CABBAGES 
and be crisp and tender. Almost any 
good soil that will grow corn, vegetables 
and other crops successfully will grow 
cabbages; but with some vegetables it is 
possible to get the soil too rich while 
with cabbages there is little danger. The 
Pacific Northwest is well adapted to the 
growing of cabbages, and in the low lands 
of the eastern side of the Cascade moun- 
tains, where irrigation is practiced and 
the alkali is strong, excellent cabbages 
can be grown on land too strong in alkali 
for fruit trees. However, it must not be 
supposed that all alkali soils would be 
good for cabbages; for we have seen the 
alkali so strong that nothing would grow. 
We only wish to suggest that land some- 
times considered waste, because it will 
not successfully grow fruit trees or hay, 
may be utilized for cabbages. 
For an early crop the seed should be 
sown in hotbeds, early in the spring, and 
the plants set in rows in the field or 
garden as soon as the danger of frost is 
over. The plants are not tender, and will 
stand considerable cold, so that it is not 
necessary to exercise the same care as in 
case of beans, tomatoes, or some other 
garden plants. For a late crop the seed 
may be planted in the open, and the 
plants set almost any time during the 
summer. It is not uncommon, in the 
milder climates, to set the plants as late 
as September, and allow them to stand 
in the field as late as December. This 
method is practiced by many growers, in 
order to avoid the pests that are much 
more destructive during the summer than 
in the autumn. 
Setting the Plants 
The plants should be set in rows, about 
three feet apart, so that it is easy to cul- 
Fig. 1. The Plant on the Left Is Set Too 
Shallow. The stem is exposed to the sun 
and freezes. The plant on the right is set 
the proper depth in the soil. 
671 
tivate between them. Some practice the 
method of cross cultivation, in which 
case the plants have to be set in squares 
about three feet each way, and the rows 
both longitudinal and transverse. Plants 
should be set in the evening, and the 
ground about them well watered, so as to 
keep the roots wet and the plant sappy 
during the next day, until the little ten- 
der root hairs begin their work of supply. 
If plants are not set during the evening, 
then they should be covered with a leaf, 
or paper, or something to protect them 
from the sun. The stem of the plant 
should be set deeply enough so that the 
leaves are within an inch or so from the 
surface of the ground. It is better to 
set the stem in the earth up to the leaves 
than to leave too much of it exposed, as 
is often done. 
Varieties 
Recommended for the Inland Empire 
section of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. 
Extra Early Express (Burpee), Early 
Jersey Wakefield (Burpee), Harly Winieg- 
stadt (Burpee), Surehead (Burpee), 
American Drumhead Savoy (Henderson). 
On the question of varieties for the 
South we quote from C. C. Newman, 
South Carolina Agricultural College. 
“Contrary to the general opinion, the 
early maturing varieties are better suited 
for winter use in the South than the late 
varieties. If the late varieties are plant- 
ed at the usual time in the spring, they 
will mature before fall, and if planted in 
late summer, they will not mature until 
midwinter, and are liable to be seriously 
injured before they are ready to be har- 
vested. In the mountain section where 
the summers are not too severe, the late 
varieties, set out in May and June, mature 
during the months of October and No- 
vember. 
“We have tested practically all the 
varieties of cabbages in our trial grounds 
for the last five years, and the Charleston 
Wakefield, Harly Summer Succession, and 
Late Flat Dutch, have given best results 
for fall and winter use, when planted to 
the field the first week in August. There 
are, of course, a large number of varieties 
that will produce fine fall cabbages, but 
