Cabbage 



be an exact statement, the growing time will be pretty well gone 

 before the ground is clear. After Cabbage, none of the Brassica 

 tribe should be put on the land, and, if possible, the crop to follow 

 should be one requiring less of sulphur and alkalies, for of these the 

 Cabbage is a great consumer, hence the need for abundant manuring 

 in preparation for it. The presence of sulphur explains the offensive- 

 ness of the exhalations from Cabbage when in a state of decay. 



In many gardens the supply of Cabbage is secured by one sowing 

 of a large late kind annually in July or August. The plants are pricked 

 out from the seed-bed as soon as possible, and are drawn from as 

 wanted from the time that they become suitable to use as Collards, 

 until the latest turn in and go to the house as Cabbage. Then the 

 stumps give a crop of Sprouts, and these are followed by the Collards 

 of the next sowing. But this primitive mode of procedure cannot 

 be regarded as first-class Cabbage culture. To insure the best suc- 

 cession of Cabbage it will be necessary to recognise four distinct 

 sowings, any of which, save the autumnal sowing, may be omitted. 

 Begin with a sowing of the earliest kinds in the month of February. 

 For this, pans or boxes must be used, and the seed should be started 

 in a warm pit or frame. When forward enough, prick out in a bed 

 of light rich soil in a frame, and give plenty of air. Before the 

 seedlings become crowded harden them off and plant out, taking care 

 to lift them tenderly with earth attached to their roots to minimise 

 the check. These will heart quickly and be valued as Summer 

 Cabbage. The second sowing is to be made in the last week of 

 March, and to consist of early kinds, including a few of the best type 

 of Coleworts. As these advance to a planting size, they may be put 

 out a few at a time as plots become vacant, and they will be useful 

 in various ways from July to November or later. A third sowing 

 may be made in the first or second week of May of small sorts and 

 Coleworts ; and these again may be planted out as opportunities 

 occur, both in vacant plots for hearting late in the year, and as stolen 

 crops in odd places to draw while young. The second and third 

 sowings need not be pricked out from the seed-bed, but may be 

 taken direct therefrom to the places where they are to finish their 

 course. The fourth is by far the most important sowing of the year, 

 and the exact time when seed should be put in deserves recon- 

 sideration. A strong plant is wanted before winter, but the growth 

 must not be so far advanced as to stand in peril from severe and 

 prolonged frost. There is also the risk that plants which are too 

 forward may bolt when spring arrives. In some districts it is the 



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