CABBAGE 



VEGETABLE GABDEN Brussels speouts 1115 



Early Spring, Enfield Marhet, and 

 Wheeler's Imperial, These are all excel- 

 lent Cabbages, but to obtain the best 

 results from Ellam's Dwarf Early, the 

 seeds must be sown in July or August. 

 A variety called Choii, de Burghley, or 

 Gilbert's Cabbage Broccoli, produces 

 hearts like those of Broccoli if allowed to 

 remain on the ground long enough. It is 

 highly appreciated by some, but not by 

 others. It should be cut while in the 

 form of a Cabbage, before the Broccoli 

 head develops, and is very useful if sown 

 in May, when it will come into use the 

 following February. 



Pickling Cabbage. — For pickling 

 purposes the variety known as Bed Dutch 

 is the best. Seeds may be sown in either 

 March or July according to the time the 

 plants are wanted, but the July sowing is 

 usually considered to yield the best results. 

 The seedlings should be about 3 ft. apart 

 in the rows. As Eed Cabbages take about 

 14 months to produce large and solid 

 heads, they should be grown on rich soil. 

 To make the best use of the latter it may 

 be utihsed in the meantime to mature a 

 crop of Potatoes, spring or autumn Cab- 

 bages, Lettuces, &c., but the rows should 

 then be correspondingly wide for the Eed 

 Cabbage, say 3^-4 ft. 



Coleworts or Collards. — These are 

 really smaU-headed and very useful Cab- 

 bages, known in gardens as ' Greens ' 

 during winter and early spring when they 

 have not formed proper heads. They are 

 most appreciated in winter, and to obtain 

 them at this period seeds are sown about 

 the middle of June. The seedlings, are 

 treated in the same way as Cabbages, but 

 as they produce smaller heads, a foot or so 

 between the plants is quite sufficient 

 space to allow them. If seeds are sown 

 in April and May, afterwards transplanting 

 the seedlings in showery weather, the 

 plants will turn in by early autumn with 

 nice heads, and thus succeed the summer 

 Cabbages and when Peas are becoming 

 scarce. The variety known as the London 

 or Bosette Oolewort is the one usually 

 grown. It forms small compact heads 

 and cooks tenderly. 



For diseases &c. see p. 1113. 



Couve Tronchuda or Portugal Cab- 

 bage. — This is a Portuguese variety, the 

 leaves of which have thick white fleshy 

 midribs, but they do not form very com- 

 pact heads. The leaves are very tender 



when cooked, but require to be slightly 

 frosted like Savoys in order to develop 

 the flavour to its Mlest extent. A variety 

 known as the Dwarf Portugal Cabbage 

 forms denser and more compact heads than 

 the ordinary variety. 



SAVOY CABBAGE (Beassica ole- 

 EACBA bullata). — Although resembling 

 the Cabbage in general appearance, the 

 Savoy is more nearly related botanically 

 to Brussels Sprouts. It is readily recog- 

 nised by the large leaves, which have a 

 very wrinkled or ' buUate ' surface. The 

 Savoy is very highly appreciated in 

 some gardens, as it grows so easily 

 and requires very little attention. Its 

 cultivation is the same as for the Cab- 

 bages described above, with the excep- 

 tion that as a rule seeds are only sown 

 out of doors in spring, at intervals from 

 March to May, to secure a good succession. 

 The young plants should be placed l|-2 

 ft. apart, according to the variety grown. 

 The Drii/mhead Savoy, which is the 

 largest variety grown, and is excellent 

 for the general crop, though rather coarse, 

 should be 2 feet apart, while the Early 

 Dwarf Ulm and Tom Thumb may be 

 about 18 in. apart. All the kinds are very 

 hardy and stand frost well ; indeed they 

 are considered all the better for having 

 been frosted, and this fact renders Savoys 

 valuable, especially when ordinary Cab- 

 bages are scarce. 



BRUSSELS SPROUTS (Beassica 



OLEEACBA BULLATA GEMMIFBEA). — This 



highly esteemed vegetable derives its 

 name from the fact that it was originally 

 introduced from the gardens round 

 Brussels, where it has been grown for five 

 or six centuries. Although the general 

 treatment is the same as for the Cabbage, 

 the soil need not be so rich or so heavily 

 manured. If too rich there is a tendency 

 on the part of the plants to produce rather 

 loose sprouts, instead of roundish compact 

 ones. The character of the plant is well 

 known, the stem being studded with 

 spiral rows of roundish heads or ' sprouts,' 

 and ending with a rosette of wrinkled 

 leaves forming a kind of spreading um- 

 brella. 



Time of sowing. — Seeds may be 

 sown in March in frames, afterwards in 

 the open air at the end of March and 

 early in April, and finally the first week 

 in May so as to secure a good succession. 

 For all ordinary purposes, however, one 



