NEW ENGIiA]\D FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY J. B. RUSSELL, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the Agricultural Warkhouse.) — T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL. X. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 23, 1832. 



NO. 46. 



Horticulture. 



CABBAGE. 



By the Editor. 



lirassica oleracea capitata. — Among the varie- 

 ties of the cabbage, which liave been introduced 

 into tiiis country, the following ate enumerated in 

 Mr Russell's catalogue: — 



Early Salisbury dwarf, Late Sugarloaf, 

 Early \ ork, Lareje Scotch, for cattle, 



Early Dutch, Green globe Savoy, 



Early Suiiarloaf, Red Dutch, for pickling. 



Early London Battersea, Large C.ipe Savoy, 

 Large Bergen, or great A- Yellow Savoy, 

 Early Kinperor, [luerican. Early Wellington, 

 Large late Diumbead, Late Imperial. 



Soil and Situation. — Every variety of cabbage 

 grows best in a strong, rich, substantial .soil, inclin- 

 ing rather to clay than sand ; but will grow in any 

 soil if it bo well worked and abundantly manured 

 with well-rotted dung. But, according to Loudon, 

 "the soil for seedlings should be ligbt, and, except- 

 ing for early sowings, not rich. Where market 

 gardeners raise great quantities of seedling cabba- 

 ges to stand the winter, and to be sold for trans- 

 planting in the spring, they choose in general the 

 poorest and stiffestiand they have got ; more es- 

 pecially in Scotland, where large autunmal sowings 

 of winter drumhead and round Scotch, are annu- 

 ally made, and where the stift'ncss of tbe soil gives 

 a peculiar firmness of texture and hardiness of 

 constitution to the plants, and prevents their being 

 thrown out of the soil during the thaws which suc- 

 ceed a fiosty winter. Transplanted cabbages re- 

 quire a rich mold, rather clayey than sandy ; and 

 as Neill and Nicol observe, it can scarcely be too 

 much inaiiui-ed, as they are an exhausting crop. 

 Autumnal ])lantations, intended to stand the win- 

 ter, should have a dry soil well dug and manured 

 and of a favorable aspect. The cabbage, whether 

 in the seed-bed or final plantation, ever requires an 

 open situation. Under the drip of trees, or in the 

 «hade, seedlings are drawn up weak, and grown 

 crops are meager, worm-eaten and ill-favored. 



Sowing cabbage seed. — M'Mahon says, "The 

 proper period for sowing cabbage in the Middle 

 States, to produce early summer cabbages, is be- 

 tween the sixth and tenth of September, if intend- 

 ed to be transplanted into frames in October for 

 winter protection, which is the preferable method ; 

 but if they are designed to remain in the seed-beds 

 till spring, the period is between the fifteenth and 

 twentieth. However, it will be very proper to 

 make two or three sowings within that time, as it 

 is impossible to say whether the fall may be favor- 

 able or otherwise, and therefore the better way is 

 to be prepared in either case by successive crops. 

 "Tbe consequence of having cro]>s too early is, 

 that they are subject to run to seed in the spring 

 Boon after being planted out ; and if the seeds are 

 so^vii too late, the plants do not acquire sufiicicnt 

 atrength before winter to withstand its rigor, 

 without extraordinary care. But in either case 

 there is a remedy ; that is, if the plants are likely 

 to become too luxuriant and strong, transplant them 

 once or twice in October, and if too backward and 

 weakly, make a slight hot-bed towards the latter 

 end of that month, and prick them out of the seed- 

 bed thereon ; this will forward them considerably." 



Mr M'Mahon thinks, that in the Eastern St.ites, 

 the fore part of September will be a suitalde time 

 to sow cabbages intended to be grown the succeed- 

 ing summer. The seeds should be covered about 

 a quarter of an inch, and if the weather prove dry 

 should be watered occasionally in the evening, till 

 they come up. According to Abercrombie's seed 

 estimate, " for a seed-bed to raise early York and 

 similar v(rieties, four feet wide by twenty in 

 length," two ounces will be recjuired ; for a seed- 

 bed to raise the large sugarloaf and other luxuriant 

 growers, four feet by thirtysix in length, two 

 ounces. The same writer directs to " sow at three 

 different seasons, that is, spring, summer and au- 

 tumn, and cover from an eighth to a quarter of an 

 inch. Under a deficiency of winter-standing 

 young plants for final transplanting in the spring, 

 or in order to have some spring-sown plants as 

 forward as possible, a moderate portion of some 

 best early sorts may be sown between the middle 

 of February and the middle of March, in a slight 

 hot-bed or frame, to nurture the plants till the 

 leaves are an inch or two in length. Then prick 

 them into intermediate beds in the open garden, 

 there to gain strength for final transplanting." 



Planting in JVeto England. — " Some drop the 

 seeds where the cabbages are to grow. By this 

 they escape being stinted by transplanting; for win- 

 ter cabbages, the latter part of May is early enough 

 to put the seed into the ground, whether the plants 

 are to be removed or not. I have tried both ways, 

 ^nd, on the whole, I prefer transplanting. They 

 are otherwise apt to be too tall and to have corked 

 stems. Covering plants with leaves is not a good 

 practice. They will be nuich heated through 

 some sorts of leaves, the free circulation of air 

 about them will be prevented, and their perspira- 

 tion partly obstructed. If a liot sun cause them to 

 droop, a shingle, stuck into the ground, will be 

 sufficient shelter, if it be on the south side of the 

 plants. I commonly allow each plant two shin- 

 gles, one on the southeast side, and one on the 

 southwest, meeting at the south corner." — Deane. 

 The act of planting should be performed care- 

 fully. Holes of sufficient depth and width, should 

 be dibbled, for the smaller sorts of cabbages, at the 

 distance of two feet and a half, and for the larger 

 sort of three feet every way. In these the earth 

 should be placed up to the lower leaves, and 

 brought closely about the roots, which is best 

 done by pusliing down the dibber, at a small an- 

 gle with the plant, and then bringing it up to it 

 with a jerk. This leaves no chambering, (as the 

 gardeners call it,) no vacancy between the plant 

 and the soil. 



" The state of the weather when these opera- 

 tions are pei formed, is not a matter of indifference, 

 and has been a subject of controversy ; some re- 

 commending dry weather, others wet. Afe in 

 many other cases of disputation, the truth lies be- 

 tween them ; that is, moist weather is neither dry 

 nor wet, and is precisely that which is best for set- 

 ting out cabbages, or any other vegetable. We 

 ought not, however, to wait long for even this most 

 favorable state of the atmosphere, since, with a little 

 labor, we have the means of making up for its ab- 

 sence." — Armstrong, 



"Dig the plants uj), that is, loosen the ground 

 under them wilh a spade, to prevent their being 

 stripped too tnuch of their roots. Tbe setting stick 

 should be the under part of a spade or shovel 

 handle. The eye of the spade is the handle of 

 the stick. From the bottom of the eye to the 

 point of the stick, should be about nine inches in 

 length. The stick should not be tapering, but 

 nearly of equal thickness all the way down to with- 

 in an inch and a half of the point, where it must 

 be tapered off to the point. If the wood be cut 

 away, all round, to the thickness of a dollar, and 

 iron put round in its stead, it makes a very com- 

 plete tool. The iron becomes bright and the earth 

 does not adhere to it as it does to wood. Having 

 the plant in one hand and the stick iu the other, 

 malje a hole suitable to the root that it is to receive. 

 Put in the root in such a way, that the earth, when 

 pressed' in, will be on a level with the butt-ends of 

 the lower or outer leaves of tbe plant. Let the 

 plant be rather higher than lower than this ; for 

 care must be taken not to put the jdant so low as 

 for the earth to fall or be washed into the heart of 

 the plant, nor even into the inside of the bottom 

 leaves. The stem of a cabbage, and the stems of 

 all the cabbage kind, send out roots from all the 

 parts of them that are put beneath the surface of 

 the ground. It is good, therefore, to plant as deep 

 as you can without injury to tlie leaves. The 

 next consideration is, the fastening of the plant in 

 the ground. The hole is made deeper than the 

 length of the root, but the root should not be bent 

 at the point,' if -it can be avoided. Then, while 

 one hand holds the plant with its root in the hole, 

 the other hand applies the setting stick to the 

 earth on one side of the hole, the slick being held 

 such a way as to form a sharp triangle with the 

 plant. Then, pushing the stick down so that its 

 point go a little deeper than the point of the root, 

 and giving it a little twist, it presses the earth 

 against the point or bottom of the root. And thus 

 all is safe, and the plant is sure to grow." — Cobbetl. 

 After-culture. — Little more is necessary than to 

 stir the ground pretty frequently, and keep it clear 

 of weeds. It is recommended to hoe the ground 

 while the dew is on, once a week, till they begin 

 to head. 



Diseases and Insects.— Cabbages are liable to a 

 disease in the roots, in which they become swelled 

 and knobby, and the plants of weak and imjjerfect 

 growth. This disorder is called stump foot, fum- 

 ble foot, &c. It has been supposed to be caused 

 by the attacks of grubs, below the surface of the 

 ground ; and the disorder is said to be chiefly prev- 

 alent where the same sort of cabbages have been 

 raised on the same ground, several years iu suc- 

 cession. Lovett Peters, Esq. of Weslborough,Mass. 

 says, the cause of the stump foot is in the soil : — 

 " Few pieces of land, I believe, that have been for 

 several successive years under the plough, will 

 produce a good crop of cabbages, though there 

 may be exceptions. My method of raising them, 

 which I have practised for several years with com- 

 plete success, is the following : In the spring, 

 take a piece of green sward of a good soil and 

 free from stones, and turn it over with the plough 

 as flat as possible ; then spread on a large quantity 



