274 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



weight it is seldom that the increase in weight will not 

 make up for the decline in price. 



A large butcher knife is the most satisfactory tool for 

 cutting cabbage. A whetstone should be kept in the 

 field and used often enough to maintain a sharp edge on 

 the knife. In cutting, place one hand on the head, first 

 determining, if necessary, its solidity, then with the other 

 hand sever it while it is drawn to one side, retaining 

 as few outer leaves as possible. Whether sold by weight 

 or in packages the outer leaves should be removed. 

 When the crop is to be stored in pits or houses, it is 

 customary to retain two or three outer leaves for pro- 

 tection. If the cabbage is to be buried, a sharp hatchet 

 is the most serviceable tool with which to cut the stems. 



Two or three rows of extra early varieties are often 

 planted at convenient intervals to provide roadways for 

 gathering the crop. Intensive gardeners often use wheel- 

 barrows with large boxes, while growers cultivating 

 large fields generally plant so that a wagon will straddle two 

 rows. There is no difficulty in collecting the late crop, 

 for it is usually cut clean. Cabbage should always be 

 handled with care, to prevent bruising. An excellent 

 plan is to keep a man on the wagon to catch and place 

 the heads as fast as two or three men can cut and trim 

 them. If cut during the day when the wagons are 

 absent, three or four rows may be placed together for 

 convenience in loading. 



360. Marketing. As previously stated, southern cab- 

 bage is nearly always sold by the crate or the barrel, and 

 these methods are common among growers in the North. 

 The crate is the best package because of its perfect ven- 

 tilation and compactness when loaded on wagons or 

 cars. Cabbage crates vary in shape and size. The fol- 

 lowing are inside measurements of those used in various 

 parts of the country: The Mobile crate is 16 x 16 x 26 l / 2 

 inches; Charleston or South Carolina crate is It x IQ 25 



