CABBAGE AS A TRUCK CROP 169 



occur during the winter months. The nitrogenous fertilizer, there- 

 fore, is largely eliminated from the application made at planting 

 time and reserved until the opening of the true growing season, 

 which will vary in different localities according to the latitude in 

 which the work is being conducted. 



While this method of fertilizing the growing crop is of the 

 utmost importance, it should not be forgotten that potash is the 

 important element in the cabbage fertilizer. 



The truck crop in the seed bed. Cabbage plants for the truck 

 crop are grown in large beds in the open field. The seed is 

 usually sown broadcast or in close drills in September or early 

 in October in order that the young plants may be available for 

 transplanting to the open in November or December, according 

 to the locality. The seed should be sown thinly, so as to insure 

 stocky plants. 



In some localities the production of plants for transplanting 

 purposes is an important commercial industry. A few growers in 

 the neighborhood of Charleston, South Carolina, conduct a business 

 which enables them to supply plants for transplanting purposes in 

 carload lots. Under ordinary conditions, however, the plants for 

 transplanting are grown by the trucker and transferred directly 

 from the seed bed to the field. Under normal conditions | pound 

 of seed will supply plants for setting an acre in the field. 



Transplanting the truck crop. When the work of transplanting 

 to the field is done by hand, the plants should be lifted, puddled, 

 set with a dibble, and firmed by a second thrust of the dibble. If 

 the work is done by a transplanting machine, the soil will be firmed 

 by the compression wheels or firming blades t of the machine. The 

 usual practice throughout the Southern trucking area is to throw 

 up ridges at right angles to the prevailing winds, which usually 

 means that ridges run east and west. On the south side of these, 

 about a third of the distance from base to top, the cabbage plants 

 are set from 1 3 to 1 8 inches apart. If, at the time of transplanting, 

 the weather is warm and evaporation is rapid, it is advisable to 

 prune off about half the leaf area of the plants for the purpose 

 of lessening the evaporation, so that the growth of the plant will not 

 be checked. At this season of the year little cultivation will be 

 necessary, as weed growth will be slow. 



