1122 



Trials of Spring Cabbage. 



[Mar., 



Many hundreds of acres are annually grown in the county. 

 Both soil and climate are particularly suitable for spring cab- 

 bage, as iudeed for all kinds of the Brassica family. The crop 

 is usually a " catch " crop following on after early or second 

 early potatoes, and not infrequently is followed again by pota- 

 toes. The crop is not in every case left to mature, or produce 

 hearts, but may, if the field is required for another purpose, 

 be cut and sold as " Greens." There is, fortunately, a demand 

 for this class of cabbage in certain markets. 



Spring cabbage growing is fairly well confined to certain 

 districts throughout England, such as the Evesham Valley, 

 Middlesex, and the Holland Division of Lincolnshire. Certain 

 varieties appear to be favoured in different districts. For 

 example, the bulk of the crop in the Holland Division is of the 

 Offenham variety : in other districts other varieties are grown. 

 Many of the large growers in the Holland Division have their 

 •own specially selected strains, and grow seed from selected 

 plants each year. 



Purpose of the Trials. — There are very many varieties of 

 spring cabbage, many of which would appear to be only 

 strains of well-known varieties, and hardly worthy of a different 

 name. Many of these varieties are inferior from a commercial 

 point of view to well established varieties. 



Trials were started in the first place (a) to test the hardiness 

 of varieties, (b) to compare the yields and earliness of varieties. 

 About 24 varieties were grown, seed being obtained from 

 different districts in England and Scotland, the popular varie- 

 ties in each district being included. 



Cultivation. — A few notes on the cultivation of spring cab- 

 bage as carried out in the trials may be of interest. 



Date of Sowing. — The varieties reported on were all sown on 

 23rd July, from which date to the end of July is the usual 

 time for sowing in the Holland district. It is generally acknow- 

 ledged, however, that in certain other districts spring cabbage 

 must not be sown until August. Generally, it may be said 

 that the earlier the sowing the earlier can the crop be cut, but 

 too early sowing usually tends to a high percentage of " bolt- 

 ing," and it is strongly held in this district that the seed must 

 not be sown before the 28rd July. 



The date of sowing may again depend on the variety. 

 Varieties of the York type are never sown in the northern dis- 

 tricts until August is well advanced. Bather curiously, how- 



