CABBAGE 199 



those followed in raising late cabbage, and the subject of 

 cultivation naturally groups itself under these heads. The 

 soil preferred for early cabbage is a light, rich, sandy loam, 

 well drained, and sloping to the south, providing it is not 

 too liable to injury from drouth. In milder sections of the 

 country it is customary to sow the seed for early cabbage in 

 September, and winter the plants over in cold frames. 

 This method is impracticable in the extreme Northern 

 states, and the best plan to follow in such sections is that 

 of sowing the seed in greenhouses or hotbeds from the middle 

 to the last of February. As the plants need room they are 

 transplanted so as not to be crowded. If they are kept 

 growing freely they will be large enough to transplant to 

 the open ground by the first of April. 



Setting the Plants. Cabbage plants will grow at a 

 low temperature, and it is a great advantage to plant them 

 out early in the spring, although the weather may be 

 damp and cold. At this season of the year they may 

 not show any great increase in leaf surface, but they form 

 roots rapidly, and these are a great help in providing a 

 vigorous growth later in the season. As a rule, early 

 cabbage should be set out as soon as the frost is out in the 

 spring and the ground nicely settled. It is important to 

 set the plants deep in the ground at this season, and since 

 the stem is the part most liable to injury from hard frosts 

 it should be set deep enough to bring the base of the leaves 

 below the ground. This is very important, and fre- 

 quently makes the difference between success and failure 

 in growing the early crop. 



If severe weather is threatened after the plants are 

 set out, it is a good plan to draw a hoeful of earth over 

 each plant; for if frozen when they are covered with earth 

 they will not be injured, and they can remain buried in the 



