130 THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. [CHAP. VI. 



The Cabbage. — The word " cabbage," in its 

 onoinal signification, means a firm head or ball 

 of leaves folded closely over each other; and 

 thus it is equally correct to say a cabbage let- 

 tuce and a cabbage rose. The cabbages grown 

 in gardens are usually sown at three different 

 times : for the spring, summer, and autumn 

 crops. The spring cabbages are sown in an 

 open, airy situation, and light soil, generally in 

 the last week in July; some market-gardeners 

 near London fancying their crops will not prove 

 good unless the seed be sown on the 25th of 

 July, or the nearest week day. When the 

 plants come up, they are thinned ; and in Oc- 

 tober or November they are ready for plant- 

 ing out in beds, the plants being nine inches 

 and the rows a foot apart. The summer crop 

 is sown in February, and planted out in April, 

 the plants twelve inches from each other, in 

 rows eighteen inches apart; and the autumn 

 crop is sown in May, and planted out in July, 

 generally eighteen inches apart every way. In 

 small gardens, cabbages are seldom raised from 

 seed ; but the plants are purchased when ready 

 for planting out. All cabbages require a soil 

 enriched with animal manure, and frequent 

 hoeing up to admit air to their roots ; and on 

 this account they should always be planted in 

 rows. In dry weather they should be watered, 

 to make them succulent. The stalks of the 

 spring cabbages are generally pulled up and 

 carried to the refuse heap as soon as the cab 

 bages are cut; but the stalks of the summer 

 and autumn kinds are left standing, that they 

 may throw out what are called sprouts. In 



