The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1912-12-28
A NEW FORAGE CROP
A Product of Cross-Breeding That Prom
;ses to Produce Abundant Feed

ises to Produce Abundant Feed
A promising forage crop lately brought into
Washington from the island Of Guernsey is
chou moellier-marrow cabbsge-s plant
which Is the result Of naturalization with kohl
rabi, kale and Jersey cabbage. The hybri-
dining was lone by the Agricultural School
Of Guernsey, and the crop is now extensively
grown in the Channel Islands and in Brit
tany. There it stands through the Winter,
and combines great weight with good feeding
qualities.
Cattle consume il readily. says ]. L. Ash
lock in the Country Gentleman, and it Is re-
ported to be a splendid producer of milk and
butter. Iu an experiment conducted at the
Guernsey Agricultural School, cows fed on
the chou during the period of Summer drought
yielded from "a to &c per cent Of butter.
These favorable reports led the agricul-
turisss Of the Washington Experiment Sta
ton to attempt the introduction into Wash
ington Of chou moellier. The young plants
were first grown in hotbeds or greenhouse
fats to give them al early start, and then
transplanted. During this period they were
treated the same way as is customary for or
binary cabbage or thousand headed kals.
Stripping the Stalk
The ground for the 6nal planting was well
plowed and titled, and in burrows from six to
eight inches in depth and paralleling i've to
the rod was scattered a mixture of barnyard
and poultry manure. Over this compost the
young plants were set out, and given subse-
quent cultivation as often as was necessary to
keep the surface soil loose and mellow. The
plants were set Is inches apart in the rows,
which were about 40 inches apart. Cultiva-
ton was continued until prevented by the
growth Of the leaves.
AS the plants grew they developed all sorts
of forms, intermediate between good types OF
marrow cabbage and thousand-headed kale.
The majority of the plants. however, weres
true to type. During the early stages of its
growth the chou could not readily be distin.
guished from thousand-hesded kale, but by
the time the plants had reached q height of Is
inches their true characteristics began to show
themselves. The stems thickened and length
ened rapidly. As growing proceeded the
leaves nearest the ground matured with great
rapidity and If not gathered fell off and de-
cayed. When mature the leaves could be
easily separated from the stalk by q slight
downward phil, leaving a clean, well healed
scar. 1t was observed that by removing the
lower leaves as soon as mature the plant made
a more rapid growth; a large quantity Of val
liable forage was also secured, for the leaves
were greatly relished by poultry and dairy
cattle. Many of the leaves grew from "a 70
SO inches in length and IA across the blade.
When maturcd, well-grown plants were from
four to five feet in height and the stalks
measured Is inches in circumference. The
stalks were solid, but sweet and juicy, and
lacked the hard, woody or ibrous bark which
the ordinary cabbage stalk possesses. In the
feeding tests they were consumed eagerly by
poultry and cattle. The crop grew at the
rate Of so tom to the acre, kale grown under
similar conditions making &C. tons to the acre.
To ascertain the hardness of the chou,
plants were left in the field and exposed to q
temperature Of IA degrees above zero. More
| than three-fourths of them were killed, and
kohl-rabi in the same field was similarly in.
jured. The kale, however, withstood the frost
better than did either of them. It is believed
at thew ashington station that by selecting the
harder plants and saving the seed from them
a strain can be developed which will resist
frost as well as does the thousand-headed
kale; and that by using homegrown seed
even higher yields than those obtained in the
first experiments may be secured.