1922.] CABBAGE CULTI VAT ION, \920-22. IIT 



Trials of English and American Varieties. 



Acting upon Instructions from the Director of Agriculture trials 

 were then made in order to test the relative merits of various varieties 

 of cabbage, under conditions pertaining at the St. Clair Experiment 

 Station. Messrs. Henderson of the United States of America and 

 Messrs. Sutton and Sons, Reading, England v^^ere asked to supply 

 seed and both farms kindly did so free of charge. 



The trials v^ere conducted during the period January to June ; a 

 little late in the season for obtaining the heaviest yields in Trinidad 

 owing io the approach of the dry weather. Four distinct series were 

 gri'wn which embraced in several instances three trials of the same 

 variety. Unfortunately only one trial with most of Messrs. Suttons 

 seeds was possible owing to the seeds arriving too late in the planting 

 season. The best period for planting is October to December, the 

 crop maturing in the early months of the dry season. 



Heavy losses were encountered both from mole crickets 

 immediately after planting and from a caterpillar, the larva of a small 

 moth {Hellula sp.) which bores into the stalks of the cabbage leaves 

 and tunnels down to the heart which it destroys. As a consequence 

 of this damage the number of supplies required was very great and 

 m some cases amounted to restocking the whole of the plot. No 

 variety appeared to be more resistant than others to caterpillar 

 damage. 



The tabulated results which are subjoined show particulars of 

 the four distinct trials A. B. C. D. and these are again tabulated in 

 in order of merit in tables E and F. 



A brief summary of these statistics show that Sutton's " Tender 

 and True," Henderson's " Flat Dutch," Sutton's " All Head," 

 Sutton's " Eclipse Drumhead," Henderson's " Early Summer " and 

 Henderson's " Selected Wakefield " are all suitable for cultivation 

 locally, and that Sutton's " Summer Drumhead, " Henderson's 

 " Succession," Sutton's " Blood Red," " Dwarf Blood Red," 

 "Maincrop" and " Plentiful " cannot be relied upon to produce 

 a good crop. 



