160 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



Clara county, the reclaimed islands of the Sacramento and San 

 Joaquin rivers, and the valleys of southern California, both on the 

 coast and in the interior. The last named are the largest produc- 

 ing districts for overland shipment, although the central parts of 

 the state often export largely. Southern California ships usually 

 about 1500 carloads of cabbage, chiefly from March to June, and 

 1000 carloads of cauliflower, chiefly from November to April. 



Cabbage is produced both in large areas wholly given to the 

 plant and by planting between young fruit trees, both in rainfall 

 and irrigated districts. As the cabbage is very largely a winter 

 crop in California, the water which it requires comes free from the 

 clouds or at low rates from the irrigating ditches. The chief objec- 

 tion to the crop is the great fluctuation in value from year to year. 

 It is hardly worth while at $15 per ton, and very profitable at $30 

 to $40 per ton, and the planting is large or small, according to the 

 preceding year's experience in selling, and this, of course, largely 

 influences the price of the new crop. An average crop of cabbage 

 would be, perhaps, four tons to the acre and the average value $20 

 per ton or $80 gross value per acre. The cost at current rates for 

 labor would be about $30 per acre. 



The cabbage crop is chiefly grown for winter and spring gath- 

 ering. Interior southern situations produce heads ready for ship- 

 ping as early as February, and the shipment continues, including 

 the later coast regions in southern and central California, until April 

 or later. Thus California is able to reach the markets at the East 

 when the storage houses of eastern regions are emptied of cabbage 

 and the sauerkraut barrels run low and to receive whatever high 

 prices may be available at that time of the year. 



California cauliflower is chiefly shipped to distant markets from 

 November to February the length of the season being determined 

 by the character of the rainy season, which if very wet may put 

 the late crop out of shipping condition; also by the supplies avail- 

 able from Florida, etc. 



Although the state is so well suited to produce all the plants of 

 the cabbage family, the common cabbage is the only one which is 

 widely grown by small growers for home supplies. It is the hardi- 

 est of the group under neglect or drought, it is true, but there is 

 not so much difference as some imagine. The cauliflower has, for 

 instance, the reputation of being hard to grow, but there is really 

 no difficulty about it if proper effort is made, as will be described 

 later. 



THE CABBAGE. 



The cabbage can be grown everywhere in California by select- 

 ing that season of the year which furnishes the adequate moisture 

 and moderate temperature which best suits its nature. These re- 

 quirements adapt it well to winter growth generally in California 

 except in the frostiest places, and give the plant a longer season 

 and a greater attainment in weight in regions of rich soils open to 



