aboet
sowing rape, I will cut this as short as possible, awl
suppose that the land has been prepared according to
plans laid down in my former letters, mid that a
liberal allowance of superphosphate has been supplied,
there will remain then but one great point to be par-
ticularly attended to, which is, that the work be com-
pleted quickly ; for if land after tares is allowed
time to get very dry there will be a much greater
lose than will appear at first sight; for it often
happens that a day at this season of the year will
make a difference of a month or more as regards the
maturity of the crop.
. . .

Rape is a plant which requires solidity of soil, and
will grow more luxuriantly where the land is not
disturbed by the hoe; and for this; reason a little
ray-grass should be sown in order to keep down the
weeds, for the laud must produce something over its
whole surface; and as it will become time before the
rape plant iii the drills will touch mch otber, so sure
as there is space unoccupied will weeds make their
appearance. An;Aber reason for sowing grass seed
is, that the en:a keep will more than repay the coat
of seed and labour; and should a drill of rape be
missed it will he of little eonsequeace.
Now, Sir, in order to show you that that the pre•
smut system of managing rape is absurd, it will only
he uecexeary to state that the cultivation of this
plant compare.' with turnips, &mild be am oppoiite
as the nature ;;f these two plants, whicla beer about
as much cougarison as chalk to cheese; for the
turnip feeds on the surface soil, and the more it is
knocked ahout the faster it will grow • "Ade the
rape plant feeds principally on the subsoil, aim dnes
not require that expensive proem; of singling the
plants and frequent hoeing& So all that is
really necessary for the production of this crop is a
, liberal allowance of superphosphate, two pounds of
, seed per acre drilled in, and one bushel of ray-grass,
sown broadcast, then to be harrowed longitudinally
and rolled down. It will be seen- that the whole
cost of this will be a mere trifle ; and if the land be
in good condition success will be certain; and odes-
, entering the small outlay compared with the large
; quantity of feed produced, no one will venture to say
• that this plan is not a profitable one.
I will just mention that the general impression--
,
, that the stsand feeding of rape draws the land end
weakens it—is erroneeus ; for the plant which draws
the land most is the one which will improve it most,
provided the crop is fcel off on the same ; and it will
be well to bear in mind that the crop which takes
most eat of the land will till the pockets of the •
farmer faster than any other. Then with full pockets
lie will find it an Lady thing to renovate any little
• hit of exhausted Lunt ; but eximustion is only the
1 result of bad managenienL
I remain, Sir,
Yours respectfully,
PROFITABLE AGRICULTURE.

[My Letter, No. XIII., will be on "The Varieties
of the Swede; why all coarse kinds should be
avoided ; and the bed Season for sowing the
different eorte.l