CABBAGE AND KOHLRABI 251 



soil, only moderately supplied with plant food, they thrive better 

 on very rich moist loam. The seed is commonly sown broadcast, 

 and if the crop is to be for forage the seed is mixed with barley or 

 oats, and sometimes with winter or spring vetch to make a denser 

 growth of pasturage. Kale is usually sown in late summer or fall 

 and in mild climates will be green much of the winter season, some 

 of the crop being harvested in early spring. Dwarf Essex rape may 

 be sown at any time during the spring or early summer and the 

 fall crop may be sown in August to be used as late fall pasture. 



Either of the crops may be sown in drill rows, at distances 

 which will allow of cultivation. Clean tillage is given during the 

 early growth of the plants. This practice is more common with 

 kale which is to be harvested for market purposes. 



CABBAGE AND KOHLRABI. These two plants differ 

 chiefly in the place in which the food is stored. They belong to 

 the same species Brassica oleracea. In the cabbage the valuable 

 food is stored in the thickened leaves and their ribs. In the kohl- 

 rabi, the food is stored in the enlarged stem, which resembles a 

 turnip growing above ground. The cabbage is more commonly 

 used for stock feed than kohlrabi, because the yield per acre is 

 much greater. Both are abundantly used as human food in 

 regions where they are grown. 



Growing the Crop. These crops are both well adapted to 

 cool, moist climates, and thrive best in very rich, black loam, pro- 

 vided with an abundance of organic matter and nitrogen. 



Large fields of cabbages are grown for the manufacture of 

 krout and for sale in city markets. It is common to start the early 

 crop in hotbeds or coldframes and to transplant the plants by 

 hand or by machine transplanters in the open ground when the 

 soil is ready to work in early spring. For this spring crop quick- 

 maturing varieties such as Cumberland Wakefield and Early 

 Jersey Wakefield are used. 



The main crop, or so-called late crop, is often planted in the 

 open in late May or June, and the work of transplanting is avoided. 

 Several seeds are dropped in one place, and the hills are from two 

 to three feet apart in the row, and the rows are set at the same 

 distances. A little lime is dropped where the seed is planted to 

 mark the spot and indicate the row by the color. This aids in 

 the early cultivation, particularly if weeds start too soon. Suitable 

 varieties for the crop are Late Flat Dutch, Drum Head, and other 

 large-headed varieties. 



