CABBAGE. 47 



farms have never had need of these, as the plants are 

 set so closely that the horse and cultivator could not 

 go between the rows. 



QUALITY OF CABBAGE CHANGED BY CULTIVATION. 



There is no vegetable so changed in its essential 

 character by cultivation as the cabbage. To be ten- 

 der and sweet it must grow quickly; to grow it 

 quickly, the plants must be healthy when set; the 

 soil must be properly prepared, and all the conditions 

 of rapid growth strictly observed. If grown slowly 

 the inner leaves will be tough, and of strong flavor, 

 which renders them entirely unfit for salads, and by 

 no means so delicate when cooked. The cabbage 

 grown in Europe when brought here takes double 

 the time to cook that ours does, and the flavor is 

 strong and unpleasant. There is another important 

 point often overlooked : Cabbage is never as good as 

 the moment it is cut in the garden ; wilting toughens 

 it, its fibers grow hard and no amount of cooking 

 will restore its natural tenderness. 



In the garden a succession of planting is as nec- 

 essary for cabbage as for any other vegetable. The 

 moment a head reaches perfecton it begins to dete- 

 riorate, hence the necessity of a succession in order 

 to have it all times in the best possible condition. 



For winter use we prefer the putting away of 

 heads not quite fully grown, such will complete their 

 growth in the trench during wjnter, and they 

 will be more tender and delicate than those fully 

 matured in field or garden. All vegetables are more 

 delicious when young, from the fact that the fiber 

 which affords the plant strength to produce a seed 



