CAB 



[ 165] 



CAB 



the August sowing have been destroyed. 

 The Gouve Tronchuda should be sown 

 from the first of March to the end of 

 April. One very important point is, that 

 all pricked-out plants should invariably 

 be lifted with either a spade, trowel, or 

 fork, out of the pricked-out beds, whether 

 in frames or otherwise, so as to secure 

 their young roots. Plants out of the 

 seed bed seldom need this precaution. 



Mode of Sowing. The seed is inserted 

 rather thin, about a quarter of an inch 

 deep, and occasionally watered until the 

 plants are well above ground, and the 

 waterings in summer may afterwards be 

 beneficially repeated two or three times 

 a week, until they are ready for removal, 

 if dry hot weather continues. The seed- 

 lings are pricked out in rows four or five 

 inches asunder each way ; shaded and 

 watered until completely established. 



The Soil cannot be made too rich for 

 cabbage-worts at any time. 



Planting. "We never make but two 

 plantings in the year; one from the 21st 

 of July sowing, which planting is made 

 during the first fortnight of September ; 

 and the second planting is made in the 

 spring, towards the end of February or 

 beginning of March. This last planting 

 is either made from plants raised in Au- 

 gust, or, if the winter destroyed that 

 sowing, it is made from early spring 

 sowings ; our soil being made so rich for 

 these two plantings that we never want 

 for coleworts, or even young cabbage, 

 which are produced after the principal 

 heads have been cut away. 



Cutting^ Cabbages. If young sprouts-* 

 are required, the side-leaves should be 

 left on for about five days after the prin- 

 cipal head is cut. The side-sprouts will 

 be found to put forth very much the 

 stronger and quicker for the leaves being 

 thus left. 



Planting. Plant in rows from one and 

 a half to two and a half feet asunder 

 each way ; the smaller early kinds being 

 planted the closest. The red cabbage, 

 the principal plantation of which should 

 be made in March for pickling in Sep- 

 tember, is benefited by having the dis- 

 tances enlarged to three feet. They must 

 be well watered at the time of removal, 

 and until fully established. The best 

 mode of applying the water is to make 



the hole with the dibble and pour in 

 about a quart before inserting the plant ; 

 frequently hoe to keep under the weeds, 

 and as soon as their growth permits, the 

 earth should be drawn round the stems. 

 To promote the cabbaging of the plants, 

 it is useful to draw the leaves together 

 with a shred of bass mat, which forwards 

 it about a fortnight. The stems of the 

 summer and autumn crops, if left after 

 the main head has been cut, will produce 

 numerous sprouts during those seasons, 

 and continue to do so throughout the 

 winter. 



To obtain Seed. In October, which is 

 the preferable season, and from thence 

 until the close of February, select some 

 of the finest and best cabbage plants. 

 Have the large outer leaves removed, 

 and then insert them up to their heads 

 in rows, three feet asunder each way. 

 Each variety must be planted as far from 

 any other as possible, as indeed from 

 every other species of cabbage- wort ; and 

 this precaution applies equally to the 

 whole tribe. 



Frame Seedlings. The heat must never 

 exceed 60, nor sink more than two or 

 three degrees beneath 50, which is the 

 most favourable minimum. Air should 

 be admitted freely in the day, and the 

 glasses covered, as necessity requires, at 

 night with matting. 



Coleworts, or Collets, merely signify 

 cabbages eaten young, or previous to 

 their hearts becoming firm, the genuine 

 colewort, or Dorsetshire kale, being nearly 

 .fi^tinct. 



The observations upon transplanting, 

 and the directions for cultivating cab- 

 bages, apply without any modification to 

 coleworts ; but the distance at which the 

 plants may be set is much less. If the 

 rows are a foot apart, and the plants 

 seven or eight inches distant from each 

 other, an abundant space is allowed. 

 They may be eaten when the leaves are 

 five or six inches in breadth. The most 

 preferable mode of taking them is to pull 

 up every alternate one ; the openings left 

 are beneficial to the remaining plants, and 

 some especially of the August-raised 

 plants may be left, if required for cab- 

 baging. 



The cabbage is liable to the Mildew 

 and Ambury, which see ; and to many 



