CABBAGE 



CABBAGE 



199 



varieties, when grown without check, will come into 

 heading condition in about ninety days from the seed, 

 and the time necessary for the different sorts to perfect 

 heads varies from that to some 200 days for the latest. 

 In about sixty days from the seed the plant will be as 

 large as can be profitably transplanted, so that when 

 plants can be safely set out-of-doors early in March the 

 seed should be sown early in February, the date of sow- 

 ing to be determined by the local climatic conditions. 

 We think the best plan is to sow the seed in boxes, 

 about 3 inches deep, and of convenient size to handle, 

 filled with rather heavy but very friable soil. We plant 

 the seed in drills, about 2 inches apart, dropping about 

 ten seeds to the inch. The seedlings need abundant 

 light and air, and the great danger to be guarded against 

 is their becoming soft and spindling through too high 

 temperature and the want of light. They should be fully 

 exposed whenever the weather will permit. In from 

 fifteen to twenty days after sowing the seed the plants 

 should be "pricked out," setting them about 2 inches 

 apart, in a rich and somewhat heavier soil than was used 

 in the seed boxes, and as soon as well established they 

 should be given all the light and air possible. A few de- 

 grees of frost for a night will be an advantage rather 

 than an injury. It was formerly the custom, and one still 

 followed by some successful growers, to sow the seed in 

 the open ground in September, transplanting into cold- 

 frames in late October or November, and carry the plants 

 through the winter in a dormant or slowly growing condi- 

 tion. Such plants, being very hardy, can be set out early, 

 and, if all goes well, will mature somewhat earlier than 

 spring-grown plants, but this method is now generally 

 thought to be more expensive, less profitable and certain 

 than spring planting. For the later or general crop at 

 the north, and for those parts of the south where no pro- 

 tection is necessary, seed is sown in beds out-of-doors. 

 For this purpose, select a well-drained, level spot, of 

 rich, friable soil, as near the field where the crop is to 

 be grown as practicable, and get it into the best possible 

 condition as to tilth and moisture by repeated cultiva- 

 tion. In the latitude of New York, the latter part of 

 May or the first of June is considered the best time for 

 sowing seed for the general crop, but fine yields are 

 often obtained there from seed sown as late as the mid- 

 dle of July, and many of the most successful growers 

 wisely make several sowings, one as early as May 10, 

 and one or two later, so as to be sure to have plants in 

 the best condition for transplanting at the time when 

 the condition of the field and weather is favorable. The 

 seed should be sown in drills, about a foot apart, at the 

 rate of about fifty to the foot, or, if thicker, the plants 

 should be thinned to about one-fourth inch apart, as 



small roller, or, best of all, the foot ; this firming of the 

 soil is often quite essential to success. It is sometimes 

 the case that, in spite of all our efforts, the seed-bed be- 

 comes so dry that seed will not germinate. In such cases 

 one can often get a good stand by watering the ground 

 before planting, filling the drills two or three times with 



295. Georgia Collards. 



soon as fairly up. Some growers sow the seed and leave 

 the plants much thicker, but we think it pays to give 

 them plenty of room. The seed should be lightly cov- 

 ered, and the soil pressed firmly over it with the hoe, a 



296. Curl'ed Kale. Brassica oleracea, var. acephala. 



water, and when it has settled away sow the seed and 

 cover with dry earth, well pressed down. In most cases 

 an attempt to wot the bed by sprinkling, either before 

 or after the seed is planted, will do more harm than 

 good. As soon as the starting seed breaks ground the 

 surface should be carefully stirred with a rake, and this 

 should be repeated at least as often as four times a week 

 unjil the plants are taken to the field. 



A full stand of healthy, well-established plants is of 

 great importance, and does much towards assuring a 

 profitable crop. So important is it, that many growers 

 wait for damp weather before setting, regardless of the 

 season. We think they often make a mistake in doing 

 so, and, while a cloudy or damp day is desirable, it is of 

 far greater importance that our plants are set at the 

 proper time, and the moisture of the soil conserved by 

 cultivation before and stirring of the surface immedi- 

 ately after setting. Careful attention should be given 

 to so arrange the work that the young plants should be 

 taken up so as to save all the root possible, protected 

 from the sun, and set as soon as practicable. Just how 

 this can be best done will depend upon each planter's 

 circumstances and the help he has at his command. 

 There is one point in transplanting which is of especial 

 importance with Cabbage plants, that is that the roots 

 are not doubled back upon themselves. This is often 

 done by careless men, and some of the transplanting 

 machines are worthless because of this fault. A Cabbage 

 plant so set never does well, and seems to suffer much 

 more than if the root had been cut off instead of folded 

 back. 



The Cabbage is very dependent upon a proper supply 

 of water, and suffers more from the want of it than most 

 of our garden vegetables. Its roots, though abundant 

 and of quick growth, are comparatively short, and less 

 capable of gathering moisture from a dry soil than those 

 of such plants as the bean. On the other hand, it is 

 quickly and seriously injured by an over-supply of 

 water at the root. Want of consideration of these char- 

 acteristics is a frequent cause of failure. Men seem to 

 think that, because the plant is a rank feeder, all that is 

 necessary is an abundant supply of food, and set them 

 on rich, black soils, made up chiefly of vegetable mat- 

 ter, but so open that they quickly dry out during sum- 

 mer droughts and the plants die or fail to do well, or 

 on lands so poorly drained that in a wet time the ground 

 is flooded and the plants drowned out. Not only should 

 we select ground where the natural water supply is 

 good, but one where the physical conditions are such 

 that we can conserve the soil moisture by frequent and 

 thorougl. cultivation, both before and after setting the 

 plants. 



For the highest possible development, the evenness of 



