62 CABBAGES, HOW TO GROW THEM, ETC. 



ry, but I bad rather err in setting out too good heads 

 than too poor ones ; besides, the great hardness obtained 

 by the heads of the Stone Mason makes it possible, at 

 least, that 1 am right. Cabbage raised from seed grown 

 from stumps are apt to be unreliable for heading and to 

 grow long-stumped, though under unfavorable conditions 

 long stumped and poor headed cabbage may grow from 

 the best of seed. To have the best of seed all shoots 

 that start below the head should be broken off. ^ The 

 shoots should be protected from the wind by being tied 

 to stakes, and scarecrows should be set up, or some like 

 precaution be taken to keep away the little seed birds 

 that begin to crack the pods as soon as they commence 

 to ripen. A plaster cat is a very good scarecrow to 

 frighten away birds from seed and small fruits, if its 

 location is changed every few days. 



I find that the pods of cabbage seed grown South are 

 tough, and not brittle like those grown North, and hence 

 that they are injured but little, if any, by seed birds- 

 When the seed pods have passed what seedsmen call 

 their " red'^ stage, they begin to harden ; as soon as a 

 third of them are brown the entire stalk may be cut and 

 hung up in a dry, airy place, for a few days, when the 

 seed will be ready for rubbing or threshing out. Differ- 

 ent varieties should be raised far apart to insure purity ; 

 and cabbage seed had better not be raised in the vicinity 

 of turnip seed. There is some difference of opinion as 

 to the effect of growing these near each other ; where 

 the two vegetables blossom at the same time, I should 

 fear an admixture. When the care requisite to select 

 good seed stock and the trouble of keeping it over win- 

 ter, planting it in isolated locations, protecting it from 

 wind and weather, guarding it from injury from birds 

 and other enemies, gathering it, cleaning it, are all 

 considered, few men will find that they can afford to 



