610 PRACTICE OF GARDENING. PART III. 



SUBSECT. 2. lied Cabbage. Brassica oleracea, var. 0. mbra. L. C/tou pomme 

 rouge, Fr. ; Roth Kopfkohl, Gcr. ; and Cavolo rosso, Ital. 



3509. The red or purple cabbage is similar in form to the white, but of a purple or 

 brownish-red color. 



3510. Use. The red cabbage is chiefly used for pickling ; and the dwarf red variety, 

 Neil I observes, " certainly does make one of the most beautiful pickles that can be pre- 

 sented at table," Both the dwarf and large sorts are sometimes shredded down in 

 winter, in salads, like red beet-root ; and the Germans prepare sour krout from all or 

 any of the varieties. 



351 1. Subvarieties. There are three principal varieties of red cabbage, viz. 



The large red, or red Dutch; with a large, I Thedwarf red; with a small, round, firm, I The Aberdeen red; with an open leafy 

 firm, roundhead, usual!; cultivated in delicate head, less common than the head, chiefly found in cottage gardens 

 market-gardens | other | in the north of Scotland. 



351 2. The propagation^ sowing, and culture are in all respects the same as for the white 

 cabbage; excepting that the heads are not used when imperfectly formed, or as cole- 

 worts ; but the plants should, in all cases, be allowed to stand till they have formed 

 close firm heads. Sow in August for a crop to stand the winter, and to come in at the 

 close of next summer, and thence till the end of autumn. Sow early in spring for re- 

 turns in the following winter and spring. 



SUBSECT. 3. Savoy. Brassica oleracea, var. 7. sabauda, L. ; B. o. var. 7. bullata, Dec. 

 / Chou pomme frise, Fr. 



3513. TJie Savoy is distinguished from the other close or hearted cabbages by the ru- 

 gosity of its leaves ; and from the Brussels sprouts, by its cabbaging in large full heads. 

 The Brussels sprouts is considered a subvariety. 



3514. Use. The Savoy is in use as a table-vegetable from November till spring, un- 

 less destroyed by frost, in which case, it is succeeded by the borecoles or winter greens. 

 These two classes of the cabbage tribe generally supply the table from November to 

 May. 



3515. Subvarieties. These are 



The green I The yellow Savoy ; and of each of these I The oblong, and 



Thedwarf, and are The conical, or sugar-loaf headed. 



I The round 



3516. Estimate of sorts. The green Savoy is the least hardy, and must be used first. The London 

 market is generally supplied with it through the month of November, and until the plants are injured by 

 frost The dwarf Savoy is hardier than the preceding, bearing well the attack of the first winter frosts, 

 by which the delicacy of its flavor is materially improved ; and from its small size, it is better adapted to 

 the tables of private familes. Where the whole class is cultivated, this must be considered the second 

 sort in succession. The best plants grow close to the ground, not exceeding a foot in height The yellow 

 Savoy, by its hardiness, enables us to continue the use of Savoys till mid-winter. It does not yield to any 

 of the others in goodness, and by many persons it is preferred, being considered much sweeter. (Hart. 

 Trans. voL ii. p. 309.) 



3517. Propagation. The Savoy is always raised from seed, and for a seed-bed four feet and a half by 

 eight feet, half an ounce of seed will be sufficient 



3518. Soil and situation. This esculent answers best on a light rich soil : poor or exhausted ground 

 should be manured according to the defects of it. Allot an open compartment in the full air, that the 

 seedlings and advancing plants may grow stocky, and not draw up weak and long stemmed, as they are 

 liable to do in close situations, or narrow borders, under walls. 



3519. Times of sowing. A sufficient succession is obtained by three, or at most, four sowings, made from 

 the last week of February till the second week in May ; for planting out, from May till September. A 

 small crop may be sown at the end of February, or the beginning of March, to plant out for early autumn 

 Savoys, to cabbage in August or September. Sow a larger portion in the last fortnight of March for a first 

 considerable autumn and winter crop. Nor omit to sow a full supply in the second or third week of April, 

 for a main crop to be planted out in June, July, and the beginning of August, to attain a full cabbaged 

 growth late in autumn, and to stand partly over the winter. Furthermore, it would be eligible to make 

 a moderate sowing at the beginning, or towards the middle of May, in order to plant out the seedlings in 

 July, August, or September, for smaller heading, to come in towards the spring, and to stand longer 

 before they run ; or, some to use occasionally in winter, as Savoy coleworts. 



3520. Culture. The ground should have been previously trenched to a good depth. Four feet is a con- 

 venient width for the beds. Sow broad-cast ; and rake in a quarter of an inch deep. As soon as the 

 plants have two or three leaves, an inch or two in width, if they stand too crowded, thin the seed-beds, by 

 drawing out a quantity regularly ; and prick them into other beds four inches asunder. Should the 

 weather be dry, water those left, as well as those removed. Permit both divisions to remain three, four, 

 or five weeks, to gain a good stocky size for final transplanting. When the plants, both in seed-beds and 

 those pricked out, are advanced with several leaves, two or three inches broad, or more, transplant them 

 finally into the most open compartments of ground, where they will be less annoyed by caterpillars, that 

 they may cabbage with large full heads ; planting them at different times as ground becomes vacant. 

 Remove the most forward in May or June, for early autumn heading in August or September. But plant 

 the principal crops in June or July, and from the beginning to the middle of August ; taking all possible 

 advantage of showery weather. In drawing the plants, observe if any are clubbed or knotty at the root, 

 and cut off the protuberances close. Plant in rows those removed in May, June, or July, two feet and a 

 half, or not less than two feet asunder, by the same distance in the rows ; others late planted in August 

 and September, two feet by eighteen inches. In scarcity of vacant ground, some Savoys may be occa- 

 sionally planted between wide rows of previous standing crops, such as beans, cauliflowers, and early 

 cabbage, that are sufficiently forward to be gathered off by the time the Savoys will want the entire 

 ground. Before and after plantings made in dry weather, watering would be of essential service. As 

 the plants of the different successions advance, keep them from weeds by occasional broad hoeing. At 

 the same time, loosen the surface of the earth, and draw some about the stems of the plants : let 

 this be done twice or oftener, to forward them in a free enlarging growth. They will gradually heart, 

 fully cabbaging in September, October, November, December, Sec. as they are the crops of the forward, or 



