The Busy Woman s Garden Book 



sort for the first planting as it is a very sure 

 header, giving large, flat heads of the best qual- 

 ity. In twelve years' experience in growing this 

 variety I have never found a diseased plant nor, 

 except in a year of very exceptional weather, a 

 soft head. They keep well over winter and are 

 altogether a very satisfactory all round cabbage. 

 In transplanting the plants from the hotbed to 

 the open ground all but the upper pair of leaves 

 should be removed and these may have the upper 

 half clipped ; this gives the roots a chance to estab- 

 lish themselves before they are called upon to 

 support top growth. Set the plants about two 

 feet apart each way, or the rows two feet apart 

 and the plants twenty inches; the nearer dis- 

 tance is tenable if one raises rabbits as the lower 

 leaves may be removed and fed to them, thus 

 giving the plants more room; they should close 

 up the gaps between them when fullj'^ grown as 

 this shades the ground and conserves moisture — 

 an important feature in a dry season. The 

 ground should be kept v/ell cultivated and free 

 from weeds as long as work can be carried on 



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