THE CABBAGE.
Brassica oleracea capitata.
The Cabbage is a biennial plant; and, though comparatively hardy,—growing at all seasons unprotected in England,—will not withstand the winters of the Northern States in the open ground.
When fully developed, it is from four to five feet in height. The flowers are cruciform, generally yellow, but sometimes white or yellowish-white. The seeds, which ripen in July and August of the second year, are round, reddish-brown or blackish-brown, and retain their vitality five years. About ten thousand are contained in an ounce.
Soil and Situation.—"Though not particularly nice as to soil or situation, cabbages do best when grown in well-manured ground. In such soil, they are generally earlier than when raised in cold and stiff ground. But manure need not be profusely applied, if the ground is naturally of a fertile and open kind; for the flavor is generally better in such soil than where a great quantity of fertilizer is used."
Propagation.—All of the varieties are propagated from seed sown annually. For early use, a sowing may be made in a hot-bed in February or March; and, for winter use, the seed may be sown in a nursery-bed in the open ground in May or June. When five or six inches high, transplant to the distance directed in the description of the variety. In the hot-bed or nursery-bed, the plants should not be allowed to stand too thickly together, as this causes them to draw up weak and feeble.
To raise Seed.—At the time of harvesting, select a few of the most compact and best-formed heads possessing the characters of the pure variety; and, in the following April, set the plants entire, three feet apart in each direction. As they progress in growth, remove all of the side-shoots, and encourage the main sprout, that will push up through the centre of the head. Seeds from the side-shoots, as well as those produced from decapitated stems, are of little value. No cabbage-seed is really reliable that is not obtained from firm and symmetrical heads; and seed thus cultivated for a few successive seasons will produce plants, ninety per cent of which will yield well-formed and good-sized cabbages.
American-grown seed is generally considered superior to that of foreign growth; and, when it can be obtained from a reliable seedsman or seeds-grower, the purchaser should not be induced by the difference in price to select the nominally cheaper, as there are few vegetables with which the character of the seed is of greater importance.
Varieties.—The varieties are numerous, and the distinction, in many instances, well-defined and permanent. Between some of the sorts, however, the variations are slight, and comparatively unimportant.