Cabbage 



( 148 ) 



Cabbage 



selection of suitable varieties, useful heads may be 

 obtained over the greater part of the year. The 

 Red Cabbage is chiefly used for pickling purposes. 



Propagation. From seeds sown outdoors late in 

 July and in August for spring cutting, in March for 

 summer and autumn use, and in June for the late 

 autumn and winter. Red Cabbage is best sown in 

 August, but plants may be raised by sowing over a 

 slight hotbed in February or March. In all cases 

 the soil should be broken down fine, the seed sown 

 broadcast, and dusted with sifted wood ashes as a 

 preventive against insects. 



Soil. The Cabbage is not exacting as regards 

 soil, but prefers a deeply worked medium in a fair 

 state of cultivation. A sheltered south border is a 

 good site for plants intended for early spring use. 

 When Cabbage closely follows a previous crop like 

 early Potatoes, the ground should receive a coating 

 of manure and be dug, but must be made firm. 



Other Cultural Points. On no account should 

 seedlings be left to overcrowd each other in the 

 seed bed before being transplanted. If thinned 

 at an early stage, the plants may be removed direct 

 from the seed quarters to the permanent bed ; but 

 rather than allow them to become elongated through 

 overcrowding, the seedlings should be pricked off 

 into a nursery bed. A common failing with spring 

 Cabbage is the habit, in some seasons, of running 

 to seed in the spring instead of forming heads. 

 Some varieties are more apt to do this than others, 

 and the trouble may be obviated to a great extent 

 by sowing at the end of July and again about the 

 middle of August, selecting the sturdiest specimens 

 for transplanting, and choosing a variety like 

 Ellam's Early. Plants put out in the autumn 

 should have the soil drawn up to the stems 

 arly in November, and be left for the winter. 

 Hoe between the plants in March and make good 

 any failures with reservations left in the seed bed 

 for the purpose. When heads are forming, light 

 surface dressings of nitrate of soda, hoed in at the 

 rate of \ oz. per square yard, once a fortnight, are 

 'highly beneficial. After the heads are cut, trim off 

 the old leaves, and the stalks may be left to furnish 

 sprouts in the summer and autumn. Plants from 

 spring and summer sowings should be put out in 

 showery weather as ground is cleared of other 

 crops. Compact Cabbages may be planted 15" 

 apart, in rows 18" asunder, but large varieties 

 should be given another 6" each way. 



Select Varieties : 



For early spring use : 



Cannell's Defiance Im- Early York. 



proved. Flower of Spring, compact 



Ellam's Early, one of the aud dwarf. 



best. Mein's No. 1 . 



For late spring and summer : 

 Cattell's Reliance, medium. Enfield Market. 

 Defiance, large and vigorous. Nonpareil, one of the best. 



For autumn and minter : 

 Hardy Green Colewort. Rosette Colewort. 

 Drumhead. Winnigstadt. 



Varieties of Ph'ltling Cabbage : 

 Dwarf Blood Red. Red Dutch. 



Enemies. Birds. Sparrows and other small 

 birds are troublesome, through devouring the seeds 

 and seedlings in the beds. They should be 

 checked by stretching garden netting over the 

 beds. In severe weather in the winter larks and 

 linnets injure the plants by eating the leaves. 



The best preventives are scaring or shooting the 

 birds. 



Aphis (Aphis Srassicce). During periods of 

 drought, and when plants are growing in poor, 

 light soils, they are apt to be attacked by hordes 

 of this Aphis, particularly in the summer and 

 autumn. The increase is rapid, and if prompt 

 measures are not taken growth is seriously affected. 

 Good cultivation is the best preventive. Assist the 

 plants with a little stimulant. Dust affected plants 

 with lime and soot when damp with dew, and 

 syringe with quassia water. 



Moth (Pieris Brassicie). The larvze of this 

 well-known moth are very destructive to nearly all 

 members of the Cabbage family, devouring the 

 leaves, and eating their way into the hearts. The 

 moths are on the wing from May and June on- 

 wards through the summer, and deposit eggs on 

 the leaves of the Cabbage. The caterpillars, which 

 are green, variously marked with grey or black, 

 have voracious appetites, and play havoc with the 

 leaves and hearts of the plants through the months 

 of July, August, and September. When full-fed 

 they bury themselves in the ground, and remain in 

 the pupa state through the winter. When digging 

 the ground, pick out all the chrysalids and burn 

 them. Destroy the moths when seen flitting about 

 in the summer. Hand-pick the Greens when cater- 

 pillars appear. This is the most effective remedy 

 when done regularly. Dust the plants with soot 

 and lime. Syringe with a brine solution. 



Fly (Anthomyia Urassicce). This fly makes its 

 appearance in the summer, and the females, which 

 are of an ashy grey colour, deposit eggs beneath 

 the skin of the root stems. When the caterpillars 

 are hatched they eat the soft parts, and burrow 

 through the stem and roots, causing a disease to 

 set in which is often mistaken for club root. The 

 drooping of plants in the sun, and a sickly yellow 

 appearance of the leaves, are signs of the trouble. 

 Dress the ground with lime after the crop has been 

 removed. Dip the roots and stems before planting 

 in a puddle formed of soot, lime, clay, and water. 

 Prevent attacks by soaking 1 quart of paraliin in 

 1 bushel of sand, and scattering it amongst the 

 plants in the seed bed. 



Snomy Fly or Powdered, Wing (Aleyrodes prole- 

 tella~). This little white-winged fly, which is 

 only about -jL" long, is produced in some seasons 

 in innumerable quantities, and damages Greens of 

 all kinds by extracting the juices from the leaves. 

 The moths" infest the under sides of the foliage, 

 and when disturbed they rise in the air in small 

 clouds. These pests seem to settle in chosen 

 localities, from which it is a difficult matter to 

 expel them. A complete rotation of crops should 

 be adopted in bad cases. Remove dead leaves and 

 rubbish from round the plants, and burn them. 

 Apply a dressing of lime to the ground after re- 

 moving the crop. 



Flea Beetle (Ilaltita nemoruni). In dry seasons 

 this destructive little beetle plays havoc with 

 Cabbages in a seedling stage by devouring them, 

 and when matured by feeding on the leaves. Old 

 plants are generally affected the worst when grow- 

 ing in hot, exposed positions, where the rooting 

 medium is shallow or poor. Dust the seedlings 

 with soot, lime, and fine road dust when they 

 are damp with dew. Apply liquid manure and top- 

 dressings of nitrate of soda to established plants 

 to encourage vigorous growth. 



