The Ordway new era., 1910-09-23
SOIL FOR CABBAGES
Cool, Moist Loan, With Album
dant Supply of Nitrogen.
Vegetable 10 Grown More Or Less Sue-
eessfuIIy From seml.Tropies to
Arctic Circle In Aiaska-Cul.
ture by Irrigation.

tural College.)
Cabbages have been grown for
home consumption since the early set
tlement Of this country. About 1880
the potato buyers Of the Greeley dis
trict found there was a considerable
demand for cabbage in the southern
markets and that they could be ship
ped satisfactorily in the same cars
with potatoes. From that time the
industry has gradually grown till the
output is now from 500 to 1000 cars
per year.
The soil best adapted to the growth
of the cabbage is a cool. moist loan.
An abundant supply Of available nj
trogen tends to promote leaf growth
at the expense OF fruit or seed. Al
the edible portion Of cabbage. let
tuce. ETC.. Is the leaf rather than the
seed. an excess Of this element in the
soil Is beneficial. For this reason the
bottom land or peaty lands are gem
erallyj considered best for cabbage.
Nearly any Of the soils Of this state,
however. will grow cabbage success
fully, II sufficient decaying vegetable
matter and manure are added to put
them in good condition and to provide
the necessary fertility.
None Of the horticultural products
have a wider range as to climate than
the cabbage. This vegetable Is grown
more or less successfully from the
semi-tropics to the arctic circle in
Alaska. When grown In the south
1t must be planted so as to mature be-
fore the extreme heat Of summer. This
Is also true to a less degree In the
northern states.
Much of the land used for cabbage
growing Is considered too valuable to
rotate in the usual way. II alfafa sod
Is used the land may be sufficiently
fertile to produce a crop without the
addition Of manure. In most cases,
however. cabbage follow cabbage on
the same soil for several years.
After the crop Is taken of In the
fall. the plow is run under each row.
turning the old stumps and leaves Of
the cabbage under. This leaves the
surface rough, SO as to catch the
SHOWS Of winter. and exposes more Of
the soil to the action of the frost. II
manure Is to be applied It is gen.
orally spread on this land during the
winter. In the spring before the soil
| becomes too hard and dr:s the har-
row Is run over the tract lengthwise
Of the burrows. which smooth the sur
face down to its original level. Fol-
lowing this the ground Is plowed to
depth Of from eight to twelve inches.
| Seed must be sown from six to
seven weeks before 1t Is desired to
set the plants in the field. The time Of
setting early, plants necessarily varies
somewhat with the season. For early
cabbage the first seed are sown from
March l to 16. At least two sowings
should be made to avoid danger Of &C
cidents and a possibility Of the first
plants becoming too large before the
weather will permit setting.
Seed for early cabbage are sown
either in fiats In a forcing house or in
hotbeds. II sown In fats. the seed
lings soon begin to crowd and are
pricked out Of the seed fats az soon
as the first leaf appears. In this op-
GRAFTON the plants may be put into 9th.
| er fats one inch apart each way. or
they may be put into hotbeds or cold
frames. II the seed are sown in hot.
beds the seedlings are not generally
transplanted at all TIL time to set
in the field. In this case the seed
must be sown more sparingly or the
young seedlings must be thlnned 80 as
not to crowd. Young plants either in
the forcing house or hotbed are apt
to be tender and are very susceptible
to a disease known as "damping-off
fungus" This trouble Is the result
Of too high temperature. not enough
fresh air. or too much water. When
plants are grown in the forcing house
or hotbed. great care must be exer-
cised to properly harden them of be.
fore setting In the open ground. In
the forcing house this Is done by keep
ing the temperature low and giving all
the ventilation possible when the
weather will permit. II the hotbed
is used. the sash may be first partly
removed and later taken of during
pleasant weather. Properly harden.
ed plants will endure temperatures of
from ten to twenty degrees below
freezing point after setting in the
field. II not properly hardened of.
exposure to freezing temperature often
proves fatal.
For late planting the seed Is usual
ly sown in the open ground. II large
fields are to be planted. two. three. or
even four sowings are made. The first
seeding is made about the 10th OF
April with the others following at in.
tervals Of about seven days.
Few crops are more particular about
water than the cabbage. Although II
is gross feeder. It will soon wilt and
stop growing II the soil is dry. and
on the other hand. II the land becomes
waterlogged the plants will turn vel.
low and stop growth. The frequency