THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 269 



highly viable seed of a good strain, true to type, the best results can 

 not be expected. For early spring cabbage in the South, sow the 

 seeds in an outdoor bed and transplant to the garden before Janu- 

 ary 1. In the North, plant the seeds in a hotbed during February 

 and set the plants in the open ground as early as the soil can be 

 worked. For a late crop in the North, plant the seeds in a bed in the 

 open ground in May or June and transplant to the garden in July. 

 Early cabbages require a rich, warm soil in order that they may ma- 

 ture early. For late cabbages the soil should be heavier and more 

 retentive of moisture and not so rich as for the early crop, as the 

 heads are liable to burst. Cabbages should be set in rows 30 to 36 

 inches apart and 14 to 18 inches apart in the row. Where the plants 

 are set out in the autumn and allowed to remain in the ground over 

 winter, they are usually placed on top of ridges. 



Soil. The soil for cabbage must necessarily vary in different 

 localities. In one area it may be of an alluvial character, while in 

 another it may be sedentary, and in still another it may be charac- 

 teristic glacial drift. The fact that cabbage grows well in all these 

 soils indicates its adaptation to a wide range of conditions. The 

 main thing with cabbage is an abundant supply of immediately avail- 

 able plant food. Market gardeners rely chiefly upon stable manure 

 for their supply of plant food. 



Cultivation. Among market gardeners it is a common expres- 

 sion that "cabbage should be hoed every day." Perhaps no other 

 crop responds more quickly to good cultivation and an ample food 

 supply. This is undoubtedly the explanation of the above quoted 

 expression. In cultivating cabbage the work should be frequent 

 and thorough, but the cultivation should not be deep. The aim 

 should be to destroy all competing weeds and to maintain a loose, 

 friable layer of soil about 2 inches deep over the surface of the area 

 devoted to cabbage. 



Storage. Early cabbage must be used soon after it has formed 

 solid heads, as it will not keep during hot weather. Late cabbage 

 may be buried in pits or stored in cellars or specially constructed 

 houses. The usual method of storing cabbage is to dig a trench about 

 18 inches deep and 3 feet wide and set the cabbage upright, with 

 the heads close together and the roots bedded in soil. As cold weather 

 comes on, the heads are covered slightly with straw and then 3 or 4 

 inches of earth put on. Slight freezing does not injure cabbage, 

 but it should not be subjected to repeated freezing and thawing. If 

 stored in a cellar or building, the heads are generally cut from the 

 stems and stored on slatted shelves or in shallow bins. While in 

 storage, cabbage should be well ventilated and kept as cool as possible 

 without freezing. 



Varieties. The varieties of cabbage used in the trucking sec- 

 tion are practically limited to the Wakefield type. There are two 

 strains of this type of cabbage now extensively employed : The true 

 Jersey Wakefield, with its small, acutely pointed tip. and very firm, 

 tender flesh of high quality, and the Charleston Wakefield, which is 

 broader, somewhat flatter, more obtusely pointed, and slightly more 



