The Portland daily press., 1894-01-10
CABBAGE As a rArm Scrop.
1t Is Costly to Grow, but Pays Under Fa-
vorable Conditions.

1t Is Costly to Grow, but Pays Under Fa-
vorable Conditions.
Owing to its being nitrogen crop,
cabbage is il rather costly crop to grow.
It produces when we'll fertilized a
greater amount OF strength giving nu-
trime1t than farmers can grow in any
other way. There are times when the
cabbage supply is beyond the demand
late in fall. Then is when the crop of
late cihbages comes into market. Yet
if cabbage growers will heel in their
crop SO as to keep it through the win
ter, it can usually be depended upon to
bring fair prices in the spring.
BY growing early and late cabbage
succession Of this vegetable can be had
all through the year. The very early
cabbage needs to be started in the fall
and kept slowly growing through the
winter in the coolest part of the hot
bed. In places where severe freezing
is not probable the plants are left out
of dogrs and covered so as to protect
them. In spring they are set out in soil
made as rich as possible with well
rotted manure. Less manure will do if
some nitrate of soda with readily avail
able nitrogen can be obtained. A por-
ton of these fall started plants are
forced in the dollhouse and are ready
to sell by the time the dormant portion
can be planted out of doors. These
fresh early cabbages are sold very
small, but they bring high price and
pay fairly well. The spring planted
cabbage is ready for sale through May,
June and July, according to its for
wardness when planted. The heads are
small, but they bring better prices than
large cabbage heads do late in the fall.
Late cabbage will do well on land
rich enough to grow large corn crop.
Late in the season on cultivated ground,
and especially where coarse manure
has been applied in spring, there is a
large development of available nitro
gen, especially in late June or early
July, when air and ground are warm.
But The American Cultivator thinks
that dressing of nitrate of soda will
pay, even on late cabbage, in making
more rapid and larger growth. It pays
W uoO vi ol1O oOOu UCek WuOlO tuO y OuilE5
plants are grown for late outdoor set
ting. This is made in April or May,
and however highly MANFRED the seed
bed may be the young plants draw
SO heavily for nitrogen that an addition
al supply is always an advantage. Very
much depends on keeping the plants
thinned SO that each shall have plenty
of sun and air. This is best done by
frequent transplanting, which also
makes the plants stocky and encourages
the growth of fibrous root. The late
cabbage needs to be about three feet
apart in rows each way, SO as to allow
most of the cultivation to be done with
horse and cultivator. Early cabbage
does not require SO much room, as it is
marketed while much smaller.
Cabbage, especially the late crop, is
bulky crop to handle for its price.
Hence it is not best to grow it very
largely unless near a good market. But
there is scarcely farm place where
the fact that farmer has few hun
dred fine cabbage for sale will not bring
him orders enough in his own neigh
borhood to dispose of the crop. The
small villages are usually more poorly
supplied with cabbages and other vege-
tables than are large cities, and such
village should be made the most of as a
market by all farmers who live near it.