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CABBAGE

CAULIFLOWER and

ALLIED VEGETABLES

From Seed to Harvest

By C. L. ALLEN, Author of
Buxss and
TuBEROous-RoOoTED PLANTs

ILLUSTRATED

New York
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY

1918

COPYRIGHT, 7901
BY ORANGE JUDD COMPAS ¢

Jf @ Eee

He ag

PRINTED IN U. &. A.

TABLE

Introduction . .
Cabbage . 3 “ -
Cauliflower . < ‘:
Broccoli . ‘ =
Collards . ‘ 7
Brussels Sprouts . .
Kale or Borecole . ‘
Kohl-Rabi s ‘ 5
Injurious Insects . .
Cabbage Worm . -.
Cabbage Looper . .
Cabbage Plutella ‘
Zebra Caterpillar :
Cutworms . ‘ '
Cabbage Root Maggot
Harlequin Cabbage Bug
Cabbage Aphis
Fungous Diseases . E
Club Root F é
Black Rot . F s

CONTENTS.

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

. Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage . F . . - 54
. Large or Charleston Wakefield ili . 4.355
. Winningstadt Cabbage . s : . . s 57
. All Head Cabbage . 5 59
. Market Gardener’s Private Stock Flat Dutch Cabbage 60

American Drumhead Savoy Cabbage . . . 62
Mammoth Rock Red Cabbage . . . «~~ © 63

. Alpha Cabbage. er. ly. et lel vel. b0i07
. Early Erfurt Cariliflower : 5 ° . - 73
. Early White Broccoli . é é a ° P . 8&1
. Branching Collards. . . «© «© © «© «+ 84
. Brussels Sprouts . . -© «© « « « «+ 8&8
. Dwarf Scotch Kale. - a ° 7 7 7 - 90
. White Vienna Kohl-Rabi “ 3 < p - 94
. Cabbage Worm ‘ ‘ ‘ . < e - 97
. Cabbage Looper . ‘ 3 ‘ ‘ - - 99
. Zebra Caterpillar and Moth 7 5 < ‘ F . 105
. Harlequin Cabbage Bug . : F 5 e -« 208
. Club Root of Cabbage . , ‘ : é A . 112
. Club Root of Turnip . < J . = A Mee 6
. Club Root of Cauliflower i * fe ‘ . 114
. Clup-Root of Shepherd’s Purse . < . . . 115
_Clfb Root of Hedge Mustard . . «© «~~ «116
. Cabbage Field Destroyed by Rot . ‘ F 5 . 120

. Diseased Cabbage Stem . 5 é ‘i * . 121
. Cabbage Leaf, Showing Water Beads ‘ < ‘ . 22
. Leaf in Early Stages of Rot . ‘ ‘ . 3 . 123

INTRODUCTION.

Gardening is an art, and he who produces the
most and best from a given acreage is the most use-
ful artisan. To be a successful gardener—and the
term belongs to all who own or till the soil, no mat-
ter what the extent of the operations may be ;—to
get the best results from the labor of one’s hands,
certain principles and practices must be thoroughly
understood. As these are alike in all branches of
agriculture and horticulture, we shall endeavor to
explain certain rules, and to state certain principles
and practices that will be equally useful in every
field, no matter what the crop may be, or to what
extent it may be grown.

Fixed rules in agriculture cannot be laid down.
While principles are fixed, practices are conditional ;
as, for instance, the time of planting is purely a local
matter which every one must decide according to
the conditions of climate; while how to plant, and
what to plant, are principles applicable to all
localities.

THE SOIL,

The first requisite for a good garden or farm is
good soil; this is indispensable. Plants cannot, will
not, reach perfection unless the conditions of growth
are favorable. It does not follow that the soil must
needs be naturally rich, it would be better if it were;

Wv. INTRODUCTION.

but plants do not live upon soil, they live in it, and
partake of the food it contains. It therefore fol-
lows that if the soil does not contain the food the
plant demands for growth, and the development of
its fruits, it must be supplied ; there is no alternative,
The question as to the best kind of soil is an arbitrary
one. Clay will be clay and sand will be sand; natural
conditions must be accepted as we find them. But
it does not follow that a naturally uncongenial soil
cannot be made to produce good crops.

Our opinion, based upon the experience of many
years, is, that the condition of the soil is of far
greater importance than its character, and it is upon
the former that success largely depends. A lively
loam is undoubtedly the best soil for a garden; that
is, it is congenial to a greater variety of plants than
any other. Failing in this, we must make the best
use of such as we have. Our experience and obser-
vation show conclusively that many unproductive
soils, both heavy clay and light sand, are such from
lack of proper tillage. Some of the most valuable
lands under cultivation. were, at one time, heavy wet
clay, or drift sand. The former, was restored by
drainage and tillage, the latter by food and tillage.

The bulb lands of Holland, now worth $3,000
per acre, are of the same general character as much
of the pine lands of the Atlantic coast from Long
Island to Florida, yet they produce enormous crops
when liberally fed with stable manure. The very
general opinion is that the difference in the cost of
labor to produce a crop is more than sufficient to pay
for the manure used on the sandy soil, where all the
plant food employed is at once available. The deli-
cate roots of the plants can easily penetrate the sandy

INTRODUCTION. Vv.

soil in every direction. At the same time the soil is
pressed firmly around the roots. This is an impor-
tant consideration, as they are so delicate that they
will immediately perish if exposed to the air, as is
frequently the case in heavy, poorly-prepared soils.

Another important consideration is that a
greater variety of vegetables can be grown on light
soils than on clay, and they will also be of better
quality. There are but few plants that cannot be
successfully grown on light sandy soils, while there
are many that cannot be induced to perfect their
crops on heavy, wet, clay soil.

On the other hand, a heavy soil has in it natu-
rally more of the elements essential to plant growth;
it has more recuperative strength, or reproductive
qualities. With proper tillage and a systematic rota-
tion of crops, the heavy soil will require but very
little manure annually. While one plant takes from
the soil certain active principles, it returns to the soil
the elements that some other plant assimilates. Thus
it is shown that by judicious rotation our land be-
comes richer rather than poorer. We do not mean
to say that manure is not essential on heavy soils,
but we do mean to say that there are essentials not
to be found in the barnyard, nor in commercial fer-
tilizers. These are to be found in tillage.

TILLAGE.

The most important factor in farm and garden
operations is the preparation of the soil. This should
commence when the ground is in the best possible
condition for working. If it is a heavy loam, or
clay, it should only be worked when it is suffcieatly

vi INTRODUCTION.

dry to crumble into fine particles, by a persistent use
of the plow and the harrow. Every particle of soil
contains a given amount of plant food; in other
words, all the elements that contribute to plant
growth or development are found in the soil, and
are acted upon by the elements in the atmosphere,
brought down from the leaves by the sap to and
through the roots. Here decomposition of the soil
commences, and the result is the building up of the
plant. These delicate little roots that perform this
important work are of microscopical size and have
not sufficient strength to penetrate a hard lump of
earth; consequently they must fasten themselves to
the outside of it. And, when the soil is left in a
lumpy condition—as they cannot enter it—they
must needs perish from without, as they cannot exist
a moment if exposed to a dry atmosphere, which
they must needs do when the soil is left in a lumpy
condition before planting.

The soil, no matter what its character may be,
is in the best possible condition for planting when
there cannot be found in it a particle larger than a
pea. The English and French gardeners fully
understand the importance of this, and their method
of preparing the soil with the spade is much more
effective than ours, because their tillage is more
thorough. Not that we cannot properly prepare the
soil with the plow and the harrow, but because we
do not. Our mistakes consist in not being thorough
enough. Most of the tilth the soil gets during the
season should be given before the seed is sown, or the
plants are set; all that it needs afterward is to keep
the surface, to the depth of an inch, constantly stirred
with a fine rake or harrow. This is necessary to

INTRODUCTION, vii

prevent evaporation on the one side, and, on the
other, to prevent the roots from coming to the sur-
face. Roots naturally seek moisture; consequently
they will point downward if the soil is light and dry
above.

A still more important point to be considered
in this connection is, that if the soil on the surface is
light and dry that beneath will always be moist, and
will not bake because there is no capillary attraction
to the surface. The ground should be worked as
deeply as possible, but the plow or harrow should
never go below the soil; and it should not be fine on
the surface and coarse underneath, but alike to the
full depth.

A light sandy soil should be worked when
rather wet in order that‘it may pack closely. The
tendency with sandy soils is to become too open and
loose, which allows the air to circulate through it
and to carry off the moisture so essential to plant
growth. As with heavy soils, the surface should be
kept loose. Go over the surface with a rake or light
harrow very soon after every rain, and more fre-
quently if necessary. Do not cultivate to kill weeds,
but work the land so thoroughly that weeds cannot
grow.

To get the most and best from a given acreage,
the plants must needs be set close. The soil is most
productive when every particle of it is furnishing
food for the plants growing in it. To that end,
when it is properly prepared, the seed should be
sown, or the plants set so closely that the surface
will soon become covered. This prevents evapora-
tion: it also prevents the soil from becoming too hot
from the sun’s rays. Between rows of plants that

viii INTRODUCTION.

require the whole season to mature, there should be
one or two rows of some crops that mature quickly,
so they can perfect their growth, and may be re-
moved before their room will be required. Thus, an
extra crop is secured, and the main crop will be in-
creased because the extra crops do not draw as much
moisture from the soil as the sun would. Neither
does the soil suffer from becoming parched.

To get three or more crops from the soil in a
year is what may be called intensive farming, which
it is, and the only way farming can be made profit-
able; but this system of farming requires large quan-
tities of plant food.

MANURE.

This should always be in readiness, and given
the plants when required. Too much manure at a
given time is not profitable; this is particularly true
where commercial fertilizers are employed. It is
far better to feed the plants two or three times dur-
ing their period of growth than to apply the entire
amount at one time. While it is true that where
the ground is heavily manured for a first crop, a
second one can be obtained—if of an entirely differ-
ent nature—without any additional manure, it is
equally true that each crop should have an applica-
tion, however light, and this should be thoroughly
incorporated with the soil before the seed is sown, or
plants are set.

Much of the actual value of manures is lost in
their application; much of it is put into the ground
in such a manner that it is an injury rather than a
benefit to the plants. It is a common occurrence to

INTRODUCTION. 1x

see crops injured to a great extent by a too free use
of commercial fertilizers, and in a test made with
some of the leading brands, it was found that five
hundred pounds to the acre gave better results than
didaton. In this trial the weather was an important
factor, as will be seen by the following statement :

The fertilizers were largely put in the drills;
and before the crops were half grown a period of
rainy weather set in, so that the soil was completely
soaked for more thana month. This rendered solu-
ble all the fertilizers. The result was that the crops
could not consume them. Drouth and extremely
hot weather followed, which caused the caustic prop-
erties of the fertilizers to completely burn up the
roots of the plants, where the large amounts were
used, while the lesser amount proved a benefit.

No matter how little or how much manute is
used, or whatever the character of it may be, it
should be evenly and thoroughly incorporated into
the soil and the soil made light by tillage so that the
roots of the plants will find it all and use as much or
as little as may be required.

Where land is constantly under cultivation, and
is made to produce two or more crops annually,
both barnyard manure and commercial fertilizers in
equal values must be used liberally, and a judicious
rotation of crops should be observed.

This system of cultivation, for other than
cereals, has been found to be the only method that
will make both the land and the owner rich. Many
instances could be cited where the truckers near our
large cities are making a profit of two hundred and
fifty dollars per acre, and that on farms of two hun-
dred acres in extent.

x INTRODUCTION.
SEED BEDS.

Too much pains cannot be taken with the seed
bed, although many crops are injured, sometimes
ruined, by taking too much pains. The mistake
comes from having the soil of the bed too rich, which
has the effect of making the plants too succulent and
weak. The seed bed should be carefully prepared,
but not a particle of manure of any kind used. Let
it be a part of the farm or garden, choosing an open,
airy situation, and sow the seeds on a dry day.

WHY SEEDS FAIL TO GROW.

The general impression is that a seed must grow
if planted, no matter when, how or where. Life in
the seed form is persistent, and will manifest itself
under great difficulties, but it cannot surmount all
obstacles that oppose it. There are many reasons
why seeds fail to germinate, or to grow after germi-
nating ; these are but little understood, and because
they are not, failures are frequent, and the loss is
attributed to poor seed when it should be charged
to a want of knowledge of the requirements of
plant life.

A frequent cause of failure is because the seeds
are not sown at the proper time. Some kinds are

"sown too early, others too late. Seeds with a hard

outer covering, like the asparagus, should be sown
as early as possible in the spring, in fact, they would
do better if sown in autumn, particularly if the soil
is light, so that the winter’s snows do not pack it
down, as is the case with clay soils. Frost, or mois-
ture, does not injure seeds of this character; on the

INTRODUCTION. xi

contrary, they will not germinate if put in late so
that they cannot have the benefit of these influences,
which would be fatal to other seeds. On the other
hand, many seeds must not be planted too early;
prominent in this class is the nasturtium, a seed that
long retains its vitality when kept dry, but will not
germinate in cold soil, hence the necessity of late
sowing. To make success sure the requirements of
each species should be studied.

Many seeds germinate quickly when sown, but
the plants make a feeble growth, and the gardener
cannot understand why he has such weak plants,
when others of the same kind are strong, and that
in soil not so rich in plant food. This comes from
the manner in which the seeds are sown. It isa
common practice in seed sowing to make the drills
without first preparing the soil finely, the seed is
then sown among the small lumps, and covered as
lightly as possible, when it should first be made fine
and then covered with fine soil, which should be
pressed firmly around the seed. This principle has
been well known and practiced for many centuries.
One of the first elaborate works on farming, “Our
Country Farm,” published in France, 1616, says:
“When the seed is sown let the earth be made very
fine and press it hard over the seed with the feet.”
There is a vital principle in this method not suffi-
ciently understood, but now generally practiced.

There is stored up in every seed a latent germ,
the embryo of a new life, the development of which
is conditional upon other natural causes. The influ-
ences that act upon the seed to cause growth are heat,
air and moisture; and without a proportionate quan-
tity of each there can be no plant life. Now, it follows

xii INTRODUCTION,

that when a seed is put into the ground and loosely
covered with light, dry soil, it does not come in con-
tact with sufficient moisture to soften its outer coat-
ing, neither is there sufficient heat, because of the
too great circulation of air around the seed, to pro-
duce the chemical changes upon which vegetable
growth depends.

Again, when we place a seed into the earth it
immediately commences growth—when the condi-
tions are favorable—in two opposite directions,
upward into the atmosphere and downward into the
earth, the two sources from which it obtains its food.
It is a mistake to suppose that the first root the seed
puts forth furnishes the young plant with food—it
does not; it simply holds the plant in place until the
true roots, by which the plant is fed, are formed.
The first, or seed leaves, contain the food for the
infant plant, to nourish it until its true leaves and
roots are formed, and do not perform any of the
functions of the plant.

The feeding roots of any plant or tree are deli-
cate white fibers, so small as rarely to be seen with
‘the naked eye, and are never seen by the casual ob-
server. Now, when these roots are formed, if the
soil is not pressed firmly around the main root, these
feeders have nothing to live upon; they must come
in immediate contact with moisture, or the warm,
dry air will destroy them, and the whole plant will
stand still until new roots are formed, or in the
meantime perish. -Hence the necessity of pressing
the soil firmly around the seeds.

In thinning out the young plants, where the
seed has been sown too thickly, the work should not
be long deferred, but done before the second pair of

INTRODUCTION. xiii

leaves has developed, and the soil pressed firmly
around the roots of the remaining plants.

DEEP PLANTING.

This is another frequent cause of the seeds’
failure to germinate, or to make rapid growth after
sprouting. The importance of more care in this
direction cannot be overestimated. Our observa-
tion and experiments made in planting various
seeds at different depths show some astonishing
results. Take, for instance, sweet corn, and, in
planting, cover from one-half inch to five inches
in depth. The former will germinate without a
loss of five per cent., while the latter will not
grow five per cent., and the exact ratio will be
kept up. The cause for the difference is, that the
conditions of growth are not complied with—the
deficit being heat, which, at the season of corn plant-
ing, does not exist at so great a depth from the sur-
face. Again, corn planted at a depth of three inches
will not make as rapid or healthy growth as when
covered only half an inch, and for this reason: Corn
makes two sets of roots,—surface and underground—
the one being quite as important as the other. The
surface roots form just above the first joint of the
plant, which is about an inch above the kernel. If
corn is planted three inches deep, as soon as it has
used up the food that is stored up in the kernel,
growth ceases until a new and unnatural joint is
formed at the surface, from which these aerial roots
proceed. In planting corn in mellow ground, the
hoe should never be used, the feet alone being the
best implements that can be employed for the purpose.

xiv INTRODUCTION.

When the corn is dropped, with the foot scrape sufh-
cient soil over it to cover to the depth of half an
inch, then step on the hill in such a manner that it
will get the whole weight of the body, no matter
how heavy it may be. This same rule will apply to
the planting of most other seeds. Proper care in
planting, and the too common practice of burying
seeds is just the difference between success and fail-
ure in their germination and growth.

SYSTEMATIC ASSISTANCE.

The discouragements from trifling neglects are
frequent means of letting the garden go to waste,
when labor intelligently employed would add mate-
rially to the happiness of home by surrounding it by
the beautiful and useful in plant life. No matter
how pleasant home may be, how small the place
allotted for the garden, climbing vines on the fence,
or half a dozen tomato plants that can easily be
grown, even in a city yard, will materially enhance
them. Seeds sown with care, whether of vegetables
or for flowers, will surely grow and add to the
pleasures of the family.

There is not a seedsman in the land who is not,
at one time or another, accused of selling poor seed,
at least so far as its growing qualities are concerned.
We have heard complaints from every quarter,
heaped upon every seedsman’s head, and while there
are undoubtedly some causes for complaint, we ear-
nestly believe that in more than 95 per cent. of the
cases, poor seed means poor attention. In every
locality there is always a man for whom every seed
will grow—“a man of luck,”—there is also generally

INTRODUCTION. XV

to be found a woman for whom all plants will grow
if she looks at them. In each instance may be found
a person who understands a plant’s requirements.
It matters not whether this knowledge is innate or
acquired ; it is that which makes the plant grow.

To get the most from the land, at the least pos-
sible cost, has been, and is the great object and aim
of the agriculturists of our country; and we wish to
emphasize that we confine it to our country, as our
methods are but little followed in other countries.
“Keep the cultivator going,” we are told, is the secret
of success with cultivated crops. To keep the pres-
ent “improved” cultivator going through field crops,
as is now generally practiced, is not the secret of
success, but, to a great extent, the cause of failure.
While to keep a cultivator going, as it should be
done, would be the secret of success, as is claimed.

We set cabbage plants for the heads they pro-
duce; tomato plants for the fruits they yield; we
plant potatoes for an increase of their kinds. In
either case, to get the desired results, we must have
vigorous plants. We cannot have a large head of
cabbage without a strong stem to support it; we can-
not have a large yield of good, well-developed toma-
toes unless we have vigorous vines; neither can we
have a large yield of potatoes unless we have strong
plants to produce them. This is cause and effect.
Now where do the stem of the cabbage and the
vines of the tomato and the potato get their strength?
We answer, from the united action of leaf and root,
the same as the trunk of the tree is built up in order
that it may produce a crop of fruit. There can be
no growth unless there is an equal amount of leaf
force and root force. In other words, if you take

Xvi INTRODUCTION,

one-half the roots from the vines, they will have but
half the strength required to do their work, conse-
quently one-half the crop will be the result. That
is just what the cultivator, as generally used, does.

To buy fertilizer to grow crops, then delib-
erately go through the field and destroy half of them
is poor agricultural economy. But it is the common
practice, and half-crops are the result. The object
of cultivation is to build up the plant, in order that
it may produce its fruits. Leaf growth and root
growth must alike be encouraged ; the means to that
end are simple. The soil must first be worked deep
and made rich, and the supply of plant food must be
deep down to draw the roots from, instead of to, the
surface which is to be kept stirred frequently, or
just as often as necessity-requires to keep it fine
and loose.

The implement for that purpose is one that can-
not possibly stir the soil to a greater depth than one
inch. A simple one we have used is a heavy oak
' plank pierced with strong spikes, and this is kept
going. Our best cultivators of cabbage have long
since thrown away the cabbage plow, and, instead of
working deep, work the surface only, and this with
the best possible results. In countries where the
crops are all worked by hand, which means surface
culture only, the average yield of potatoes is fully
double that of ours. Now, we do not wish to do
away with the horse in agriculture, but do wish to
have him attached to implements that will assist
rather than destroy plant growth.

These preliminary remarks are applicable to the
cultivation of all crops. Specific instructions will be
given in their respective chapters.

CABBAGE.

The history of the cabbage, like that of most
cultivated vegetables, is unknown. We only know
that it has been in common use for more than 2,000
years among all peoples who have had vegetable gar-
dens. The Dutch were the first known to have made
a classification of varieties, and they did not multiply
varieties to any great extent. The origin of the
cabbage, however, is of minor importance compared
with a knowledge of its cultivation, and the relative
value of the numerous varieties, together with a
knowledge of selection, which will enable the
grower to improve upon the types under cultivation,
and to develop new ones.

A knowledge of selection is so important to the
farmer and trucker that it is necessary to speak of it
as a principle in agriculture, in order, not only to
show how new varieties have been secured, but how
easily others can be developed by careful observa-
tion. In every field of grass, grain or vegetables,
changes through climatic influences, or as results
from a change of soil, are constantly going on.
Sometimes in the line of improvement, sometimes
the reverse. For that reason we shall speak fully
and freely of selection in its relation to seed-growing,
in order that every gardener and farmer may avail
himself of the advantages that evoive through the

. 17

18 CABBAGE,

development of vegetable forms, from causes he may
not know or understand.

SELECTION.

A familiar illustration of this principle may be
seen in the history of the development of the cab-
bage. Changes in form, through climatic influ-
ences, are shown to have been greater in this than
with any other vegetable. Ina wild state the parent
of our cultivated forms of cabbage has but few
leaves, which are loosely arranged, but all that are
necessary to protect the germ of the coming season’s
growth, which is to produce seed for the perpetua-
tion of the species. When taken to a colder climate
more protection becomes necessary. This is fur-
nished by additional leaves, which are of a finer tex-
ture and more compactly arranged. The result of
this care is the solid head of our present varieties of
cabbage. From two or three distinct types intro-
duced from Holland early in this century a large
number of varieties, more or less distinct, have been
produced wholly by careful, and in many instances
systematic, selection.

To more clearly illustrate this principle let us
note some of the points in the development of forms,
where the cabbage is grown to the greatest perfec-
tion. Long Island, N. Y., is probably the most
congenial home of the cabbage to be found in this
country. Nowhere else is it so generally grown, or
of a better quality, and here is where the greatest
number of truly distinct varieties have originated.
There is probably a greater variety of soil to be
found in close proximity here, than in any other part

CABBAGE, 19

of the United States. On the one side is a heavy but
friable loam, capable of producing enortnous crops.
On the other side the soil is of a light, sandy charac-
ter, with but little recuperative strength. Interme-
diate is, in sections, a turfy and sandy loam, and
beneath all is a gravelly subsoil, a condition best
suited for cabbages.

In most countries there are certain districts and
some particular farms which are famous for the
production of some special crop and where the same
is extensively cultivated. In such localities there
are usually to be found some men who are leaders in
their principal industry ; they are regarded as author-
ities, and their advice is taken on all matters that per-
tain to their calling. This is the case on Long Island,
in regard to the cabbage, where certain farmers pos-
sessing a remarkable degree of intelligence, and who
are close observers and thinkers as well as workers,
have made the growing of cabbage a specialty.
These men have made selection, as a choice in regard
to form and habit, a study. They have chosen for
a purpose, either as regards earliness or lateness, or
for the development of a desired form. Persistent
labor and watchful care in this direction have been
the means of producing the best strains or varieties
of cabbage in cultivation.

While variations of climate produce wonderful
changes in vegetable forms, it is a well-established
fact that any vegetable grown in a given soil will
assume a very different form when grown in either
a heavier or lighter one. This has been shown in a
remarkable degree with the cabbage. A given
variety grown for a long number of years on a heavy
soil, with a liberal supply of plant food, proper care

20 CABBAGE.

in growing the plants and in transplanting them,
and constant cultivation until the crop is matured,
will develop a type remarkable for size and vigor,
with excellent keeping qualities, and be what is
known as a Late Flat Dutch or Drumhead cabbage.
On the other hand, take the same stock seed, grow
it on a light, sandy soil, under the same climatic
influences, with the same care in cultivation, always
selecting with a view to earliness and solidity, and
the result will be, in the same number of years, a
variety of the same general form, but of smaller size,
and very much earlier. Again, a soil intermediate
in character, from the same stock, during the same
period, with the same care in selection, will give a
variety intermediate in character as well as in period
of growth. Under such conditions have been pro-
duced the several varieties introduced from Long
Island.

It is an established principle in agriculture that
a sandy soil is favorable for an early growth, and a
heavy soil for a continuous growth. Early and late,
large and small varieties, are not to be expected from
the same soil and under the same conditions of
growth, both natural and artificial. It must, of
necessity, take a longer time to grow a head of cab-
bage weighing twenty pounds than one half the
weight. I have thus far spoken of the development
of the cabbage by selection under natural conditions,
_ but there are other methods employed by specialists.
These are of an artificial character and have been
material helps in selection. When these specialists
harvest their stock seed, they examine each plant
carefully before cutting it, and if the seed is of large
size it is rejected, because they hold that such seeds

CABBAGE, 21

will make leaves instead of heads. Besides that
these men will not use seed until it is at least three
years old; for the same reason they will not use large
seed. This statement corroborates the assertion that
the conditions favorable for the production of the
fruit are unfavorable for the production of a good
quality of seed. We may, however, add that a hand-
some sample is not always a good sample, always
excepting instances, as in the cereals, where the seed
is the part consumed.

Local causes have more to do in forming a type
than the efforts of all the horticulturists in the world
combined. No one can change natural laws one
iota, and they will control vegetable growth in spite
of all that man can do. All the most scientific (and
this means practical, for a man that is truly practical
is absolutely scientific) can do is to work in harmony
with the conditions of climate and soil as they exist.
If a given variety does better on a certain soil than
on another, that is the one to grow at all times, and
in a locality where any vegetable form shows a ten-
dency to improve, under good cultivation, there the
seed should be grown to perpetuate it. And where
arly vegetable form shows, in the slightest degree,
an inclination to deteriorate, even with the best cul-
tivation, there the seed should not be saved to per-
petuate the variety.

Probably more distinct types or strains of cab-
bage have originated on Long Island, N. Y., than
in any other section in the world; and why? First,
because cabbage succeeds best here; and secondly,
because of the marked difference in soil in close
proximity. Sixty years ago there were but three
distinct varieties of cabbage grown there, viz., Flat

22 CABBAGE.

Dutch, Early York and Red Dutch, the two latter
almost wholly from imported seed. The farmers
that had been growing the Flat Dutch for the past
100 or more years were in the habit of saving their
own seed, quite as much from economic reasons as
for the improvement of type. In every town there
was usually to be found a farmer who had an eye
to business, he began to save seed for others than
himself, and always selecting for this purpose the
best heads. By this means, after a few years, he
established a local reputation as a seed grower, which
proved quite remunerative.

As before stated, on Long Island there is a great
variety of soil, varying from a light sandy to a
heavy loam, the north side, in its entire length, being
the heavier, the south light, while the center is inter-
mediate in character. Of course there are small
patches of light soil to be found with the heavy, and
the reverse; but the rule is as stated. Now on these
different soils, the local specialists have developed
three distinct types of the Flat Dutch cabbage : Early,
intermediate, and late, and from these most of the
popular varieties have been obtained.

We must here say that most of these growers
selected for head only, which is very natural, as
heads are what are wanted for sale; and how they
would look as a type in the field, whether all the
heads were very deep, or very flat, was of no conse-
quence, providing each plant would make a solid
head, fit for market. Some of these specialists,
however, were more observing; they admired uni-
formity of shape, and they saw, too, that while a
perfect head was desirable, a healthy and vigorous
growth was essential for the preservation of the type,

CABBAGE. 23

as well as to render the plant more vigorous in win-
ter, that 1s, to secure good keeping qualities. ‘To
that end plants were selected for seed purposes that
had thick, smooth and perfectly shaped outer leaves.

One grower, whom we will mention as a type
of the men who have rendered the country the
greatest good in the selection of varieties, had this
end constantly in view. For nearly sixty years this
man made cabbage his specialty, but not for seed pur-
poses. His object was to have the best second early
cabbage in market, and to have it in advance of all
his competitors. At that time New York and Brook-
lyn depended almost wholly for their cabbage upon
Long Island and New Jersey, and the whole supply
was grown within a radius of fifteen miles from the
city hall of New York. Consequently, the man who
had the earliest cabbage had the best market, and if
he could have a week’s sale in advance of his neigh-
bors, he was the envy of all others, because his profits
were greater than theirs. This man would never
sell a seed, and but for his death this strain would
never have been sent out, and the truckers would not
have had All Head cabbage, which we consider the
best Early Flat Dutch cabbage ever sent out. Of
this there are already several synonyms, as every
dealer feels it a duty to his business to have his own
name attached to each variety he sends out, and in
a sense he is right, and that sense is his care in selec-
tion. No matter how good a type may be, if the
same care is not used in perpetuating it, as was given
to establish it, deterioration will follow. So when
the seedsman gives any variety his special care in
selection he has a perfect right to prefix the variety
with his own name.

24 CABBAGE,

The same rule holds good with the variety
known as Stein’s Early Flat Dutch, which was saved
by another careful specialist, and in about the same
way. This is a larger variety, is shorter stemmed,
and not quite as early, and is exceedingly useful as
a second Early Flat Dutch. This also has many
synonyms, as we shall show later on.

In the origin of varieties we shall mention but
one more in a special way, that one being the “Mar-
ket Gardener’s Private Stock” Flat Dutch, which
was a selection made by a very intelligent market
gardener who did quite a seed trade among the
farmers of his section. His farm was one of the
best on Long Island, and the soil was of the heaviest
loam, which was favorable for continuous growth.
For many years a careful selection had been made
with a view of large and solid heads of good keeping
quality. It was locally known as the Acme, and also
Houseman’s, from the man who had grown it for
years.

GROUPS.

There are under general cultivation five separate
and distinct groups of cabbage, viz., Flat Dutch or
Drumhead ; the conical or pointed heads; the Savoy;
the Red; and the Danish or Hollander Ball Head.
These are the parents of types, almost innumerable,
variations in point of earliness or shape, which are
either due to climatic influences or conditions of soil.

Types are only established by persistent effort
in the line of selection, and that in a given locality,
because if a change of locality is annually made, there
will be a small but sure inclination for the plant to
adapt itself to a new condition of growth. Some

CABBAGE. 25

kinds do this quicker than others. The cabbage
probably will change less in one year than most other
vegetables. When it has been grown for a long
number of years in one locality its type becomes
fixed, and will only revert back, or vary from the
type formed, when grown under changed conditions,
as slowly or in the same length of time as it took to
establish it. But there is a point that should be well
considered, viz., types will gradually change charac-
ter in proportion to the change there is in soil and
climate. As an instance, if the seed has been grown
for a series of years in a comparatively cold climate,
where the season of growth is short, and then is
taken to a warm climate, where there is but little, if
any, winter, the type would be lost with the first
year’s crop of seed. For that reason cabbage seed
that will reproduce solid heads cannot be produced
in warm countries.

SOILS AND SITUATIONS.

The question is often asked: Can cabbage be
successfully grown in all soils and situations? To
which query we reply: Yes, as readily as any other
vegetable. and in most localities it is a very simple
matter. But the conditions favorable do not always
exist, and experiment alone will teach the important
lesson. It was supposed, but a few years ago, that
a clay soil was not suited to the cabbage, and no
special efforts were made to grow it on such soils.
But now, in localities where it was then thought
impossible to grow cabbage at all, it is a profitable
crop at $5.00 per ton delivered to the cars. In such
localities, growers have learned by experience that

26 CABBAGE,

different methods must be adopted from those prac-
ticed in other places.

The favored land for the cabbage is a lively
loam, with an open, gravelly subsoil, and near the
seacoast; such situations were formerly sought, but
when such soil could not be found to the extent
required, other soils were tried, and after a few
experiments just as good success was obtained. In
light soils it is better to plant the early varieties, as
they mature more quickly, and a light soil does not
like to be slow in its operations. If we wanted cab-
bage for fall or winter use, and our soil was of a
sandy character, we should invariably plant the early
sorts, but should sow the seed at least three weeks
later than we should the late varieties. This is a
point often overlooked. Quick-growing varieties of
any vegetable are better for light soils than late
varieties. Hence the importance of ascertaining by
systematic experiment, what is best for our soils.

CONDITIONS OF SOIL.

There is one important consideration in the
growing of all crops: How to get the most with the
least possible expense. The question of soil being
an arbitrary one, we must, of necessity, use what we
have, and it is not at all times possible to have it in
just the condition we would like. This is particu-
larly true with small farmers, who are obliged to
keep all their soil under cultivation. Cabbage can
be grown more cheaply, because, in part, the crop is
more certain when planted on new or sod ground.
For an early crop this should be plowed not later
than the first of October—a month earlier would be

CABBAGE, 27

better ; harrow thoroughly as soon as plowed, in order
to prevent the grass from growing in the open spaces
between the furrows, and also to assist in the rotting
of the sod. As early in the spring as the soil is in
proper condition to work, scatter broadcast five hun-
dred pounds of high grade fertilizer, or a liberal
application of well-rotted manure, If the sod is
rotted as it should be, it may be cross-plowed to
good advantage, or the fertilizer may be worked in
with a disc harrow.

For a late crop, plow the first week in June, and
treat in all respects as for an early crop. Put on the
manure more liberally than for a spring crop, say
1,000 pounds of fertilizer to the acre, or all the well-
rotted stable manure at command. ‘There is but
little danger of getting too much, as the cabbage is
a gross feeder. Let the soil be worked well, for
strong as the cabbage may seem it does not make a
good growth in poorly prepared soil.

Early plants may be set as soon as the soil is in
good working order. Do not be in haste, as wet
ground can only be worked at a loss; do not be
behind, as lost time is never found.

For early cabbage, we should invariably use
the Early Wakefield; the seed of which is best sown
about the first of September, not later than the Ioth. |
Sow in drills, thinly and keep well worked. Between
the 15th and 20th of November dig a trench six
inches deep and a foot in width, as long as necessary,
take up the plants carefully and place them upright
in this trench, roots down, scattering a little soil
around the roots as they are put in; pack them
closely together, but not so firm as to bruise them.
When the trench is filled cover with two boards in

28 CABBAGE.

the form of an inverted V (A) then over this plow a
furrow from either side, so that the soil will be about
six inches deep over the boards. It is best to put a
small wisp of straw upright between the boards,
reaching above the soil; this will carry off all the
warm, moist air from below, which is constantly
rising, and prevent the plants from rotting, which
they are apt to do if they get too warm in the
trenches.

The plants may be set sixteen inches apart in
rows thirty inches apart—this would be for a regular
farm crop, and the market gardener or trucker, adja-
cent to a large city, where manure can be obtained
without cost, except for hauling—then between each
plant, and between each row lettuce may be set about
eight inches apart. This will necessitate hand culti-
vation which is economical where land is very dear,
The lettuce may be taken out before the space will be
required for the cabbage. Keep the plow or the hoe
going, not to kill weeds, but so constantly that weeds
cannot grow.

For a succession use the Large Wakefield, which
will come in about a week, or possibly two weeks,
later. The seed of this should be sown in the same
way, at the same time, and wintered over in the same
way as the Early Wakefield.

This method of wintering plants is far better
and much cheaper than to winter them in cold frame
or greenhouse. They come out of the trench per-
fectly healthy and start immediately into growth,
making heads fit for market in forty days from the
time of planting.

For a second early crop we recommend “All
Head,” it being as early as any we have tried, and

CABBAGE, 29

absolutely sure to head. The seed of this should be
sown by the 20th of February in the greenhouse or
hotbed; sow the seed thinly, and do not hasten
growth too much; let the plants come on as though
grown in the open air, give them all the air possible,
when the temperature will permit it, and the plants
will be sufficiently strong to be put out by the middle
of May, and will come rapidly forward.

It may be asked, why not grow these plants
and winter them over the same as the Wakefield.
If so, we will say, we have tried this plan repeatedly
with the early Flat Dutch varieties and have never
been successful. They are quite apt to run up to
seed instead of making heads, and when they do
head, the check they get seems to break them all up,
and they grow into almost every conceivable shape.
We have. wintered the late varieties with good
success, but it is no object to get them in this way,
as they are not wanted for summer cabbage.

FALI. AND WINTER CABBAGE,

The seed fc’ these is sown from the first of June
to the first of Tuly. First we use an intermediate
type, and for this we prefer the Stein’s, which will
be ready from seed sown June Ist (and available for
cutting by September Ist), and we should sow seed
at intervals of a week until July Ist, when we put in
our latest variety, this latter largely for putting away
for winter.

Where sod ground cannot be had for a late crop,
nearly equally favorable conditions can be secured
by planting after early potatoes, providing there is
no delay in getting the potatoes off (which can be

30 CABBAGE.

done by the 15th of August), early enough for late
cabbage, if the intermediate strains are used; and
this we should, by all means, advise—as they will
keep over winter as well as the later sorts, if not
allowed to get overripe before putting away. All
cabbage to keep well through the winter should be
put in trenches before the outer leaves begin to drop;
if put away when the heads are two-thirds grown
they will perfect their growth during the winter.

Good cultivation is the secret of success in
growing cabbage, it matters not what the variety
may be, whether an early or late, large or small crop.
From the time the seed is sown, until the heads are
fully matured, constant attention will be required
to secure a crop.

THE SEED BED.

The first step to be taken in the production of
cabbage is to secure the plants, and it is one of the
greatest importance, in fact, all-important, as good
cabbage cannot be produced without good plants.
We wish to impress on our readers the importance
of having the very best plants it is possible to obtain,
having so frequently witnessed the failure, or partial
failure, of crop due wholly to the use of plants im-
properly grown.

The seed bed should be as far removed from
the borders of the field as possible, particularly if
the borders are hedgerows, which are the breeding
places of grasshoppers and other insects injurious
to vegetation. It should be beyond the range of
farm poultry, the plants’ worst enemy. The char-
acter of the soil is second in importance to condition,

CABBAGE, 3K

No matter whether it be a heavy loam, or light sand,
before the seed is sown it should be reduced to the
utmost possible fineness. But it should not be made
rich. In such ground the plant grows too quickly,
and in consequence is succulent and weak, and has
not the strength to withstand the shock attending
transplanting. A soil made rich for a previous crop
would be the one best suited for the production of
plants. After the soil is thoroughly pulverized,
make the surface firm and smooth by the use of a
roller, or if that is not convenient, firm it down
evenly and firmly with the back of the spade.

Make drills six inches apart across the bed—
which should not exceed four feet in width—with
the edge of a board, which should have the corners
taken off. Such a device will make a trench one-
quarter of an inch wide at the bottom. Sow the
seed thinly, say from four to six seeds to the inch.
Then wet the drills thoroughly.

From the plants’ first appearance in the seed
bed, they should not receive the slightest check until
the heads are perfected. As soon as the young plant
breaks through the ground, some insect is ready for
attack, and will contest its growth, the first being
the black flea, which will destroy all the plants in a
day if they are not protected. The best remedy we
have tried is tobacco dust, which should always be
in readiness. The first application should be in the
drill when the seed is sown. After sowing the seed,
cover it thinly with the dust, then, if it can possibly
be obtained, cover to the depth of one-quarter of an
inch with fine white sand; this will retain the mois-
ture from below and will not bake and prevent the
plants coming up. If sand cannot be obtained, cover

32 CABBAGE.

with the same soil as the bed; in which case the bed
should be shaded with some light brush or any con-
venient cloth covering. When the seed leaves are
fully developed, give them a slight sprinkling of
tobacco dust, whether the flea is in sight or not, and
follow it up immediately after a shower, and until
the plants have made two or three inner leaves, or
are nearly large enough for transplanting.

By this method better plants will be secured
than are usually obtainable. But there is a still bet-
ter way, which those practice who have cold frames,
or hotbeds, in which they start their plants. As soon
as the plants have perfected their first leaves, which
will be within forty-eight hours after breaking
through the ground, they are pricked out into beds
prepared in the same way as recommended for the
seed bed, in drills one inch apart and half an inch
apart in the drills: As soon as these plants have
made their second pair of leaves and show plainly
the third pair, they are again pricked out, in the
same manner as before, only they are set one inch
apart in the drills.

It is a common and very excellent plan to have
shallow boxes, usually two and one-half inches in
depth, filled with fine, and a little richer, soil than
that first used, and prick the plants into these. These
boxes are then placed in cold frames where they can
be shaded for a day, and protected from cold, drying
winds when necessary, which is highly important for
early crops. Anyone who has once adopted this
method will never go back to the old method of
starting plants. The reason is obvious. Plants
grown in this manner form a solid mass of roots.
instead of one long spindling root, with a few roct-

CABBAGE. 33

lets, and when taken to the field in these boxes they
can be set quickly and without the loss of a single
plant, or the slightest check to their growth.

The average farmer or trucker is not ready for
such a radical change of methods, the objection
being the want of time, as this work must needs be
done at a busy season. To meet their objection, let
us say that at the most this method requires but a
day’s extra labor for an acre of plants when set, and
much of this can generally be done under cover on
rainy days. But suppose it could not, labor is not
Iost wnen well applied, and, when plants are grown in
this way, and carefully set in the field, the plants will
perfect their growth, and the cabbage be ready for
the market at least two weeks earlier than when
grown in the usual manner.

There are several farmers on Long Island,
within ten miles of New York city, who grow, annu-
ally, one hundred acres of early cabbage, cauliflower
and other vegetables, whose plants are all grown in
this manner, and who could not be induced to grow
them in any other way, on the score of economy. By
this method a second crop is secured, and in some
casesathird. A saving of two weeks in June means
a crop of spinach in October, which makes the third
in rotation, and which would not be possible under
the usual methods.

PREPARING THE SEED BED FOR LATE PLANTS.

The preparation of the seed bed for late cab-
bage and cauliflower plants should be undertaken as
soon as the soil is dry enough that it can be worked
fine. After plowing, use the harrow, and make the

34 CABBAGE.

soil fine to as great a depth as it has been plowed.
A day spent at this work is labor wisely employed.
After the harrow has finished its work, put on the
roller, making the surface as smooth as the house
floor, then cover to the depth of four inches with
coarse litter from the stable; or seaweed, if it is
easily procurable; or any convenient mulch that will
prevent evaporation.

The benefits arising from this method are many
fold. In the first place the work is done on time and
the bed will be in readiness for the seed when
wanted. In the next place the soil will at all times
be moist underneath the mulch, so that the seed can
be sown at the proper time, no matter how dry the
season may be; and there will always be moisture
enough in the soil to carry the plants until they are
sufficiently large to transfer them to the field where
the crop is to be grown,

There is another important consideration which
must not be overlooked. Moisture is constantly
rising from below, and, when prevented from evapo-
ration by the mulch, it must be retained, and to as
great a depth as the soil has been worked. At the
same time all the small lumps will become so com-
pletely pulverized that the soil will be to the touch
as soft as the finest sand, and fully charged with
sufficient plant food.

Remove the mulch when the seed is to be sown,
then proceed as we have already stated. We would
again urge the importance of covering the seed with
fine white sand to prevent the soil from baking, as
well as to prevent evaporation. We have found no
better covering for the seed bed after sowing than

CABBAGE. 55

the “excelsior” so much used for packing. If put
on to the depth of two inches, the plants will be well
up within three days from the time of sowing, then
remove the mulch and keep the soil constantly stirred
between the rows.

TRANSPLANTING,

Having secured good plants, by whichever
method grown, the next important step is to transfer
them to the field or garden. In reality this is the
all-important work, for upon it depends, in a great
measure, success or failure. It matters not how
good and pure the strain of seed sown, or how good
a start the young plants have made, if they are not
properly planted, total or partial failure will be the
result. It is, therefore, important to exercise the
greatest possible care in transplanting, and it should
always be done when the conditions of growth are
the most favorable. We have given this subject
very much attention, as we must needs do in grow
ing, for seed purposes, more than one hundred acres
annually. Our experience has taught us conclusively
that the most unfavorable time for transplanting is
immediately after a heavy rain, the time usually
selected for the work; while the most favorable time
is just before a heavy rain. As this cannot always
be determined, the safest, hence the most economical,
plan is to plant on a cloudy and not very hot day,
and that day the one when the plants are of sufficient
size, which is when they have made three pairs of
leaves. If the seed has been sown thinly the plants
will be about four inches high and very stocky.

The ground in readiness, take up the plants

36 CABBAGE.

carefully, so that their delicate fine roots are not in
the least broken or bruised; if the soil in the seed
bed is quite dry all the better, as it will then fall away
from the roots without injuring them. Lay them
carefully in a shallow box or basket, water them
thoroughly and cover with a piece of wet cloth to
prevent evaporation, which the sun and air would
rapidly encourage, and if not checked would soon
ruin the plants. When set they should be puddled in,
and for a field crop to do its work profitably, three
persons’ aid is required. To do a work well is the
only proper way, no matter what it may be, even
though at the start it may seem to be more expensive.
When the ground is marked off, one person (a boy
would do as well as a man). goes ahead, makes a hole
with a dibber and drops the plant in it. In this
work care should be taken not to make the hole too
deep. The second person pours into the hole one-
fourth of a pint of water, and the third packs the
wet soil, or mud as it should be, firmly around the
roots, then covers the surface with loose, fine soil to
prevent evaporation.

We have tried this method repeatedly; in fact,
in late years, we have employed no other, never
losing a plant, except it be by insect or accident. And
what is still more important, the plants are no-wise
checked, growth commences immediately, and suc-
cess is assured. We would like to impress upon
every cabbage grower (and the same method should
be pursued with every other plant) the importance of
this method sufficiently to give it a trial, and com-
pare the results with the ordinary method of putting
the plants in with a dibber after a rain.

Cabbage and cauliflower, more than any other

CABBAGE, 37

plants, are injured by a check in transplanting.
Plants set just before a heavy rain, in the ordinary
manner, will not receive a serious check because the
earth becomes so thoroughly packed about them that
the air cannot reach those delicate feeding roots
which are essential to the plant’s existence and
growth. The moment these become injured in any
way the plant ceases to grow, and cannot renew its
growth until new feeding roots are formed. The
plants set when the ground is very wet are apt to
receive injury from the roots drying off, because
the farmer in his haste to finish his work, while the
soil is wet, does not take sufficient time to press the
earth as firmly around the roots as he should. By
puddling the plants this risk is avoided, and the
work cannot be done without being well done. If
there is no fear of an approaching shower, undue
haste is not necessary, as this is the enemy of sys-
tematic work.

The principal objection made to puddling in
plants is the time required to do it, which at the
season when the work must be done seems doubly
valuable. We will quote one of the many instances
that have come under our observation to show that
time spent in puddling in plants is wise economy.
Two brothers each put out two acres of cabbage for
seed purposes. As their farms joined and an inter-
change of labor was their custom, one of the brothers
prepared a seed bed sufficient for both. As the cab-
bage was of the same variety, and the seed produced
was to go to the same party, this could be safely done.

When the time arrived for.putting out the
plants, and as there was every appearance of a heavy
shower, the work was commenced with vigor. By

38 CABBAGE.

the time one field was set it rained so hard that the
work had to be suspended. The storm proved to be
of unusual severity, lasting for nearly two days. The
result was that the rain packed the soil more firmly
around the plants than it was in the original seed
bed, and there was not the slightest appearance of
wilting.

After the storm was over, the second two acres,
which were directly opposite, having soil of precisely
the same character, and prepared in the same way,
were planted. The ground was as wet as it could
possibly be and the plants were put in with the
dibber in the usual way. A severe drouth with high
drying winds followed the setting of the plants, and,
as the soil had only been pressed against the roots,
not firmly packed around them, the new feeding roots
in many instances could not take hold of the earth,
consequently they could not convey food to the plant.
What was the result? The field that was first set had
a crop that was as good as it was possible to grow—
in fact, it was absolutely perfect. The second piece,
because of the check the plants had received, was a
total failure. This check gave them sufficient rest
to start into seed growth, but as they were not large
enough for that they made an abnormal growth, and
the field presented nearly every type to be found in
the cabbage tribe. The party for whom the seed
was grown was, of course, disappointed, but not
astonished, as it was his second experience of the
same character.

DISTANCE APART.

How close should cabbages be planted? is a
question often asked, even by those who grow them

CABBAGE. 39

largely. This is not strange when we consider that
there is a great difference of opinion among growers
on this point, a difference that comes from the dif-
ferent methods of farming. One farmer will grow
7,000 heads to the acre, his neighbor will grow
11,000 of the same and get just as good, if not better
cabbage. This marked difference seems strange—
it is strange—but it is easily accounted for. In the
one case the plants are set sufficiently far apart for
the cultivator to do all the work required; in the
other case they are set so that the cultivator and hoe
both are used, in working the ground. More than
this, the number of heads that can be cut from an
acre depends largely upon the fertility of the soil.
It costs more to feed 10,000 than it does 5,000, no
matter what it is we feed, whether it be plant or
animal.

Under a system of intensive farming, which
gives the plants all the food they can possibly assimi-
late, and permits no barren waste between the'rows,
and where all the cultivation is done by hand and
with a narrow hoe, the crop per acre will be more
than three times as large as where the land is worked
in the ordinary way. This may be seen by the way
the systematic trucker does his work. For example,
we will take the Early Jersey Wakefield variety ; this
is set in rows thirty inches apart and the plants one
foot apart in the row, which gives 17,424 to the
acre, and if the seed is a carefully selected strain,
such as the market gardener seeks to obtain, and the
plants are set under favorable conditions, there
should be sold from the acre 17,000 heads, which is
a much higher percentage than can be had when
grown by the ordinary method.

40 CABBAGE,

To give a clearer idea of the amount to be
obtained from an acre, and why there is such a large
percentage of heads, we must give some of the details
of cultivation, which will also show the soil’s capa-
bilities of production. Between the two rows of
cabbage plants, and alternating with the cabbage in
the rows, lettuce plants are set, which gives about
35,000 heads of lettuce to the acre. This makes the
rows of plants one foot apart, which seems to require
considerable from the soil. But the gardener is still
unsatisfied, because experience has taught him that
the soil will honor every reasonable demand made
upon it, providing the plants have sufficient room
for development. He, therefore, sows a row of
radishes between the rows of lettuce and the rows of
cabbage and lettuce. Now the plants are but six
inches apart, which is about all he can or does expect ;
he is satisfied, so is the soil, for it has all it can do
without growing weeds.

There is a great benefit to be derived from this
method besides the amount obtained from a given
acreage; the soil is at all times just sufficiently
shaded to prevent evaporation through the sun’s
influence, and the soil is kept cool and moist, which
are the requirements for tender vegetables. The
moisture that comes from below is caught up by the
plants, and it cannot well escape. When this method
is adopted the seeds must be sown thinly, or the
plants thinned out to the proper distance apart before
they have formed their second pairs of leaves. The
radishes should be thinned to about four to an inch.
In three weeks these will be ready for use, and not a
moment is lost in getting them to market. The
lettuce then begins to require the room the radishes

CABBAGE. 4I

occupied, its roots have gone deep down, and the
heads are forming. Another week, they begin to
give way to the increasing forms of the cabbage, and
they in turn are marketed. This leaves the cabbage
the sole occupant of the soil, and it requires it, as the
heads begin to form and the outer leaves are expand-
ing to give the head the room it needs, no less
than to shade the soil and protect it from the
sun’s burning rays, than which there is nothing
more injurious.

It can be readily understood that when such
demands are made upon the soil, it will, in turn,
demand sufficient nourishment to produce such
results. But the food it gets is but one of its require-
ments. It asks to have its surface kept clean and
fine, in order that weeds cannot grow. The plants,
too, assert their rights, and say if we are expected to
produce large heads we must not have our roots dis-
turbed, upon them we depend, almost wholly, for
support. The gardener responds, and from the tine
the cabbage and lettuce plants are set, and the young
radishes appear, no implement is used, other than a
small hoe, about four inches in width. By the
middle of June the cabbages are marketed, the soil is
again enriched, and another crop comes on in strict
order of rotation.

PLANTING THE SEED WHERE THE CABBAGE IS TO
GROW.

It is a common practice with New England
farmers to sow the seed with a drill, and where the
plants are to grow, a plan we highly recommend,
having tried it many times with the best possible
success. Last year several of our truckers lost a large

42 CABBAGE.

portion of their plants by drouth and cutworms, and
as they could not replace them, they resorted to this
method, which proved so satisfactory that they will
hereafter put out all their late cabbage in this way.
We will state one instance: A neighbor was
short of plants, having only sufficient to set three-
fourths of his field. He used the drill for the
remainder, sowing the seed the same day he set his
plants. The seed drilled in came up quickly, the
plants grew rapidly, not having any check, and ma-
tured their heads several days in advance of those
from the transplanted plants. So much more vig-
orous were they that this part of the field appeared
like a more vigorous variety.

Had the plants set out been pricked out once or
twice before planting in the field the result might
have been different, as such plants, when properly
set where they are to remain, are not apt to receive
a check. It is, however, a quicker and easier plan
to sow the seed where the plants are to remain. It
is not only more expeditious, but the work can, and
should, always be done on a pleasant day, while the
plants must be set on a wet day, or, as is usually the
case, immediately after a heavy rain, while the
ground is wet, and the work the most disagreeable
the farmer has to do.

Any seed drill may be used for this purpose by
stopping up most of the holes in the wheel, so that
the seeds will drop as far apart as the plants should
stand. This will leave but little thinning out to do.
as there will not be more than two or three seeds
dropped in a place. In thinning, if any of the plants
show remarkable vigor, they should be the ones to
be thrown away, and leave such only as have fine

CABBAGE, 43

mid-ribs, the leaves smooth, indicating health with-
out grossness. A very rank plant—one that is in
advance of the others—is usually in the line of
deterioration.

If, at the time of sowing, the ground is dry, it
should be thoroughly rolled and made as fine as pos-
sible. After sowing go over the rows with a roller
to press the earth firmly around the seeds. Ifa roller
is not at hand, go over the ground with the feet,
which is the better, because the most convenient,
plan for all small sowings. It is always better to sow
the seed when the ground is dry, because it will pack
too hard if rolled or tread when wet. The safest
way for the cabbage grower is to have a seed bed
ready in either case, so that plants can be had, if
required, in case of accident to those sown in drills.
Sometimes drouth or insect enemies will destroy the
one and not the other.

Where the seed is sown in the rows where the
plants are to remain, all manures must be thoroughly
and evenly incorporated in the soil. We do not
advocate putting the manure in the drill, whether it
be from the stable, or in commercial form. On the
contrary, put on broadcast and have it worked in
deep. The plants will be sure to find it, and it isa
much better plan to let the roots extend in all direc-
tions than to have the plant food all in one narrow
drill. The cabbage, more than most other vege-
tables, requires to have its roots extend in all
directions for the support of the plant, and, when
a moderate supply of plant food is found in all
the directions the roots follow, and a double
purpose is accomplished, the plant increases in
size and strength.

44 CABBAGE.
HOW MUCH SEED PER ACRE?

This is rather a difficult question to answer, and
for many reasons. Some seed, or rather the seeds of
some varieties, are much larger than others, as, for
instance, the seed of the Wakefield is nearly double
the size of that of some of the Flat Dutch varieties.
Then some seed has a higher power of germination
than others. Again, much depends upon how the
seed is sown. If sown very thickly, as is most gen-
erally the case, the strong plants will crowd out the
weak ones, even when very young.

Of most ' varieties there are about 10,000
seeds in an ounce, but, as seeds are usually sown,
3,000 plants is all that can be expected from
an ounce of seed. But if the seed was sown thinly,
and the plants were well cared for, and in soil prop-
erly prepared, 5,000 plants could easily be gotten
from an ounce of seed. When sown witha seed
drill, and the plants are to remain where the seed is
sown, much thinning will be necessary, so that eight
ounces per acre will be required.

ROTATION OF CROPS.

How often can we return to the same field with
a crop of cabbage? is a pertinent question, and one
frequently asked. This depends largely upon cir-
cumstances. The character of the soil, as regards
recuperative strength, will have much influence in
this respect; but the character of the rotation, and
how fertility is kept up, exert quite as great an influ-
ence. It is generally supposed that if we grow cab-
bage more frequently than once in three years it will

CABBAGE, 45

club-root. This may, or may not, be the case, but
observation teaches us that club-root will appear in
parts of fields where there has not been cabbage in
twenty years. We saw a case of this kind last sea-
son, where a farmer had a field of several acres, one
side of which was lower than the main part of the
field; on this side the whole crop club-rooted, not a
head escaped. He said there had not been a crop of
cabbage grown on any part of that field in more than
twenty years.

Yet many market gardeners, near New York,
have cabbage on the same field fully half of the time,
and some of the more experienced say that if lime
is used freely it could be grown every year on the
same ground, while others say they must give up
growing cabbage, as their land will no longer
produce it.

We are of the opinion that one crop, when well
grown, not only perfects itself, but at the same time
prepares the soil for some other crop. In other
words, where early potatoes are followed by a crop
of late cabbage, the same rotation can be kept up for
a succession of years with impunity, bearing in mind
the importance of soil fertility. The cabbage is a
gross feeder, and the potato equally so, it therefore
follows that the two crops must annually take from
the soil a vast amount of plant food. A good crop
of each takes from the land fully thirty tons of stable
manure. No two species of plants have identically
the same wants, or possess the same powers of sup-
plying them from the soil. From the one crop there
is always something left for the other. Rotation of
crops, with a liberal amount of well-assorted plant
food, is the secret of agricultural success.

46 CABBAGE.
THE VALUE OF LIME,

In cabbage and cauliflower cultivation, lime is
indispensable. One of the largest growers in this
country attributes his success to the use of lime. He
grows annually sixty acres of cauliflower and nearly
as much of early cabbage. When he sets his plants,
he puts a handful of shell lime around each plant,
and he never has club-root or stem-rot. The
lime touches the plant and covers the ground in a
circle of about four inches in diameter, and it remains
on the surface until after the first hoeing, when it is
lightly covered.

CULTIVATION.

As soon as the plants are established the culti-
vator should be set at work in the field, and the hoe
in the garden; not only should they be set at work,
but kept at work, as steady, persistent labor in culti-
vation is the price of the crop. The soil should be
worked deep before the plants are set, but shallow
cultivation afterward is all that is required; in fact,
more cabbage is injured by disturbing the roots with
the small plow than is generally supposed. Keep the
surface soil at all times fine and light, which will pre-
vent evaporation, at the same time keep down all
weeds, and the secret of successful cultivation is
discovered.

In many of our best cabbage-growing districts,
the small plow, that was formerly considered indis-
pensable, has long since been discarded, and the
wheel cultivator is no longer doing its deep work.
The truckers or market gardeners, who have small

CABBAGE. 47

farms have never had need of these, as the plants are
set so closely that the horse and cultivator could not
go between the rows.

QUALITY OF CABBAGE CHANGED BY CULTIVATION.

There is no vegetable so changed in its essential
character by cultivation as the cabbage. To be ten-
der and sweet it must grow quickly; to grow it
quickly, the plants must be healthy when set; the
soil must be properly prepared, and all the conditions
of rapid growth strictly observed. If grown slowly
the inner leaves will be tough, and of strong flavor,
which renders them entirely unfit for salads, and by
no means so delicate when cooked. The cabbage
grown in Europe when brought here takes double
the time to cook that ours does, and the flavor is
strong and unpleasant. There is another important
point often overlooked: Cabbage is never as good as
the moment it is.cut if the garden; wilting toughens
it, its fibers grow hard and no amount of cooking
will restore its natural tenderness.

In the garden a succession of planting is as nec-
essary for cabbage as for any other vegetable. The
moment a head reaches perfecton it begins to dete-
riorate, hence the necessity of a succession in order
to have it all times in the best possible condition.

For winter use we prefer the putting away of
heads not quite fully grown, such will complete their
growth in the trench during winter, and they
will be more tender and delicate than those fully
matured in field or garden. All vegetables are more
delicious when young, from the fact that the fiber
which affords the plant strength to produce a seed

4& CABBAGE.

crop is not yet formed. This fiber is not only tough,
hard of digestion, but in some plants actually
injurious when used as a vegetable. Many persons
can eat cabbage when taken fresh from the garden,
young and tender, but cannot eat it after it is fully
matured, and has been stored for a short time even,
as itis then not only tasteless but indigestible.

TO KEEP CABBAGE THROUGH THE WINTER.

This is a simple matter, although there is quite
a difference of opinion as to the best methods. The
market gardeners near New York plow a singte fur-
row from six to eight inches deep in which they place
the cabbage, heads down, as closely as they can he
set; they then turn a furrow over the heads from
each side. This is all the attention that is required,
as they will be covered to the depth of a foot, which
is quite sufficient to keep out all the frost we are
liable to have before the heads are marketed, which
is usually by the first of February. The heads put
in these trenches are always fully developed, as they
need to make no growth during winter when put
away in this manner.

There is a better and more simple plan than this,
where it can be adopted. Where cabbage is grown
for shipping in large quantities, the farmers keep it
in their orchards, or in groves, where there is slight
natural protection. It is best to commence against
a fence with a southern or eastern exposure. The
fence is made tight by a liberal use of straw, or
stalks, or both; against this are set the cabbages as
grown in the field, upright, but with a little slant,
and placed closely together. When a row of the

CABBAGE. 49

required length is placed, another row is placed above
them, the stems being arranged between the
heads of the first tier, so that the heads
of the second tier rest upon the tops of the
first. Then another tier is added in the same
manner. In this way the operation is continued
until the crop is put away, when the whole
is covered with newly-fallen leaves to the depth of
three inches. The leaves are kept in place by sprink-
ling a little soil over them, or with brush, boards or
old rails, in short by whatever is most convenient.
Wherever salt or marsh hay or seaweed can be
obtained they can be used to advantage in place of
the leaves. Where cabbage is grown on a large
scale there is no way yet found more economical, or
one that will better protect the cabbage from loss,
or keep it in better condition for eating as well as
shipping.

Those who follow this plan usually select the
smaller or not fully-developed heads, to be the first
put away, as they will continue growing during the
winter, so that.heads not fit for market in November
will sell readily in February.

The time for putting away cabbage for winter
shipment is a local matter, depending wholly upon
climatic conditions. ‘There is but one rule to govern
this matter, and that is applicable to all situations,
‘viz.: Cabbage should never be put away when wet,
or handled when frozen. It is better to leave it in
the field as long as possible, but far better to take up
a week too early than a week too late. Select a day
best suited for the work, and leave the covering with
leaves as long as possible. Cabbages will almost
invariably rot if bruised when frozen.

50 CABBAGE.

Should a field of cabbage not perfect its growth,
that is, not make marketable heads before it is time
to put away for winter’s sales, we should advise a
different way of keeping them through the winter,
which is the same plan we adopt for putting them
away for. seed purposes; a plan that will secure a
crop that the grower would only consider valuable
for stock feeding. Plow out a double furrow, going
forward and back in the same place. This will
make a track sufficiently wide for three rows, one
on each side and one in the center, the latter resting
on the other two, the heads sinking about one-half
their depth between the former. They should be
placed roots down, and at the angle a head would
naturally lie when pulled up and laid upon its side.
The heads should be taken up after a frost, as is best
in case of putting them away when fully grown, but
never badly frozen. As fast as the heads are placed
in the trench, cover the roots with earth and pack
firmly over them.

After the heads are intrenched, leave them ex-
posed as long as they are safe from freezing, then
cover to the depth of three inches with soil without
straw or any other protection. This is best done by
running the plow on each side of the row and
throwing the furrow over them. This will be suffi-
cient until appearances indicate that winter is to set
in in earnest, then cover with at least a foot of earth
and leave them for the winter. It is best to have
breaks in the trenches as often as once in forty feet,
and in the center of each it is advisable to put in a
wisp of straw for ventilation, in case of a mild win-
ter. After the covering of soil is hard frozen, say to
the depth of three inches, the trench should be cov-

CABBAGE, 51

ered with stalks, leaves, or whatever material is most
convenient, to prevent further freezing, so that the
heads can be taken out as required. It is not good
economy to lay aside as worthless a lot of cabbages
because they are small. If put away as recom-
mended, they will make fine heads before spring,
when they will be worth more than they would have
been had they perfected their growth in November.

CABBAGE FOR FAMILY USE.

This should be put away in the same manner
as that for market, only that the heads put in the
trench first, and which will be the last to be taken
out, should have their heads but perfectly formed,
just large enough to show that the possibilities for
ahead are there. These should be followed by more
matured heads, and the last put in should be fully
developed. Where poultry is kept there should be
sufficient put away in the same trenches to give them
an occasional meal.

TYPES AND VARIETIES.

As already stated, there are five distinct groups
of cabbage in cultivation. In some of these there
are variety names, almost innumerable. Some are
descriptive, as, for instance, for earliness, lateness,
as may seem desirable; others for general adaptation,
as “All Seasons,” ‘Succession,’ or ‘‘Surehead.”
Others have a local application, “Louisville Drum-
head,” “Bridgeport Drumhead,” or “Long Island
Beauty.” On Long Island there are numerous local
names for the various strains which are rarely known

52 CABBAGE.

under the grower’s name beyond the immediate
locality where the selection of a given type was made,
and which bears the grower’s name.

The growers of many of these strains which
have a local reputation were painstaking men; they
were also men of keen discrimination. They could
detect slight variations in habit of growth, as regards
size and solidity of head, vigor of constitution, which
would make it valuable for its keeping qualities, or
for a tendency to produce large heads with but few
outer leaves. All of these characteristics were of
importance to those who grew cabbage on a larre
scale for market purposes. These men became
famous, in their respective localities,as seed growers,
and annually saved and sold at an enormous price
large quantities of seed. There are many instances
where men made more money from the product of
one-quarter of an acre of cabbage, grown for seed,
than from all the products of a hundred-acre farm,
because of the high price they obtained for their seed.

Among the number was a Mr. Vanderga-y,
whose selection was generally known as the Vander-
gaw cabbage. This particular type was never known
to the trade until the writer obtained a stock to grow
for seed purposes, for the trade. Its usefulness as a
variety for early, intermediate and late planting was
soon recognized, and James J. H. Gregory imme-
diately secured the whole stock, which he sent out
as a novelty, under the name of “‘All Seasons.” The
following year W. Atlee Burpee procured seeds from
Mr. Vandergaw, without the slightest idea that it
was the parent of the “All Seasons,” and grew a
stock of seed, which he sent out as a “novelty” under
the name of ‘““The Vandergaw.”

CABBAGE. 53

A Mr. Strang, whose farm is particularly noted
for the growing of early crops, has developed a strain
of the Flat Dutch cabbage that excels for earliness,
uniformity in size, freedom from superfluous leaves,
tenderness, and, in fact, all the good qualities sought
in a variety together with a sureness of heading that
has made this one of the most popular varieties under
cultivation. Whether this success is due to soil
and location, or to the infinitely greater care and
attention he paid to the growing of his crops
than the average farmer gives we are not prepared
to say.

This variety was introduced to the trade under
the name of “All Head,” which is truly significant.
So valuable is this strain for commercial purposes
that a large number of dealers have sent it out as a
specialty bearing their name with a special prefix.

Other strains have been given names of local
significance. It is a fact known to all interested in
vegetable forms that where any class can be well
grown, that is, where it shows a tendency to improve
with good cultivation, that these selections can, and
should be, made for that locality. There the plant
will adapt itself to the conditions of soil and climate,
and develop types superior to any that can be pro-
duced elsewhere. This principle holds good with
all seeds; and the seedsman, without regard to the
name given to his various types or varieties, always
secures his stocks from localities where the plants
can be grown to the greatest perfection.

We have written this much to give some insight
into nomenclature and to show the origin of the vast
number of variety names given to strains, or so-called
varieties, not at all dissimilar,

54 CABBAGE.

WAKEFIELD AND WINNINGSTADT GROUP.

This group includes cabbages with pointed
heads, of which there are numerous varieties, but
few of the same are in cultivation for market cab-
bages in this country, and to these only shall we give
special mention, as they are the only ones the Ameri-
can gardener is interested in.

The Jersey Wakefield.—This variety was intro-
duced from England about forty years ago, but of
its history or original name we have no knowledge.
From the date of its introduction it has been a popu-

Fig. 1—Early Jersey Wakefield.

lar sort, and deservedly so, for in point of usefulness
it has no superior. In our climate it has improved
in size and earliness, the consequence of being grown
on different soils, as previously mentioned.

We do not know of any cabbage that is so
peculiar in its likes and dislikes as the Wakefield,

CABBAGE. 55

neither one so liable to variation when the conditions
of soil are uncongenial. We say conditions of soil,
because we cannot attribute the marked changes we
have noticed in the type, when grown in close prox-
imity, to any other cause. We have found within a
radius of one-fourth of a mile from a given point on
Long Island, that from the same seed, and under the
same cultivation, there is a marked difference in the

wt.

Fig. 2—Charleston Wakefield.

type, in almost every respect. Here plants are uni-
form as to size as well as in color and substance of
leaf. The plants seem to grow to perfection from
choice, while those grown but a mile distant are
irregular, the leaves are crumpled and _ twisted,
and the heads coarse and unshapely. We are now

56 CABBAGE,

speaking of the regular type, but have seen as marked
a difference in an extra early type which makes a
smaller head. This in a given locality makes a
more uniform head and more regularly pointed,
than when grown but a short distance in other
directions.

There seems something inherent in this kind
of cabbage to cause it to sport, but mainly in the
shape of head, some heads being nearly as round
as the Early York, while the type should be pointed.
Most of the strains grown show a marked tendency
toward round or oblong heads. The distinctive
strains of the Wakefield cabbage are: The ‘Early
Jersey Wakefield” (Fig. 1), and the “Late or
Charleston Wakefield” (Fig. 2).

The character of these is now pretty well de-
fined, and, as they are grown on Long Island there
is about ten days’ difference, in their period of
growth. The size of the Charleston Wakefield is
proportionate to the time it has to grow, as six
pounds of any vegetable requires a longer time to
grow than four pounds. In this group may be
placed the “Long Island Beauty.” This is a selection
from the round-headed Wakefield and grown on the
heaviest soil of Lcng Island. It has all the charac-
teristics of the Charleston Wakefield, other than in
the size and shape of head, but it is larger and quite
as early. The heads, in shape, are midway between
round and conical. We class this with the pointed-
headed cabbage, because of its parentage. High
cultivation is undoubtedly the cause of its large and
round heads, as when given poor cultivation, the
tendency is toward pointed heads.

Among the other pointed sorts, the following

CABBAGE, 57

are recommended for garden culture, but are not
profitable for the market gardener :

Early Etampes.—Next to Wakefield, one of the
best early sorts.

Extra Early Express—Early, but small.

Very Early Paris Market.—A type midway be:
tween the large and small ox heart varieties.

Early Ox Heart.—Conical heads, but little used.

Very Early Winningstadt——For the private
garden this is one of the best in cultivation, and, if

Fig. 3—Very Early Winningstadt.

planted for a succession, none other would be re-
quired; in point of tenderness or flavor it has no
superior. But it is of no use as a shipping cabbage;
its good qualities for the table make it unfit for dis-
tant shipments. (Fig. 3.)

58 CABBAGE,
FLAT DUTCH OR DRUMHEAD GROUP.

In all catalogues these are made distinct classes,
and of each class there are numerous varieties; the
claim of superiority being based in the care used in
selection, and of the seeds being grown under the
most favorable conditions for the development of
the type desired.

The name Flat Dutch was given the type to
designate it from the round or pointed heads as
grown in Holland nearly a century since. About
1800 we find Drumhead cabbage noticed, a’ name
applied because of the great size. A few years later
Flat Dutch Drumhead was listed and soon thereafter
the names became separated, and “early” and “late”
applied to each.

There is much confusion in nomenclature in the
various classes of the Flat Dutch cabbages, because
of the popular or local names.. In this class there
are three distinct types as regards earliness, and each
of these has about as many local or trade names as
there are dealers. There are, strictly speaking,
early, late and intermediate varieties. By planting
the three classes a difference in maturity of about
three weeks between the earliest and latest sorts will
be noticed.

To show that the difference in varieties is more
imaginary than real, we would say that in our fields
and trial grounds, when parties have sent us their
stocks to grow, we have never had but one man that
was able to distinguish his own.

In the early class, Henderson’s Early Summer,
Early Flat Dutch, Early Drumhead, Newark Early
Flat Dutch, Early Deep Head and Faultless, are best

CABBAGE. 59

represented by All Head, originally known as
Strangs. (Fig. 4.)

Of the intermediate sorts, All Seasons, Van-
dergaw, Gregory, Succession, Surehead, Bridgeport
Drumhead, Louisville Drumhead, Solid South,
Stone Mason, Stein’s Flat Dutch, Fottler’s Bruns-
wick, Short-stem Drumhead, Premium Flat Dutch,
Excelsior Flat Dutch and Safe Crop, are best repre-
sented by Stein’s Flat Dutch, which is shorter-
stemmed and a trifle flatter than the All Head.

Fig. 4—All Head.

Of the Jate varieties, Large Late Flat Dutch,
Large Late Drumhead, Marblehead Mammoth,
World Beater, Autumn King, Hundred Weight and
Colossal, are best represented by Market Gardener’s
Private Stock Flat Dutch (synonym — Acme,
Houseman). (Fig. 5.)

It must be understood that the enormous heads

60 CABBAGE.

reported to have been grown, and exhibited, cannot
always be produced from the same kind of seed.
Because there are occasional instances of such mon-
strous heads, it does not prove them to be the result
of the putting out the plants of a given variety. They
are due rather to natural conditions favorable for
growth, and to the fact that every possible care and

Fig. 5—Market Gardener’s Private Stock.

attention has been paid to cultivation. Enormous
growths cannot be expected in other than deep,
strong soil, rich in every element essential to this
particular growth. :

The amateur gardener is often disappointed,
and feels himself injured when he buys seeds and
plants for an enormous growth and gets below the

CABBAGE, 61

ordinary one. He should not be, for there is not
one-half of one per cent. of the soil planted to cabbage
that has in it the possibilities of such unusual develop-
ment. Besides this fact, there is another important
consideration, viz.: The relative value of such a
production. Any one who has tried the experiment
knows full well that it costs double to produce one
hundred or even fifty pounds of cabbage in one head
than it does to produce the same number of pounds
in ten heads. The market gardener fully under-
stands this, and in his selection of varieties chooses
such as make good solid heads in the shortest time
and at the least cost.

We choose to let this statement come in with
the list, and brief description of varieties, so as to
counteract, as far as possible, the mistaken idea of
selecting for size, rather than for productiveness and
quality. The grower,—whether for his own use or
for market—should select such varieties as will give
the best results in the place he has for them.

THE SAVOY GROUP.

This forms a distinct class, but thus far an
unimportant one, commercially, notwithstanding its
being by far the most tender and richest flavored
variety of cabbage, when grown under favorable
conditions. The Savoy must not be grown on poor
soil, neither must good cultivation be neglected. It
is a gross feeder, and seems to delight, more than
any other sort, in a congenial soil. In such it makes
a large head, of good size and solidity, and its rich
marrow-like flavor surpasses that of any other of
the Brassica vegetables.

62 CABBAGE,

A well-grown Savoy in the garden is a picture,
its rich deep green color, finely netted and regularly
imbricated leaves make it the rose of the vegetable
garden. Notwithstanding its delicate structure, and
tenderness when cooked, it rivals the kale in hardi-
ness, and will endure, in field or garden, fifteen or
even more degrees of frost, without apparent injury.
With but a slight covering of straw, or leaves, which
are more for a protection against the sun than the

Fig. 6—American Drumhead Savoy.

frost, it can be wintered in the garden, in the latitude
of New York, without injury. Like the Brussels
sprouts and kale, the Savoys are greatly benefited
by a few degrees of frost.

The Savoys cannot be well grown as early or
intermediate sorts in this latitude; they do not thrive
in the hot weather of July and August, but make
their best growth from the middle of September until
the middle of November. The Early Ulm Savoy
comes in moderately early, but it, nor any other of

CABBAGE, 63

its class, does not compare at all favorably with the
following American-grown sorts:

Marvin’s Savoy, Drumhead Savoy, Perfection
Savoy, Improved American Savoy. All these are
nearly ajike, and all Long Island stocks. . (Fig. 6.)

All the varieties grown in this country have a
tendency to grow larger and later than the imported
sorts. Many dealers have prefixed their own names

: € Li N
Fig. 7—Mammoth Rock Red.
to the various Savoys above named, without im-
proving or detracting from the quality of the variety.

A dealer’s name as a prefix to any variety simply
shows his confidence in what he has for sale.

THE RED CABBAGE GROUP.

Its color is the distinguishing feature of this
group, although by many it is also highly esteemed

64 CABBAGE,

for its richness of flavor when cooked with vinegar.
It is also much used for pickling, its color making
it a pleasing dish for the eye as well as its quality
for the palate.

This class has undergone the same changes in
size and form—by selection and adaptation—that
are noticeable in all the other classes under cultiva-
tion in this country. It has been increased to fully
three times its original size, and this without any
loss of color.

The Mammoth Rock Red is the variety chiefly
used. This produces heads weighing from ten to
fifteen pounds, very solid, and of the darkest color
to the center of the head. There are two strains of
this, one has very dark, the other quite light outside
leaves, in some instances nearly as light as some of
the white cabbages, while the heads are of the darkest
purplish red color. (Fig. 7.)

The Mammoth Rock Red should be treated the
same in all respects as the late varieties of white
cabbage, but higher cultivation is necessary to pro-
duce large and solid heads.

The Red Dutch variety is used to some extent -
in private gardens where but a single head is all that
would be required. The plants of this variety are
almost sure to head under any circumstances,
although the heads may be small, they will be per-
fectly solid, and of the proper color. It can be
grown to advantage, if an early head is desirable,
as it will make its growth much sooner than the
Mammoth Rock Red. It is one of the hardiest of
all cabbages, and had its origin near Mineola, Long
Island, the result of careful selection.

CABBAGE, 65
HE DANISH BALL HEAD GROUP.

Danish Ball Head, Hollander, Danish Emperor
and German Export form this class, which is rapidly
growing in favor, because of their excellent shipping
qualities. The heads are of medium size, and for
solidity they are not equaled by any other sort. We
consider the three but different names for the same
variety. Having grown them side by side for a
number of years, we have not been able to see the
slightest difference in shape, size or habit of growth.

These have, however, a peculiarity strictly their
own, that is, in their habit of growth, which is by
no means fixed. A casual look at a field would give
a very faint and poor impression of this cabbage, as
there is no such a thing as fixed habit with it, other
than that it always produces a head, and whether
large or small, it will always have that cannon-ball
appearance that is characteristic of this class. In
distinction from other sorts the heads of this are
solid from the start. When not larger than an apple
they are as hard as a full-grown head. Some of
the plants will be tall, others dwarf, whichever it
may be, the plant is sure to make a head of some size,
and that head will be solid.

That this habit may and will be changed by
careful selection, we have not the slightest doubt.
This work is now well under way, and we await the
result with no little interest. The most important
consideration in its adaptation to our soil and climate
is whether it will hold its solidity of head, which
makes it so valuable for shipping purposes, besides
making a desirable sort for late keeping. The lesson
taught by the development of the red cabbage, which

66 CABBAGE.

has changed its habit to a remarkable degree, without
a change in its distinctive character, leads us to hope
for similar results with this group.

Our trial ground experiments have taught us
a valuable lesson, which is, that it is folly to look for
good results with this class of cabbage with.ordinary
cultivation. The best results are only obtainable
when it is grown on sod ground, which should be
liberally treated with stable manure before plowing,
after which tilth should be as thorough as the nature
of the soil will permit. When the plants are ready
to set, apply one hundred pounds nitrate of soda per
acre in the rows and another one hundred pounds
just as the heads begin to form; apply the last as
near the plants as possible and cover with the culti-
vator. This will give a crop, in a good season, of
from twenty-five to thirty tons per acre.

To this class might be added Gregory’s Hard
Heading Cabbage (syn. Luxemburg) which shows
plainly its parentage, in its specific character. This
strain has an enviable reputation on Long Island, as
a good keeper. Many farmers use it exclusively for
burying, and they affirm that it keeps perfectly in
the trenches until April, with the loss of but few out-
side leaves, and that the heads come from the-
trenches perfectly white, which is characteristic of
the class from which it originated.

THE ALPHA.

This does not belong to any well-defined class,
but has so many characteristics peculiarly its own as
to constitute it an individual type, or class by itself.
In earliness it is a peer of the Early Jersey Wake-

CABBAGE, 67

field. If there is any difference between them on this
score, the Alpha takes the lead, coming in a few days
earlier. In leaf, in point of color and substance it
is similar to the Wakefield. In solidity of head it
compares favorably with the Danish Ball Head; it is
also sure to head, and, whether large or small, the
heads are intensely hard, even when not more than
three inches in diameter. The heads have but few
outer leaves, so that the plants can be set even closer
than the Wakefield; they do well one foot apart in
the row. ;

Fig. 8—The Alpha.

In habit of growth its individuality is shown
to the best advantage. In our trial grounds we had
heads eight inches in diameter, and not more than
seven inches above the ground, while in the field,
where they were planted still closer, they were quite
as dwarf, and the size of the heads is from five to
eight inches in diameter. (Fig. 8.)

For cold slaw it is one of the best we have ever
known, being of fine texture, tender, and of good
flavor, while for boiling it is all that can be desired.

68 CABBAGE.

Although it has not yet been offered to the trade, we
speak for it great popularity in the near future.

CABBAGE FOR SAUERKRAUT.

Asa rule, one would suppose that the best cab-
bage for boiling would be the best for sauerkraut,
but those who make and eat it say not. As the fer-
mentation destroys the fine flavor of the Savoy, this
is not used because of its tenderness. The manufac-
turers prefer a solid head, of good size, and one of
medium earliness. One concern of Long Island has
for the past two years used the All Head, and cannot °
be induced to try any other. They usually furnish
the grower with the seeds, and for a succession they
make several plantings at intervals of about three
weeks, commencing with plants grown from seeds
sown in the open, as soon as the soil is in condition
to be worked.

CAULIFLOWER,

The Cauliflower as a market crop is rapidly
increasing in importance. When the industry was
started on Long Island, N. Y., it was supposed
cauliflower could not be grown elsewhere, because
the climatic conditions and character of soil were in
harmony with its requirements here, and not else-
where. The large returns for the crop soon made
its growing very general on the east end of the
island, and the production was enormous, as may be
seen by the fact that one commission merchant in
New York shipped daily to Philadelphia three hun-
dred barrels, and other merchants forwarded as
much, not only to Philadelphia, but to other cities.
This stimulated the market gardeners in other sec-
tions of the country to efforts at production on their
farms, with the most favorable results following.

Soon it became apparent that cauliflower could
be profitably grown on the Atlantic coast from Maine
to Florida. But the industry soon spread farther,
until the Pacific coast became an active competitor
with-the east. Fresh cauliflower is now coming in
by the carload daily from California all winter, and
is selling at two dollars and a half per crate, which
is a satisfactory price to the shipper and keeps eastern
markets supplied with this delicious vegetable every
day in the year.

CULTIVATION,

The culture of cauliflower does not essentially
differ in general from that of cabbage. The soil is

69

7O CAULIFLOWER,

prepared in the same manner, the seed is sown, and
the plants are set in the same way. But the culture
usually given the cabbage is not sufficient for the
cauliflower, as cabbage will suffer, with impunity, an
amount of abuse in cultivation that would be fatal
to cauliflower, which insists on thorough tillage and
liberal treatment as regards manure, and will not
tolerate neglect in any respect. Nevertheless if the
same amount of care was given to cabbage that the
best growers of cauliflower give to the cultivation
of that crop it would be doubly profitable.

On Long Island, which is a congenial home for
the cauliflower, the seed is sown at intervals from
the first of May to the middle of June. The farmers
usually make three sowings, intended for an early,
an intermediate and a late crop. In some seasons
the best results are from seed sown as late as the
first of July.

There is no crop about which there is so much
uncertainty as that of the cauliflower ; no calculation
can be made as to the time of sowing the seed, or in
setting the plants, that will insure success. All, or
at least much, depends upon that fickle goddess,
Luck, whose favors are strangely dispensed. The
early, the intermediate and the late plantings are, in
turn, profitable. Not unfrequently the slow man—
he who is always behind—will reap the greater
reward. Hence the necessity of a series of plant-
ings, one of which will almost invariably succeed.
It is safe to say that when a good crop is secured,
it is a very profitable one.

The character of the soil has generally been
supposed to be of the greatest importance in the cul-
tivation of this crop; a heavy loam with a gravelly

CAULIFLOWER. 71

subsoil being considered the most favorable. But
recent developments have shown most conclusively
that the condition of the soil is a more important
matter, and that climatic influences have more to do
with success or failure than either. We have often
seen as good crops on light sandy soil as on the best
loam. Whatever the nature of the soil may be, new
ground, or rather sod ground, can always be more
surely depended upon for a crop, than to let it follow
some other.

Cauliflower is more sensitive to checks in its
various stages of growth than cabbage. In the seed
bed, a strong sturdy growth should be encouraged,
rather than a rapid one. With this, as with many
other crops, it is a mistake to make the seed bed toa
rich; in such the plants make too rapid growth, and
are much more liable to a check when transplanted.
It is better, by far, to start the plants in a poor soil,
and transfer them to a richer one, as they will be
then in a better condition to assimilate plant food.

The most important part of cauliflower cultiva-
tion is the growing of the plants. The lack of sys-
tem and knowledge of the plant’s necessities in this
respect have been the causes of more failure of crops
than all others combined. Good plants can never
be obtained by leaving them where the seed is sown
until they are supposed to be ready for transplanting,
As soon as the second leaves are half an inch long,
the plants should be pricked out into finely-prepared
soil and set half an inch apart in the rows, one inch
apart. Again, when the third pair of leaves is one
inch long, they should be again pricked out, this
time—for convenience of transplanting in the field—
into shallow boxes, say, two inches deep. Set the

72 CAULIFLOWER,

plants an inch apart each way, water thoroughly as
soon as each box is filled, and let them grow on until
the proper time for setting in the field. This will se-
cure almost absolute success. The plants will have
formed a solid mass of roots, and, with but little care
in transplanting the plants will not receive the slight-
est check in growth, which is so essential to success.

CAULIFLOWER AS AN EARLY SUMMER CROP.

It has generally been supposed that, in our cli-
mate, cauliflower cannot be made a summer crop,
than which there can be no greater mistake. It can
be, and is made a most profitable summer crop, every
year by a farmer near Jamaica, L. I. This person
grows sixty acres annually, and from plants pro-
duced in the manner described on Page 30. His
plants are grown under glass and are ready for the
field as soon in the spring as the soil can be brought
in proper condition to receive them. When his
plants are set a handful of shell lime is scattered
closely around each. This he considers a guarantee
against club-root and stem-rot, from the fact that
he is never troubled with either.

The crop from his sixty acres is all harvested in
July in time for some other crop which is sure to
follow for autumn market. But for the ravages of
the cabbage worm he would have an equal acreage
for cutting in August and September.

CAULIFLOWER GROWN UNDER GLASS.

This, when thoroughly understood, is an inter-
esting and profitable branch of market gardening.
The person referred to above is also a most success-

CAULIFLOWER, 73

ful grower of cauliflower under glass, and
has fully half an acre growing at all times
during winter. Previously to the shipments
from California, during the winter season,
which has somewhat lowered the price, it
was a very profitable crop, as it could be produced in

Fig. g—Early Erfurt Cauliflower.

eight weeks from the sowing of the seed, and sold
readily at fifty cents per head. The plants are
all grown as before stated, and set when about
four inches in hight. Between them, and in alter-
nate rows, lettuce is planted. These two vegetables
grow in harmony together, as they require the same

74 CAULIFLOWER.

temperature, and are ready for cutting by the time
the cauliflower requires the room they occupy.

The soil on the benches is about six inches in
depth. A lively loam made rich with well-rotted
manure is best suited, and, with a temperature of
sixty degrees by day and forty-five degrees by night,
the growth is rapid and healthful. An application
of nitrate of soda in solution, at the rate of two
hundred pounds per acre, when the plants are first
set, is particularly advantageous.

VARIETIES.

There is but one type of cauliflower adapted to
the Atlantic coast, namely the Erfurt, of which there
are both early and late varieties. (Fig.9.) These are
sent out under a score of names, but they are Erfurt,
for all that. What is a strange peculiarity with this
vegetable is, that the seed best adapted to our country
does not come from the place from whence it derives
its name. So many are interested in this crop, and
have so little knowledge of the seed, we reproduce an
article we furnished the Florists’ Exchange, and
which will show very plainly why good cauliflower
seed must of necessity be sold at a high price.

CAULIFLOWER SEED.

There is no seed coming into our country that
is in such common use, and about which there is so
little known, as that of the cauliflower. Where and
how grown is a mystery that but few of the seedsmen
who handle it care to inquire into. The most com-
mon variety, the Early Dwarf Erfurt, which has

CAULIFLOWER. 75

about as many trade names as there are dealers that
handle it, is generally supposed to be grown in
Erfurt, Germany, whence it derives its name. That
cauliflower is largely grown there does not admit of
a question, and that it there reaches the highest state
of perfection is a fact also well known. At the same
time, but little of the seed which bears that name is
grown there.

Let any foreign seedsman visit that city when
the cauliflower is in perfection, and he will be shown
the same field by nearly every seedsman in the place,
each claiming it as his own, and he will be given to
understand that his stock of seeds comes wholly from
this field. The same is true in our country. Long
Island has the reputation of being a congenial home
of the cauliflower, and much seed is sold in other
parts of the country as Long Island grown seed,
when in fact, it would be almost an impossibility to
grow a seed here, because our climate is too dry and
hot to produce it.

“Whence does it come?” is a question we hear
from every side, and the one we will answer. But
first we will say there is a peculiarity about cauli-
flower seed that is not common to any other class of
vegetables. That is, the same seed, when grown
under different conditions, produces entirely different
results. For instance, seed grown in Holland will
succeed admirably in England, but will be utterly
worthless in this country; and, too, the same seed
grown here may give the best satisfaction in a wet
season, and be utterly worthless a dry season,
and the reverse. ,

The best seed we get, in fact, we may say all
the good seed we get, comes from Copenhagen, Den-

76 CAULIFLOWER,

mark, and it matters not whether it comes through
French, German, English or American dealers, it is
of Danish growth. It is indeed strange that’ the
finest quality of Erfurt cauliflower, with its various
synonyms, is only grown in the little kingdom of
Denmark. But, what is still more strange, the best
seed is only produced in circumscribed localities in
that little country. The country being so small in
extent, and of the same, or nearly the same, geologi-
cal formation, and with but little variation of climate,
as there must be when we consider that the whole
kingdom is not half as great in extent as the state
of New York, and that the highest elevation is but
four hundred feet, one would naturally suppose there
would be but little difference in its vegetable produc-
tion; such, however, is not the case. On the penin-
sula of Jutland, which constitutes the larger area of
Denmark, all attempts to grow cauliflower have
proved utter failures.

All the best cauliflower seed furnished to the
United States and other parts of the world is grown
in a few spots on the island of Zealand (Seeland),
where the climatic conditions are most favorable for
the perfect development of.the head, as well as for
the production of the seed. Under the most favor-
able circumstances the seed crop is a very difficult
one to obtain, it being secured at great cost, and with
great risk, as will be seen by the following description
of the methods employed in its cultivation:

The seed is sown in cold frames early in Sep-
tember, and, to carry the plants on through the
winter, and until time to transplant into the field the
coming spring, requires an amount of care and labor
that none but a patient, slow-going and industrieus

CAULIFLOWER. ve

people would submit to. There is a secret, too, about
keeping the plants in a healthy condition, that can
only be learned by years of practical experience; it
cannot be taught. During some winters, when there
are no great extremes of temperature, the difficuities
attending the keeping of the plants and of growing
them on through the winter are not serious. But
when severe and long-continued frosts, accompauied
by heavy snowstorms, which make it impossible to
freely air the frames; and again, when the weather
is so mild. as to excite an unhealthy growth at a
period when the plants should be kept as nearly dor-
mant as possible, then difficulties multiply rapidly,
and it is a fight for life. Often the entire crop of
plants rots away during these trying seasons, even
with the most careful attention. Taking it for
granted the plants have gone through the winter
safely, in early spring they must be transplanted into
“hotbeds to be “started” into active growth before
setting out in the open fields, and this is an uncertain
work; at least, the proper time is difficult to deter-
mine, as the seasons are very variable. It is impor-
tant to have the plants ready for the field at the
earliest moment, consistent. with safety. But if
started too early and the “winter lingers in the lap
of spring,” the grower is again in a quandary. If
the plants are started too early, they may be either
frost-bitten or rotten before planting time comes.

' In the most favored seasons, the plants are set
in very rich and mellow soil from the roth to the
2oth of April, and commence active growth, stimu-
lated by the warm, moist atmosphere wafted over
the land from the surrounding sea. And when the
grower’s expectations are the highest, his plants

78 CAULIFLOWER.

making rapid and vigorous growth, and the heads
begin to form, a drouth sets in which blights his
hopes, because, if he has no means of irrigation, his
cauliflower field will soon present a sorry sight of
stunted, irregular, small or leafy heads, which con-
trast sadly with those grown when the Danish climate
is true to its nature. Then the fields are a mass of
almost dazzling beauty; the heads are all perfect in
form, large, smooth and pure white. Again, there
is a moment of suspense ; the heads may be too solid,
so that the seed stalks cannot break through, which
makes it necessary to cut out a small piece from the
center of the head, and in doing this there is danger
of cutting the seed stalk, which would ruin that head
for all purposes.

This danger past, the field is a mass of golden
yellow flowers, warming up the grower’s anticipa-
tions of a successful crop, another trouble looms up.
An insect enemy appears, almost too small to be seen
by the casual observer, and eats away the pistil, which
prevents fertilization, sometimes in part, at others
wholly. The work of this invidious destroyer is
rapid, and against its attacks there does not appear
to be any protection.

But suppose all dangers safely past until Sep-
tember arrives, a year from the sowing of the seed.
The pods are fully developed, and the seed shows
signs of ripening, when the greatest danger of all
awaits the grower. The full development and ripen-
ing of the seed, when the fall weather is very cool,
cloudy and moist, may be entirely prevented or
protracted for many weeks. To cut the seed stalks
too early is dangerous; it may cause a greater or lesg
proportion of the seed that appeared well developed

CAULIFLOWER. 79

to shrink or turn light; and to leave it too long in
the field is to invite night frosts to kill the germi-
nating power, or at least weaken it. Frosts fre-
quently occur in September, but to have the seed
perfectly developed and matured it should remain in
the field uncut until about October ro.

To prevent injury from this cause it sometimes
becomes necessary to start lines of fire, from turf
and gas tar, or anything not too expensive or difficult
to obtain, that will cause a vast amount of smoke;
these fires are started on the windward side of the
field, and, if the work is well done, will save the crop.

This completes the growing of the crop. When
the stalks are cut they are hung up in open sheds for
a few weeks, so that the seeds may draw as much
nutriment as possible from the stalks, get well colored
and dry enough for threshing out. In our rare
atmosphere seeds of similar character do not require
so much attention, but will ripen or “make” thor-
oughly in the field after having been cut two or
three days.

Thus it can be readily seen that cauliflower seed
cannot be produced in Denmark even, excepting at
great cost, and no one grower ever produces a large
quantity. The farms there are all small, the produc-
tion entailing the hardest labor, and what we would
consider a small amount a Danish farmer would
regard asa heavy crop. Some of the largest dealers
have their local agents there look out most carefully
for the best stocks.

We are often asked if the growing of cauli-
flower seed cannot be made a profitable industry in
this country; to which we reply, No, most emphati-
cally, on the Atlantic coast. On the northern Pacific

80 CAULIFLOWER,

coast some very good seed has been grown. Last
year we tested two samples; one Early Snowball,
the other, Dwarf Erfurt. The first named sorts
made very leafy heads, the other was as good as could
be desired. From our experience with these sorts,
another trial might be the exact reverse. Thus far,
as a market gardener’s crop, we should not dare to
rely upon the Pacific coast seed, but we predict, with
confidence, that the time will come when as good
seed will be produced in our Pacific states as we can
get from Denmark. Experience is a great educator,
and when applied carefully, and with a determination
to succeed, success will come.

It must not for a moment be supposed that all
the seed that comes from Denmark is grown there.
They have merchants there with as keen an eye to
profit as any in the world, and from Danish stock
cauliflower seed is grown from Norway to Algiers.
In appearance there is but little difference, but there
is a test that is more safe, viz., price. When that is
low, it is safe to conclude that the seed was not
grown in Denmark, for Danish seed always com-
mands a high price. But there is a more crucial
test. Give one of those who offer seed at a low price
an order conditioned upon its good quality, payment
to be made after testing it. No matter how high
may be the rating of the one giving the order, and
even if 10 per cent. were added to the price for
interest, the order would not be recognized.

BROCCOLI.

The Broccoli is a hardy variety of cauliflower,
much grown in England and on the continent,
because it is sufficiently hardy to withstand the rigors
of their winters, which the better varieties of cauli-
flower will not do. It is there very much grown

Fig. 1o—Early White Broccoli.

and highly esteemed. In this country it has not been
grown extensively, but could be to advantage in
many sections on the southern coast, but for its
destruction by the cabbage worm. It should be

treated in all respects like the cauliflower. (Fig. 10.)
81

COLLARDS.

The Georgia Collard, which is grown largely at
the south for “greens,” is a variety of cabbage that
does not form heads. It is the same that in France
is called cow cabbage, because it is there largely
grown for its leaves, that are stripped from the stem
and fed out during winter. It grows there to the
hight of five to six feet. It is also largely grown
on the Isle of Wight for the same purpose. And
the dried stems are there considerably used for
making light walking sticks.

In England, the term collard is applied to young
unheaded cabbages, which are pulled up by the roots
and tied in bunches for the market. This is what
one gets served with there at the hotels when cabbage
is ordered. “White cabbage,” as they term cabbage
that has headed, and as we use it, is not considered
fit for the table, and is only used as feed for stock.

In our southern states, under extreme climatic
conditions, it has assumed a type quite distinct from
that grown in moist, cool climates. For “greens”
it is a valuable plant, being of easy culture and very
productive. As in Europe, when the leaves are
taken from the stem others form on the top and the
plant increases in size. The seed should be sown
as for cabbage, from June until August, for a suc-
cession. Transplant in rows thirty inches apart,

and the plants one foot apart in the rows.
&2

COLLARDS, 83

Prof. W. F. Massey of the North Carolina
experiment station, highly recommends its use at
the south, and speaks of it as follows in the American
Agriculturist:

To most northern readers the collard is an
unknown vegetable, lightly passed over in seedsmen’s
catalogues as a “non-heading variety of cabbage
grown in the south,” and but few of them know that
when properly blanched even the loose, unheaded
collard is a vastly sweeter and more delicate vegetable
than the northern cabbage. Therefore, if it can be
induced to head and bleach with certainty we will
have no cause to regret most of the coarse, large
cabbages. There are several varieties grown, from
the dark purple-leaved, green-leaved, to a variety
with a loose, open head, but self-blanching. I believe
that we have at the station the seed of the cream of
all the collards from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Georgia, and North Carolina, and may count on good
results. Inthe meantime I am by no means satisfied
that the best of the northern cabbages cannot be
grown here.

The general practice with growers here is to
sow cabbage seed in the spring, just as truck farmers
at the north do, and transplant in July, and then
when the cabbages succumb to the long heat and
drouth, and the swarming insects, conclusion is
reached that we cannot grow cabbages for winter
use in this climate. Last summer I sowed seed of
Late Flat Dutch cabbage the middle of August. The
plants were set out in September. But the autumn
was uncommonly dry, and I feared at one time the
experiment would be a total failure. Yet in spite
of all, and in soil of only moderate fertility, very fair

Fig. 11—Branching Collard.

COLLARDS. 85

heads of cabbage were made by Christmas. Had
the season been as rainy as usual the crop would
have been very good. Now here, it seems to me, is
a good suggestion to southern planters. Sow the
cabbage seed not earlier than the last of July. Set
the plants in ground naturally moist, manure very
heavily, and work rapidly, and good cabbage can be
grown in most seasons. Then, after succeeding in
getting good heads, save the best for seed, and
develop a strain suited to your wants.

The cabbage, a native of a cool, moist climate,
must necessarily degenerate in our hot summers, but
in most places in the south all kinds of cabbage thrive
from October to May. We grow early cabbage for
the north in great quantities, and by bringing our
winter cabbages into the earlier part of the cool sea-
son, I can see no reason why we may not grow them
as well as the spring crop. So, while holding the
collard to be“a survival of the fittest” in this climate,
and proper stock to work on, we will not altogether
abandon the hope of profiting by the skillful selec-
tions of generations of seedsmen as represented in
the best sorts of heading cabbages.

Fig. 11 is an exact representation, engraved
after a photograph, of a specimen grown in Florida,
the stem of which was four feet high, and tle hight
of the entire plant eight feet.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

The growing of Brussels Sprouts is rapidly
increasing, and that because the industry is more
profitable than many others. Since the farmers on
Long Island began its cultivation the acreage planted
has about doubled annually without any falling off
in the price of the product. This is due to the fact
of the vegetable becoming better known. It is now
justly regarded a delicacy, one of the most delicious
of the Brassica genus. As with other articles, repu-
tation increases the demand, and the greater the
demand the better the price.

CULTIVATION.

The cultivation of Brussels sprouts does not
differ in any respect from that of the cabbage and
cauliflower. It will thrive under ordinary culti-
vation. It will amply repay all the care and
attention, as regards cultivation, that can be given
it. For an early crop, the seed should be sown the
first week in June, and the plants grown on and
transplanted in the same manner as recommended for
cauliflower. As the plants are more compact in their
habit of growth than cabbage they may be set two
feet apart in rows three feet apart. This will give
7,260 plants to the acre, which, with good cultivation,
will give 10,000 quarts to the acre. But few
growers, however, get such results, which is not the

8&6

BRUSSELS SPROUTS. 87

fault of the plant, as its capabilities are fully as great
as stated.

As a rule, the young heads will be ready for
market by the middle of October, but they should
not be picked until after the first hard frost, which
makes them more delicate and tender. Picking may
commence at any time after the little heads are an
inch in diameter, if they are hard and solid, stripping
the larger ones first, which will afford the others a
chance to grow, and this they will do at all times
when the circulation of sap is not checked by severe
cold and the picking is kept up the entire winter.
Upon the approach of winter, in latitudes where
there are heavy falls of snow, the plants can be cut
close to the ground and stored in a warm shed or
cellar and the little heads taken off at leisure.

For a late crop a sowing may be made the last
week in June, and these plants will remain out during
the winter, and the crop gathered in March. The
plants will endure twenty degrees of frost without
injury, and will grow every day during winter when
the temperature is not much below the freezing point.

‘The crop is marketed in the following manner :
The little heads are broken off from the stem and
packed in quart boxes and these are packed in crates
in precisely the same manner as strawberries. Care
must be taken in packing to remove the loose outer
leaves from the heads so that they will appear fresh
when they reach the market. As the season advances
there will be more of these to be taken off. At the
same time the price usually advances late in the
season, so that in case the heads are half wasted in
picking over, the profit will be just the same.

This is comparatively a new industry in this

88 BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

country, but the sales are annually increasing, and
the price has at no time been so low that they have
not been a good paying crop. The price obtained
depends largely upon quality, or their appearance
when they reach the market. Those who take
special care in packing—putting the little heads in

Fig. 12—Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts.

firmly so they will not shake in transit, and having
the top layer in regular rows, top side up—get nearly
double as much per quart as do those who pack in
a careless manner.

An important consideration in the growing of
this crop is, that it furnishes work for the winter,

BRUSSELS SPROUTS. 89

when the farmer and market gardener has but little
to do. In many instances the hired man is now
employed the whole year, as his services are as
valuable in winter in picking and preparing the
sprouts for the market as they are in the summer in
growing them. The farmer who has employment
every day in the year materially increases his income.

VARIETY,

There is but one variety in general use with us,
and that is the half-dwarf (Fig.12). The best seed
is now grown on Long Island, as the growers are
paying special attention to the saving of the seed.
The same improvement that has been made in the
development of the cabbage is equaliy marked in the
Brussels sprouts. By careful selection and through
climatic influences, the variety has improved both in
quality and productiveness. From the improved
type two quarts of the little heads fit for market have
been taken from a single plant. Buta quart from a
plant would be a good crop, and a paying one, as a
quart is worth in the market at least twice as much
as a head of cabbage—frequently from three to four
times as much.

KALE OR BORECOLE.

The nomenclature of this vegetable is decidedly
mixed; there are many varieties and sub-varieties,
and each has its local or popular names. Of the
‘Kale there are three distinct types, the Scotch, Sibe-
rian, and brown or purple; of these there are tall,

Fig. 13—Dwarf Scotch Kale.

dwarf and intermediate sorts. In some localities

they are classed sprouts, in others German greens,

but now. in our markets it is generally known as

kale without regard to variety or type. The dwarf

curled or finely-fringed varieties are now the most
90

KALE OR BORECOLE, OI

generally grown, and of these there are two dis-
tinct sorts:

The Dwarf Scotch (Fig. 13), which is sold in
different countries under a score of names, is our
most desirable variety, because of its hardiness as
well as for its excellent quality, to which may be
added great beauty. From their dwarf habit the
plants are liable to be covered with snow during the
winter, but even without this protection, it is rarely,
if ever, injured by frost, and can be cut at almost
any time during winter. The leaves are of a light
green color, and as finely fringed at the edges as the
finest curled parsley.

The Siberian kale has very nearly the same
habit, but is a stronger grower, with much darker
leaves, but equally as finely fringed. It is by no
means as hardy as the Scotch kale, and in this
climate the outer leaves are frequently destroyed by
frost, so as to be unfit for use, while the Scotch will
not be at all injured. The last winter, which has
had short periods of unusually severe cold, has not
injured the Scotch kale in the least, while the
Siberian, though not killed, had to produce entire
new leaves in spring, which. it will not do if the
plants are strong, as they will, upon the commence-
ment of a new growth, throw up their flowering
stems.

Both of these varieties are largely grown in
Virginia for the northern markets. The seed is
sown at any time during September, in rows sixteen
inches apart, and the plants should be thinned out to
six inches apart in the rows; they will then com-
pletely cover the ground. The only care required in
cultivation is to keep the ground perfectly clean, but

g2 KALE OR BORECOLE.

not to cultivate deeply, surface working being all
that will be required.

For a winter’s crop, the Scotch kale should be
sown by the first of July in the latitude of New York
city, or at least a month earlier than in Virginia, and
if sown on rather dry soils, where there is a good
natural drainage, it can be profitably grown through-
out the northern and western states. In some locali-
ties the Dwarf Scotch kale is known as German
greens or sprouts.

We find the most carefully selected strains of
both these varieties. Those whose leaves are the
most fringed are the ones that will endure the most
cold without injury. The seed of the Scotch is
light colored, and can readily be distinguished from
the Siberian, which is very black. If the market
gardener is anxious to grow Scotch kale and has
black seed sent him, he may know at once there is
a mistake.

The brown or purple kale is the most hardy of

all, and is a favorite with the German gardeners, but
is not as much grown as formerly, because of its
coarse habit, and that it is not considered as delicate
a vegetable. But while there is a marked difference
in the appearance of the growing plants, the taste
does not find a marked difference in the varieties,
as a vegetable.

KOHL-RABI.

Although strictly a cabbage, botanically, this
vegetable stands midway between the cabbage and
the turnip, and partakes of the character of both.
The edible portion closely resembles a well-shaped
globe turnip grown above ground. When young,
and properly cooked, it is as tender and delicate as
the cauliflower, and has as pleasing a flavor. When
old, it is tough, stringy and unpalatable, excepting
that portion next to the ground. No matter how
tough and hard the upper portion may be, the lower
part is always tender.

Kohl-rabi is fit to eat only when young, and
not more than two inches in diameter; to that end a
succession of plantings is necessary. Not, however,
for a summer crop, unless grown in a moist soil and
under a lattice shade, as it will not thrive during July
and August in the open. In this respect it is quite
similar to the turnip.

CULTIVATION.

The seed may be sown as soon as the soil is in
good condition to work, either in drills, the same as
the beet, and thinned out to two inches apart, or it
may be sown in the same manner as the cabbage, and
transplanted. The latter is the better way, as the
small plants are more easily cared for in a seed bed

93

94 KOHL-RABL,

than in the field or garden. For an early crop the
seed may be sown in a hotbed to good advantage. A
good feature of this vegetable is that the seed may
besownat frequent intervals and the plants set when-
ever and wherever there is a vacant place in the
garden. The soil should be made rich and fine, as
rapid growth is the secret of success in getting the
highest degree of excellence.

Koh!-rabi is a valuable crop for autumn, as the
seed can be sown, and the plants set as late as the

Fig. 14—White Vienna Kohl-Rabi,

last week in September and perfect their growth;
and be kept for winter use the same as root crops.
But it will not do to plant in a soil already impov-
erished by the production of some previous crop.
Wherever the plants are set, let the soil be as care-
fully prepared as for a spring crop. In France this
vegetable was formerly much grown for feeding
cattle, and highly esteemed on account of its not
imparting a disagreeable flavor to the milk.

The varieties are the white and purple Vienna,

KOHL-RABI. 95

between which there is no perceptible difference
excepting in color; the white, however, is the most
pleasing in appearance, and the one most generally
used. (Fig. 14.) The kohl-rabi is usually cooked
and served with sauce in the same manner as early
turnips. A good way of cooking is to boil until
nearly tender, and then slice thinly and fry in butter.
When cooked in this manner they are by far the
mast palatable of any of the Brassicas.

INJURIOUS INSECTS.

The insects which prey especially upon cabbage,
cauliflower and related plants are obnoxious both to
the producer and to the consumer. The former sees
his growing plants destroyed by the ravages of
worms and his chances for profiting by his labors
daily grow less; while the consumer suffers revolting
disappointment when the cabbage or cauliflower he
has purchased shows, on preparation for the table,
the canals and disgusting masses of excrement which
mark the work of these pests on the mature vege-
tables. All are interested, then, in checking the
ravages of these insects, but the successful solution
of the problem has been somewhat difficult; for the
character of the plants and the habits of the insects
both interfere to prevent success from methods
applicable against other insects.

THE CABBAGE WORM,

Best known of the cabbage pests, and the one
which until within a few years has been the most
harmful in the market garden sections, is the green
cabbage worm, the larva of the familiar white but-
terfly, the imported or European species, Pieris
vapae. These insects pass the winter as chrysalids
or pupz attached to the under sides of rails, sticks,
weeds, or in any place where they are protected from
excessive moisture. Early in May, or even in April,

96

INJURIOUS INSECTS. 97

if the air is warm for several days, the butterflies
emerge from the chrysalid shell, soon pair and begin
egg laying. The eggs, from 100 to 300 in number,
are deposited singly upon the under sides and edges
of leaves of old cabbage stumps, early cabbage, kale,
wild radish, cress or related plants. The egg laying
may last for three weeks, by which time the worms
from those first laid have hatched, fed, grown to full
size and are ready to pupate. .The old butterflies
live for some time after laying their eggs, so that

Fig. 15—Imported Cabbage Worm, Chrysalis and
Female Butterfly.

before they have passed away those of the new brood
have come out and are ready to start a new genera-
tion. This overlapping of broods makes it impossi-
ble to destroy all the pests at one application of an
insecticide, no matter how successful; because any
poison would be eaten only by the worms, leaving
unharmed both eggs and mature insects. If all eggs
and worms could be destroyed by hot water or insect-
icides which kill by contact, the butterflies would still
remain, prepared to restock the plants with eggs.

9& INJURIOUS INSECTS.

This succession of broods continues throughout the
summer, four, five or even more generations arising
as the season is more or less prolonged. The larva
of the imported cabbage worm is shown at a in Fig.
15, the chrysalis at b, and the female butterfly at c.

A few other species of the genus Pieris are
quite destructive to cabbage in our southern states.
Their life history and manner of feeding are practi-
cally the same as those of the imported cabbage
worm, and the treatment is the same.

THE CABBAGE LOOPER.*

This insect, the scientific name of which is
Plusia brassicae, has long been counted the most
destructive of cabbage pests in the south, and for the
past four years has been a worse enemy on Long
Island than the cabbage worm. It is less known,
however, and the injury it does is usually attributed
to the cabbage worm; for the larve or worms are
quite similar in color to the other species and the
moths are less conspicuous in color, and fly princi-
pally on cloudy days and late in the afternoon,
remaining concealed during the day under the leaves
and in sheltered nooks and crannies. The worms
are voracious and more general feeders, eating not
only all plants of the cabbage family, but also let-
tuce, spinach, tomatoes, celery, carnations, chrysan-
themums, smilax, heliotrope and many other forc-
ing-house plants. They are especially destructive
to forcing-house lettuce and a few moths in even a
large house may soon cause irreparable injury, as a

*Condensed from a special] bulletin of the New York Agricultura] Expert
ment Station by Professor F. A. Sirrine.

INJURIOUS INSECTS. 99

single worm may devour a newly transplanted plant
in a night. The moth, worm and egg are shown
in Fig. 16. The worms are marked, when partially
grown, by distinct white lines along the sides; and,
unlike the cabbage worms, they have legs only at
the ends of their bodies, so that they travel by “loop-
ing” and not by crawling. In their life history they
are quite similar to the cabbage worms, but appear
earlier in the season and continue longer, with the
same overlapping of broods which prevents easy

Fig. 16—Looper—a, Larva ; 4, Chrysalis; ¢, Moth.

destruction. In addition they have other peculiari-
ties which increase the difficulty of combating them.
They feed upon such a range of plants that poisoned
trap-crops are of little benefit ;and they work largely
upon the under side of the leaves, where they may
remain unnoticed until much damage has been done,
and where only very thorough application of reme-
dies will affect them. They are also active in
movements, and discriminating in taste, so that they

£00 INJURIOUS INSECTS.

quickly desert feeding places which show traces of
poison or other foreign substances.

Requisites for Successful Treatment.—Plants
of the cabbage character are specially difficult to treat
with insecticides because of the crowding together
of their leaves and the smoothness of the surfaces.
These features of cabbage make it difficult to reach
all portions of the plants and to make the insecticide
adhere when applied. Any dry powder will adhere
only in occasional spots upon the leaves, will gen-
erally collect along veins and midrib, which are not
usually eaten by the worms, and will be washed off
by the first light rain. This characteristic of the
cabbage and cauliflower foliage, with the overlap-
ping broods of both cabbage worm and cabbage
looper and the retiring habit, activity and careful
feeding of the latter, make it necessary in working
against them to select an insecticide that will “stay
where it is put” and that will carry sufficient poison
to kill the loopers, even though they eat but a small
quantity. The applications must be made so thor-
oughly that every spot of surface will be protected
and the treatment repeated, at least once, to insure
destruction of the newly hatched worms.

The Best Poison Carrier—After repeated tests
an excellent material for securing uniform distribu-
tion and perfect adhesion has been found in a resin-
lime mixture. In preparing this mixture it is neces-
sary to make a stock solution from the following
formula:

Pulverized resin 4 é . é - . § Ibs.
Concentrated lye. ‘ : « BF Ib;

Fish oil, or any cheap aittmial ei encent tallow 1 pt.
Wath « 2 6 «© #8 «© « « § vals,

INJURIOUS INSECTS. 1ol

Place oil, resin and a gallon of water in an iron
kettle and heat until resin is softened; add lye solu-
tion made as for hard soap; stir thoroughly; add
remainder of water and boil about two hours, or
until the mixture will unite with cold water, making
a clear, amber-colored liquid. If the mixture has
boiled away too much, add sufficient boiling water
to make five gallons.

For use, one gallon of this stock solution is
diluted with sixteen gallons of water and afterward
three gallons of milk-of-lime or whitewash added.
The resin mixture is in reality a liquid soap, and the
addition of the lime turns it to a hard soap which
remains suspended in the water in minute particles,
The poison, one-fourth pound of Paris green or
other arsenite, is then added, and the particles of
poison adhere to the finely divided soap particles and
are thus distributed throughout the mixture in
minute and uniform quantities. The soap solution
is very adhesive and thus a thin film of poison is
made to stick to every part of the leaf which is
touched by the spray. The application must be
made by a hand power machine, either a strongly-
made knapsack, or a barrel sprayer, as no horse
power machine will do the work thoroughly enough
or carefully enough upon cabbage and cauliflower.

Early Tests.—This resin-lime mixture received
its first test upon cabbages in 1896, though it was
used with perfect success against cabbage worms
upon smooth-leaved turnips in 1895. Not a living
worm could be found upon the patch three days after
the spraying, and the protection was excellent, even
to the end of the season, notwithstanding heavy
rains.

102 INJURIOUS INSECTS.

On Cabbage.—In subsequent tests upon cab-
bage, the mixture with Paris green was used upon
one farm in comparison with Bordeaux mixture,
Bordeaux mixture.and Paris green, Paris green and
resin mixture without lime and with an application
of salt; and upon another farm with Bordeaux mix-
ture and with an application of Paris green and
flour. The cabbages were sprayed twice, once late
in August and again about eighteen days later. The
results were surprisingly in favor of the resin mix-
ture and Paris green. This, on all plats, was per-
fectly effective against the cabbage worms and only
slightly less so against the cabbage loopers. The
Bordeaux mixture, even when united with Paris
green, and the flour and Paris green were of little
advantage so far as the loopers were concerned,
although quite destructive to the cabbage worms.
The loopers evidently were able to avoid the spots
poisoned by the dry powder and to find plenty of
food which the poison had not touched or from
which it had been blown. The salt was of no value
whatever, as it only caused the worms to leave the
cabbages and to pupate a little earlier than they
would naturally do. It was estimated by the owner
that the plats treated with the poisoned resin mix-
ture yielded 100 per cent. better than the untreated
plats and at least 60 per cent. better than those pow-
dered with Paris green and flour.

On Cauliflower.—The tests on cauliflower have
not been as thorough nor the results as marked. The
erect, crowded position of the leaves of the cauli-
flower makes it difficult to secure a perfect film of
the mixture on the entire surface; and the mixture
must not be applied after the “flower” is exposed

INJURIOUS INSECTS. 103

lest there be danger of poisoning the human, as well
as the insect, consumer. Yet the owner of the fields
upon which the tests have been made says, “I am
satisfied that it would have paid me to spray the
entire field.’’*

Cost of Treatment.—To make two applications
upon ten acres of late cabbage after the plants are
two-thirds grown would require materials worth
$5.00, time in preparing stock solution, 75 cents,
and ten days’ labor, which at $1.50 a day would be
$15.00, a total of $20.75, or about $2.00 per acre.

Precautions.—As noted before, a strong, well
made knapsack sprayer must be used, as the mixture
is liable to clog valves and nozzles and cause severe
straining of a light sprayer. The workman must
be close to his work and must thoroughly coat every
leaf, both upper and under surface. There is but
very slight danger of poisoning cabbage with the
mixture, as only the outer leaves are touched by the
spray and these are thrown away in preparation for
the table. Cauliflower must not be sprayed after
the “flower” is exposed. Only careful workmen
should be trusted to make the late spraying upon the
cauliflower, and all heads should be passed over that
are too far advanced.t

*In addition it has been found that in using the resin-lime solution upon
rapidly growing cauliflower warty excrescences are formed upon the leaves,
thus indicating a slight injury. Hence for cauliflower it is more safe to use
only half the quantity of resin solution and lime.

+Other Measures—Since the above was published, it has been found that
the new arsenate—arsenate of lead—is much easier to prepare and apply, and
if care is used to apply it beutly and in a perfect mist while the plants are
dry, it will be evenly distributed and when once dry will adhere nearly as well
as the resin-lime solution. It has the further advantage of never injuring the
plants. Many growers practice the use of dry Paris green plete by means
of blowers or powder guns. Frequently the Paris green is diluted with flour
or with airslaked lime, using ten or fifteen parts of the flour to one of the arse-
nate. This answers fairly well, if applied while the plants are covered with a
light dew, but a light rain or a ae dew soon washes it into the folds of the
leaves, with the result of burning. Furthermore this method is of little value
in controlling the cabbage looper.

104 iNJURIOUS INSECTS.

Conclusions.—It seems firmly established (1)
that resin-lime mixture and Paris green, thoroughly
and carefully applied when plants are one-third
grown and again just before the heads are formed,
will almost wholly prevent damage to late cabbage .
and cauliflower; (2) that the expense need not
exceed $2.00 per acre, and (3) that there need
be no danger to the consumer from such treat-
ment.

THE CABBAGE PLUTELLA,

This moth has been described under the follow-
ing names: “The Web Moth,” “the Cabbage Leaf-
miner,” “the Diamond-back Turnip Moth,” “the
Diamond-back Cabbage Moth,” “the Diamond-
back Moth,” and “the European Cabbage Web
Moth.”” The caterpillar is a pale green worm about
one-fourth inch long, with stiff dark hairs scattered
over the body. It is usually found hidden under a
web. If touched it will fall a short distance and
hang by a delicate silken thread. When feeding it
usually leaves its web, especially when nearly full
grown. When full grown, the larva spins a thin
cocoon in a fold on either side of the leaf. The moth
is rarely seen except when frightened from its hid-
ing place... Thorough treatment with arsenites for
the cabbage butterfly will prevent any unusual out-
‘break of the plutella.

THE ZEBRA CATERPILLAR.
Though rarely occurring in injurious numbers,

this pest sometimes attacks late cabbages and other
Brassicas. It is easily distinguished by its velvety

INJURIOUS INSECTS. 105
\

black color, tawny red head and legs, and two yellow
lines along each side of the body; between which
are many irregular white zebra-like lines. When
full grown it is two inches long. It is three-brooded
and passes the winter in the pupa state. It feeds
indiscriminately on quite a number of plants. The

Fig. 17—Zebra Caterpillar and Moth.

larva is seen in Fig. 17, at a, and the fully grown

moth at b.
When young the larve are congregated upon

a few leaves and may easily be checked by hand
picking. Later they can be destroyed by the applica-
tion of hot water, insect powder, or kerosene
emulsion or by use of the arsenites,

CUTWORMS.

There are a number of species of cutworms,
nearly all of which, however, are similar in habits

106 INJURIOUS INSECTS.

and history, and the methods of destroying them
are the same. Professor C. M. Weed recommends:
(1) The killing of the worms before the crops are
planted by strewing over the soil bunches of fresh
clover, or cabbage leaves, which have been treated
with Paris green, or London purple, either by dip-
ping into a solution of the poison, or dusting it on
dry. The half grown worms prowling about in
search of food eat of the baits thus set and are
destroyed before doing any harm. Of course care
must be taken that poultry or stock do not get at the
poisoned leaves.* (2) Placing boards on the ground
in and about the garden or field, and collecting in
the morning the worms that will congregate beneath
them during the night. (3) Digging out the worms
where plants have been cut off. This is practicable
in most cases, and is well worth doing, thus prevent-
ing further damage.

THE CABBAGE ROOT MAGGOT,

The presence of this pest, when it occurs in
considerable abundance, is indicated by a checking
of the growth of the plant, a tendency to wilt badly
under a hot sun, and a sickly bluish cast of the
foliage. On pulling the wilted plant, most of the
roots will be found to have been eaten, and the
remainder in a decaying condition. The adults are
small, black, two-winged flies resembling the com-
mon house fly. They appear in early spring and
deposit their eggs in crevices of the soil close to their

*A mixture of equal ara eet pean and middlings, twelve or fifteen pounds
mixed with one pound of een, answers as well for a bait as
poisoned leaves, This can be wed ane or wet.

INJURIOUS INSECTS. 107

food plants and often upon the plants themselves,
In a short time these hatch into maggots, which at
once attack the roots. The maggots become fully
grown in three or four weeks, when they leave
the roots, and transform to pupe. The adults
emerge from the puparia usually in from fifteen
to twenty days.

The best (or one of the best) method of pre-
venting the work of the cabbage maggot, or to
protect from the maggot is to plant cabbages and
allied vegetables in a new place each year, as far
removed from the ground on which they were raised
the preceding year as possible. The best insecticide
for this pest is an emulsion of carbolic acid,
employed to the roots of the plants. The best
mechanical device for preventing their work is
tarred paper disks placed about the plants.

THE HARLEQUIN CABBAGE BUG,

The harlequin cabbage bug, or calico back, is an
oval, somewhat flattened black bug, with bright red
‘and yellow markings arranged as seen in Fig. 18,
a, b, showing young bugs; c, d, e, eggs; f, g, adult,
natural size. It lives all the year round in the more
southern United States upon cabbage, mustard,
radish, and cruciferous plants, puncturing the
leaves with its beak, and causing them to wither
and dry.

This insect was originally an inhabitant of
Mexico and Central America. It appeared in Texas
in 1866, and gradually spread, from year to year, to
the north and east. The eggs are about one-

108 INJURIOUS INSECTS.

twentieth of an inch long, and are usually deposited
in two parallel rows of about half a dozen each.
The eggs hatch on the third or fourth day after lay-
ing, and the young bugs go through all their molts
and are ready for reproduction in about two weeks.
There are many generations in the course of the
summer. On the advent of winter the adult insects
crawl away under any kind of rubbish to hibernate,
reappearing in the spring and flying to the first cru-
ciferous plants which come from the ground.
According to Professor H. E. Weed of the
Mississippi experiment station, there is but one effi-

Fig. 18—Harlequin Cabbage Bug.

cient remedy for this insect, which is to destroy the
brood that lives over winter when they congregate
upon mustard and radish plants. Here they can be
destroyed very easily by the application of kerosene
by means of a common water bucket or sprinkler.
. If the insects are thus destroyed early in the season
it will wholly prevent injury later. The mustard or
radishes should be planted in the cabbage field. The
bugs will congregate on these plants, and may be
killed by applying kerosene, as mentioned. The

INJURIOUS INSECTS. 109

bugs will not injure the cabbage as long as there are
mustard or radish tops for them to eat.

THE CABBAGE APHIS,

Next to the imported cabbage worm, this spe-
cies is perhaps the most injurious insect enemy of
the cabbage. Nearly as many remedies have been
recommended for this pest as for the European cab-
bage worm. It should be remembered that plant
lice are only killed by insecticides which smother or
kill by contact. None of the poisons will kill them.
The best remedy for outdoor purposes is kerosene
emulsion diluted with ten parts water. It should
be applied to the lower as well as the upper sides of
the leaves, and, if possible, while the cabbage are
small. In a number of tests of Pyrethrum, or
Buhach, Persian insect powder and tobacco dust,
tobacco was found to be the most active killing
agent. Pyrethrum and Persian insect powder are
considered good, but are liable to be adulterated and
io lose their strength.

FUNGOUS DISEASES.

CLUB ROOT.

The injury to the cabbage and turnip crops
attacked by club root may be considerable, some-
times incurring almost a total loss, and in the aggre-
gate the destruction for the whole country is doubt-
less represented by millions of dollars. It is particu-
larly severe in the eastern portion of the United
States, but is not unknown in the west and south.
The following excellent account of this pest was
given by Dr. B. D. Halsted, botanist of the New
Jersey experiment station, in the columns of the
American Agriculturist:

The Nature of Club Root.—In order that
the reader may derive the most practical good
from any suggestions as to use of preventives,
and other treatment of the disease, it is best
to place before him the facts thus far obtained
concerning club root. The name of the malady is
quite descriptive, for it is an affection of the roots,
which become much distorted. The roots may
begin to show enlargements while they are quite
small and before the plants are more than seedlings.
Thus cabbages while growing in the hotbed may
show unmistakable signs of “clubbing,” followed by
a Joss of vitality throughout the whole plant. The
affected parts soon begin to decay, becoming very
offensive, and, from places near by, other roots are

110

FUNGOUS DISEASES. lit

developed which, in turn, become swollen and dis-
torted into various shapes. Of the most interest in
this connection is the cause of the peculiar develop-
ment and consequent destruction of the infested
plants. As in nearly all instances of similar abnor-
mal structures, these root galls were long ago
assigned to insects. A careful study of their devel-
opment failed, however, to convict any species or
group of insects of these depredations, and after
much speculation, and no end of articles in the agri-
cultural journals and elsewhere, it was reserved for
M. Woronin, a European botanist, after three years
of painstaking and exhaustive study, to explain the
nature of the subject before us. Instead of any
insects being the cause, although such decaying
masses usually become the breeding places for them,
Woronin found that a low form of fungus was con-
stantly present in the affected parts. This parasitic
organism is only seen with the higher powers of the
compound microscope. The family of fungi to
which it belongs, namely, the slime molds, is widely
‘distinct from the mildews, rusts and smuts. The
life of the obscure club root parasite has been traced
from its appearance in the root as a slime in certain
cells to the formation of multitudes of spores in
these same cells. By the decay of the roots, which
takes place rapidly, and with much offensive odor,
the spores are set free in the soil. These spores there
germinate by producing moving bodies capable of
penetrating, or being absorbed by the thin walls of
the hairs and other superficial cells of the roots. The
soil becomes diseased in the sense that the germs,
formed in the swellings and other distortions of the
roots, are set free, and the earth holds them for an

T12 FUNGOUS DISEASES,

indefinite length of time. Fig. 19 shows three small
badly “clubbed” cabbage plants half natural size;
Fig. 20 are young turnips similarly ruined, while

Fig. 19—Club Root of Cabbage.

affected cauliflower plants are shown in Fig. 21.
These engravings are all from photographs of
freshly collected plants, and are not the worst speci-
mens of the malady that might have been selected.

FUNGOUS DISEASES. 113

Brussels sprouts and kale were found equally badly
diseased.

ae
7

-Fig. 2o—Club Root of Turnip.

Club Root in Weeds.—In addition to the plants
above named the club root fungus (Piasmodiophora

I1i4 FUNGOUS DISEASES.

Brassicae, Wor.) infests the cultivated stock, and
candytuft, but in this country to no alarming extent.
In this connection it is, however, interesting to add

NZ

Fig. 21—Club Root of Cauliflower.

two genera of weeds upon species of which the galls
of slime molds have been recently found in abun-
-dance, namely, the shepherd’s purse and hedge mus-
tard. Fig. 22 shows a group of the infested roots

FUNGOUS DISEASES, II5

of the shepherd’s purse reproduced natural size.
The reader needs to bear in mind that these roots

Fig. 22—Club Root of Shepherd’s Purse.

are neither large nor fleshy, and the galls are corre-
spondingly small. The enlargement is usually just
below the crown, but other parts of the root system

116 FUNGOUS DISEASES.

may be affected. In Fig. 23 is shown a similar
group of the diseased roots of the hedge mustard.
- Here the galls are nearer hemispherical and may be

Fig. 23—Club Root of Hedge Mustard.

expected at any place upon the roots. These weeds
bearing the club root were found in the vicinity of
infested fields of cabbage and turnip, and help to

FUNGOUS DISEASES. 117

account for the latter, as such weeds growing in
waste land serve to keep up continuous germs of
the disease.

Precautions and Treatment.—From a consider-
ation of the nature of the club root fungus and a
knowledge of the different kinds of plants infested
by it, there may be some suggestions gathered as to
preventive measures. When it is understood that
the club root and all the injury to the crop accom-
panying it is due to an internal subterranean para-
site, it becomes evident that no treatment to which
the infested plant may be subjected can give promise
ofacure. Preventive measures must be rélied upon,
and, in the first place, all the refuse of a cabbage,
turnip or other infested crop should be removed from
the soil and burned. To leave cabbage stumps in
the field, to feed them to live stock, or to throw them
in the compost heaps, are three of the worst methods
of propagating and spreading the malady on the
farm. It is not enough to destroy the roots, for the
Plasmodiophora is found also in the leaves and stems
of infested plants. Seedlings of cruciferous plants
grown in the hotbed should be examined carefully,
and, if they show signs of the club root, consigned
to the fire. If only a few portions of the plants are
clubbed, it may be wise to discard the whole lot
rather than lose the crop in the field. Start with
healthy plants. In view of the fact that the soil may
become more or less impregnated with the germs
during the growth of a crop susceptible to the
Plasmodiophora, it is evident that a wise precaution ©
consists in a judicious rotation of crops. Just what
that rotation should be, is a question for each grower
to decide for himself, but, for the best results, cab-

118 FUNGOUS DISEASES.

bages, or any allied crop, should not be upon the soil
oftener than once in three years. Cabbage, kale,
Brussels sprouts, kohl-rabi, turnips or radishes
should not follow each other, if club root is preva-
lent in the ground.

It is possible to get relief by the use of some of
the commercial fertilizers; but this needs confirma-
tion through trial. It is a fact that is being acted
upon in some of the large truck regions near New
York, that lime is an effective preventive of the club
root, and, by its constant use, at the rate of seventy-
five bushels or so per acre each year, cabbages have
been grown at frequent intervals almost yearly upon:
the same soil. It is likely that a soil naturally
abounding in lime may be the best suited for crucif-
erous crops, so far as club root is concerned. Lastly,
it has been shown that common cruciferous weeds
harbor the fungus enemy, and, while the farmer may
be thankful for the loss of his hedge mustard and
shepherd’s purse, through “clubbing,” this is a case
where such weeds can be more cheaply destroyed in
some other way.

In a special bulletin of the New Jersey agricul-
tural experiment station, Dr. Halsted summarizes
the conclusions derived from the latest experiments
and investigations as follows:

Thirty-five to fifty bushels of air-slaked lime,
when applied to the surface of the soil, preferably
the preceding season, and worked in, is a practical
remedy for club root.

Gas lime, kainit, wood ashes, copper sulphate,
corrosive sublimate, salt, sulphur, calcium carbonate
and sodium carbonate have all proved unsatisfactory
as remedies for club root.

FUNGOUS DISEASES. 119

Variety tests show that round turnips growing
well out of the soil are much less susceptible to the
disease than those varieties which run deeply and
are much branched.

Irrigation favors the development of the club
root. Buckwheat seems to have a wholesome effect
upon land infested with the club root germs, but
further tests are needed to warrant conclusions.

Shading has very little effect upon the activity
of the Plasmodiophora.

Many kinds of plants may be infested with the
disease, but none outside of the mustard family were
found susceptible.

The club root germs will remain alive for a
long time in the soil.

Soil may be inoculated by using infested cab-
bage or turnips, either applied directly to the soil or
by using the manure from animals to which the club
root cabbages or turnips have been fed.

Winter ridging of the infested land decreases
the disease in the following crop, but only to a

limited extent.
BLACK ROT.*

‘A great many parasitic diseases of plants have
been known for many years, but now and then an
apparently new malady makes its appearance, sweep-
ing through sections of country, leaving devastated
fields in its wake. Such is the case with the cabbage
rot, a disease whose nature has not hitherto been
thoroughly recognized, but one which has made

ba from Bulletin No. 66 of the Vermont Experiment Station,
by ea Jones: and from Bulletin No.6s5 of the Wisconsin Experi-
ment Station, by Professor H. L. Russell, from which the illustrations

used were rep)

I20 FUNGOUS DISEASES,

serious inroads in different localities. Fig. 24
shows a field of cabbage in Racine, Wisconsin, dev-
astated by the rot, from which not a single head
was harvested. ©

While the disease is more important in its rela-
tion to cabbage culture, on account of the relative
amount of this crop grown, it also affects a number
of allied species that belong to the same genus.

Fig. 24—Cabbage Field Destroyed by the Rot.

Besides cabbage and cauliflower, kohl-rabi, kale,
Brussels sprouts, broccoli and collards are attacked
by it, and to a lesser extent it develops in turnips,
rutabagas, winter radish and other closely related
vegetables. .

Symptoms and Cause.—The first indication of
the disease is upon the outer leaves of the cabbage
and cauliflower, which turn yellow and die in spots,

FUNGOUS DISEASES, 121

usually at or near the margin. Careful examina-
tion shows that the veins in the dead areas are black-
ened. These spots enlarge, following down the
veins toward the stem. The disease upon reaching
the stem may pass up or down it into other leaves,

yy Yj
SYs : i

Yes
iy :
‘f Uy =

Fig. 25—Diseased Cabbage Stem.

and once established there it rapidly spreads thus
through the entire plant.

The germs which are the cause of the malady
spread exclusively through the vessels or fibrous
portions of the tissue. ‘These invaded vessels turn
black, and this striking discoloration is a valuable
diagnostic feature of the disease which every cab-
bage grower should learn to recognize. Fig. 25
shows the black spots in the leaf scars. These spots

122 FUNGOUS DISEASES.

are a sure sign of the black rot, showing that the
germs have already passed from the leaves into the
stems.

If the stem of a healthy cabbage leaf be cut
across, these vessels are seen forming faint yellowish
spots in the interior, in marked contrast to the black
spots seen in the badly diseased leaf. In case of

Fig. 25—Healthy Cabbage Leaf, Showing Water Beads Along
the Margin.

leaves which are but partly diseased, only those ves-
sels leading into the diseased areas will become
blackened. Anyone seeing suspicious looking leaves
on his cabbage plants may therefore readily satisfy
himself as to whether it is this black rot, by cutting
off the dying leaf stems and examining their freshly
cut surface for these black dots. If it proves to be

FUNGOUS DISEASES. 123

this malady prompt measures should be taken to
prevent its spread and also to lessen the chance of
the permanent establishment of the germs in the
soil. In order to do this intelligently one should
understand how the disease spreads.

Mode of Spread.—lf the leaves of a vigorous
cabbage in moist soil be examined in the early morn-
ing tiny drops of water will often be found borne

Fig. 27—Leaf in the Early Stages of the Rot.

upon the margin of the leaves, as seen at w in
Fig. 26. These water beads have exuded from the
interior of the leaf through the pores, which are
exceptionally large at these points. The germs most
commonly find entrance into the leaf by lodging in
one of these water beads and thence passing through
the pores into the veinlets, shown at v. In
addition, they are doubtless often introduced and

124 FUNGOUS DISEASES,

spread by cabbage-eating insects which pass from
the diseased to the healthy leaves. The manner of
infection is shown in Fig. 27. The disease has
invaded to areas which are left white in the illustra-
tion (B B), with the veins blackened (CC). Inone
case the germs entered through the water pores (D),
in the other along the margins of the hole eaten by
insects (A).

If rotting cabbage plants are left in the field,
the germs pass the winter in the soil and reinfect
cabbages, turnips or weed plants which may grow
thereon the next season.

If fed to stock they pass into the manure and
are similarly propagated in that way.

Remedial Mceasures.—Consideration of the
above facts shows the need of the following pre-
ventive or remedial measures where the disease is
observed :

Cabbages or turnips should not be planted a
second year upon land where the disease is observed.
In view of the dangers from this disease and club
root, it is better in any case to rotate these crops
with others. The seed bed also should be made in
new soil each year,

Diseased cabbages should. never be fed to ani-
mals uncooked. Manure from animals fed on gar-
den refuse should not be used on soil intended for
cabbages.

Keep the plants as free as possible from insects.

Where the disease has once appeared, the cab-
bage field should be watched, and during August
and September should be systematically gone over
and all leaves removed and destroyed as soon as they

FUNGOUS DISEASES, 125

show evidence of the disease. In case the germs
have invaded the stem (as shown by the blackened
vessels at the junction of diseased leaf and stem)
the entire plant should be uprooted and destroyed.
This destruction should be by fire or deep burial.
No plants of kale, wild mustard or other related
weed which may harbor the disease should be
allowed to grow in or near the cabbage field.

INDEX.

PAGE

Broccoli. escescwnneaceress swe seis cSt
Brussels Sprouts ..
cultivation of

varieties of ...... 3 - 89
Bulb lands of Holland — 2 e.iv4
eaurehe te its history...... eels LT.

wisyeus, ssegedererondiacrorste. = 23-53

All as and Vandergaw....52
and cauliflower plants injured
by_a check in transplanting. .36
conditions of soil for
cultivation
distance apart to se
favored soils for ...
for sauerkraut ...
OUPS OF aniecieiaesteonce ere)
anish Ball Head group
Flat Dutch or rum-head.
group
intermediate sorts group .
red pies group
Savoy gr
Wakefield. “and panmrng sts lle 3 =
how much seed per acre......44
intermediate sorts

ap Ba

causes
planting the seed where the

plants are to oe
quality changed by cultivation. .47
rotation of ‘crops
seed bed, its location
how to prepare for a late

crop
how uel
selection t

varieties
prlesicn as practiced on Long

Be acre
e parent of new

the Alpha

to keeh through winter for”
the! market: <ccc4:. ost cas ate 48

to keep through winter for
family use

transplanting

26|Cultivator t

types and varieties .......+++-++51

PAGE

Cauliflower ......cccecsscee ees 69
as_an early summer crop.
Sullivatlon. i604 scewceseae
grown under glass ...
sensitive to checks ....
VAFICHES: « cwickis esenarsiers

seed
Collards ....
branching
Corn makin

two sets of roots. .x!

e cause of failure

Of COPS: 5 cia reneannans +eXV
Ee Disnting a cause of fail-
dias Sie Nant acres seen eee Xili
Feeding roots of plants .. xii
Fungous diseases ........ oneklO
club root ..... +e+-IIO
Black fot} ssc cece eveeelIQ
German greens or sprouts ey
Insects, injurious ...... dies +96
cabbage worm ....... +96

Pieris rapae

cabbage looper
Plusia brassicae
cabbage plutella .
zebra caterpillar

cutworms ...... 105
cabbage maggot anaes -106
harlequin cabbage bug +107

cabbage aphis .........
Intensive farming

T/Kale or borecole .... «+90
cotch wesceee Pras) 4
Siberian cisirsne scares - 9
brown or peel ais 2-92
Kohl-rabi_ .... 93
how to cook 95
varieties ....... 04
Lime, the value of....,...++- ~46

Manute, to be always in readi-
sis @ Aa aisle ane SYS aia iarshara' al ii

walae’ of, lost in application. .viii
Sauerkraut, cabbage for ........68
Seed beds
Seeds, why they fail to STOW. +46 6X
i apes assistance in ‘serv-

to te sown at the proper time. .x

Soil an arbitrary question ......iv
Tillage essential to good crops....v

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the same, while practice will vary according to the fruit
grower’s immediate conditions and environments. Illustrated.
265 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth . . .. .. . $1.00

Plums and Plum Culture

By F. A. WaucH. A complete manual for fruit growers,
nurserymen, farmers and gardeners, on all known varieties
of plums and their successful management. This book marks
an epoch in the horticultural literature of America. It is a
complete monograph of the plums cultivated in and indigenous
to North America. It will be found indispensable to the
scientist seeking the most recent and authoritative informa-
tion concerning this group, to the nurseryman who wishes to
handle his varieties accurately and intelligently, and to the
cultivator who would like to grow plums successfully. [llus-
trated. 301 pages. 5x7 inches, Cloth . . . . . $1.50

Fruit Harvesting, Storing, Marketing

By F. A. WaucH. A practical guide to the picking, stor-
ing, shipping and marketing of fruit. The principal subjects
‘covered are the fruit market, fruit picking, sorting and pack-
ing, the fruit storage, evaporation, canning, statistics of the
fruit trade, fruit package laws, commission dealers and deal-
ing, cold storage, etc., etc. No progressive fruit grower can
afford to be without this most valuable book. Illustrated.
232 pages. 5 x 7 inches. Cloth . . . . . . . $1.00

Systematic Pomology

_ By F. A. Wauec3, professor of horticulture and landscape
gardening in the Massachusetts agricultural college, formerly
of the university of Vermont. This is the first book in the
English language which has ever made the attempt at a com-
plete and comprehensive treatment of systematic pomology.
It presents clearly and in detail the whole method by which
fruits are studied. The book is suitably illustrated. 288
pages. 5x 7inches. Cloth . . . .. . . . . $1.00

(11)

Feeding Farm Animais

By Professor THomas SHAW. This book is intended alike
for the student and the farmer. The author has succeeded in
giving in regular and orderly sequence, and in language so
simple that a child can understand it, the principles that govern
the science and practice of feeding farm animals. Professor
Shaw is certainly to be congratulated on the successful man-
ner in which he has accomplished a most difficult task. His
book is unquestionably the most practical work which has ap-
peared on the subject of feeding farm animals. TIllustrated.
5% x 8 inches. Upward of 500 pages. Cloth. . . . $2.00

Profitable Dairying

By C. L. Pecx. A practical guide to successful dairy man-
agement. The treatment of the entire subject is thoroughly
practical, being principally a description of the methods prac-
ticed by the author. A specially valuable part of this book
consists of a minute description of the far-famed model dairy
farm of Rev. J. D. Detrich, near Philadelphia, Pa. On the
farm of fifteen acres, which twenty years ago could not main-
tain one horse and two cows, there are now kept twenty-seven
dairy cattle, in addition to two horses. All the roughage,
litter, bedding, etc., necessary for these animals are grown on
these fifteen acres, more than most farmers could accomplish
on one hundred acres. Illustrated. 5 x 7 inches. 200 pages.
Cloths -.- ss ke we ee we ae ee ce we BOS

Practical Dairy Bacteriology

By Dr. H. W. Conn, of Wesleyan University. A complete
exposition of important facts concerning the relation of bac-
teria to various problems related to milk. A book for the
classroom, laboratory, factory and farm. Equally useful to
the teacher, student, factory man and practical dairyman.
Fully illustrated with 83 original pictures. 340 pages. Cloth.
5% x 8 inches. . Ss ig. BP. te cec ae ee ah OSTRRS)

Modern Methods of Testing Milk and Milk
Products

By L. L. VanStyxe. This is a clear and concise discussion
of the approved methods of testing milk and milk products.
All the questions involved in. the various methods of testing
milk and cream are handled with rare skill and yet in so plain
a manner that they can be fully understood by. all. The book
should be in the hands of every dairyman, teacher or student.
Illustrated. 214 pages. 5X7 inches. . . . ~~ - $0.75

(12)

Animal Breeding

By Tuomas SHAw. This book is the most complete and
comprehensive work ever published on the subject of which
it treats. It is the first book which has systematized the sub-
ject of animal breeding. The leading laws which govern this
most intricate question the author has boldly defined and
authoritatively arranged. The chapters which he has written
on the more involved features of the subject, as sex and the
relative influence of parents, should go far toward setting at
rest the wildiy speculative views cherished with reference to
these. questions. The striking originality in the treatment of
the subject is no less conspicuous than the superb order and
regular sequence of thought from the beginning to the end-
of the book. The book is intended to meet the needs of all
persons interested in the breeding and rearing of live stock.
Illustrated. 4o5 pages. 5 x 7 inches. Cloth. . . . $1.50

Forage Crops Other Than Grasses

By THomas SHaw. How to cultivate, harvest and use
them. Indian corn, sorghum, clover, leguminous plants, crops
of the brassica genus, the cereals, millet, field roots, etc.
Intensely practical and reliable. Illustrated. 287 pages. 5x7
inches. Cloth. Se Eo a . $1.00

Soiling Crops and the Silo

By THomas SHaw. The growing and feeding of all kinds
of soiling crops, conditions to which they are adapted, their
plan in the rotation, etc. Not a line is repeated from the
Forage Crops book. Best methods of building the silo, filling
it and feeding ensilage. Illustrated. 364 pages. 5x7 inches.
Cloths. 3.) ca 7 Sie nal ae eo ee ESO!

The Study of Breeds

By Tuomas SHaw. Origin, history, distribution, charac-
teristics, adaptability, uses, and standards of excellence of all
pedigreed breeds of cattle, sheep and swine in America. The
accepted text book in colleges, and the authority for
farmérs and breeders. Illustrated. 371 pages. 5x7 inches.
Cloth. Bs aly ter bar 9 tee eae ee, Ge $1.50

Clovers and How to Grow Them

By THomas SHaAw. This is the first book published which
treats on the growth, cultivation and treatment of clovers as
applicable to all parts of the United States and Canada, and
which takes up the entire subject in a systematic way and
consecutive sequence. The importance of clover in the econ-
omy of the farm is so great that an exhaustive work on this
subject will no doubt be welcomed by students in agriculture,
as well as by all who are interested in the tilling of the soil.
Illustrated.. 5x7 inches. 337 pages. Cloth. Net . . $1.00

(13)

Land Draining

A handbook for farmers on. the principles and practice of
draining, by Manty Migs, giving the results of his extended
experience in laying tile drains. The directions for the laying
out and the construction of tile drains will enable the farmer
to avoid the errors of imperfect construction, and the disap-
pointment that must necessarily follow. This manual for
practical farmers will also be found convenient for referencé
in regard to many questions that may arise in crop growing,
aside from the special subjects of drainage of which it treats.
Illustrated. 200 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth. . . . $1.00

Barn Plans and Outbuildings

Two hundred and fifty-seven illustrations. A most valu-
able work, full of ideas, hints, suggestions, plans, etc., for the
construction of barns and outbuildings, by practical writers.
Chapters are devoted to the economic erection and use of
barns, grain barns, horse barns, cattle barns, sheep barns,
cornhouses, smokehouses, icehouses, pig pens, granaries, etc.
There are likewise chapters on birdhouses, doghouses, tool
sheds, ventilators, roofs and roofing, doors and fastenings,
workshops, poultry houses, manure sheds, barnyards, root pits,
etc. 235 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth . . . . . . $1.00

Irrigation Farming

By Lure Witcox. A handbook for the practical applica-
tion of water in the production of crops. A complete treatise
on water supply, canal construction, reservoirs and ponds,
pipes for irrigation purposes, flumes and their structure,
methods of applying water, irrigation of field crops, the
garden, the orchard and vineyard, windmills and pumps,
appliances and contrivances. New edition, revised, enlarged
and rewritten. Profusely illustrated. Over 500 pages. ae a,

. . $2.00

inches. Cloth . . - «© + «+ «© © © © =

Forest Planting

_ Nicnotas JarcHow, LL. D. A treatise on the care
of eee and a restoration of the denuded timberlands
on plains and mountains. The author has fully described
those European methods which have proved to be most useful
in maintaining the superb forests of the old world. This expe-
rience has been adapted to the different climates and trees of
America, full instructions being given for forest planting of
our various kinds of soil and subsoil, whether on mountain
or valley. -Illtstrated. 250 pages. 5X7 inches. Cloth. $1.50

14?

The Nut Culturist

By ANnprew S. Futter. A treatise on the propagation,
planting and cultivation of nut-bearing trees and shrubs
adapted to the climate of the United States, with the scien-
tific and common names of the fruits known in commerce as
edible or otherwise useful nuts. Intended to aid the farmer
to increase his income without adding to his expenses or
labor. Cloth, 12mo. . Be iy deo ley ee ew ey OSTEGO

Cranberry Culture

By JosepH J. Wuite. Contents: Natural history, history
of cultivation, choice of location, preparing the ground, plant-
ing the vines, management of meadows, flooding, enemies
and difficulties overcome, picking, keeping, profit. and loss.
Illustrated. 132 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth. . . . $1.00

Ornamental Gardening for Americans

By Extras A. Lone, landscape architect. A treatise on
beautifying homes, rural districts and cemeteries. A plain
and practical work with numerous illustrations and instruc-
tions so plain that they may be readily followed. [llustrated.
390 pages. 5x7 inches. Clothe . . . . . . . $1.50

Grape Culturist

By A. S. Futter. This is one of the very best of works
on the culture of the hatdy grapes, with full directions for
all departments of propagation, culture, etc., with 150 excellent
engravings, illustrating planting, iagisieD grafting, etc. 282
pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth . . = -» $150

Gardening for Young and Old

By JosepH Harris. A work intended to interest farmers’
boys in farm gardening, which means a better and more profit-
able form of agriculture. The teachings are given in the
familiar manner so well known in the author’s “Walks and
Talks on the Farm.” Illustrated. 191 pages. 5x7 inches.
Clothe ei capes Mae oe. Gg leas Ve ee. Se gl A ae. BOO

Money in the Garden

By P. T. Quinn. The author gives in a plain, practical
style instructions on three distinct, although closely connected,
branches of gardening—the kitchen garden, market garden
and field culture, from successful practical experience for a
_term of years. Illustrated, 268 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth. $1.00

qs)

Greenhouse Construction

By Pror. L. R. Tarr. A complete treatise on greenhouse
structures and arrangements of the various forms and styles
of plant houses for professional florists as well as amateurs.
All the best and most approved structures are so fully and
clearly described that any one who desires to build a green-
house will have no difficulty in determining the kind best
suited to his purpose. The modern and most successful meth-
ods of heating and ventilating are fully treated upon. Special
chapters are devoted to houses used for the growing of one
kind of plants exclusively. The construction of hotbeds and
frames receives appropriate attention. Over 100 excellent
illustrations, especially engraved for this work, make every
point clear to the reader and add considerably to the artistic
appearance of the book. 210 gages. 5x 7 inches. Cloth. $1.50

Greenhouse Management

By L. R. Tart. This boot. forms an almost indispensable
companion volume to Greenhnuse Construction. In it the
author gives the results of his many years’ experience, to-
gether with that of the most sucessful florists and gardeners,
in the management of growing plants under glass. So minute
and practical are the various systems and methods of growing
and forcing roses, violets,.carnations, and all the most impor-
tant florists’ plants, as well as fruits and vegetables described,
that by a careful study of this work and the following of its
teachings, failure is almost impossible. Illustrated. 382 se

- oe. . ee) $50

gsx7 inches. Cloth . .....

Fungi and Fungicides

By Pror. Crarence M. Weep A practical manual con-
cerning the fungous diseases of cultivated plants and the
means of preventing their ravages. The author has endeav-
ored to give such a concise account of the most important
facts relating to these as will enable the cultivator to combat
them intelligently. 90 illustrations. 222 pages. 5x 7 inches.
Paper, 50 cents; cloth . Ne el aed . . $1.00

Mushrooms. How to Grow Them

By Witt1am Fatconer. This is the most practical work
on the subject ever written, and the only book on growing
mushrooms published in America. The author describes how
he grows mushrooms, and how they are grown for profit by
the leading market gardeners, and for home use by the most
- successful private growers. Engravings drawn from nature
expressly for this work. 170 pages. 5X7 inches. Cloth. $1.00

a6)

Rural School Agriculture

By CuHartes W. Davis. A book intended for the use of
both teachers and pupils. Its aim is to enlist the interest of
the boys of the farm and awaken in their minds the fact that
the problems of the farm are great enough to command all the
brain power they can summon. The-book is a manual of exer-
cises covering many phases of agriculture, and it may be used
with any text-book of agriculture, or without a text-book. The
exercises will enable the student to think, and to work out the
scientific principles underlying some of the most important
agricultural operations. The author feels that in the teaching
of agriculture in the rural schools, the laboratory phase is al-
most entirely neglected. If an experiment helps the pupil to
think, or makes his conceptions clearer, it fills a useful pur-
pose, and eventually prepares for successful work upon the
farm. The successful farmer of the future must be an experi-
menter in a small way. Following many of the exercises are a
number of questions which prepare the way for further re-
search work. The material needed for performing the experi-
ments is simple, and can be devised by the teacher and pupils,
or brought from the homes. Illustrated. 300 pages. Cloth.
5x7 inches. . . . . $1.00

Agriculture Through the Tateeabies and School
Garden

By C. R. Jacxsow and Mrs. L. S. DaucHerty. As its name
implies, this book gives explicit directions for actual work in
the laboratory and the school garden, through which agri-
cultural principles may be taught. The author’s aim has been
to present actual experimental work in every phase of the
subject possible, and to state the directions for such work so
that the student can perform it independently of the teacher,
and to state them in such a way that the results will not be
suggested by these directions. One must perform the experi-
ment to ascertain the result. It embodies in the text a com-
prehensive, practical, scientific, yet simple discussion of such
facts as are necessary to the understanding of many of the
agricultural principles involved in every-day life. The book,
although primarily intended for use in schools, is equally
valuable to any one desiring to obtain in an easy and pleasing
manner a general knowledge of elementary agriculture. Fully
illustrated. 534 x8 inches. 462 pages. Cloth. Net $1.50

Soil Physics Laboratory Guide

By W. G. Stevenson and I. O. ScHaus. A carefully out-
lined series of experiments in soil physics. A portion of the
experiments outlined in this guide have been used quite gen-
erally in recent years. The exercises (of which there are 40)
are listed in a logical order with reference to their relation
to.each other and the skill required on the part of the student.
“lustrated. About 100 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth. . $0.50

(17)

The New Egg Farm

By H. H. Sropparp. A practical, reliable manual on
producing eggs and poultry for market as a profitable business
enterprise, either by itself or connected with other branches
of agriculture. It tells all about how to feed and manage,
how to breed and select, incubators and brooders, its labor- -
saving devices, etc., etc. Illustrated. 331 pages. 5x7 inches.
Cloth: see ng Biome OG OD Ae we. a, BOO

Poultry Feeding and Fattening

Compiled by G. B. Fisxe. A handbook for poultry keep-
ers on the standard and improved methods of feeding and
marketing all kinds of poultry. The subject of feeding and
fattening poultry is prepared largely from the side of the
best practice and experience here and abroad, although the
underlying science of feeding is explained as fully as needful.
The subject covers all branches, including chickens, broilers,
capons, turkeys and waterfowl; how to feed under various
conditions and for different purposes. The whole subject of
capons and caponizing is treated in detail. A great mass of
practical information and experience not readily obtainable
elsewhere is given with full and explicit directions for fatten-
ing and preparing for market. This book will meet the needs
of amateurs as well as commercial poultry raisers. Profusely
illustrated. 160 pages. 5x 734 inches. Cloth, . . . $0.50

Poultry Architecture

Compiled by G. B. Fiske. A treatise on poultry buildings
of all grades, styles and classes, and their proper location,
coops, additions and special construction; all practical in de-
sign, and reasonable in cost. Over 100 illustrations. 125 pages.
5x7 inches, Cloth . . bo a ae Se ee POTS!

Poultry Appliances and Handicraft

Compiled by G. B. Fisxe. Illustrated description of a
great variety and styles of the best homemade nests, roosts,
windows, ventilators, incubators and brooders, feeding and
watering appliances, etc. etc. Over 100 illustrations. Over
125 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth. . . . . + + - $0.50

Turkeys and How to Grow Them

Edited by Herpert Myrick. A treatise on the natural
history and origin of the name of turkeys ; the various breeds,
the best methods to insure success in the business of turkey
growing. With essays” from practical turkey growers in
different parts of the United States and Canada. Copiously
illustrated. 154 pages. 5x7 inches. Cloth. . . . $1.00

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