THE FARMERS' COLUMN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 122, 15 June 1881, Page 4

THE FARMERS' COLUMN.

KOHL-RABI.

" Agricola," in the Auckland Weekly News, recommends the cultivation of this turnip-rooted cabbage and says: — Kabi is thus described : " The stem is thick, rises about eight inches out of the ground, is swollen into a globular form, very like a large Swedish turnip, growing above ground, and is crowned with leaves slightly scalloped on the edges, undulated, and milky-green, like the Swede. There are several varieties, but the green and the purplestemmed are to be preferred."

Khol-rabi is invaluable for stock, particularly for milking cows. The leaves and bulbs are eaten with avidity by both sheep and cattle. So much, indeed, is it relished by these animals that they prefer it to either turnips or cabbage. It is sweeter than turnips and more nutritious than either of these plants.

Kohl-rabi withstands drought. This was a reason why the attention of British farmers was first directed to it, and why it has been extensively grown. It is known that without a certain amount of moisture turnips become a failure. The late Alderman Mechi, in one of his useful books, has said, " Kohl-rabi stands a hot, dry climate better than swedes." It is not subject to the attacks of insects — another matter of intrinsic importance. In one of the journals of the English Agricultural Society an illustration of this characteristic is given. The freedom from the attacks of insects during hot summer induced C. Laurence, of Cirencester, to sow kohl-rabi. It was put in towards the latter end of March, so as to be ready to be fed off when pastures are dried up in the end of summer or autumn. At the end of August, the crop having been a sucess, 140 young sheep are folded on it. After being on nearly four weeks 60 more are put on. There were three acres of the crop, and it lasted altogether about nine weeks. The plants were all consumed as they grew and required no pulling. A crop of from 20 to 50 tons to the acre can be raised ; and individual bulbs, weighing from 8 to 141b., may be produced. The proportion of the weight of leaves to that of bulbs is something like a tenth. In Ireland 50 tons were once grown to the acre, five of which were leaves. As in other root crops, it depends on the nature and tillage of the soil, and the manure applied, as to tne . yield of kohl-rabi. The crop is grown either from seed or plants ; the former requiring two to three pounds of seed to the acre ; the latter about half a pound. The following directions on the subject on sowing kohl-rabi were given some years ago by Messrs. Sutton, of Reading :—": — " The cultivation may be described as nearly rei sembling that of the turnip — the principal difference being in its earlier seed-time. The land receiving as much autumn cultivation as possible, may be ribbed up and well | dunged in the drills, the dung being covered by the splitting of these drills before winter. If guano (two or three cwt.) and superphosphate (the same quantity per acre) be spread

broadcast over this land, and the intervals between the drills be then horsehoed, and the ridgelets moulded up again by the double mould-board plough, it will then be ready for the seed."