254 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
should be made in the open during May, the transplant- 
ing occurring six or seven weeks later. Successional 
sowings may also be made. A deep, rich, moist soil is 
required for the best results. The plants should be 
spaced about 18 inches apart in the row, and there should 
be sufficient space between rows to cultivate with a 
horse. Nitrate of soda can be used to advantage in addi- 
tion to stable manure or complete fertilizer. 
The miniature heads form on the late plants toward 
the end of the summer, when the leaves along the stalks 
are cut off to favor the development of the “sprouts.” 
These improve in quality by frost, and are therefore 
most in demand during the late fall, although marketed 
for probably two months before frost. The plants may 
be stored during the winter by the methods used for 
cabbage. The crop is usually marketed in berry bas- 
kets, and sometimes in two and four-quart baskets. The 
leading varieties sold by American seedsmen’ are Long 
Island Improved, Danish Prize and Paris White. Yields 
per acre run from 2000 to 5000 quarts. 
CABBAGE (Brassica olcracca, var. capitata).. 
334. History. — In its wild state the cabbage is found 
on the sea cliffs of western and southern Europe and on 
the coasts of the English Channel. It has been known 
from earliest antiquity and was probably in general use 
previous to the Aryan invasions, 2,000 to 2.500 b. c. 
Several types were cultivated in the time of Pliny. De 
Candolle and most authors of English floras admit the 
plant to be indigenous to Europe. No doubt it was 
used in the wild state before there were cultivated forms. 
335. Botany of the Wild Cabbage. — The wild cabbage 
plant is herbaceous, usually perennial and sometimes 
biennial, attaining a height of 2 to 3 feet. The root is 
tough and woody; the leaves are stalked, lyrate or pin- 
