Circular No. 49. (Revision of No. 38) February, 1915. 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, 



AMHERST. 



CABBAGE, CAULIFLOWER, TURNIP, RAPE, AND 

 OTHER CRUCIFERS 



William P. Brooks 



The crops in this group thrive in quite a 

 Soils. variety of soils, but none will do well if 



water be near the surface or the soil 

 inclined to be wet. Well tilled loams in good fertility should 

 be selected, the lighter for English turnips and Swedes or for 

 early cabbage, and medium loams for late cabbage and cauli- 

 flower. Under irrigation success is possible on very light soils 

 if highly manured or fertilized. With deficient drainage or 

 over-wet soils these crops are peculiarly liable to the disease 

 known as clubroot. They should not be grown two successive 

 years on the same land nor come into any rotation more 

 frequently than one year in four or five. 



These crops will fail or do poorly in any 

 Lime Necessary, soil which is sour in marked degree. If 



blue litmus paper in contact with the moist 

 soil turns red an application of lime is needed. The rate 

 of application must, of course, be varied to suit different 

 conditions, but in general for the lighter soils which are sour 

 the application of about one ton per acre of air-slaked lime or 

 marl, or one and one-half tons of fine ground lim^lstone is desir- 

 able, while for the heavier soils about fifteen hundred pounds 

 of hydrated (water-slaked) lime is likely to be beneficial.* 



The disease known as clubroot (foot) or 



Prevention of sometimes "fingers and toes," is due to the 



Clubroot. growth of a fungus in the cells of the roots. 



It causes the distorted root swellings, often 

 of enormous size, familiar to most who who have grown these 



♦ For fuller discussion of use of Lime see Bulletin No. 137 which will be sent on application. 



