Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-11-12
A CABBAGE FARM
A VISIT TO The SAUERKRAUr SEC.
TON OF CHICAGO.
The Largest Cabbage Field in tin. World
"A Grand Total of twenty Million
Plants Necessary shipment.
to the south,


Chicago Heraldl
Very few PEOPLE are aware Of the fact
that Chicago has the largest "sauerkraut'
factory in the worlis or. more strictly
speaking. the only one. and that almost
within her city limits l. the most extensive
ca Ubage farm in tnil country. or perhaps on
the globe. Tae cabbage district, as it j.
callel. lies 70 the west and southwest Of the
stock yard AMI comprises upwar l. Of 2. 500
acres OF rich. heavy soil, especially adapte
e. the cultivation of mammoth cabba 70
heads.
A reporter. in company with South
Water street cUmmi>- ion man. went over
the cabbage plantation, and witne ,sei the
finishing touche being put to cultivation
and the pref arations for the gathering Of
the harvest The first visit was made to a
field containing l60 acres-the largest single
cabbage patch in the world Adj iining thi,
field are thirty acres OF cabbage os the same
varieties, making IA farm Of l9J acres, all
lel'nging to and cultivated by a single
firm.
PREPARING THE GROUND.
The preparation OF thi, field for the recep-
tion Of the plants in the spring il no easy
tas.. Every loot of land has TO be as care
fully attended as il it were TO be devoted TO
Il riculture In the fall the surface of the
ground i covered with an abundance Of
rich fertilizers and then plowed, narrowed
and rolled. Early in the spring the soil is
again disturbed by the plow and harrow,
and the surface of the ground is made as
smooth and free from Jumps a is possible.
The ground Is then laid off with check
r1wer, the rows being from thirty TO thirty
three inches apart according 70 the variety
20 be planted, the first crop being planted
thirty incae. apart, and the other variety
thirty three inches.
The rows are straight as an arrow in order
70 allow oss-cultivation, yet at this season
OF their growth. the broad leaves covering
every inch Of ground, the systematic method
Of planting is not easily discernible. After
the ground has been carefully prepared,
l. ia, 900 plants alone are required for thess
l9U acres and for the entire district some
-, 00OO 900. This number of plants j. required
for the first setting" and since many are
destroyed BY vermin-the maggot and the
hy--tully one-thiri more plants are required,
making a grand total of 10000, 900 plants
necessary 10 supply the Chicago cabbage
district
Many of the plants ara destroyed by the
cabbage fly or flea, the maggot the worm,
and careless cultivation. Rsplanting i a
small factor in the product; therefore, il
the farmer obtains 1000 good average heads
TO the acre he has big crop, AMI 5000
heads woulI be an excellent average. When
the harvet begins 100 experienced laborers
will march through the early cabbage crop
and se5ct the largest and choicest heals for
shipment &C the south.
THE SOUTHERN MARKET.
Don't they raise any cabba-s theIeF'
askei the reporter.
Plenty Of it., was the reply. II have
been asEel the same question a thousand
times during the past eleven years | will
explain il 70 you as | have to others. Down
south. in the vicinity OF New Orleans, they
plant their ca5bages along in September,
and they always have new cabbage for
Christmas. They depend upon it Just the
same as southern Ohio folks expect new po-
tatoes for their Fourth Of July dinner.
Their cabbage season runs out just about
the time Memphis and Nashville cabbages
are ready for the market After it natures,
you know. they have got to eat il or throw
it way. They can not bury il in the ground
ike we do here in the north, or store ii
away in cool cellar. 1t has to be eatsn be
fore it decays.
-They then depend upon the up-river coun-
try until in turn they exhaust the St Louis
rr4rket, which, in a couple Of weeks more.
will be able 10 send no further supplies.
Then +'ry have to depend upon the Chicago
cabbage district until they can grow their
own cabbage. When ] say they | mean the
whole south, including St Louis. Each sec
tion in turn helps to supply the Others. but
Chicago ships more cabbage than all OF the
rest put together. Chicago ships from Aug
to Nov. Is, and some years a little later
This year. owing TO a backward sprinl
and vermin. we are nearly two week.
backward"
You certainly sell some cabbage in
Chicagor
Not single head The best cabbage
goes TO foreign market south, east and
west. Such cabbage as Is usually found on
the Chicago market is made into sauer-
kraut Do not understand me - say thai
the refuse il made into kraut, for that i not
the fact Its the small he ads which arg
per fectly sound. but loosely lsaved, and
having no market price alongside Of priz
heads, that are used for, and which make,
the choicest and best kraut. being free:
I from large stalks, and therefore more valu
able for kraut than for the market
LOADING THE CARS.
or the $500 acres OF cabbage IN the dis
/ trict a single firm controls about l,9OO
acres IL viii commence shipping next
week. and to begin with viii ship one cal
| load per day, and as the heads develop 4
will increase its shipments up 10 twenty
or more cars per day. according to the rat
/ OF supply and demand. The first shipment
of cabbage are placed in open or stock cars
| and carefully packed to insure their arriva
| in good shape, no matter how far theil
destination may be. The stalks are cut of
| and outside leaves trimmed. The first layei
/ on the bottom of the car Is placed Will
/ the stalk butt resting on the floor OF th'
/ car. The remaining layers to the capacity
\ of the car are placed top downward In
/ heads are placed in layers three feet deep
when decks are placed in horizontally AM
perpendicularly, 50 as 70 equally divide tn
| layers and to prevent pressure from above
and laterally, to give perfect ventilation
\ Loaded in this way, no crates being used
hundreds of car loads are shipped from
/ Chicago annually, and the cabbage arrives
\ at its destination in good order. Later II
the season box-cars are used.