226 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



out four to eight thousand a day, according to his expert- 

 ness-, if he has a boy to drop plants for him. The earth 

 should be pressed firmly about the roots with the dibble. 

 Planting with a trowel can be very rapidly done in this 

 way. Get a new mason 's trowel about six inches wide and 

 12 inches long coming to a point. Cut off one or two in- 

 ches of the point making it round on the grindstone. Put 

 the trowel down in the soil the whole length, pull it over 

 toward you, put in the plant, take out the trowel, then 

 step on the soil near the plant to make it firm. 



If the seed-bed is sandy enough and is allowed to become 

 a little dry, the plants can be lifted readily without losing 

 roots. Large bunches of plants when taken to the field 

 should be protected from sun and wind by a wet sack, and 

 dropping should not go far ahead of the planting. If the 

 weather is rather dry the plant is helped to get a start in 

 a new place by removing the lower, larger, leaves when 

 transplanting to the field. 



Early planting in anticipation of rains may be surer to 

 hold on if a little water is used in planting if the ground 

 is inclined to be dry. On irrigated ground, which is given 

 a good soaking before plowing for fall planting, this may 

 not be necessary, but subsequent irrigation must be given 

 in time if rains are delayed, for the plants must not be 

 allowed to stop growing. 



Cultivation. Cabbages must be kept well cultivated to 

 reach their best estate. Early cabbages will head in two 

 and a half to four months, according to weather and soil 

 conditions, and size will depend much upon cultivation in 

 connection with soil richness and adequate moisture. 

 Hardly any plant delights more in soil stirring. Rapid 

 growth during the winter also gives the plant the advant- 

 age over the lice or aphis, which sap the life of unthrifty 

 plants, and is worse on late-planted cabbages because of 

 the dry, hot weather they are likely to encounter. 



Harvesting. The cabbage field is usually cut over for a 

 winter shipment three times in about six weeks, and if 

 used for a winter crop the ground can be cleared up and 



