332 The Principles of Vegetable- Gardening 



is a gross feeder, and hence plenty of manure is a necessity. Forty 

 good two -horse loads per acre is not too much if one expects 

 large crops, and there is no danger of making the land too rich. 

 I prefer to put about half of the manure on the land and plow 

 under, then spread on as much more and harrow in thoroughly, 

 unless the manure is coarse, in which case I would plow all under. 



Raising the Plants and Setting Them. — We commence setting 

 about as soon as w^e get the ground in good condition in the 

 spring. Sometimes we have a hard frost after our first plants 

 are set, which will of course put them back a few days, but 

 will not seriously damage the crop if the plants have been 

 properly hardened in the hotbeds. This hardening is done 

 by removing the sash every day for a week or ten days 

 before taking out the plants, at least part of the day, and if the 

 nights are not too cool leaving them off during the night, thus 

 accustoming the plants to the open air. We continue setting 

 plants from the early spring until about the 15th of July. For 

 the last date we need the quick -growing varieties, to mature 

 before the cold weather comes. If the Premium Flat Dutch is 

 used, it should be set not later than July 1. In fact, June 

 26 would be preferable in this latitude. This variety should be 

 set at least thirty inches apart each way. 



It may be asked, Why not set the entire crop early in the sea- 

 son, or as soon as the weather becomes warm and settled? One 

 reason is that if plants are set too early the heads become ripe 

 and burst, and are very soon worthless. The other reason is 

 that we wish to double -crop our ground as far as possible. For 

 instance, our strawberries are generally gone by the 10th of 

 July, and we can get a good crop of cabbage on the ground by 

 setting a quick-growing sort, and then taking good care of it. 

 For all our cabbage except what we call first- and second- earlies, 

 we sow the seed in the open ground in the garden, sowing some 

 about as soon as the ground is fit to work, and then continuing to 

 sow at intervals of a week or ten days until from the 1st to the 

 5th of June, when we sow the seed for our last setting in July. 



Very few growers now attempt to grow" their own seed. Seed- 

 growing has become a business by itself, and the gardener can 

 purchase good seed if he> deals directly with relial)le seedsmen. To 

 depend upon tlie papers that are to be found in the windows of the 



