BRASSICACEOUS PLANTS. — THE CABBAGE. 



87 



should be, directed to the wants of the 

 poor, by providing them during winter 

 with soup made from the scraps which 

 fall from his own table — then the drum- 

 head cabbage comes in well; and also 

 when saur-Jcraut is made for winter use, 

 this vegetable is indispensable. It attains 

 a very large size, and therefore requires 

 room. At planting, they should be set in 

 rows 3 feet apart, and the plants 2 feet 

 distant in the line. This also depends on 

 circumstances, for there are larger, taller, 

 smaller, and dwarfer varieties of this kind. 

 The above is the maximum distance. 



Subsequent culture. — After planting, all 

 that is required till they attain perfection 

 is keeping the ground clear of weeds, 

 stirring it frequently and deeply during 

 summer, and drawing a little earth about 

 the necks of the plants when about 9 or 

 10 inches high, which not only supports 

 them in an upright direction, but offers 

 opportunity for the roots to form near the 

 surface, thereby increasing their means 

 of collecting food, and greatly tending to 

 encourage the more rapid growth of the 

 plants. Some disapprove of the earthing- 

 up plan, and as a substitute draw the 

 drills deeper at planting, which seems to 

 amount to the same thing. White cab- 

 bage is grown for three purposes, the 

 first of which is to procure heads fully 

 formed and hard, the second is to draw 

 for use before hearting, and the third to 

 furnish sprouts from the old stems for a 

 long time after the head has been cut off 

 for use. The first of these are called full- 

 hearted cabbages ; the second, cabbage 

 plants or collards ; the third, cabbage 

 sprouts. To have them in the former 

 state, they must be sown four or five 

 times a-year. To have them in the se- 

 cond state, oftener ; and in the third case, 

 such as the vanack, an English variety, or 

 M'Ewan's, a Scotch variety (the latter 

 little known), should be selected. These, 

 if planted in autumn or spring in good rich 

 soil, will, after the first heads have been 

 used, continue often for a couple of years 

 sending up a fine and abundant supply 

 of sprouts. When sprouts are not re- 

 quired, the old stems should be pulled up 

 as soon as the heads are cut, and con- 

 signed to the rot heap. If left in, they 

 greatly exhaust the soil for no end or 

 purpose. Should any of the plants run 

 to seed soon after planting, remove them 



without loss of time, and replace them 

 with strong plants from the nursery-bed, 

 using one or other of the transplanters 

 noticed above. Early in spring, when it 

 may be wished to have close-hearted cab- 

 bages, as soon as the leaves give indication 

 of turning inwards, tie the whole of them 

 loosely together with strings of matting 

 or slender twigs of willow. During long- 

 continued droughts, water abundantly ; 

 and as all watering with pure water does 

 little other than assist to render soluble 

 the fertilising matter that may happen to 

 be in the soil, and watering with spring- 

 water does little more than chill the 

 ground, and merely sustains the existence 

 of the plants, it is better, seeing that 

 there is the same labour in both cases, 

 to water all growing crops with liquid 

 manure. Water, however applied, is 

 thought to injure the flavour of culinary 

 crops. With the cabbage tribe it is the 

 reverse, as they seem to be improved in 

 flavour by it. It also prevents the plants 

 from becoming stunted in growth, which 

 induces a disposition in them to favour 

 the production of aphides on the leaves, 

 and other insects on the roots. The roots 

 left in the ground after the heads are cut 

 off, when the intention is to have a suc- 

 cession of sprouts from them, should have 

 the remaining leaves cut off, the ground 

 between the rows forked up, and if a good 

 manuring be applied at the same time, 

 the benefit will be evident in the greater 

 supply, and its longer continuance fit for 

 use. To make the most of the ground 

 when the breadth is planted at the dis- 

 tances directed above for the larger-grow- 

 ing sorts, strong early-sown coleworts 

 maybe planted, either one or two between 

 each two permanent plants, according to 

 the space accorded them. These cole- 

 worts or collards will be useful to pull up 

 for early spring use, before the principal 

 crop arrives at its full size. When cab- 

 bages are cut, the leaves should be all 

 removed from the stem, and all the em- 

 bryo sprouts, excepting five or six of the 

 best placed and most promising, to pro- 

 duce sprouts for table use. If all out one 

 be displaced, it will grow rapidly, and soon 

 become as large and fine as the original 

 head. Such cabbages as have been cut 

 during May and June will, by this treat- 

 ment, yield another crop in July. 



Soil and manure. — The first cannot be 



