40 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, April 20, 1858 
THE CABBAGEWOIITS, AND HOW TO 
SUPPLY THEM TO A EAMILY ALL THE 
YEAR. 
There can be no doubt that of all the vegetables we 
possess, not one is equal to this important family. We 
all know that Peas, Asparagus, &c., are considered by 
many as more dainty; but then, neither of these, by 
ordinary culture, can be had above four or five months 
in the year; whilst the Cabbageworts may be had all 
the year round. But then, observe, what a range they 
possess as to kinds. Let us look over the chief families, 
| and, after that, I will talk over their characters, &c., 
as to a year’s supply. Let me begin at the very head 
of the tribe—the Cauliflower j then pass on through 
all the Broccolis ; which, for simplicity sake, I may 
classify into earlier, middle season, and so on to the 
late or spring Broccolis. Then we may come to the true 
Cabbage family, thence pass on to Brussels Sprouts, 
Green Kale, and sundry other Kales, with the Savoy. 
I will take them in the order I have named them. 
To obtain the earliest Cauliflowers, under glasses, 
they are sown at the end of August. These are mostly 
preserved in frames now-a-days ; and what remains at 
the end of Eebruary, after planting a second size in the 
open ground to succeed those under the glasses, may 
be made a succession, by pulling them up and throw¬ 
ing them on the ground, to check for a day or so ; 
then to be pricked out in the shade of a wall, or fence. 
They will then be weeks behind those planted in a 
warm spot. A sowing in the middle of February, in 
a box, in a hothouse, will succeed these, and secures a 
succession from May to the end of August. We now 
want to provide an autumn and winter supply. A 
sowing made at the end of May, and a second in the 
second week of June, will continue a supply until 
Christmas, or later, by discreet protection. 
Now we come to the Broccolis, and it really re¬ 
quires a well practised eye to handle them. But I 
shall, in this, pass by all fanciful names, which are not 
very descriptive of their habits, and apt to mislead, and 
speak of them according to the seasons, as before 
suggested, viz., early, middle season, and late ; and, 
as a provision from the September, iD one year, to the 
beginning of June in the next. I shall, therefore, pay 
regard to those I know will do so. First, then, how to 
get them in September. There is no class equal to the 
Capes, when true, for this purpose ; and the best prac¬ 
tice I have ever seen to accomplish this, is by sowing 
them in drills, about two feet apart, the seed deposited 
very thinly along the drills. When the plants came to 
be thinned, it was easy to make a selection, for this 
kind is very apt to run off. The shortest legged plants 
are those to be reserved, and such as have short joints 
between the foliage ; they are left at about a foot apart. 
In a border thus adapted to them, it is scarcely possible 
to miss a dish every day, if necessary, from the first 
week of September until the early part of November, 
if the seed be sown about the second week in June. 
One-half may be of the Early Purple Cape , and the 
other the White Cape. The next in order, is the Early 
Sprouting Broccoli. This sown in the middle of April, 
will produce sprouts from November to February. 
This brings us to the true winter Broccolis—these 
should produce fine white heads, like Cauliflowers, early 
in January,if the weather be mild, and continue accord¬ 
ing to the state of it through January, and in February 
especially, and into March. Of such, as types of newer 
varieties, I may mention the Cornish Broccoli, Snow's 
Winter, the Protecting, &c. These should be sown at 
two or three distinct periods, say in the first week of 
April, and again in the third week ; perhaps a few in 
the beginning of May. This class of Broccolis is in¬ 
valuable, as they produce fine white heads with the 
least possible excitement. Especial care should be 
taken, however, to get them pricked out in good time, 
to be rendered robust. This it is which renders them 
so easily excitable during mild periods in the winter. 
The last class, the later spring Broccolis, may be typified 
by such kinds as the true Wilcove, the Somers's Par¬ 
ticular Late White, &c. These are not to be moved 
to head under any circumstances of culture, until the 
end of April, and from that period they should take up 
the supply, until the handglass Cauliflowers come to 
their relief in the course of May. This junction I have 
formed many times in the course of my practice, so 
that there was no gap between the Broccolis and the 
Cauliflowers. 
We now pass on to the true Cabbages, and may 
point to their habits, as to a continual succession. The 
dwarf and compact kinds are principally sown in these 
times, and are by far the best adapted for general 
garden purposes. The earliest spring Cabbages are 
produced by the end of April, or beginning of May ; 
and these, from a sowing made in the first or second 
week in August. If a constant succession is desired, a ; 
sowing should be made in the beginning of March; 
these will produce through July and August; and a j 
third sowing in the middle of Majs will go through 
September and October. Out of this class are obtained, 
what the Londoners call Coleworts. These are a most 
valuable green. The most compact and early-hearting 
kind of Cabbages are selected for this purpose, and their 
peculiarity is a consequence of the season at which they 
are produced, together with the period of sowing. 
Everybody knows that we cannot, if desirable, have 
such white-hearted Cabbages in December, January, 
and February, as we can in July and August; be the 
kind what it may. Indeed, could they be produced, 
they would not withstand the severity of the winter. 
Coleworts, then, are intended for a long winter’s supply, 
and. to represent, as far as is desirable, young early 
spring Cabbages. These are sown at two periods, viz., 
the third week in June, and the second week in July. 
All possible pains should be taken with this form of 
Cabbage : anybody can produce gross summer Cab¬ 
bages by using plenty of manure ; but these both re¬ 
quire, and deserve, some extra management. They 
should, by all means, be sown in drills thinly, in order 
to make stout plants. The soil they are planted in, is 
generally that recently occupied by some summer 
crops, but it should be well manured with rotten 
manure, which, for this crop, need not be dug in deep, 
but rather forked in for about eight inches in depth, 
and well mingled with the soil. Rapid growth is the 
object, and on land thus prepared they will grow with 
surpassing celerity, especially if the autumn be some¬ 
what moist. Coleworts, of this age, may be planted 
very close together, about fifteen inches between the 
rows, and one foot between the plants. 
Brussels Sprouts, the next in order, are well known 
as one of the most useful forms of “ greens ” in culti¬ 
vation. They may be obtained in the highest perfec¬ 
tion from October until April; although they may be 
produced in September and in April, yet they, through 
the exciting character of those periods, speedily lose 
that neat button-like appearance for which they are so 
highly esteemed. But they are, moreover, of most 
delicate texture, and withal, under high culture, w ill 
produce as much eatable material, on a given space of 
land, as any green in existence; perhaps, more than 
any other, as they will crop somewhat closely. No 
garden in Europe should be without them ; indeed few, 
I suppose, are. The first sowing of these should be 
made at the beginning of March; they will “ button,” 
as it is termed, in the end of September, and through 
October. A second sowfing may be made at the begin¬ 
ning of April; these will supply the table through 
