September. 1912 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Great differences are to be seen In the root system of seedling cabbages, which indicate the adaptabilities 

 ot these various types to different conditions 



hardened that they may be set out at the 

 first signs of real spring. They will furnish 

 the first new cabbage of the season. 



End of February, sow seeds of early 

 and midseason varieties in boxes in the 

 house or in a hotbed, ; inch deep, with 4 

 inches between the rows. Encourage 

 plants to make a sturdy growth by giving 

 plenty of ventilation. When seedlings 

 are 3 to 4 inches tall, transplant them into 

 coldframe or other boxes, 4 inches apart 

 each way. These plants will be ready for 

 setting into the garden by the end of April 

 or May 1st, and will mature heads 10 days 

 to 2 weeks after the plants carried through 

 the winter. 



Finally, by the end of May, sow seeds of 

 midseason and late varieties in a coldframe 

 in the same manner as described above. 

 Sow seeds very thinly and thin out the seed- 

 lings to stand 4 inches apart in the row 

 when they form the second pair of leaves. 

 These plants will be ready to be set into 

 the garden by the end of July and will 

 mature heads in time to be stored for 

 winter use. 



Never let cabbages suffer for want of 

 water at any time of their development. 

 It weakens the plants, invites insects and 

 disease. Sprinkle young plants with to- 

 bacco dust or slugshot, should the green 

 aphis bother them. Some writers claim 

 that cabbage plants resent transplanting. 

 I have found two or even more trans- 

 plantings highly beneficial to the root 

 system. 



TEN GOOD CABBAGES FOR EVERYBODY 



The selection of the following varieties is 

 not based solely upon personal opinions. 

 The chief consideration that guided me in 

 my choice (which was approved by several 

 leading authorities) was the adaptability 

 of all these varieties to a great range of 

 soils and climates. Many other good cab- 

 bages are available for special soils and 

 certain sections of the country. 



For instance, the variety called "Volga" 



or "Early Stonehead" has no equal on 

 limestone soils, while "Surehead," as men- 

 tioned before, is the strain of late Flat 

 Dutch for planting in the Southwest. But 

 just such strongly marked characteristics 

 as these make it necessary to exclude one 

 sort or another, from this ideal collec- 

 tion. 



Disease resisting qualities are another 

 feature which is responsible for the strict 

 lines drawn here. To illustrate: Enk- 

 huizen Glory is a splendid member of the 

 early round-headed class of which Allhead 

 Early is the leader. But for a number of 

 reasons Enkhuizen Glory is a very delicate 

 variety, subject to stem rot and club root, 

 and is undependable where bacteria 

 abound. It is not very well acclimated and 

 while a good variety and heavy cropper un- 

 der favorable circumstances, is not generally 

 reliable. A variety has to have a record 

 of doing well even under adverse con- 

 ditions hi order to be entitled to a place 

 among the best ten. 



Last not least, the trueness to type and 

 the fixedness of strain played a large part 

 in the final judging. As my friend, Prof. 

 W. W. Tracy of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture puts it: "While I can 

 make no suggestion for betterment of the 

 list of cabbage, a great deal depends upon 

 the relative merit of the seed stocks avail- 

 able of the different sorts." That is the 

 point which encourages the advice: Buy 

 the very best from the most responsible 

 seedsman you know. Of our acclimated, 

 American cabbages, insist upon Long Island 

 grown seed. Foreign cabbages, such as 

 Copenhagen Market, Danish Ballhead are 

 best grown from Danish, German or English 

 seeds, ranging in their qualities in the 

 order mentioned. 



Everything considered, I believe it would 

 prove difficult to select from among all 

 other sorts another collection of ten which 

 would give as uniformly satisfactory re- 

 sults with planters throughout this country 

 as the following: 



THE REALLY EARLY ONES 



Early Jersey Wakefield. The small, 

 conical-shaped cabbage commonly met 

 with in all markets early in the spring. 

 Firm texture of foliage makes this sort un- 

 usually hardy, so that is is easily carried 

 through the winter in coldframes in the 

 North. Plants are of compact, erect 

 growth. Heads are solid and average from 

 3 to 5 pounds in weight. They mature 

 very uniformly but cannot resist heat, so 

 unless they are used quickly after becoming 

 full-grown, they are apt to spoil by burst- 

 ing. 



Eureka First Early is a round-headed 

 offspring of Jersey Wakefield. It is as 

 early and forms splendid, fine-grained 

 heads which offer the best quality found 

 in • an early cabbage. While it does not 

 burst as easily as Jersey Wakefield, it is 

 advisable to use the heads quickly. For 

 an early cabbage, it is an excellent keeper 

 and rules the market (in preference over 

 Jersey Wakefield), where round-headed 

 sorts are more popular. 



Copenhagen Market has only been known 

 in this country for about three years. But 

 its remarkable characteristics have proven 

 a revelation in cabbage to many planters 

 in practically all sections of the country. 

 While it is not safe to make predictions, 

 men who know fully expect to see this 

 sort take the lead over both Jersey Wake- 

 field and Eureka, as soon as it becomes 

 better known. In season, this latest Dan- 

 ish importation ranks with Jersey Wake- 

 field, which it will outyield two to one in 

 weight of crop on a given area. Plants 

 are of compact growth, permitting close 

 setting. Heads mature uniformly in sixty 

 days from time of planting in the garden 

 in the latitude of Ohio. They are exceed- 

 ingly handsome and their quality equals 

 their looks. In favorable seasons they 

 will average 5 to 8 pounds apiece — 

 surely something remarkable for such an 

 early sort. Not being well acclimated as 

 yet, it likes a cool, moist climate best, 

 otherwise it bursts soon after maturity. 



Allhead Early is the largest early cabbage 

 in cultivation to-day. With only two 

 weeks' difference in season of maturity be- 



Allhead Early is the largest early cabbage in cultiva- 

 tion, the heads being eight to ten inches in diameter 



