Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-10-23
THE CULTURE OF CABBAGE


To be able to grow cabbage success
fully in any season the soil should be
in such a condition that the water will
pass through it as freely as it would
through a piece of pumiee stone or
porous rock. AS a general rule the
poorer the soil the drier and more
porous it is Thus it is that on the
comparatively poor farms better late
cabbages are grown than in the mar
ket gardens that are very rich.
sod field broken early in the spring and
we'll MANFRED has generally been
found to grow the best cabbage. This
does not apply to the early crops.
These do best on the soils that are
rich and full of humus.
Low priced fertilizers sometimes
give as good results as the higher
priced goods; but on the whole it will
pay to be liberal with nitrogen. the
two experiments indicate that it is
profitable to use nitrate of soda on
the plant beds at the rate of 45O to
900 pounds per acre.
The cabbage is a native of western
and southern Europe and has been
used for human food from time i'm
memorial. All of the types of cab
bage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts,
collard and kale have sprung from the
same original source-namely Brasslca
growing on the chalk cliffs of the
English channel. On the cliffs of
southeastern England is now found a
plant similar to the Georgia collards.
There are three distinct types of
cabbage with reference to the shape
of the head-namely, round, oval and
fiat. Some varieties are distinct in
type, while others partake of two or
more shapes due to crossing and seed
production. There is much variation
in the shape, color, character and tex
ture of the leaf, ranging from reg
ular straight edges, almost white,
smooth and tender, to irregular, al
most fringed edges, dark purple color
and coarse, tough texture.
Generally speaking, all varieties are
hardy, but there is some variation in
hardness. Usually the purplish green
varieties with crinkled and frinSed
leaves are harder than the whitish
green sorts with smooth, regular
leaves The cold resisting varieties
are also the most heat resisting.
For a very early crop the seed may
be sown in a well prepared seed bed
outside in September and the plants
be wintered over in a cold frame or
by mulching with straw in a sheltered
place. These plants may be set out
very early in spring, long before
spring grown plants may be used. 10
make extra good plants they will need
to be taken from the seed bed and be
pricked out two inches apart in other
beds. By setting a succession or
plants the crop may be constant from
Nav or June until Christmas.
The plants of early varieties are set
out in spring as early as the weather
permits in rows three feet apart and
two feet apart in the rows. The fall
grown plants are often planted in the
field in November. Burrows are turned
where the rows are to be and the
plants are set low in the burrows so
as to be protected. North and south
burrows with plants set on the east
side are satisfactory, although east
and west burrows are sometimes pre-
ferred. Later varieties require more
room. Early plants must be set deep
that is, so the base of the leaves is
below the ground. If freezing weather
comes the plants NAV be covered with
earth until danger from frost is over
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