The composition and nutritive value of marrow stem kale and thousand head kale

Abstract

The paper records the results of an investigation into the composition, digestibility and nutritive value of marrow stem kale (both unthinned and singled-out) and thousand head kale. A number of the main findings are recorded below.The average dry-matter content of unthinned marrow stem kale during September and October was 13·3 per cent. During the following January it had reached a slightly higher level, namely, 14·2 per cent. Singling out of the marrow stem kale appeared to exercise little effect on the dry-matter content of the crop. Thousand head kale, with an average dry-matter content of 15·8 per cent., is significantly richer in dry matter than the marrow stem kale, although this advantage was offset by the lower yield, in terms of green matter, given per acre by the thousand head kale.