Chap. III.] Cabbages. 11» 



of raising the plants with very little trouble and upon a 

 small bit of giound. A little bed will give plants tor an 

 acre or two. The expense of seed, even oi the dearest 

 kinds, is a mere trifle, not worth any man's notice. 



179. For these reasons I adhere to cabbages as the 

 companion crop of Swedish Turnips. The Mangel 

 Wurzel is long in the ground. In seasons of great 

 drought, it comes up unevenly. The weeds get the start 

 of it. Its tillage must begin before it hardly shows 

 itself. It is of the nature of the Beet, and it requires 

 the care which the Beet requires. The same may be 

 said of Carrots and Parsiiips. The cabbage, imtil it 

 be fit to plant out, occupies luirdly any ground. An 

 hour's work cleans the bed of weeds ; and there the 

 plants are always ready, when the land is made ready, 

 f he Mangel Wurzel root, if quite ripe, is richer than a 

 white loaved cabbage ; but, it is not more easily pre- 

 sened, and will not produce a larger crop. Cattle will 

 eat the leaves, but hogs will not, when they can get the 

 leaves of cabbages. Nevertheless, some of this root 

 may be cultivated. It will fat an ox well ; and it will 

 fat sheep >vell. Hogs will do well on it in winter. I 



would, if I were a settled farmer, have some of it ; but, 

 it is not a thing upon which I would place ray de- 

 pendence. 



180. As to the time of sowing cabbages, the first 

 sowing should be in a hot-bed, so as to have the plants 

 a month old nhen the frost leaves the ground. The 

 second sowing should be u7te« the natural ground has 

 become warm enough to make the tveeds begin to come 

 up freely. But, .seed-beds of cabbages, and, indeed, 

 of every thing, should be in the open: not under a fence, 

 whatever may be the aspect. The plants are sure to be 

 weak, if so^\ni in such situations. They should have 

 the air coming freely to them in every direction. In a 

 hot-bed, the seed should be .sown in rows, three inches 

 apart, and the plants might be thinned out to one in a 

 quarter of an inch. This would give about ten thousand 

 plants in a bed ten feet long, and five icide. They will 

 stand thus to get to a tolerable size without injuring 

 each other, if the bed be well managed as to heat and 

 air. in the open ground, where room is plenty, the 



