274 
vegetable gardening 
weight it is seldom that the increase in weight will not 
make up for the decline in price. 
A large butcher knife is the most satisfactory tool for 
cutting cabbage. A whetstone should be kept in the 
field and used often enough to maintain a sharp edge on 
the knife. In cutting, place one hand on the head, first 
determining, if necessary, its solidity, then with the other 
hand sever it while it is drawn to one side, retaining 
as few outer leaves as possible. Whether sold by weight 
or in packages the outer leaves should be removed. 
When the crop is to be stored in pits or houses, it is 
customary to retain two or three outer leaves for pro- 
tection. If the cabbage is to be buried, a sharp hatchet 
is the most serviceable tool with which to cut the stems. 
Two or three rows of extra early varieties are often 
planted at convenient intervals to provide roadways for 
gathering the crop. Intensive gardeners often use wheel- 
barrows with large boxes, while growers cultivating 
large fields generally plant so that a wagon will straddle two 
rows. There is no difficulty in collecting the late crop, 
for it is usually cut clean. Cabbage should always be 
handled with care, to prevent bruising. An excellent 
plan is to keep a man on the wagon to catch and place 
the heads as fast as two or three men can cut and trim 
them. If cut during the day when the wagons are 
absent, three or four rows may be placed together for 
convenience in loading. 
360. Marketing. — As previously stated, southern cab- 
bage is nearly always sold by the crate or the barrel, and 
these methods are common among growers in the North. 
The crate is the best package because of its perfect ven- 
tilation and compactness when loaded on wagons or 
cars. Cabbage crates vary in shape and size. The fol- 
lowing are inside measurements of those used in various 
parts of the country: The Mobile crate is 16 x 16 x 263/2 
inches; Charleston or South Carolina crate is n x IQ s 
