Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-04-16
CABBAGES.

DAroctions TOT Setting Out the Plants SO
as to Secure the Best Growth.
Half dozen practical gardeners may
give half dozen different directions
for setting out cabbage plants-many
of them apparently Numerically OPP
posed to each other. The first may
say: Select a rainy day. Be very
careful in forking up the plants. so as
to save all the tibrous roots. and let as
much soil adhere to them as you can.
Set Immediately, and the plants will
hardly feel the moving" The second
may tell you: 81 pull up the cabbage
plants, and if all the tibrous roots are
not stripped off by the operation, rub
them of. want nothing but the bare
stem or main root The third will
tell you: II pull up my cabbage
plants and put them in the cellar or
somewhere in the shade. and let them
stay there until they are wilted. They
do better than if set out fresh from
the bed" Cabbages, like other plants,
absorb large quantities of water from
the soil through their roots, and evap-
crate it into the atmosphere through
the leaves. The evaporation is most
rapid during the heat of the day. Dur
ing the night the evaporation is
slower or ceases altogether, while
at the same time the roots keep
On sucking up the water from
the SOL. In the morning, therefore, the
plants contain much more water than
in the afternoon of a dry, hot day. Ii
the evaporation is excessive, or the soil
Is so dry that the roots can not get wa
ter fast enough. the plants wilt, but re-
cover during the night. When you re-
move cabbage plant from the soil and
thus sever the connection of the roots
with the water in the soil, of course the
plant willis in proportion to the evap-
Grafton. In dry atmosphere, and es-
pec:ally when exposed to our hot sun,
the evaporation is exceedingly rapid,
while in a moist atmosphere and in the
shade it proceeds slowly. In any case
the plants wilt. 1t is only a question
OF time and degree.
Setting out plants during a rain is
desirable, inasmuch as the evaporation
is moderate. Setting them out before
ram is still better. Cloudy weather,
with the atmosphere full of moisture is
equally advantageous. In regard to
preserving the roots or str piping them
Oft, it is better to preserve the roots,
prov .ded they are not allowed to dry
and shr.vel up by exposure to the air.
Ii the roots are Kept intact, Or if the
roots which are broken OH short dis
lance from the tips are kept 50 MOST
that they will speedily callous over
and then throw out fresh roots,
the plants will suck up water from
the soil and hardly feel the moving"
But if, on the other hand, the fibrous
roots are allowed to shrivel up, they
had better be removed altogether and
let the stem throw out new ones. In
regard to whether it is better to set
out the plants as soon as possible, or
to let them wilt in the cellar, much
will depend on the weather. 1t may
well be that fresh plant, full of sap,
by exposure after transplanting to our
hot sun may shriyel up so rapidly that
the leaves may be reduced to powder
and the plant destroyed before the
roots have time to callous over and
throw out new fibers to suck up water
from the soil. In the shade, in a cool,
mos st place, the leaves part with their
sap slowly, and the roots heal over, and
when set out new roots are formed be-
fore the comparatively dry leaves part
with the thicker and richer sap.
Practically the real point to belooked
to in setting out cabbage and other
plants is to get the soil in good,
moist, mellow condition. This can be
done by thoroughly working the soil
until it is reduced to the finest t.1th.-
american AgricNlturist.