54 



PROFITABLE GABDENING. 



CHAPTBU X. — THE CABBAfiE TEIBE — CULITRE OF THE CABBAGE, 

 BEUSSELS SPKOUTS, AND SCOTCU KALE. 



Everybody grows cabbage, and every- 

 body eats it ; but my lady never bears 

 tbe word, for all cabbages are "greens" 

 in polite society. But plain people call 

 things by their right names, and I, for 

 one, rejoice in a cabbage, and like to 

 to call it cabbage, even if I dine with 

 a retired tailor. Now, a cabbage is a 

 thing that most people think tbey can 

 grow well, and, generally speaking, 

 good cabbages are very abundant ; 

 but cottagers, not looking upon it as 

 a precarious or particularly choice 

 crop, too often get careless, and where 

 they take one ton of cabbage, a little 

 extra pains would enable them to take 

 two. 



Now to grow good cabbage, or anj^ 

 variety of cabbage, such as broccoli, 

 etc., the land cannot be too rich ; nay, 

 it may even be rank with manure, and 

 the plant will rejoice in it. You may 

 not only put down as much dvmg as 

 you can get, but you may use it only 

 half rotted; and as soon as the plants 

 begin to " turn in," or make hearts, 

 give abundant supplies of strong liquid 

 manure. If, in the first instance, the 

 ground has been well dug, and is of a 

 good sound loamy quality, or even 

 clayey, the result of such culture will 

 be enormous heads, that will be white 

 and tender, and mild all through, if cut 

 before they begin to loosen ; for this 

 sort of quick culture promotes delicacy 

 of flavour, and every good quality. 

 These remarks apply to every variety 

 that will be referred to in this and the 

 next chapter, and need not be re- 

 peated ; where exceptions may be 

 made, they will be noticed as we 

 go on. 



Now, let me put you in the way of 

 cabbage-culture, and you shall have 

 them of any size you like, from little 

 " greens," to large white hearts, all 

 the year round. Choose your ground 

 judiciously, and grow cabbage, if pos- 

 sible, on a spot where there has been 

 nothing of the kind for at least a year. 

 For this crop, a newly-trenched deep 

 loam is just the thing, and, if never 

 trenched before in the memory of man, 



it will produce wonderful cabbages, as 

 I know from experience, on an old 

 worn-out soil, where cabbages had be- 

 come a failure, but which, at the second 

 spit, had never been touched with 

 spade or fork, when trenched two and 

 a-half or three feet deep, and the lower 

 luizelly stuiF brought to the top, the 

 cabbages took to it, and grew like 

 wildfire. If you cannot command a 

 newish soil, or must grow them where 

 broccoli orka]e,or something elseof the 

 family, have been grown before, give 

 the ground a liberal dressing with 

 fresh hot lime, soot, and salt ; dig these 

 in at the rate of twenty or thirty 

 poimds to the rod, if you can afford 

 it ; if not, put on as much wood-ashes, 

 old mortar, or other such cleansing 

 material as you can, and let the land 

 be well dug over with these maniu-cs 

 sonic little time before planting. All 

 the cabbage-worts like a calcareous 

 soil, and old mortar is one of the best 

 of manures for them. When the time 

 for planting comes, manure as liberally 

 as you can ; have the surface in a 

 rather dry condition, so that the soil 

 will not adhere to the dibber, or suffer 

 from being trodden on, and plant them 

 firmly. All ordinary sorts may be 

 planted in rows, two feet asunder, and 

 the plants eighteen inches apart in the 

 rows ; but if you intend to draw some 

 young, which is a very good plan in 

 garden culture, plant them a foot 

 apart only, and as fast as they form 

 little hearts, draw every other one for 

 greens, and this will leave them two 

 feet apart every way, which is not too 

 much room in rich ground, and with 

 good hearting sorts. 



When once the young crop has got 

 firm hold of the ground, and makes a 

 start, begin to hoe between them, and 

 repeat the operation frequently, not 

 merely to destroy weeds, but to loosen 

 the soil around the roots, and allow 

 the air to have access to them. There 

 is no crop that is more benefited by 

 frequent stirring of the earth about it 

 than cabbage ; and, indeed, every item 

 of proper attention that they receive 



