1420 The Vegetable Industry in Xew York State 



smaller heads will more than make up in growth for the loss 

 caused by cracking. 



Fig. 434 shows a Planet, Jr., cultivator rigged for cabbage when 

 the plants are small. When the leaves commence to get large the 

 side blades, or ten inch hoes as they are called, can be reversed 

 so that the long end will run out under the leaves without break- 

 ing any off. This allows nearly all evaporation to be checked 

 even when the cabbages are large. Cultivation should be con- 

 tinued throughout the entire season. 



Fig. 438. — Showing Arrange- 

 ment of Hoes and Sweep for 

 Shallow Cultivation 



cabbage diseases 

 The bacterial disease known as stump rot or black heart is the 

 most serious thing a grower can have in his soil. A crop rotation 



of even ten years does not seem 

 to be a remedy. The cure is 

 — keep it out. Other fields are 

 very easily inoculated by carry- 

 ing dirt on farm machinery, 

 animals' feet, or feeding stock 

 diseased roughage, then spread- 

 ing the manure on a non-infested 

 field. Cabbage seeds often carry 

 the disease. They should always 

 be soaked for fifteen minutes just 

 before sowing, in the following solution : for one pound of seed 

 dissolve in an earthern dish one corrosive sublimate tablet in one 

 pint of water. (These tablets may be obtained from any drug 

 store for one cent each.) After soaking, spread the seed to dry, 

 but not in the sun or near artificial heat. 



Club root is familiar to us all. A rotation of five or six years 

 is sufficient to kill it if the ground is kept free from all plants 

 belonging to the cabbage family ; this includes mustard. It 

 being a slime mold disease, lime greatly helps to keep it in check. 

 Often cabbage raised twice in succession on the same ground will 

 show the disease. 



INSECT PESTS 



The cabbage has three quite serious insect enemies. First, the 

 flea beetle, a small black bug which eats the leaves of the seed- 



