The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-03-13
FARM AFFAIRS.
RAPE.

For tvo or three years past The Pro
gessIve Farmer has been urging upon
southern farmers the advantages Of
rsDe "a a food for sheep and hogs.
Msnv tried i5 successfully last year;
others sgiu test it this year. Elsewhere
We have re published an article Rape
a. a Catch Crop" and we copy here
with a letter from the Agricultural
EoitomIst answering some questions
often sszed about this valuable forage
crop:
Here are some of the questions asked
me aoout rape: What does it look
lkeY" When do you SOW itf' "Is it
good for CO ozs3" DO hogs like itl'
What kind Of ground will it do best
on3' How mu"h seed to the acreG
do y1u broadcast or drill it," Rape
favors the rutabags in appearance Of
top. ou5 is has a small root. You can
SOW il froua April to August IL is not
good for COWS, as it would be likely to
give E1e mrIk and butter cabbage or
turGlo rasee II ,gs like it as well as
clover and [ think little better. ANY
ground sbat Is rich and that will raise
gold c.rn will gro y rsps.
FLOWING RAPE
We SOW br r5adcasG, from five to six
pounos to the acre, but in drills, three
pouaos Co the acre are enough. Always
SOW uh9 d gart E . variety. It costs
ne eight cents a pou I'd. So you see it
only COSTS me about 40 cents per acre
tor eret. VIII Cher to SOW broadcast
OF in -Ills will depend on the condition
Of your ground. If land is rich and
free tom weeds, SOW broadcast. But
il lan1 is little thin and weeds are
likely @ bother. SOW in drills and give
treQI nt cultivation. The weeds can
be gra -lg overcome if you plow early,
an surface work The land frs qIentiy
ulM gaa Grs6 OF June The weeds
thai 7auld eI,kely TO bother will have
nearly al bsel KILLED by this time.
THE YIELD
Ia qlantity Of pasture produced by
raps nu good, rich laI is simply enor
ncus, sn1 after having been eaten of,
il wal grow up again thicker than be
fore However, 10 should not be eaten
OF 800 closely, for if a droush should
COM, 1t would not grow up so we'll
again. We grew elX acres Of it last
sum ner and had 100 head of hogs in
1t all su INNER. Tney made no impres
s!on on it un'il the drouth began in
JGly, and continued to the middle of |
SEPTEMBER By the first of August the |
hogs had grown 80 large and the dry |
weather was go severe that the rape |
vas eaten eff quite rapidly. Care |
should ne taken when you first turn |
the hogs or any ether kind Of stock |
into rap9 t. at it should not be hungry |
and unused TO pasture, for it i'll soon |
eat too much and will bloat, resulting |
otsen IN death. Turn stock in little |
While each afternoon for thrAe or foug |
days, and then it will be safe for it to
remain IN all the time. Before turn
ing the STOCK in, cut some and throw
IL over the fence to it every day In the
Loreno n and afternoon for q couple of |
DAYS. Then when turned in no harm
viii result
NOT EXHAUSTIVE.
Il vii make pasture we'll up into the
winter, but only now and then a plant
VIII 1--we through the winter. IG is not
q Ter II ztng plant, and only puts back
IU'o 'n7 ground wnat it has taken out
- fF' la, provided you pasture it
U5'n nd DO not remove it from the
'@-. your ground will not become
s i.7 u.e, bu5 possibly a little
1-''1', os-ausaI /. viii keep the ground