Cabbage. 171 



have much strength, with the result that many fall victims to 

 slugs, birds, and excessive wet or sharp frosts, whilst those 

 which survive mature late the following spring and so miss the 

 best prices. 



From the middle of July to the middle of August is the usual 

 time for this sowing, the exact date depending upon the season, 

 the soil, and the locality. The earlier dates are for the north 

 of the kingdom, gradually getting later towards the south. In 

 a hot summer or on an early soil it would be wise to defer 

 sowing a week or two later than the usual time. The seed-bed 

 should be light and rich. After raking down to a fine tilth, the 

 seed should be sown very thinly, in shallow drills 9in. apart. 

 The seedlings are frequently left standing in the seed-bed until 

 planting out time arrives, and provided they are thinned out 

 sufficiently to avoid overcrowding, not much can be said against 

 the practice, but where the quantity to be dealt with is not 

 too large, much sturdier plants are obtained if the seedlings are 

 pricked out on a bed similar to the seed-bed as soon as they 

 can be handled. The plants should be set out in September, 

 choosing a rainy period when possible. For these plants the 



soil should be in a firm condi- 

 tion ; if it is loose they do 

 not heart up so well. The dis- 

 tance apart depends upon the 

 variety grown. Cabbage which 

 grow to an average size are 

 usually set 18in. apart in each 

 direction; or they may be 18in. 

 apart in the row and 2ft. be- 

 tween the rows, with coleworts 

 set 1ft. apart between the rows 

 of Cabbage ; or again they may 

 be planted from 1ft. to 14in. 

 apart in each direction, every 

 alternate plant being cut as soon as growth commences in 

 the spring and sold as " bag greens." If the " greens " are 

 removed so that the plants remaining stand in quincunx form 

 the remaining plants will stand about 17in. or 20in. apart in 

 each direction, which allows them ample space for development. 



Copyright, V. A. & Co. 



Early Etampes Cabbage. 



