Thousand-headed Kale and Chou Moellier

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 74, Issue 3, 15 March 1947, Page 273

Thousand-headed Kale and Chou Moellier

By

W. R. LOBB,

Instructor in Agriculture, Dunedin.

THE successful growing of fodder crops has contributed in no small measure to the expansion of New Zealand’s livestock industry. During the early stage -of farming in the Dominion both dairy and sheep farmers found that at some periods of • the year grass and grass supplements were not sufficient to ensure the maximum production of milk, meat, or wool, and they had to resort to growing fodder crops to supplement the lean periods of pasture growth. Many crops have been used from time to time, such as rape, turnips, maize, pumpkins, barley, carrots, silver beet, mangolds, and the kales. Some have retained popularity in restricted localities and some throughout both islands, whereas others have failed to hold a place.

NOT the least important of these feed crops are the kales. They include many types, some of which have proved valuable for special purposes while others have lost popularity altogether. The two most important types today are marrow-stem kale (chou moellier) and thousandheaded kale. Those of less importance which have gained no place of prominence are buda kale, rape kale, Maori cabbage, and hungry gap kale.. The last-named is a late form of rape kale with very curly leaves, claimed to supply feed in late winter and' early spring, but it is not so resistant to root rots as the two more popular types. The first reference to the kales is comparatively recent, and some of the selections are the product of this century. Thousand-headed kale is of older standing than chou moellierin fact it is one of its parents. The credit for first seeing the possible value of chou moellier as a supplementary feed crop goes to Garton of England. Its early name of “French kale” may be misleading, though it is thought to have originated in France from a cross between thousand-headed kale and kohl rabi. It was introduced to commerce about 1907. Increasing Area The first mention of kales in New Zealand was in 1910, since when their use has continually expanded. It is significant that in recent .years the area sown in turnips has shown a decided decrease, whereas the area devoted to the kales has gradually increased. During the same period the area in rape has remained relatively constant at about 150,000 acres. Today the kales account for 60,000 to 70,000 acres annually, of which about four-fifths is chou moellier. The smaller area in chou moellier does not mean that it is of less importance than rape, but it has proved of greater value to the

dairy farmer than to ' the sheep farmer. Chou moellier is an equally important crop in the North and South Islands. Value as Fodder Crop With the area planted in chou moellier extending persistently it was natural that its value as a fodder crop should receive the attention of research workers in New Zealand. Trials have been carried out by the Department of Agriculture since 191112 and by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research since 1934-35. . Breeding and selection work begun by Calder has resulted in the introduction to commerce of two distinct types of chou moellier (the giant selection and the medium-stemmed selection) and a selected . strain of thousand-headed kale. The following figures of the relative leaf and stem production and nutritive value of the three types are those obtained by Calder during his selection work: — Relative Green Weight Yields. Tall marrow-stem (giant) .. 100 Medium marrow-stem (medium stemmed) . . 81.1 Thousand-headed .. . . 72.8 Average Dry Matter Percentages. Tall marrow-stem (giant) . . 19.7 Medium marrow-stem (medium stemmed) .’. .. 20.4 Thousand-headed .. .. 22.4 Relative Dry Matter Yields. Tall marrow-stem (giant) 100 Medium marrow-stem (medium stemmed) . • .... 86.4 Thousand-headed . . . . 81.8 Leaf to Stem Ratios. lb. per Plot. Leaf. Stem. Tall marrow-stem (giant) 13.6 21.4 Medium marrow-stem (medium stemmed) . . 13.3 15.1 Thousand-headed . .. 18.0 7.5 These figures show the relative productive merits of each type and form a basis for consideration of the place of each in farm practice.

The fact that the giant type gives the highest total yield accounts for its popularity with the dairy farmer, especially in the more intensive dairying areas of the North Island, where the areas devoted to feed crops are small and this type suits local conditions and requirements. The medium-stemmed type is more adaptable for feeding in the field and is favoured where larger areas are sown and where they are fed to sheep. Thousand-headed kale is more extensively grown as a sheep feed, because of its higher production of leaf, and occasionally for early spring fodder for cows, as it stands well through the winter and produces its greatest hulk of growth in the second spring, being a safe fodder at that time. CHOU MOELLIER (MARROW-STEM KALE).

The two distinct types of chou moellier, giant and medium stemmed, are grown for seed production in New Zealand under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture, such seed being marketed as Certified.

Soils and Climate

Being a member of the cabbage family, chou moellier is best suited to high-fertility soils. Undoubtedly the better crops are grown on first-class alluvial silts, in areas of higher rainfall soils which also hold moisture

well but are not liable to over-satur-ation. However, chou moellier has proved itself capable of good production on medium loams if given good cultural methods and liberal manuring. It is more popular in districts with moderate to good rainfall, but does well in both warm and cold districts.

For a long period after its introduction chou moellier growing was confined to the high-fertility soils, individual areas were small, and the crop received more attention than would be practicable today. With its more general use the methods of growing the crop have been considerably modified.

Cultural Methods

Early references to the growing of chou moellier all suggest treatments similar to those recommended today for cabbage. The seed was sown in nursery beds and the seedlings planted in rows up to 3ft. wide with the plants 2ft. apart. Cultivation was intensive and early weeding thorough. Small areas grown thus must have given the plant every chance to produce well-grown stems, resulting in a wealth of nutritious feeding. It was not long, however, before a modified system was adopted which would make chou moellier more popular and extend its use—-the sowing of the crop with the ridger. The crop was always thinned and intensively intercultivated. The aim, as previously, was to produce bulky, wellgrown stems. That practice has been varied considerably since then, so that today chou moellier may be treated in any of the following ways: Sown in ridges and thinned; sown in ridges and not thinned; sown on the flat in 14in. drills or in 7in. drills; sown as an “umbrella” crop with swedes. All these methods are used with success in various districts and for different purposes. Whatever the method adopted, one factor must be emphasised: The cultivation before sowing must be adequate and thorough. As with all heavy-feeding crops, the first essential to success is to plough early and work the ground well to . ensure that the soil is in good heart.

An early deep ploughing, followed by discing, rolling, and harrowing, might well be followed by a second ploughing to make the soil sufficiently friable and well conditioned. These operations should not be rushed, as one of the most important factors in obtaining tilth and condition is

time. In cold, backward springs extra-well-planned working of the soil is generally well repaid.

Seeding and Manuring

The ultimate use of the crop and the area to be grown will determine the type to sow, the amount of seed, and the method of sowing. In small areas, such as are general in the north, ridging and thinning of the tall, stemmy type might be preferable. The rate of seeding would be from 1 to ljlb. an acre. Such crops would be best used for cutting and feeding out. Alternatively, where feeding out is not practised the medium leafy type could be grown, the seeding increased from 1J to 21b. an acre, and the crop not thinned, though it should be intercultivated. Quite often a thin sowing of chou moellier is made with swede crops. That is thought to offer protection from attack by white butterfly, and in drier seasons the shade afforded by the taller chou moellier is considered to benefit the swede crop. When growing chou moellier for sheep feed the usual practice is to sow on the flat in 14in. or 7in. drills, the leafy type being selected for this purpose. Seedings vary from 2to 41b. an acre. Chou moellier is a gross feeder and responds well to heavy manuring, rapid leaf growth being stimulated by the use of nitrogenous ingredients such as blood and bone or sulphate of ammonia. Where small areas of this crop are grown on dairy farms it is the practice to dung the field, but if that is not done, a proprietary turnip or mangold manure containing phosphate, potash, and nitrogen is applied at the rate of 3cwt. or more an acre. A mixture of reverted phosphate and blood and bone sown at the same rate would probably be more effective. Some farmers apply 2cwt. of phosphate an acre before ridging and sow

the remainder of the fertiliser mixture with the seed, but when sulphate of ammonia is used it is sown through the front box of the ridger to avoid germination injury. Irrespective of the type of land and the fertiliser mixture, a liberal amount of fertiliser should be applied, but in such a manner as to prevent seed injury and make the maximum quantity available to the growing crop. Early Sowing Usual Chou moellier is usually sown early —from early September to November. The young plants are quite frost hardy and failures from frost injury to the crop are rare. Sown early, the crop has a long period in which to grow, which enables a bulk of feed to be obtained by autumn and early winter. Chou moellier is better used in autumn and early winter as, though relatively hardy, it is defoliated by severe frost. When it is left over for feeding in spring digestive upsets such as redwater are not uncommon. Therefore it can be said that, whether it is fed to cattle or to sheep, the best use of chou moellier is for late autumn and early winter feed. A crop grown for feeding to dairy cows is generally cut and fed out, which reduces the loss caused by tramping. Chou moellier is considered a more palatable feed when cut 24 hours before being fed.

Place in Rotation

There is no hard-and-fast rule about where chou moellier should be fitted into a rotation. It can follow any crop which allows of sufficient early spring working, and is often sown after grain crops or autumn-ploughed lea. The general arable practice of any farm governs the rotation followed. A not uncommon one on the heavy arable flats in the south is lea, potatoes, grain, and chou moellier. Alternatively, as

chou moellier is resistant to club root and growing two successive swede crops has always been common, the second swede crop is now frequently replaced by chou moellier. Thus, the rotation may be lea, potatoes, grain, swedes, and chou moellier. The use of chou moellier has been considerably extended by that practice. On lighter, arable soils chou moellier often follows the grain crop or is the second brassica crop in a rotation following . grain. In other instances, where grain cropping is limited or non-existent, chou moellier is sown on lea ground. Chou Moellier after Cereals Discing up wheat or barley stubble immediately the crop is off the ground in February and then sowing chou moellier is giving good results in parts of the Manawatu and Rangitikei districts and could be extended with advantage. Where a spring-sown wheat or barley crop is taken after grass and a second cereal crop is intended, instead of leaving the land idle from the harvest of the first crop until the spring ploughing, the land is got ready for chou moellier as quickly as possible, usually by heavy discing of the stubble, and the fodder crop is sown by the end of February or at the latest early in March. The resulting chou moellier gives a somewhat spindly growth, but the fodder which is available in late June and July is valuable as a flushing crop for ewes before lambing and is also used to top off cull lambs. The ploughed-in refuse

from this crop is found to give good results with the second wheat crop, which often gives a better yield than the first. THOUSAND-HEADED KALE The chief variety of thousandheaded kale now in use is a selected type produced by the Agronomy Division. The seed is grown under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture and marketed as Government Approved seed. Soils and Climate Like chou moellier, thousand-headed kale will produce best on the • heavy soils, but this crop is more widely grown on the poorer soils than is chou moellier. Good crops have been grown on the medium clay loams which form a high proportion of New Zealand”s ridge country. The crop will not. tolerate soils which tend to become waterlogged. The growing of kale is more confined to the South Island because, as more arable farming is pratised more provision of supplementary feed is necessary, and also because the crop is largely grown by the sheep farmer. The moisture requirements of the crop are like those for chou moellier, except that there is a decided tendency for kale to encroach on the drier areas. Indeed, thousand-headed kale will stand fair periods of drought and still produce a useful crop of feed. As larger areas are the rule for sheep feed, crops need not be so bulky and a satisfactory crop may not necessarily be high yielding if it is sufficient for

the purpose intended. Both young and mature kale are frost hardy, so that the crop is extending into areas of extremely cold winters and frosty springs.

Uses for the Kale Crop Thousand-headed kale ' is utilised somewhat differently from chou moellier, and that governs the time of sowing. The crop should be sown early, usually in October in the south. In practically all references to this crop its late maturity is emphasised, though many farmers use a portion of the crop for autumn sheep feed. The plant takes a full 12 months to reach maturity and in the second spring occurs the budding of the lateral shoots, from which the plant derives its name. It is then that most feed is produced. The common practice, however, is to sow early and take the first feeding in February or early March. At that stage a good crop will often be from 3 to sft. tall and will stand very heavy feeding. • Though usually considered as a maintenance crop for store sheep and the ewe flock, there is no doubt that in some districts kale is proving quite a satisfactory fattening crop. There is a growing tendency today for this crop to take the place of giant rape, at least in part. . Kale has one attribute which

makes it a very worthy crop for autumn feeding: Its ability to recover after grazing at that stage. In that respect it excels all other crops, and, though it will not produce its greatest bulk if grazed in the autumn, it will .produce a really good second crop the following spring. On good land kale has been known to produce a third crop in the second autumn. Thou-sand-headed kale is of importance, therefore, as it can be used at two of the most difficult periodsin the autumn and early spring. In the south August can be a difficult month, and as often as not the first flush of green growth does not appear until later, so that an area of well-matured kale can be of great value at that time. Where rape and turnips . can be grown successfully kale will not replace either, but where they do not give the desired results the use of kale can be recommended. The practice of growing an area of both chou moellier and kale is increasing in the fat lamb areas in the south. In many instances, however, the kale is used not for fattening but as a maintenance crop, and quite often for August and September lambing. But where wellforward milk lambs require a little topping thousand-headed kale is being used successfully in increasing areas.

Cultivation and Sowing

Much the same recommendations as made for the cultivation of chou moellier apply to thousand-headed kale. It has been found a disadvantage to grow either of these crops on lateploughed lea. By autumn ploughing and early preliminary cultivation a much better disintegration of the turf is obtained, and the disadvantage arising from the air lock caused by the old turf is minimised. As with chou moellier,' especially in the South Island, the practice ,of using kale as a second crop after turnips is increasing, as kale is not so susceptible to the diseases which attack the root crop. To secure the maximum production it must necessarily occupy the ground for a long period, but it can be used in time for satisfactory subsequent autumn sowing. Kale can be sown on the flat or on ridges. In heavy land it can be sown on ridges and cultivated in much the same way as swedes. Some farmers put a little kale in the seed when sowing swedes; if the swede crop is grown for the tops, this is a decided advantage and has been found valuable to the stud breeder for putting size and growth on hogget rams. On the flat kale can be sown in 7 or 14in. drills, depending on the Quality of the land. It is better to sow through every second coulter on strong, moist land; on light land subject to dry spells or where rainfall is low it should be sown in 7in. drills. It has been used as a cover crop for sowing out pasture or' clover stands, but should not be used thus where it is likely to produce heavy crops; because of the great amount of feeding the kale will stand, the establishing pasture plants would be unduly damaged. Kale is a heavy-producing crop and | jjirp rhnu moellier should be liberallylftl

manured. Intercultivation should be undertaken where the crop is ridged. Both crops are rapid growers on good land, and once they establish a ground cover they are effective in suppressing weeds. When planning the sowing of either kale or chou moellier where the crops are to be fed in the field and in breaks, the location of the proposed break fence must be considered. If the positions of the fences are determined before sowing, a drill strip or a couple of runs of the ridger should be missed and sown in some other crop, such as swedes. That eliminates the big task of cutting a track through the crop to run out the netting, and gives a better clearance alongside the fence so that there is less tendency for stock to push through the fence to the ungrazed portion. ' , The rates of seeding an acre suggested for kale are: — On ridges: 1 to IJlb. On the flat in 14in. drills on heavy land: 1| to 21b. On the flat in 7in. drills on medium land: 2 to 2Jlb. . On the flat in 7in. drills on light, dry land; 3 to 41b. For mixtures. in 7in. or 14in. drills or broadcast a lighter seeding is recommended. Manurial treatment should be liberal. Usually 3cwt. of a turnip mixture containing reverted superphosphate, blood and bone, and some potassic fertiliser is applied. Harvesting in England In English wartime agriculture the area devoted to home-grown feedstuffs iwas of necessity greatly increased, and ; L ,he kales figured largely in that increase. Attention given to the crop vas similar to that in New Zealand,

x but with the shortage of labour cutting and feeding out were decidedly a problem. It was overcome in some instances by the -mechanisation of cutting and carrying. The mower has been used in New Zealand, but in England that was taken a stage further by the use of the “cutlift,” a machine used for handling green grass in the early days of grass drying, and it was found possible to cut and pick up a load of 15cwt. in 5 minutes. Such mechanisation might well be the last resort where labour is scarce in the Dominion.

Disadvantages common to both kale and chon moellier are the damage caused to wool by the stalks and the wetting of the backs of lambs grazing on the crop in wet weather. Both crops are difficult to handle after sheep grazing, as the stalks present a problem when ploughing, but that can be mitigated largely by following up with cattle after the sheep. However, the advantages outweigh these to such an extent that the number of regular growers of both crops is gradually increasing.

Both crops are more resistant to root and leaf pests than turnip, swede, or rape; chou moellier is considered to be the better in this respect. Club root affects neither. White butterfly and diamond-backed moth both attack them, but not too readily. Aphis attack is usually confined to weakly crops or - to crops in the early flowering stage.

Summary

All factors considered, it can well be said that the kales are a valuable addition to the fodder crops grown in New —indeed, the increasing areas being grown would indicate that they may receive still further recognition in the next few years. The choice of crop will be based on several factors, the main ones being the locality, and when and for what purpose the fodder is required. Chou moellier will be first choice with the dairy farmer for. late autumn and early winter feed. Both chou moellier and kale will probably be used by sheep farmers: Chou moellier, with its greater palatability in the early stages, for autumn and early winter, and kale, with its later palatability and frost-hardy nature, for early spring grazing.

Kale will be used increasingly in both autumn and spring, as it is without peer for recovering after grazing and is now being used successfully as a two-period crop in many localities' In Otago at least it has proved to be a reasonable fattening feed on land where rape cannot be grown successfully.