The Greeley tribune., 1909-05-12
The CABBAGE AND
ITS PECULARITlES
EASY TO GROW wANDPROFITAHLE
Cast About S33 Per Acre; Brings an
Average of A5c Hundred

Cabbage, like the onion and celery
crops. is best adapted to cool
moist loamy soil. The cabbage Is
also gross feeder, so heavy manu-
ing of the soil is essential. rms
plant adapts itself to great rang
of climates. However. we believe
the very best product Is produced 10
the mountain valleys, where the
nirhts are always cool and the days
not very warm.
The preparation of land for cab
bage growing does not material
differ from that of other gardeh
crops. 1t should, of course. be put
in good tilth, and an abundant sup
ply of well rotted stable manure is
desirable.
Cabbage seed must be sown six OF
seven weeks before 1t is desired Ia
set the plants in the field. The time
for planting varies somewhat with
the season. Seed for early cabbage is
sown about the first of March. IN
flats. in forcing house. or in hot
beds. II sown in hotbeds, the seed
lings are not usually transplanted un-
til they are set in the field. The
growing of plants in the greenhouse,
or in hotbeds. is trade In itselt,
the details of which must be care
fully looked after. Seed for late va
rieties is usually sown in the open
ground. Several sowings should be
made. the first being planted about
the 10th of April.
OF recent years young cabbase
plants have suffered greatly from the
attacks OF the flea beetle. In many
instances growers have lost their en-
tire paintings by the ravages of this
pest The only practical way to con-
bat this insect on the young cabbage
is to grow the plants in frames
where they may be covered with thin
The most critical time Is
when the plantlets are pricking
through the ground. The shading
afforded by the muslin at this time
does no harm.
A bed IL feet long by s feet wide
will grow enough plants to set one
half acre of land. 1t is usually esti-
mated that one pound of seed viii
produce plants enough for four or
Ave acres of land.
Plants for the late crop are trans
ferred to the field sometime during
the month of June. After the land
has been put in a good state of filth, |
bitches are made in the direction that
will make irrigation most easy. The |
distance between the bitches will |
vary from "a to SO inches, accohug
to the variety grown. Rows 20 iaouAU
apart are perhaps most common. At
ter the bitches are made, one man
drops the plants Is to is inches
apart, and another follows to do the
planting. The plants are set on the
side of the ditch. and as soon as pos
sible, water is turned in to follow the
planter.
Water is run through the rows
from four to eight days after the
plants have been set, and sometimes
this irrigation is repeated two or
three times before the bitches are
filled. When the plants have becom.
well established, the ground is level
ed either by hand or with a culti-
vator. While the cabbage is an easy
crop to grow, yet il is quickly injured
by improper irrigation 1t will not
stand a water-logged soil.
There are few insect pests and
diseases, and of this number the fea
beetle Is the most injurious. It can
be controlled as mentioned above.
Cabbage lice and cabbage worms are
not usually abundant enough under
field conditions, to seriously affect
the crop. The black rot of cabbage
occurs some seasons. Its presence
10 known by portion or all the cah-
bage head becoming soft, dark COL
ored, and foul smelling. There is
no remedy for this trouble, eycept
possibly in the rotation of crons.
However, it does not appear every
year upon the same land, as is com
mon in the east.
The cost of growing cabbages is
estimated at about s33 an acre and
the average price for the mast ten
years has been As cents brrarad
| pounds. w pADnr,c,.
ooloraao Agricultural College, Fort
Collins