The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1892-01-23

flock of sheep, if he ever gets them
rounded up" but they are scattered to
the four winds. Why: we asked; be-
cause he has nothing for them to eat
Perhaps other farmers are in a like con-
dition; if so this article is especially in
tended for their sleeps benefit, and we
expect, of course, they will carry it out.
OF rape we know little or nothing. but
Webster. who is undisputed authority,
says:
Rape is plant of several species be-
| longing 10 the cabbage tribe, much Gull
tiya1ed for their roots, which resemble
the turnip and afford a valuable food for
sheep and cattle, and for their seeds from
which oil is extracted"
Bear in mind the word valuable
that is what is needed wherever a piece
of mutton stands over four legs. With
out good succulent food and plenty of it
a spring lamb or Southdown never goes
on the block right In fact they are
n. 8. o. e., which means no good on earth.
We find too many Of the latter kind
hanging in the butchers stalls. simply
because they are Improperly fed and
many Of them not fed at all, simply al
lowed to pull through the spring months
on the root hog or die" principle
At the Ontario. Canada, Experimental
Station they fattened, two years ago, 537
head and last year $50 head of sheep. So
we will tell the Florida sheep raiser what
they think and know about rape with a
hope that one and all will give it a trial
IN the near future
Why our attention was more strongly
drawn to rape is this: IT DRAWS SUSIE
NANCE VERY LARGELY FROM THE AIR
AND ALSO PROM THE sUBsoIL Here is
the strongest of strong points with any
and everything we plant in Florida soil
a crop that gets its food supply from the
air is the very thing for us to grow every
time. This is the reason we so often
urge the farmers to build up their fields
with the field peas, because they feed on
air and manure every foot of soil where
their ROOFS reach. Are we not right?
A lamb can be fattened with rape in
two months without any other food 1t
resembles the Swedish turnip but has no
bulb. The roots ramify in every direc-
ton and in their decay furnish large
amount Of plant food Plant food.
That's the thing every last acre you
own sorely needs.
Even if the rape was Of no earthly ac-
count for the sheep it will give your soil
plant food which it needs and must have
in some shape or form it you ever intend
to raise frst-class, paying crop.
1t lives in the ground all winter and
produces plants the following season
There's labor saved and we know that is
one thing every farmer in Florida is
studying.
In Ontario they SOW j, in July, here we
can SOW it much earlier and probably two
crops could be raised Sow in drills %
inches apart; two pounds will SOW one
acre. The Dwarf Essex is said to be the
best and the cost of seed should not ex-
c@ed 10 cents pound. Good blowing is
required as soon as ii is we'll above the
ground. Black loan humus soil is the
best for it; on the same it will grow
three feet high, the average height is 1s
inches and from IL to Is tons per acre.
Soil that produces good turnips will
readily bring good rape. Keep it out of
poor land.
Here We have outlined the values of
this plant, and hope. expect and urge the
farmers to give it small test. We are
as strongly in favor of rape as we are of
cassava and field peas. Will you try one
and all? Don't say no.