THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



39 



THE CABBAGE— ITS HISTORY— CUL- 

 TIVATION— VARIETIES. 



[HenderHou'fi K;iil\ sniiiiun- (Jubbtige.] 



Altliiiusli tin- l\oiiiaiis doulillcss iiitvoiUiccd 

 gMitk'niii^ into Biitiiiii as ciiily as the yi'ar 

 100, th(^ cultivation of the ^janleii a^s an art in 

 Enj^lii'i'l tlati'S from llu' connncnccnient of the 

 llitli century. \'arietirs of ealibage were 

 taken to Kntjlaud from Holland about tlie 

 year lolO; the lirst plantinj; is ascribed to Sir 

 Arthur Ashley, of Dorset. It was introduced 

 into Scotland by the soldiers of Cromwell's 

 anny. 



(.'ahbaRe is a plant belonging to the order 

 CHircii'Kn.Kaiul ijenus lirdssira, theorder ooni- 

 prehendini; the scurvy ,u;rass, pepiier grass, 

 mustaril, cress, radish and turnip, ancl the 

 genus including also the eaulillower, broccoli, 

 borecole or sprouts, rape, colza, savoy, and 

 kohl-rahi. 



The Brassicn olcrcu-ea, from which all the 

 forms of cabbage siiring, is found growing 

 wild on the rocky shores and clill's in England, 

 with no appearance of a head. The cultiva- 

 ted cabbage is considered by some botanists a 

 monstrosity, but its varieties are well marked, 

 distinct and easily perpetuated, where care is 

 taken to secure such conditions as will con- 

 tinue their exact habits. The cabbage is a 

 biennial ; the seed being sown produces a full 

 grown plant the first season, and the next 

 season sends out shoots from eighteen inches to 

 two feet long, wliich bear small globular seeds 

 in a great nnnibei- of pods. The wliole plant 

 then perishes. The large solid heads of cab- 

 bage, now so familiar, have been produced 

 from the wild plant by gradual imiirovement 

 in soils, manures and cultivation. To repeat 

 them annually it is neceessary to observe two 

 points: 1. None ))ut those heiuls presenting 

 the best type of the variety should be saved 

 for seed ; they must be taken up with the 

 roots before the frost sets in, the useless out- 

 side leaves removed, and set in a cool dark 

 cellar, with the roots endjedded in soil, and 

 packed as closely as possible. In sju-ing they 

 are set out not less than two feet apiirt, in 

 good garden soil, and no seed saved except 

 from the most vigorous stalks. 2. They must 

 not be allowed to produce seeds near other 

 plants seeding at the same time which belong 

 to the same tribe, such as eaulillower, turnip, 

 broccoli, &c., as they will mix through their 

 flowers, the seed producing mongrel varieties. 

 Mu.cb disai)pointnient is experienced from 

 using seeds carelessly produced for sale by 

 unreliable seed growers. 



There are many very valuable varieties of cab- 

 bage, some suited oidy to particular localities. 

 For early use, Early York is an old favorite, 

 but some prefer the early flat Battersea, 

 coming next in succession; tiie Winnigstadt is 

 excellent, heads comjiact and of ra|iid growth. 

 Mr. Henderson, in the latest edition of his 

 "Gardening for Profit," gives his preference 

 for early varieties in the following order — 

 Jersey Wakefield, grown from seeds originally 

 received from England under the name of 

 Early Wakefield; Early York, eipial to the 

 Wakefield in earlincss, but inferior in size ; 

 Early Summer; Early Wyman, tlie favorite in 

 the Boston market ; the Ox Heart, a valuable 

 variety for family culture; the Karlv Wimdng- 

 stadt, and the Early Flat Dutch for a succes- 

 sion, being two or tliree weeks behind the 

 earliest sorts. ^Ir. Henderson i;ives us an 

 interesting bit of history concerning the ex- 

 perience of himself anil brother gardeners 



around New York, with the Jersey AVake- 

 field. Having experimented witli a score of 

 varieties he found nothingeipia! to it; but a few 

 years after its introduction he found that it 

 broke into over a dozen sub-varieties. No mat- 

 ter how carefully the heads were selected for 

 seed the same dilliculty ociau'red. A few miles 

 inland, .somewhere near the (grange Mountain, 

 an cild (ierioan was always aliead in having 

 (he lirst Wakcfields in the New York market. 

 Mild far surpassing any the New York garden- 

 ers could produce. All inducements to get 

 him to sell seed were disregarded, and year 

 after he kept the lead. Several plans were 

 laid to circumvent him, such as ordering a 

 hundred of his cabliages with roots on ; but 

 old Ca.rl was not to be caught so; he tilled the 

 order to the letter, making the buyer pay 

 rouiuUy for the I'oots, but took the liberty of 

 first dipping them in boiling water! 15nt one 

 day he invited a friend and countryman to 

 see his wonderful cabbaijes as they grew. 

 This was a fatal day for old Carl's monopoly, 

 for his friend had his eyes about him, and 

 observed that several of the stumps from 

 which the earliest heads had been cut were 

 marked with stakes, as were a few of the 

 choicest shape, as yet uncut. The secret was 

 out. Carl's success had been gained by ))er- 

 sistently year after year selecting the earliest 

 and finest heads; taking nj) the stumps froTU 

 whicli they werecut, he planted them cai-elully 

 and removing the young shoots ])roduced froiii 

 the stumps, he treated them exactly as a florist 

 treats cuttings of a (lower, that is by planting 

 the slip in the soil, and shading it until rooted. 

 After these cuttings or shoots of the cabbage 

 were planted in the usual cabbage frame, cov- 

 ered with glass in winter, set out in springlike 

 ajilant from the seed, and the next .Inly ripened 

 Seed. This process is too expensive ;ind slow 

 in rai.sing cabbage seed in quantity, but it is 

 now used by careful growers to produce i)ure 

 and improved stock from which to raise seed. 



Of the varieties raised around Lancaster the 

 early Winningstadt is perhaps in the highest 

 favor. It received the end<u'sement of the 

 ^Iniirirnn AfiriruU<iriili.'<l a few years ago, and 

 truck gardeners with whom we have conversed 

 speak Inghly of it, although, as Mr. Hender- 

 son suggests, it should be hardly claimed as 

 early, as it is quite three weeks later than 

 half-a-dozen other varieties, Imt it is an ex- 

 cellent sort wdiej'e two crops are not grown, as 

 it continues in succession for a long time. 



In the second edition of his book(ls74) Mr. 

 Henderson thus simke of "an entirely new 

 variety of early eidjl)age, originated by Mr. 

 Van Sicklen, of Long Island, that is likely 

 to supercede all others for general market 

 purposes. He has now gi'own it f(u- the past 

 three years, but so far the see<l has not been 

 put in the market, Mr. Yixn S. being exceed- 

 ingly cautious not to introduce any variety 

 before tlau-oughly proving its nu'r'its. The 

 last seas(Ui, in comiiany with him. I madi' an 

 examination of the crop, and in my o|iinion it 

 is, take it altogether, the best early cabbage 

 I ever saw. It is i)erlia|is four or five days 

 later than the Wak.field, but fully one-third 

 heavier, and .as it has small outer leaves, may 

 be as closely planted. When fully matured it 

 will withstand the hottest weather without 

 cracking. All market gardeners know the 

 value of this ipmlity, as nuist of us have lost 

 heavily from this cause." 



This is the cabbage of which we give an 

 illustration, as "Henderson's ICarly Summer," 

 and of which the well-known seedsmen, Peter 

 Henderson & Co., who introduce the variety 

 this season, thus speak : 



"We spiiil out tlii8 new vio-icly of Early Calilm^p, 

 fcoliiiir satisdiMl tliat it will rival, if not lo rsomo extent 

 supersede tlic WakcflpM. Tlii' merit of tliis variety 

 consists in its hoinir tlie earliest of all larpe fahliaffcs, 

 coniinjrin Imt a few days after I lie \Val«'nelil. It has 

 another valiialilc peculiarity, of rarely or never liurst- 

 in;ro|ioii when ripe, so that if a crop I'annot he used 

 at once, it will not s|H>il, as is the easi' with most of 

 the other early sorts. There is no ilonlit of it heconi' 

 in<r a standard variety, either for market or jMivate 

 uses." 



As a good and reliable early cabbage is a 

 desideratum with market gardeuers, we have 



deemed it projier to call the attention of the 

 readirs of TllK Fakmki; to this new viniety, 

 tliat those int<>resled in meeting the wants of 

 an early market may test it for themselves. 

 In market gardening a good eurh/ cabbage, 

 which can be depemled upon, will eerlaiidy 

 jiay in the viciidty of Lancaster. In this 

 article we have conlined ourselves maiidy to 

 early varieties, because the later varieties are 

 so much mort! easily raised, and at so much 

 less ex))eiise. The following, however, from 

 the excellent jiaper on this subject in the new 

 edition of ihe Amirintn (^'jirhijieiliii, now going 

 through the press, may contiiin some general 

 information fi) interest some of our readers. 

 After premising that aboid New 'i'ork the 

 late Bergen, (lat Hutch, anil best varieties of 

 drumhead cabbages are ]ireferred for late sorts, 

 the writer goes on to say : 



"Three crops are seeured in a season; seeds of 

 early and lalc> sorts are sown in a moderate hot-bed 

 in .\laiih, ki-pt sliiilitly moisteiird, with plenty of air 

 at all tinifs when tlie temperature is not t(M) low. 

 The plants a re dusted with dry \vr)oil ashes, pulverised 

 lime, or a littU- .Scotch snulf. to keep olf the fly, (a 

 small black in.scct which is a !,'reat pi'sl), thiuni-d lo 

 an inch apart, anil kept free from wicds. When the 

 beds oiilsidc arc dry and warm cnoiiirh,tlie plants arc 

 removed diniie,' a cloudy day, or in the aflci-n<ion, 

 and the early sorts set with a dibhlc, 14 to IS inches, 

 the later ones 20lo2'iinch<'s aparl each way; watered, 

 and allowed to lake root, befVu'c disturbini,^ the soil 

 about Ihcin. If the weather continues ilry, the plants 

 slioulil be watered two or tlireccveniiiL's in succession. 

 This plantinir ^ivcsthe earliest i-abbai^cs, and summer 

 ealibai^cs, which come between the early and late 

 crops. For a late crop, the seeds are sown in an open 

 bed, thinly, in drills 11 to !l inches aparl, in -May, and 

 transplautcil from .Inuc 1(1 to .July 1, iiistraiiErht rows, 

 22 to 27 inches asunder each way. 



"The eabbaire is a rank feeder and an exhaustive 

 crop. The soil shoulil be a di'cp, rich loam, not only 

 coniainin^: plenty of veiretable matter, but a full siip- 

 l>ly of polasli, soda and lime. .Vdressiiii^ of common 

 salt, al the rate of ten bushels per acre, will not itiily 

 benelit the eabbaire crop, liut kill yrulis and worms, 

 which destroy the youiiir piairs rapidly. Ibiirpen 

 manure ouirht neverto be a|>i)!ictl tothccabbajrc crojj, 

 as it distiirures the roots and destroys the plants, 

 ('oniposls of muck, woorl ashes, lime, salt and com- 

 mon yard inainires, we!! decomposed, may he used in 

 larire quantities if well incorporated with the soil, 

 tluano, deeply duir under, is ;;ood in all liut very Uplit 

 sandy and ;;ravelly soils. A tirst-ratc super-phosphate 

 of lime, Willi one-third its wcisjht of truano mixed 

 with it, is one of the best inanin*cs for a irardcn soil, 

 or one which has al«'ays received i-ommon manures. 

 This eoinpoiiud may lie dissolved in w ater, and freely 

 used to water feeble plants, or dujr in almut llieni 

 with a hoe. As soon as Ihe youiif,' plants have taken 

 root ill Ihe new bed they shoulil be hoed, tlie oficncr 

 the better, until the leaves shade the soil. In its 

 younircr staires Ihe eabbaire must feed larirely on car- 

 bonic aeid, tVc, by its roots; but as it increases in 

 size it uses Ihe leaves more extensively; hence the 

 necessity of early and frciiuent hocinirs," 



We would urge upon our farmers, and 'Cs- 

 )ieci;illy those wlm raise vegetiibles tiir market, 

 to pay more attention to the seleetinu of the 

 liest vtirietiesiiuil the best mode of <-ultivation, 

 A really good cabbage is a good dish, and the 

 liest articK' always leads the market in cabbage 

 as well ;is in other vegetables. It costs no 

 more to raise a good artiide than an inferior 

 one, but in our markets the iid'erior too often 

 predomintite, and the i>idducer goes home dis- 

 stitished because he did not get good prices. 

 We ri'iieat, that in raising cabliage, as in doing 

 anything else, it always jiays U'st to do the 

 best that can be done under the circumstances. 



M, L.VFoitTK, of France, as related by the 

 Paris correspondent of the Btiltimore Ainrri- 

 rn» FtirriiiT, cooks his food for cattle by fer- 

 mentation ; on a layer of cut straw he places 

 one of ptiliicd potatoes, tind so on aer'ording to 

 the sup]ily required, ti thicki-r layer of pota- 

 toes: and left for sixty hours it become,s ad- 

 mirably cooked for pigs and poultry. 



F.MOiKus' SONS, and other young men of 

 energy, having a little leisure time on their 

 hands, ctin do a good business by (canvassing 

 for The Lan<;astf,u Faioieh. " To such we 

 will offer .special inducements, which can be 

 learned by addressing the ]iublisher,s. We 

 want to secure a canvasser in every township 

 in the county. 



