CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
265 
348. Soils. — Successful crops of cabbage are grown on 
a great variety of soil types, the enterprise being devel- 
oped to large proportions on soils ranging from light 
sand to heavy clays. It is largely a question of constant 
moisture (although good drainage is essential) and of 
abundant food. Excellent crops of early and late cab- 
bage have been grown on sandy loams, often along 
mountain streams, where there is a large deposit of vege- 
table matter and a regular supply of moisture. Perhaps 
the largest crops of late cabbage have been grown on 
clay loams, well enriched by manure. The mountain 
glades of the Appalachian system seem to be well 
adapted to this crop. Danish Ball Head, which is the 
most limited 111 soil and climatic adaptation of all the 
varieties, succeeds well on the DeKalb series of soils in 
Pennsylvania. The reclaimed swampy glades in the 
mountains of West Virginia have produced large crops 
without manure or fertilizer, although these materials, 
with the addition of lime, increase the yields. A mellow 
soil which does not bake hard and which is well sup- 
plied with humus will generally produce satisfactory 
crops. 
349. Growing early plants. — There are at least five 
distinct methods of growing early cabbage plants: (1) 
From Baltimore, southward, the general practice is to 
sow in the open, usually in October, and when six to 
eight weeks old the plants are set in the field on the sides 
of ridges. They may also be wintered in the beds, with 
protection if necessary, and shifted to the field early in 
the spring. Fall planting, however, is more satisfactory 
because it produces an earlier crop. (2) The common 
practice years ago in the North was to sow in the open 
early in September and transplant into cold frames the 
latter part of October, the plants being protected with 
sash during the winter. The results were highly satis- 
factory, and the plan is still used by some gardeners. 
