The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-02-01
EARLY CABBAGE.

Some Thoughtful Suggestions Is to
How to Grow Them.
Written by a Man Who Has Spent
Many Years in Raising
Them for Market.
The writer Of this article Is the orig.
inator OF the Cabbage growing indus.
try on the Carolina Coast. I grew my
first cabbage for market In the year
1868; from beginning OF ooe. half
acre, the business has increased until
at the present time there are over l..
900 acres OF cabbage grown each sea.
sen in this territory. To grow a Sue
cessful crop the first and most impor-
tant thing is to secure plants that are
grown from high grade seed, as 20
amount OF care, fertilizer CT cultiva-
tion can make a good crop, II the
plants used are grown from inferior
seed. You cannot judge from the ap-
pearance Of the plant, as all young
cabbage plants look the same. Your
safest plan is to purchase your plants
from resp ,nsible dealer who has been
In the business long time, and who
has an established reputation. The
better class Of seed growers select
their stock very carefully, removing
from the field all heads OF cabbage
that are not perfect. Some seasons
they have to cut out two thirds OF
their plants and do not save their
seed from more than one third. Seed
selected In this way will cost from s2,-
so to $500 per pound other seed
growers allow tnei: entire crop Of Cab
bage to make seed, do not use any
care In the selection Of seed grown.
These seed will cost you from 40 to 90
{ snts per pound. The cost Of the seed
/. TWO thirds Of the cost OF growing
abbage plants, so you can readily
nderstand why 6. plant grower who
ays 81 so to $500 for bis seed cam OF
III you plants as cheap as the grover
who buys inferior seed at 40 to 90
cents per pound. Ny thirty. six yesrs
experience has proved to me that it
would pay me better to use high grade
seed at cost Of $1,000 per pound
than to use inferior seed il could get
them free. Those who do not make
regular business Of growing cabbage
have been in the habit Of setting out
plants in the month OF Fe rlary
and March, thinking that the plants
do not live II set earlier in the winter.
This is mistake as plant set IN
December or January under the prop
er conditions Will live just as well and
head much earlier. The following in.
structions will give the proper method
Of setting. The South Carolina sea
coast, on account eff locality, and eli
matte conditions is admirably a1apt-
ed to the growing Of hardy open air
plants. The plant growers SOW their
seed in the open fields In the la:e fall
from October 10th to November 18th
these seed germinate quickly and
make very rapid growth for couple
Of weeks, by this time the nights start
to get cold. The growth Of the plants
Is checked, and usually about Decem-
Der 1st to 10th our fresSlng weather
begins, when the plants stop growing
entirely. The cold weather has caused
It to become tough anc hard, it is now
in q dormant condition and will re.
main in this condition until TIE latter
part OF February OF until the spring
weather opens up. In this condition
plants will stand cold without injury,
I have seen my plants covered with
ice and sleet for several days, with
the thermometer down to 18 and not
be iDjure at all, while the same plants
il they had been in thrifty growing
condition and full Of sap would have
been killed by heavy freeze or q
slight frost, to avoid the danger OF
LOSING your plants you want to buy
them while they are dormant, the
sooner you do this after Decenber
18th the better.
If you have 1t, select a piece Of
dark, mediumly Low, we'll drained
land, break 1t up as thoroughly SIS you
can, then pulverize well with a good
clod breaker or harrowS east and
west, 80 inches apart, with a bull
tongae plow. Make up your bed, by
throwing two fu,rows together with a
single horse turn plow.
Take your plants and set them 20
inches apart en- the south side OF the
bad, far enough down, that the top OF
the bed will be above the plant, this
is done to keep the north and nor0h-
west winds from twisting and break
Ing the small plants. Be sure to set
the plants we'll dc Tn in the soil, and
see that the entire stem up to the
first leaves is In the ground. The
earth should be we'll packed arJuud
the plant, it should be packed so firm,
that II you take your plant by the
Leaf and pull the leaves would break
of before the plant would pull out.
It is understood that you have used
plants that are IN dormant conli-
ton. These plants should not be
fortified at all, until about two wee KS
bstore the regular spring weather
coens up. The top Of the plants will
Lot grow during tle winter, but the
RIOTS will be growing all OF the tine.
T. bout the middle OF last Of Februsr ~
or say Two week; before your rel u
l:.r spring weather starts, take a turn
.ow, or half shovel, and throw fur
1)H away from the plants In each al
ternate row, run the furrow close to
the plant, SOW IN this furro" fertili
z,r at the rate Of 1000 pounds to the
acre, this fertilizer should annalyze 8
per cent. phosphoric acid, per cent.
Ammonia, and S per cent. potash.
After you have put down the fertili.
zsr, throw the furroW back, with the
same plow, being sure to work the
dirt we'll up around the plant. About