Cabbage Culture 



333 



grocers would be the height of folly. The safest way, if possible, 

 is to deal direct with the growers, and then, if there is failure, we 

 know where the blame belongs. 



For early cabbage, two feet apart each way is sufficient, For 

 marking off the ground, we use a marker similar in form to a 

 common hand hay rake, the head being of some light kind of dry 

 timber, usually a 2 x4 

 pine scantling 12 feet -'^ 

 long, with holes bored 

 at different distances 

 apart in such a man- 

 ner that the teeth will 

 slope a little back in- 

 stead of forward, as 

 with the hay rake. 

 With this a man can 

 mark two acres in a 

 day, and do it well. 

 For early cabbages, we 

 start our seeds in a 



Fig. 100. Good head of summer cabbage. 



hotbed about five or six weeks before they will be needed for set- 

 ting in the open ground. Some persons advocate sowing them 

 very early, and then transplanting them into a mild hotbed or 

 coldframe, four or five inches apart each way, so as to have them 

 larger and more stocky than is possible in the original hotbed, 

 before putting them in the open ground. I have tried it repeat- 

 edly and had plants large aud beautiful in appearance, but when 

 the crop was grown I have never once had it as good as when the 

 plants were taken direct fix)m the hotbed to the open ground. I 

 can give no reason for this and will not attempt any. The plants 

 from the coldframe may make heads a few days earlier, but the 

 crop has in every case been an indifferent one, and we abandoned 

 the plan years ago as no longer worthy of trial. 



When the ground is prepared and marked, let a man go ahead 

 with a potato hook and loosen the ground where the plants are to 

 be set, if it is hard. Then let a boy follow with a basket of plants 

 and drop one at each crossing of the mc^rks. The boy must be fol- 

 lowed by the setters, but must not be allowed to get ahead of 

 them, as a few minutes of dry and hot sunshine will seriously 



