PLANTS OF THE BRASSICA GENUS. 1 59 



dense the better adapted it is for the purpose. Good 

 clover sod has much adaptation for the production 

 of good crops of cabbage. 



Preparing the Soil. — When cabbage is grown 

 speciahy for soiHng food, late crops are much pre- 

 ferred to those that mature early. What will now 

 be said on the preparation of the soil will have more 

 especial reference to the growing of late crops. In 

 preparing the land for this crop the soil should as a 

 rule be deeply broken. To this there may be some 

 exceptions, as for instance, when sod land is over- 

 turned but a short time before the crop is planted on 

 it, and more especially, when the soil has in it a 

 strong admixture of clay. The ideal treatment 

 under such conditions is to plow the sod only 

 moderately deep and to follow the ordinary plow 

 with a subsoil plow. The crop of clover or grass 

 should be allowed to make as much growth as 

 possible before it is turned under. As soon as the 

 land is plowed, the roler should follow the plow as 

 closely as possible. The green mass thus turned 

 under will begin to decay quickly and the young 

 cabbage plants will find in it most congenial food and 

 drink. Good crops of cabbage may be grown after 

 crimson clover has been cut, or even after the 

 medium red has been harvested. The chief difficulty 

 to be met in sowing crops this late is that of sprout- 

 ing the seed, since the weather at that season is 

 usually dry. In other instances cabbage may be 

 grown with profit when green rye has been buried 

 that had been sown the previous autumn. But the 

 rye should be buried while yet quite succulent, or it 

 will not decay with sufficient quickness. There may 



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