Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1909-03-25
THOUSAND HEADED kALe.
Has Proven Valuable for Feed During
Winter Months.

By H. d, scudder Oregon Agricultural colleg
Corvallis.
This kale is chiefly valuable as
green feed for hogs, cows or poultr
through the winter from November O
October to April. The better types O
plants endure the Willamette vale,
winter weather without injury, yielding
from 80 to 40 tons of succulent ant
nutritious greer. feed per acre unde
favorable conditions. 1t may also be
grown for summer green feed, although
less successfully.
A deep, well drained, rich loan sol
is best for this crop but the ordinary
valley clay loan soil, if we'll drained
thoroughly titled and heavily manured,
will produce excellent yields. If pos
sible long, narrow, slightly sloping
field, running lengthwise of a piece of
sod ground, or wide sodded fence
row, or one of the farm lanes is prefer
able, as this permits easier hauling
during the wet winter weather.
The kale ground should be heavily
manured and deeply plowed in the fall
if possible and replowed once early in
the spring and again before transplant
ing. If the fall plowing cannot be
done, manuring during the winter and
spring and deep early spring blowing
repeated twice before transplanting,
will put the ground in good shape.
Following the second plowing the
ground should be kept clean of weeds
and thoroughly mulched to conserve
the moisture; by frequent light harrow
ing until transplanting time.
For transpiantlng the seed should be
sown in drill rows about three feet
apart, as early in March as it is possi-
Bile to get on the ground. If possible
a strip of the best drained ground on
the farm should be used for growing
the young plants and this should be
manured and plowed in the fall so that
it need only be replowed and worked
down at once for the seed in the
spring, thus getting the plants started
as early as possible. One pound of
seed will furnish enough plants for an
acre.
Transplanting should be done about
June 1st, if possible, when the plants
are six to twelve inches high. Later
transplanting is liable to be held back
by the dry weather so much as not to
be ready for cutting in early fall.
With the ground in fine tilth, trans
planting of small acreages may be
done rapidly by hand with long blad-
ed spade. care being taken not to in
jure the roots in taking them up from
the drill row, and replacing them in
the new ground. They should be placed
three feet apart each way, covered a
little deeper than in the drill row, the
soil frmed around them with the foot
and later when wilted down, the whole
ield should be rolled. Plants should
De left every three feet in the original
lrill rows and all extra plants saved
or replacing those that may not sur
rive transplanting.
Transplanting of larger acreages
nay be done by blowing and placing
The plants three feet apart in every {
,hird furrow, covering the roots but
lot the leaves, with the next furrow {
,urned and following the days work 1
With roller. Missing plants may be s
'eplaced later by hand
Instead of transplanting the seed ,
nay be dropped in hills three feet :
part each way, several seed to the /
ill, as early as the ground can be thor :
'ughly prepared. Later each hill 9
hould be thinned, leaving one vigor- =
us plant. AS rule this method does
ot give as good yields as transplant
ng. h
After transplanting or thinning the
eld should receive frequent shallow
to conserve the moisture e
ntil the plants branch out so far as to +
revent further tillage.
In October or November after the
reen corn has all been fed the kale, G,
Though not fully grown, will be ready " "
Or feeding. The plants should be cut
# at the ground with an axe or shash, f,
nd the entire plant tossed onto the D
'agon or sled and hauled to the feeding e
lace Enough may be cut at one time n
Or one or several days. feeding. a
rozen kale should be allowed to thaw u
c1Olc leSulIS. w HSIc IL Is tuOugnt
ie older plants may taint the milk Ia
ley should be fed Immediately after rs rs
liking. Forty pounds of kale per "a
ay with 20 pounds of good hay, such v.
vetch and oats, fed in two portions, v
axes an ideal ration for milch cows,
cry little or no mill feed being need
|. The kale may be fed as needed o,
ear through the winter until April or kI
ter. For summer feeding seed may in
, fall sown and transplanted early in al
e spring. being ready, under favora- is
e conditions, for cutting during July, m
ugust and September. Unless the he
'ound could be irrigated, however, Gu
ice or twice, the yields are not so
,avy at this season.
Stripping of the lower leaves of the If
lie as a regular practice is not re- is
as it is extremely labor as
US, especially during wet weather, in
Iddles the soil badly and causes the
ripped plants to suffer from frost.
owever, where green feed runs short WI
September the larger lower leaves US
the kale may be stripped off for
eding at this time and later as wet be
Gather comes on and the plants grow TN th
rger it pays to abandon this stripping III III