CHAP. III.] CABBAGES. 209 



and some of them forbade the hope of being 

 able to preserve any considerable quantity ; 

 and this one was as follows : I made a sort of 

 land with the plough, and made it pretty level 

 at top. Upon this land I laid some straw. 1 

 then 'took the cabbages, turned them upside 

 down, and placed them (first taking off all 

 decayed leaves) about six abreast upon the 

 straw. Then covered them, not very thick 

 ly, with leaves raked up in the woods, fling 

 ing now and then a little dirt (boughs of any 

 sort would be better) to prevent the leaves 

 from being carried off by the wind. So that, 

 when the work was done, the thing was a bed 

 of leaves with cabbage-roots sticking up 

 through it. I only put on enough leaves to 

 hide all the green. If the frost came and pre 

 vented the taking up of the cabbages, roots 

 and all, they might be cut off close to the 

 ground. The root, I dare say, is of no use in 

 the preservation. In the months of April and 

 May, I took cabbages of all sorts from this 

 land perfectly good and fresh. The quantity, 

 preserved thus, was small. It might amount 

 to 200 cabbages. But, it was quite sufficient 

 for the purpose. Not only did the cabbages 

 keep better in this, than in any other way, but 

 there they were, at all times, ready. The frost 

 had locked up all those which were covered 



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