The Growing of Cabbage from Seed 61 



pared with that for plants grown for seed production. 

 If animal manures are not available, the humus may be 

 supplied by a growth of pea vines or an application of 

 woods mold and the necessary available plant -food 

 supplied by a commercial fertilizer containing about 6 

 per cent of potash, 7 of nitrogen and 8 of available 

 phosphoric acid. For maximum crops, thirty or forty 

 tons of mixed animal manure, or one to two tons of com- 

 mercial fertilizer proportioned as above, will not be 

 excessive. The land intended for the spring crop of 

 cabbage should be manured at intervals during the late 

 fall and winter, and plowed after each application of 

 manure to thoroughly incorporate the latter with the 

 soil, to expose the soil to the pulverizing effects of 

 frost, and destroy the cutworm by exposing him to the 

 winter weather. 



It is of the first importance to secure good seed 

 which has been grown from well -selected plants in a 

 section especially adapted to the cabbage. Seed saved 

 from plants grown in the middle south has a tendency 

 to run to seed or to produce only leaves, without head- 

 ing. Good seed may be saved in the Blue Ridge Moun- 

 tains, where the cabbage grows to perfection. By select- 

 ing plants of ideal development from the fall -grown 

 crop, protecting them during the winter and transplant- 

 ing in early spring not less than three feet each way and 

 protecting them from plant -lice and harlequin bugs, 

 good seed may be saved in our alpine region. The sub- 

 stances needed for the growth of the seed -stalk are 

 stored during the first year's growth in the stalk and 

 leaves of the head. It is well to slit the leaves of the 



