20 



HOW TO GKOW 



grubs. Of the advantage of green manuring and 

 the application of various artificial manures men- 

 tion has already been made in this essay. 



Seed for late cabbage should be sown in the first 

 part of May — several sowings may be advisable — 

 in a fresh turned, well prepared, light and moder- 

 ately rich soil, in drills an inch and a half deep 

 and eight or ten inches apart. After covering the 

 seed with the rake, press or roll the ground so as to 

 make the soil pack well around the seeds. If the 

 soil be rather dry, it may be advisable to give it a 

 soaking some time before it is to be prepared for 

 the seed. The sowing of some air-slaked lime 

 upon the seed beds when the sprouts begin to push 

 through, and again when the plants are fairly 

 over the ground, will keep off the cabbage-flea, 

 which otherwise will often destroy whole beds of 

 plants. If the plants be pricked out before the 

 final transplanting, this will encourage the devel- 

 opment of a network of the fibrous roots so essen- 

 tial for a thrifty growth of the plants at the 

 usually dry season when the transplanting has to 

 be done, viz., in the latter part of June for the 

 medium late sorts, and in the course of July for 

 the winter cabbages proper. 



The ground for late cabbages should be kept 

 ready to take advantage of a possible rain for the 

 transplanting of the young plants. As rain, how- 

 ever, is not to be depended upon at this time of 

 the year, the next best thing is to " puddle " the 

 roots, as stated for early cabbages, and plant 



