CULTIVATION OF RAPE.

Waipa Post, Volume II, Issue 83, 6 February 1912, Page 4

CULTIVATION OF RAPE.

THE VALUE OF EARLY SOWING. The tendency of late years to limit.the area devoted to the cultivation of rape on account of the ravages of blight, etc., is greatly to be deplored, says Mr Primrose M'Connell, writing in the Journal of the Department of Agriculture. For the sheepfarmer, no other forage crop can exactly fill its place ; for the fattening of lambs it is unequalled; and few other crops leave the soil in better condition for the following crop. Under favourable conditions it will mature in eight weeks after the date of sowing. Last season at the Moumahaki Farm sheep were turned into a rape paddock exactly six weeks after the seed was sown, and it was then a very fine crop, averaging 20 tons per acre. This was grown after a ploughedunder crop of crimson clover. Iri" his report on the rape crop at Moumahaki Farm last year, Mr. M'Connell ventured the. opinion that blight, etc., might, to a great, extent, be avoided by early sowing. Rape, he says, is essentially a farmers' crop, and for the breeder of fat lambs early sowing is imperative, in order that the lambs may be carried on without check, and be got off at the earliest possible dat-\ By Rowing late the fanner courts failure in a.double s?nse. In the first place his rape crop will not be available when it is most urgently requited, with the result that a considerable percentage of his lambs will be left on his hands as stores, and sold as such at a comparatively . reduced price ; and in the second place he is safe',-nine seasons out of ten, to strike a dry time, which in any case will reduce the bulk of his crop, render it more susceptible to attacks of ever} kind of parasite, and may end in entire failure. Mr. M'Connell says that his opinion as to the great advantage of early sowing has been further confirmed by the success of this years' crop at Ruakura, which, although grown under the most adverse conditions as to soil and weather, was quite, fit for consumption by the middle A December, with the result that lambs not, already sold fat are being carried forward without a check;, v . .

'When rape/is -grown by the dairy farnjierf.he requires it in the dry season, and on that account it is necessary to sow later. It has been proved, howeVer, that the dairy produce resulting from the.consumption of rape is inferior ; also that there are other crops more certain as to their success in a dry season, producing a greater bulk of forage per acre, and butter and cheese of much better quality; hence the dairy farmer may ignore this crop entirely without loss to himself. -

If what is stated above is accepted as correct, then not a single argument can be brought forward, to prove the advantage of late sowing. Early sowing has everything in its favour; late sowing has nothing whatever. When sown early, sufficient rain to force the crop to maturity is , assured, and blight is avoided, 'in the cultivation of early rape, sowing on raised ridges is absolutely essential, as the young plants are kept comparatively dry during a wet time, also horsehoeing maybe undertaken ..at •■'a time when it could not possibly be done if the crop were sown on the level. The great advantage of sowing any early forage crop on raised ridges has been abundantly proved this season, which up to now has been abnormally wet and cold. Many paddocks of mangels, for instance, sown on the flat are now nothing but a mat of weeds, and their ultimate failure-is inevitable. Even when sown on ridges, weeds in the rape and mangel crops have this season been held in check with the greatest difficulty; on the level, successful cultivation has been impossible. Like every other forage crop, rape revels in soil that is full of humus; hence the greatest success may be expected if grown as the first crop after pasture. At the same time, under good cultivation, and if suitable manures are applied, it may be successfully grown after any crop. On soils that contain a •maximum of > lime, rape may follow rape, but such a course is not advisable and will lead to the introduction of club-root disease, which is the greatest enemy rape has to contend against. Without going into detail as to cultivation, the following rules may be safely advocated :

Plough early and as deep as the subsoil will admit. Cultivate at intervals between the dates of ploughing and sowing, so as to aerate the soil and keep down weeds.

Make the seed-bed as fine as possible, and roll before ridging, so as to ensure a firm seed-bed. Sow the seed from the middle to the end of September, at the rate of 2 l / 2 lb to 3lb per acre, on raised ridges 27in apart. As soon as weeds appear, set the horse-hoe going, and hoe at intervals until the crop is meeting in the rows. If the weeds are

kept down between the rows, the crop will smother the remainder. If the Planet Jr. is used, the last hoeing should be clone with the:side hoes reversed, so as to form a ridger, and thus throw up fresh soil to the stems of. the rape,, which not only smothers the weeds but also encourages the growth of the plant and gives a finished appearance to the whole paddock. Asto fertilisers, where the soil is infested with blights and clubroot, do not use a highly-soluble superphosphate; use instead a high-grade slag, or basic superphosphate. A mixture of bonedust and slag will also give good results. On soil that is not subject to club-root, and when seeds and manures are sown at one operation by the double ridger, basic slag and superphosphate are recommended, the former sown through the manure coulters and the latter through the seed coulters. As a rule, the guanos now on the market are too slow in their action for this crop, and the specially-prepared fertilisers, generally speaking, cost too much. Potash may be added to phosphatic manures for light soil; on clay soil it almost invariably does harm. Only in very exceptional cases will nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia "pay the cost of application.

It will pay handsomely to eat down the first growth of the rape crop only ; allowing it t j make a second growth and plough under. Up tp the n'csent the Essex varieties have given the best results, with the Kangaroo a good second. None' of the kales fait >n so quickly as rape, but of all the forage crops of this class Thou-sand-headed Kale is undoubtedly the best blight and drought resister.

The mistake is often made of allowing the rape crop to become too mature before turning on sheep. It is then woody and unpalatable, and*is not eaten with anv relish. A little mustard should be sown with the rape to act as a corrective, and stock while feeding on it should have access to a supply of rock salt.