CABBAGES 



184. The distances at which cabbages oughtfto^ stand in the 

 rows must depend on the sorts. The following is nearly about 

 the mark. Early Salisbury a foot : Early York fifteen inches : 

 Early Battersea twenty inches : Sugar Loaf two feet ; Savoys 

 two feet and a half ; and the Drum-head, Thousand-headed, 

 Large Hollow, Ox cabbage, all four feet. 



185. With regard to the time of sowing some more ought to 

 said ; for, we are not here, as in England, confined within four 

 or five degrees of latitude. Here some of us are living in fine, 

 warm weather, while others of us are living amidst snows. It 

 will be better, therefore, in giving opinions about times, to speak 

 of seasons, and not of months and days. The country people, 

 in England, go, to this day, many of them, at least, by the tides : 

 and, what is supremely ridiculous, they go, in some cases, by the 

 moveable tides. My gardener, at Botley, very reluctantly obeyed 

 me, one year, in sowing green Kale when I ordered him to do it, 

 because Whitsuntide was not come, and that, he said, was the 

 proper season. &quot; But,&quot; said I, &quot; Robinson, Whitsuntide comes 

 &quot; later this year than it did last year.&quot; &quot; Later, Sir,&quot; said he, 

 &quot; how can that be ? &quot; &quot; Because,&quot; said I, &quot; it depends upon the 

 &quot; moon when Whitsuntide shall come.&quot; &quot; The moon ! &quot; said 

 he : &quot; what sense can there be in that ? &quot; &quot; Nay,&quot; said I, &quot; I 

 &quot; am sure I cannot tell. That is a matter far beyond my learning. 

 &quot; Go and ask Mr. BAKER, the Parson, He ought to be able to tell 

 &quot; us ; for he has a tenth part of our garden stuff and fruit.&quot; The 

 Quakers here cast all this rubbish away ; and, one wonders how 

 it can possibly be still cherished by any portion of an enlightened 

 people. But, the truth is, that men do not think for themselves 

 about these matters. Each succeeding generation tread in the 

 steps of their fathers, whom they loved, honoured and obeyed. 

 They take all upon trust ; gladly save themselves the trouble 

 of thinking about things of not immediate interest. A desire 

 to avoid the reproach of being irreligious induces them to practise 

 an outward conformity. And thus have priest-craft with all its 

 frauds, extortions, and immoralities, lived and flourished in 

 defiance of reason and of nature. 



186. However, as there are no farmers in America quite foolish 

 enough to be ruled by the tides in sowing and reaping, I hurry 

 back from this degression to say, that I cannot be expected to 

 speak of precise times for doing any work, except as relates to the 

 latitude in which I live, and in which my experiments have been 

 made. I have cultivated a garden at Frederickton in the Province 

 of New Brunszvick, which is in latitude about forty-eight : and at 

 Wilmington in Delaware State, which is in latitude about thirty- 

 nine. In both these places I had as fine cabbages, turnips, and 

 garden things of all the hardy sorts, as any man need wish to see. 

 Indian Corn grew and ripened well in fields at Frederickton. 

 And, of course, the summer was sufficient for the perfecting of all 

 plants for cattle-food . And , how necessary is this food in Northern 



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