CAB 



eumrtance altenJing fome forts of cabbages, \v5iich make 

 them hij;lily eligible on all farms, which is, their laftiiig for 

 Iherp feed longer in the fpring. Riita baga, turnip cab- 

 bage, cabbage turnip, and green borecole, are in perfeiflion 

 in April, and la!l even to May, the moll pinching period 

 of the year. Turnips will do no fiich thing ; coafeqiitntly, 

 thofe farmers who potTefs turnip foils, (hjuld on no account 

 flight the culture ot cabbages for this purpofe." 



In regard to the preparation of the land, the author of 

 "Practical Agriculture" advifes, that " as the roots of the 

 plants run deep, and Hand in need of a large proportion of 

 nourilhment, a confiderable degree of pulverifation flioiild 

 be effecled, and the foil be well loofened to a confiderable 

 depth. Thcfe eficfls, he conceives, may be produced in 

 the moil ptrfecl manner, by repeated deep ploughings, and 

 txpofing as lar^e a furface as poflihle to the aftion of the 

 frolls during the winter feafon, by laying the land up into 

 pretty high ridges. Three ploughings are moftly found 

 fufiicient for this purpofe ; but the number (hould always 

 vary according to the nature and ftate of the land. When 

 this fort of crop fnccetds wheat, barley, oats, or beans, 

 the land is generally ploughed up in the autumn by a pretty 

 deep furrow, snd formed into ridges of about three feet in 

 width ; in this llatc, it may continue till the fpring, when 

 it Ihould be wxll broken down by hanowing in different di- 

 rcclions. It is then to be ploug47ed again, but with fome- 

 what Icfs depth than before. After this, as near as poffible 

 to the time of planting, the ground may again be well har- 

 rowed over, and a fuilable proportion of good liable manure 

 applied, as from fifteen to twenty-three horfe cart loads to 

 the acre ; or where compofts are made ufe of, from twenty 

 to thirty, and inunediatcly turned into, or inclofed in the 

 middle of the ridges. After this is-accomplifhed, the land 

 becomes ready for the reception of the plants. In fome 

 dillricls, however, a practice prevails of ipreading the ma- 

 nure upon the land, and turning it in with the firlt plough- 

 ing. In this way the ground is fuppofed to be prevented 

 from becoming too open by the aftion of the manure, and 

 the danger of the plants being injured in droughty feafons 

 prevented. It is obvious, however, he thinks, that in this 

 mode, much of the benefit to be derived from the manure 

 mud be loft by its remaining fo long incorporated with the 

 foil before the plants are put in, and that the great advan- 

 tage of having it in its moft adlive and concentrated ilate, 

 immediately below the roots of the plants, mull be want- 

 ing." It is dated in the " View of the State of Agricul- 

 ture in Mid Lothian," that " in the vicinity of Edinburgh, 

 in preparing for this crop, the ground is ploughed in No- 

 vember, and again in April following, and well reduced by 

 harrowing, &c. It is then laid out in three feet drill';, 

 thirty carts of dung per acre being laid in the drills, which 

 are then fplit with the plough covering the dung, and 

 then rolled lengthways, after which, the plants are put 

 in.'' And the author of the " Agricultural Survey" of 

 the county of Kent conceives, that " the tillage necclFary 

 for cabbage is to plough the land in the winter fix or feven 

 inches deep, and to crofs-plough it in the fpring in a dry 

 feafon, and then after manuring with a good covering of 

 rotten dung, before planting in June, to plough it again, 

 turning over a furrow ten inches wide for planting upon." 

 But in Suffolk, according to the account of the fecretary 

 to the board of agriculture, " the land is prepared by four 

 ploughings : the lalt of which buries an ample quantity of 

 dung, and forms the land a fccond time on three feet ridges 

 to be planted upon." 



Dr. Dickfon, in his " Syftem of Praftical Agriculture," 

 obfcrves, that " in the field culture of cabbages, feveral dif- 



CAB 



ferent forts arc capable of being employed, but that thofe 

 varieties that are moll ufcful as cattle food, and the nioft ca- 

 pable of withllanding the fcverity of the winters in this 

 northern climate, are the Scotch, the drumhead, the Ame- 

 riL-an, and the open green cabbage, or fpring kale. The 

 firll, when of the true firm flat topped kind, has been found 

 to be wholly incapable of being injured by frolls, except in 

 fome cafes a few of the outfide leaves. The fecond fort, or 

 true drum-head, is likewife extremely hardy, and more clofc 

 in its texture than many other varieties, being of courle very 

 heavy in proportion to its fize. It admits of being planted 

 clofer than the large American cabbage, which in particular 

 fituatiors is an advantage. This fort is known in fome dif- 

 tricls by the name of the fallov.- loaf cabbage, but it would 

 feem to differ fiom It in fome refpefts. As this kind is not 

 found fufficiently hardy to bear the effects of very fevere 

 frolls, a mixed llock is frequently employed, which is pro- 

 duced by phnting it and the common red cabbage together, 

 and after the feed pods are formed, cutting the latter, and 

 leavi'ig the former for feed. This mixed kinc', which is of 

 a deep green colour veined with purple, bcfiiles retaining 

 the fize of the drum-head, poffcfles the hardnefs of the red 

 cabbage. The third, or American kind, has not only a 

 large fize, but continues good to a late period in the fpring. 

 The lall, or kale fort is perfeftly hardy, and capable of 

 beinrr converted to ufc as a cattle and (heep food at the lat- 

 ter end of April, or bcginninc; of May, when other forts of 

 green food are extremely fca.ce, and difficult lo be pro- 

 cured. But, befides thele, the varieties known by the ti- 

 tles of the flat, Dutch, the Yorkfliire, the Savoy, and 

 feveral others, may, he fays, be made ufe of where the cli- 

 mate is more mild." 



The fame writer alfo adds, that " the chief advantage of 

 planting large fized cabbages in the field is that of their be- 

 ing capable of being fet out at fuch dillances as to readily 

 admit of their being cleaned and kept in order by the plough, 

 without any lots being fullained in the quantity of the pro- 

 duce. Where the foil is not of great llaple, and the ex- 

 pence of hand labour reafonable, the fmaller forts may, he 

 thinks, be made ufe of with advantage." 



Mr. Ycung, however, fears that " the great American 

 cabbage, which, thirty years ago was to be had, and which 

 came to ^o or 60, and even Solb. weight is loft at prefent. 

 And the great cattle cabbage, the great Scotch, the 

 drumhead, the Dntch, and other forts are not diftindl varie- 

 ties. A farmer ihould, he thinks, at firft get the bcft ftock 

 he can, and then trull only to the feed he raifes himfelf. 

 At prefent he is ir.clincd to beh-.ve, that the bcft fort to be 

 procured is th." large red cabbage. It comes to a good 

 fize, and is hardur than moft othe s." 



In procuring feed f'-r raifing young cabbage plants, great 

 care ftiould be taken, \i,?.l it be obtained from the moft per- 

 fedl plants of the different kinds, and fuch as have feedcd 

 without any other variety of the fame tribe blowing near 

 them, as it is, perhaps, only in this method, that they are 

 capable of being k'pt of a true kin,^. It may, therefore, in 

 this view be of great advantage to have the plants intended 

 to ftand for feed, planted out by themfelvcs in a piece of 

 ground at a diftance from the others, and well protettid 

 from birds. When feed of this fort is purchafed, fuch as 

 is new (hould always be preferred, as it not only vegetates 

 much quicker, but is more to be depended upon for a 

 proper lupply of plants. In dry feafons, ileeping the feed 

 in water, or fome other liquid, may alfo be of utility. The 

 beds on which the feed is fown (hould be of a good rich 

 quality, well prepared by digging, and the application of 

 manure ; as where the foil is poor and not fufficiently cn- 



nchedj 



