CABBAGE 



a few hour<! that an\ watei it the base of the leares may 

 escape and set them m the trench heads up anil as com 

 pactly as posbible throwing a little eaith over the roots 

 as we do so We have found it profitable to build a roof 

 of four rough boards over them but this is not essen 

 tial and they mav be slightly covered with corn stalks 

 or other coarse litter, or even the refuse leaves of the 



nf ennd qualitv Oning 



but IS lu^ 1 III 



much bettei k i 

 the leaves n n\ 

 and very h inl 

 m condition i i 

 hardv and •« lU 



Hendeis n 1 

 2^1), All II I I 

 coming fit fui us 



GE 201 



to the hardiness and com- 



11 e the best sorts for forc- 

 ing planting at the north, 



outh 

 pecta much like the above, 



id somewhat later and a 

 Is aie shaipl> conical with 

 lan overlapping at the top, 

 tN and remain a long time 



I isMr\ sure heading and 



I lat Dutch (Fig. 



Jersey Wakefield Cabbage 



Cabbage may be used As soon as there is danger of 

 frost, cover with earth to protect them from it and the 

 rain. If the boards are used, thej should be (?o\ered 

 •with earth in the same way, and in both cases the cov- 

 ering should be increased as the weather grows colder, 

 and if it should be very cold, a covering of straw or 

 coarse manure is desirable. The aim is to protect the 

 heads from rain, but to keep them moist and at an even 

 temperature — one of about 32° is best, and one some- 

 what lower is less objectionable than one much higher. 

 The cost of growing .an acre of general crop or late 

 Cabbage on good ground, not including gwiund rent, is 

 about as follows : Fertilizer, $20 to $40 ; preparation of 

 the ground, $10 ; growing and setting about 8,000 plants, 

 $13 ; cultivating and hoeing, $10 ; harvesting and mar- 

 keting, $10. The yield should be about 7,500 heads, 

 making the cost of growing about one cent a head. 



Varieties.— The Cabbage has been made more valu- 

 able to man by the development of a tendency to form 

 more and larger leaves, and thickening them with thick 

 walled cells deposited both in the blade and the ribs 

 There has also been a shortening of the stem particu 

 larly at the top, until the upper leaves are crowded and 

 folded over each other and form a bud or head the inner 

 portion of which becomes blanched, tender and sweet, 

 and, through the loss of much of the naturallj strong 

 taste, well-flavored. The thicker the leaves and the more 

 solid the head, the sweeter, more tender and better fla 

 vored the Cabbage. If the leaves are long and 

 ■with large midrib and little blade at the base, 

 the upper part of the head may be solid ; Init 

 the lower part, being made up chiefly of the 

 thickened midribs, will be open and coarse 

 If the leaves are broad and proportionatelj 

 too short, they will not lap well over each 

 other, and the head will be soft and even 

 open at the center. Many varieties have been 

 developed, differing in season of maturity 

 shape of head, etc., and adapted to different 

 cultural or market conditions. Many of them, 

 though differing in some point, are essentiallj 

 identical, and, as the list is an ever-increasing 

 and constantly changing one, we would refei 

 our readers to the various seedsmen's cata 

 logues for descriptions, only speaking of 

 few representative sorts of the different types 

 between which there are many intermediate 



Jersey Wakefield (Fig. 299), Express, Ifeii 

 York. — These are small-growing, early-ma 

 turing and small-headed sorts. Under favor 

 able conditions they become fit for use in 

 from 90 to 110 days from seed, and continue in 

 edible condition but a comparatively short 

 time. The plants are compact and erect-growing, with 

 very thick, smooth and smooth-edged leaves, and are 

 Tery hardy. The hearts are small, as compared with the 

 later sorts, more or less conical in shape, quite solid. 



(1111 1(10 to 1411 d n s and continuing 

 ger than the W ikeht Id t\ pe The 

 adiiig -with luge broad smooth, 

 a more or less flattened oval head 

 d of good quality Thej are best 



/ Stone Ma^on Late Diximliead. — 



s 11 1 1 uling plants forming very large, 



h 11, I ii t . 1 _0 to 180 da> s and remaining a long 

 time in u xlili <(indition They are th« best tjpe for 

 general crop will give the largest yield and keep well 

 through the wmter 



ffollander Luxemhuiq —A type of Danisll"^origin, 

 which has become quite popular of late jears, particu- 

 larly for shipping long distances. The plants are strong- 

 growmg and the hardiest of all, enduring with but little 

 injury frost or drought which would ruin other sorts. 

 Thev comi? tn iiintnrity slnwly, and form a comparatively 

 small Imt yiiv Ikiv.I n.mi.l bead of good quality, which 

 keips w. 11 ami whicli. In rauxi- of its .shape and solidity, 

 can 1m- IkhiiII. ;1 in ^liii.piii- bi-tter than most sorts. 



Siirini (Kite. ::ii(i).-A c-lass of Cabbage in which the 

 leaves of both the plant and head are i-ninii.li -d cr sa- 

 voyed instead of smooth, as in the pre'-rdin;;, 'I'li. v,. are 

 varieties of all the types found in smo.itli 1. a\ . .1 s,,its, 

 though generally they are less certain to fonn g,.iid 

 heads, and the heads are smaller. As a class they are 

 very hardy, particularly as to cold. They are extensively 

 grown in Europe, where they are esteemed to be much 

 more tender and delicate in flavor than the smooth- 

 leaved sorts 



Bed Cabbage —A class of which there are many varie- 

 ties, and m which the leaves of the plant are dark pur- 

 ple and those of the head bright red The heads are 



specially esteemed 



300. Savoy Cabbage. 



small, but usually very solid, and 

 for use as "cold slaw." 



Seed-gkowino. — It is only through the constant exer- 

 cise of the utmost care and skill in the growing of the 



