KITCHEN-GARDEN PLANTS. ClIAF- 



clear of weeds. But, whether there be weeds or not, 

 hoe between the plants in ten days after they are planted. 

 You cannot dig between the plants, which stand at the 

 smallest distances -, but you may, and ought, to dig 

 once, if not twice, during their growth, between all the 

 rest. To prevent a sudden check by breaking all the 

 roots at once, in hot weather, dig every other interval, 

 leave the rest, and dig them a week later. All the larger 

 sorts of cabbages should, about the time that their heads 

 are beginning to form, be earthed up 5 that is, have the 

 earth from the surface drawn up against the stem j and, 

 the taller the plants are, the more necessary this is, and 

 the higher should the earth be drawn. After the earth 

 has been thus drawn up from the surface, dig, or hoe deep, 

 the rest of the ground. Thus the crop will be brought 

 to perfection. As to sorts 3 the earliest is the early dwarf; 

 the next is the early sea-green ; then comes the early York. 

 Perhaps any one of them may do ; but the first will head 

 ten days sooner than the last. The greatest thing be- 

 longing to cabbages, is, to have heads, loaved and white, 

 to cut early in the spring ; and these you cannot have 

 unless you sow the seed in the last week of July or first 

 week of August ; and unless that seed be of the early 

 sort and true. The manner of sowing seed and of prick- 

 ing out has already been described. The plants should 

 be put out into rows of two feet apart, and about fifteen 

 inches apart in the row j and this work should be done 

 about the latter end of October. If, however, the season 

 have brought the plants very forward, they may go out a 

 little before ; but, if the weather prove very mild, it is a 

 very good way to dig them up and plant them again im- 

 mediately, each in its own place, about the middle of 



