CABBAGE. 117 



in good condition for late cabbage, but the richer the land the 

 better the chances of success. Less manure is required for 

 late than for early cabbage. Late cabbage is generally raised 

 by sowing the seed in the hills, or by sowing it in a seed bed 

 and setting the plants in the field when of sufficient size. Each 

 of these methods has its advantages and will be referred 

 to separately further on. 



Sowing Cabbage Seed. Late cabbage is raised by sowing 

 the seed in a seedbed, in rows twelve inches apart, in the 

 spring, and when the plants are large enough transplanting 

 to the field where they are to be grown. This is the common 

 way of growing cabbage. Its advantages are that the plants 

 may be set out on land that has grown some early crop, as 

 peas, or on sod land after cutting the hay. It also ensures 

 having the plants all together in a small space, where they can 

 be easily cultivated and guarded when they are young and 

 most liable to serious injury from cut worms, flea beetles and 

 other insects and from dry weather. It has the disadvantage 

 of requiring the plants to be moved during the dry weather of 

 early summer, when they are very liable to fail from lack of 

 water in the soil. Sowing the seed of cabbage in the field 

 where the plants are to mature and then thinning out to one 

 plant to a hill, has the advantage of not requiring trans- 

 planting of the crop during dry weather, and as the plants are 

 not set back by transplanting they mature in a shorter time 

 than transplanted plants. This makes it practicable to sow 

 the seed later than when the plants are to be removed and is 

 sometimes an advantage. It has the disadvantage, however, 

 of having the plants scattered over a large area when small 

 and liable to serious insect enemies, and makes it more diffi- 

 cult to cultivate them than when in a seed bed. The thinnings 

 from the land where seed is sown in the hill may be set else- 

 where. 



Raising Cabbage by Transplanting. If the plants are to be 

 raised in a seedbed and then transplanted to the open ground, 

 the. seed of such varieties as Late Flat Dutch should be sown 

 about the 10th of May; but if Fotler's Improved Brunswick or 

 other second early kind is to be grown, the seed should not be 

 sown until at least ten days later: and such large, early head- 

 ing varieties as Early Summer may be successfully raised 



