BIJLLEiTIN No. 187 JANUARY, 1916. ALABAMA Agricultural Experiment Station OF THE aLACKs3uRG1 ? i" ba ma Polytechnic institute AUBURN By J. C. C. PRICE, Associate Horticulturist and 1G. V. 'STELZENMULLER, Field Agent in Horticulture 1916 Post Publishing Company Opelika, Ala. COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES ON EXPERIMENT STATION. HON. HON. R. A. J. F. KOLB ---------Montgomery W. BELL-------------------------------Anniston A. ROGERS----------- -----------------Gainesville HOOT. STATION STAFF C. C. THACH, President of the College, J. 'F. DUGGAR, Director of Experiment Station and Extension. BOTANY: AGRICULTURE: J. F, Duggar, Agriculturist. E. F. Cauthen, Associate. M. J. Funchess, Associate J. T. Williamson, Field Agent. R. U. Blasingame, Agri. Engr. 0. H. Sellers, Assistant. H. B. Tisdale, Assistant. F. E. Boyd, Assistant. VETERINARY SCIENCE: Botanist. A. B. Massey, Assistant. PLANT PATHOLOGY: ,Pathologist. HORTICULTURE: C. A. Cary, Veterinarian. L. F. Pritchett, Assistant. CHJEMISTRY: J. T. Anderson, a-id Ernest Walker, Horticulturist. J. C. C. Price, Associate. G. V. Stelzenmnller, Field Agent. ENTOMOLOGIST: Crops. Chemist, Soils C. L. Hare, Physiological Chemist. C. A. Basore, Assistant. JUNIOR L. W. E. Hinds. Entomologist. F. L. Thomas, Assistant. E. A.' Vaughan, Field Assistant. ANIMAL AND HOME TENSION : ECONOMICS Ex- N. Duncan, Superintendent.* Miss Madge J. Reese, I. J. C. Ford, Assistant.* B. Kerlin, Assistant.* Assistant.* Nellie omics.** M. Tappan, Home Econ- INDUSTRY: G. S. Templeton, Animal ban dman. H. C. Ferguson, Assistant. J. P. Quinerly, Assistanit.* E. Hus- In Gibbens,, Assistant.. co-operation with United States Department of Agriculture *In co-operation with Alabama Girl's Technical Institute. CABBAGE J. C. C. PRICE, Associate Horticulturist AND G. V. STELZENMULLER, Field Agent in Horticulture. This bulletin contains the results of several years' experiments with cabbage; together with general tural directions based upon the experiments. The tural suggestions will not hold equally true in all tions:of the state, but the fundamental principles applicable to these different sections. TIME OF SOWING SEED. culculsecare Cabbage, if properly hardened, will stand temperatures as low as 15 degrees above zero for brief periods. As a rule, therefore, in Alabama, cabbage grown from seed sown in October and transplanted to the field can easily be carried through the winter, and at the same time will make considerable root growth. The proper time for sowing the seed is from the middle of October to late.spring. Plants produced from seed sown prior to the first of October are prone to run to need in the early spring, instead of heading. Several times at the Experiment Station here, seed was sown as early as the last week in August, with the result that more than 50 per cent of the plants ran to seed. Sowing the seed too early gives the plant an equivalent of two growing seasons. Cabbage is a biennial. Sowing seed early in the fall gives the plant a period of active growth. The advent of cold weather then abruptly checks growth, introducing a period of rest, which practically marks off the equivalent of one season's growth. On resuming growth in the spring, the tendency is to set about seeding instead of the formation of a head. SEED. Great care should be exercised in securing the best seed, as the best is none too good. One may purchase poor seed with the view of saving a small sum, and o the other hand lose several hundred times that amount in the crop. It is essential that the seed be fresh, vigorous, of a pure strain and true to type, in order to 4 produce an early maturing crop, and be harvested in two cuttings. THE SEED BED. In the southern portion of the state large seed-beds are prepared in the open, while in the northern part of the state cold frames or hot-beds are used. If the seed-bed is prepared in the open it should be made in a new place each year. For the hot-bed, select an elevated place where drainage is good. A southern or southeastern slope is preferable, with a fence or building, when possible, on the north or northwest as a windbreak. A pit should be dug 10 or 12 inches deep, 6 feet wide, and long enough to accommodate as many plants as desired. Construct a frame of good heart lumber, 11/2 to 2 inches thick. The board for the back should be 14 inches wide, and the one for the front 8 inches wide, with the end pieces sloping to fit. The frame should fit into the place excavated, resting on the manure. Strips of 2x4 inch material are nailed across the frame at intervals of three feet, to hold the sash. The standard sash is 3x6 feet in size, exclusive of the drip board at the foot, which projects a few inches beyond the side of the frame on the lower side. The excavation should be filled with fresh stable manure, which has been thoroughly moistened and mixed. It should be reworked each day until it heats uniformly. It is then leveled, packed down firmly and a layer of dark, rich'sandy loam soil is put on top of the manure to the depth of 4 inches. It would be rather troublesome to move the cold frame or hot-bed, so the best method would be to fill the frame with new soil each season. The soil should be taken from an area on which neither a crop nor a seed-bed of cabbage or any species of the cabbage family has grown for several years. One should take this precaution as a safeguard against disease. The soil used for the seed-bed should be of a light, loamy character, fairly rich, and one that will not bake. It should be thoroughly pulverized, and all rocks sticks, and trash of any kind should be removed. The seed may be sown broadcast or in close drills, the latter being commonly preferred. The drills are made by using a narrow board with a straight edge. The edge of the board is pressed into the soil so as to make a furrow about three-fourths of an inch deep. Sow the seed thinly in the furrow, and pack the soil lightly, covering the seeds from 1/2 to . of an inch deep. As the plants break through the soil they will be greatly benefited by a light stirring of the soil along the rows. When they have put on the third leaf, or first real leaf, they should be transplanted into another bed into rows farther apart, and given at the same time more space in the rows. Four inches between rows and two inches in the rows will be ample. This transplanting enables the plants to grow more stocky, and makes them form a better root system. The plants remain in the second bed or frame until large enough to set in the field. Plants produced under sash in mid-winter have to be hardened off before planting in the field. Grown in a hot-bed or cold frame and protected by sash, plants are quite tender when young, but may be gradually hardened to stand severe weather. To "harden off" plants, remove the sash entirely on warm days and wholly or partially close the bed at night. From day to day accustom the plants gradually to the open air, until at last the sash is left off entirely. Should there be a sudden drop in the temperature during the hardening-off period, the sash should be pushed over the frame and propped up slightly at the ends, allowing the air to pass under the sides. If properly handled, the plants can be made tough enough to plant in the field in from ten to twenty days. SOIL. Cabbage will grow in any fairly good soil, from a light sandy to a rich alluvial bottom land, but a rich loam with a good porous clay subsoil is to be preferred. By incorproating sufficient organic matter, poor soils may be made to produce excellent crops. Unless the soil is carefully broken and prepared, good results can not be expected. One should use a good two-horse turning or disc plow, running deep enough to turn up about an inch of the clay subsoil. If the subsoil be hard, or there is found a hard-pan, fall-breaking in connection with the use of a subsoil plow is desirable. Further preparation consists in thorough harrowing with a spiked-tooth or disc harrow until the surface is thoroughly pulverized. Lay off rows 3 to 31/2 feet apart, using a shovel plow and opening out a good 6 furrow. The fertilizer should be strewn along in the furrow at the rate of 1,000 to 1,500 pounds per acre. Mix thoroughly with' the soil by running the shovel plow in the furrow one or more times. One time will be sufficient if the soil is very loose. List on the furrows in which the fertilizer is distributed, throwing up a small ridge. Flatten the top of this ridge with a hand rake or drag a heavy piece of timber over the rows, leveling several at a time. General preparation of the land should be in the fall or at least several weeks before planting. If the land is prepared early, delay by the heavy winter rains when ready to plant may be prevented. PLANTING. The time to plant will vary greatly for the different sections of the state. Plants will be ready to set in 5 to 7 weeks from the time the seed is sown. They should be set on the south side of the ridge or bed thrown up by the shovel plow, in preference to planting on top, as this gives protection from cold northwest winds. Set plants from 15 to 24 inches apart in the row, according to the variety. The small pointed-head varieties will permit much closer planting than the large flat-head types. If the field be level, it is preferable to check the rows, so as to allow horse cultivation both ways. The check rows are 24 to 30 inches apart. With proper precautions, the plants may be transplanted to the field with very small loss. Plants should not be transplanted on windy days, as the excessive evaporation will result in a heavy loss of plants. A still, cloudy day is best, or late in the afternoon. Transplanting should not be done unless there is plenty of moisture in the soil; otherwise moisture should be supplied artificially. Transplanting is best accomplished by one person dropping the plants, and another with a dibble setting them out as they are dropped. The plant bed should be thoroughly watered before taking up the plants. If they are to be carried some distance the roots should be dipped in a clay puddle, which will prevent them drying out. A piece of wet sheeting spread over the plants in the basket or tray, will aid in keeping them in a fresh condition. A few plants are taken at a time and set as they are dropped, in order that they may be protected as much as possible. CULTIVATION. Surface tillage may begin at once, or at least as soon as the plants have had time to establish themselves in the soil. The small tooth cultivator is the best implement, a3 it cultivates shallowly and finely. By running this implement twice in each middle at intervals of a week or ten days, a good, mellow mulch will be maintained. This aerates the soil and conserves moisture and also keeps down weeds. Where the rows are not laid off both ways, the hoe should be used to break up the crust between the plants and to pull a little soil to any plants that need it. The hoeing or cultivation should be frequent and thorough, but not deep, and should be continued until the plants are fairly well headed. FERTILIZERS. Cabbage soil can hardly be made too rich, but the plant food materials should be in a well balanced form. When possible a liberal application of stable manure or a green crop should be turned under in the fall previous to planting. Sufficient quantities of animal manures cannot always be secured, neither may green crops be available at the time. Commercial fertilizers must then be used instead. If used at planting time, the formula should have a reasonable quantity of phosphoric acid and potash, but not the full amount of nitrogen, that will ultimately be needed. When the plant is small it can use only a limited amount of nitrogen, while the remainder of the application might be leached out and lost. When nitrogen is applied to the soil it stimulates a succulent leaf growth. Hence, much nitrogen tends to make the young plants too tender to stand severe freezing weather. If made to grow slowly, cabbage plants will stand a temperature as low as 12 degrees F., the lowest temperature recorded at the Experiment Station during the test. Since, in maturing the cabbage crop, it is leafy growth we desire, nitrogen is necessary in the fertilizer, but most of it should be applied at the approach of the growing season rather than at planting time. For use in the furrow at planting time let the fertilizer be what is known as a complete fertilizer. Such a fertilizer may be made up as follows: Acid phosphate Nitrate of Soda -375 Muriate of Potash ----- 437 pounds pounds 180 pounds ;Apply at the rate of at least 1,000 pounds per acre.. If there has been much leaching due to heavy rains during the winter, a second application of 400 to 500 ,pounds per acre of a complete fertilizer snould be given several weeks later At the approach of the growing season, which will -vary considerably in the different sections of the state, the plants should be stimulated by a side or top dress:ing of 75 to 100 pounds of nitrate of soda per acre. If :the plants are slow about heading the top-dressing of initrate of soda should be repeated in 15 to 20 days. 'Care should be exercised in the use of nitrate of soda, as an excess will cause the formation of a succulent head which will not hold up well in shipping. On the other hand, the use of potash tends towards firmness. FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS. ,with The table below gives some results of experiments fertilizers at Auburn. The complete formulas, except for Plot 4, were made up so as to analyze seven per cent. phosphoric acid;: six per cent. nitrogen; and nine per cent. potash. The mixtures were applied at the time of planting, at the rate of 1,500 pounds per acre. Formula 4 was made up of low grade materials, and contains 51/4 per cent. phosphoric acid, 41/2 per cent. nitrogen, and 6% per cent potash, but it was applied in excess to give the same number of pounds of actual fertilizing material used in the three formulas above. Acid phosphate and Thomas phosphate were compared, as shown on plots 3 and 5. The average for two years shows a difference in yield of 6,216 pounds per acre in favor of Thomas phosphate. Plot 5 which received the Thomas phosphate, produced the highest yield of any of the plots receiving complete fertilizers. Note the difference in the source of nitrogen in Plots 1, 2, 3, and 4. Plot 3, with nitrate of soda as the source of nitrogen, gave highest average yield with the highest average increase over unfertilized plot, the other ingredients being the same in kind and quantity, except slight differences seen in Plot 4. This Plot, with cotton seed -meal as the source of nitrogen, gave secondl highest vield with second highest increase. Plot 1, with sulfate of ammonia as the source of nitrogen, gave an average yield of 679 pounds of cabbage per acre less than cotton seed meal (Plot 4.) Plot 2, with dried blood as the source of nitrogen, gave the lowest average yield of the complete fertilizers, but an increase of 10,753 pounds of cabbage per acre over the unfertilized plot. Observe that the omission of potash in Plot 6 did not decrease the yield as compared with Plot 2, where a comlplete formula was used. While in Plot 10, where potash was used alone, the average increase for two years was only 707 pounds per acre over the unfertilizel p~lot. Comparing results on plots 8, 9. 10, 11, and 12, where the several fertilizer ingredlients were used singly. dried blood gave the highest average yield with the lignhest ir (. tr16 i4 Ier-Irse over the imfl'ertilized plot. Figure 1. Un right of basket, fertilized plot. On left, unfertilized plot. Note ditfereuce in the size of ai average head from the two plots,.AS shown by the two Jeds on the top of the bushel basket. 10 Fertilizer Experiments wit/ Cabbage at Auburn Yields in pounds per acre K -D . Averages 0 o O 1912 0o0a, 1913 a- FE RTILIZE R USEDaa. 0 aa- a, 0 , .,E- phosphate-ammonia-~ 450 Sulphate potash 270 Muriate 656 Acid ____ie boo____ -Lbs. _ 27332 15982 ___ 27105 15755 19936 20068 __10 17361 18008 ___ 8458 5751 6398 23700.12220 22233 10753 24647 13167 656 Acid phosphate---2 3 643 Dried blood 562 Nitrate --- 270 Muriate potash 656 Acid phosphate 494 Acid 4} 270 Muriate potash-__ phosphate soda --- 31286 _ -__ - 1285 Cotton seed Thoms phosphate 270 Muriate potash Aipsht 6 643 Dried blood _- S No fertilizer-check 7 8 1285 Cotton seed meal __ 656 Acid phosphate 9 potash-:---270 Muriate 10 643 Dried blood 11 _562 Nitrate soda 12 6 656 Acid phosphate ___ _ - ii583 521 Muate 562 N itratet so oas21 u i da hah5 sht - eal-_ mn 28224 16874 20534 8924 243,79 18531 12899 31585 351 20235 05 30141 30863 19383 27850 16500 11,5 16800 5190 22325 10843 11480 158824412 54 12074 12187 7 7 11350 5898 17248 11499 2390 10634 -976 13740 7058 21354 10004-18668 6914 18524 8064 19414 '149 11610 2906 14516 12649.1039 20011 18969 LA. 851 749 LawJ and in co operation with the Tennessee, Coal an d Iron Company The test was continued for three years. Tile results are shown ins the following table. From- the average yields. for each kind of fertilizer, we derive the: following conclusions regarding the values of the variousf ertilizer constituents used: The use of slaked lime, even at the extremuely- low' rate' of 207 pounds per acre, in addition. to a.. complete appears to have increased the yield by 2,278 CO-OPERATIVE FERTILIZER TEST AT ?as done under the This work v Local' Experimelit BESSEMir, fertilizer, pounds of cabbage per, acre. (Plot _.. lime.) Plot 6 An application of 310 pounds of nitrate of soda' per acre, in addition to acid phosphate and muriate of potash, gave an increase- of 4,311 pounds of cabbage. with 5 without lima: 11 per acre. (Plot 2 without nitrate of soda; Plot 5 with nitrate of soda.) The use of 207 pounds of muriate of potash per acre, in addition to acid phosphate and nitrate of soda, gave an increase of 473 pounds of cabbage per acre. (Plot 4 without potash; Plot 5 with potash.) The use of acid phosphate, at the rate of 620 pounds per acre, in addition to nitrate of soda and muriate of potash, gave an increase of 1,915 pounds of cabbage per acre. (Plot 3 without acid phosphate; Plot 5 with acid phosphate.) An application of 885 pounds of Thomas phosphate per acre, in addition to cotton seed meal and muriate of potash, resulted in an increase of 1,021 pounds of cabbage per acre. (Plot 9 without Thomas phosphate; Plot 8 with Thomas phosphate.) In a complete fertilizer, Thomas phosphate gave an increase over acid phosphate of 486 pounds of cabbage per acre. This increase, also noted in experiments carried on at Auburn, may have been partly or entirely due to the lime contained in Thomas phosphate. The beneficial effects of lime are indicated in Plot 6. (Plot 5 with acid phosphate; Plot 7 with Thomas phosphate.) In whatever combination used, cotton seed meal gave better results than nitrate of soda. This would probably be expected, since all the fertilizers were applied before the plants were set. Nitrate of soda is most effective when used as a top-dressing. (a) Used with muriate of potash only, cotton seed meal gave an increase over nitrate of soda, of 3,156 pounds of cabbage per acre. (Plot 3 with nitrate of soda; Plot 9 with cotton seed meal.) (b) Used with muriate of potash and Thomas phosphate, cotton seed meal gave an increase over nitrate of soda of 1,776 pounds of cabbage per acre. (Plot 7 with nitrate of soda; Plot 8 with cotton seed meal.) (c) Used with acid phosphate only, cotton seed meal gave an increase over nitrate of soda of 441 pounds of cabbage per acre. (Plot 4 with nitrate of soda; Plot 10 with cotton seed meal.) The fertilizer combination giving the highest yield per acre for the three years was that used on Plot 6; namely, acid phosphate 620 pounds per acre, nitrate of soda 310 pounds per acre, muriate of potash 207 12 pounds per acre, slaked lime 207 pounds per acre. This plot yielded at the rate of 20,909 pounds of cabbage per acre, an increase of 8,364 pounds per acre over the average of the two unfertilized plots. The fertilizer mixture used on Plot 8, which is a close second, was the following: Thomas phosphate 885 pounds per acre, cotton seed meal 650 pounds per acre and muriate of potash 207 pounds per acre. This plot yielded at the rate of 20,893 pounds of cabbage per acre, an increase of 8,348 pounds per acre over the average of the two unfertilized plots. Note that in the two unfertilized plots in the several tests that the yields are practically the same, being much lower than any of the plots receiving a complete fertilizer. Results obtained from both experiments at Auburn and Bessemer show that potash did not increase the yield sufficiently to warrant its use on loam or clay soils. On sandy soils, which are very deficient in potassium, this element must be included in the fertilizers applied. 13 Yields for Cabbagein Cooperative FertilizerTest at Bessemer. Ala.,. 1912,_1913 and 1914. 1.912 KIND OF FERTILIZER USED c 1913 a, a 1914 Average . a 'k z p ~ ~. a) a ca a, 2 U+ 00 aaa a V a a) aa -0 ~ k a a) a Lbs. 1 2 3 No fertilizer________ 620 Acid phosphate-207 Muriate of potash__ 310 Nitrate of soda _ 207 Muriate of potash 620 Acid phosphate 310 Nitrate of soda 620 Acid phosphate 310 Nitrate of soda207 Muriate of potash 620 Acid phosphate 3l0Nitrateof soda 207 Muriateof potash-207 Slaked lime _-____ 885 Thomas phosphate - Lbs. Lbs. 7900 ____ 10804 2004 Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 7181 21612_ _12231 9778 1461 22369 1851 14320 1775- 5 F 61 ------ 15 1 17 13883 5083 16078 7761 23493 13302 4502 20195 11878 22397 16716 4171 2975 18158 5613 1879 18631' 6086 13418 4618 25643 17326 23667 314 9 8364 ~ 7 7 310 Nitrate of 207 M uriate of potash soda-- 15510 6710 22654 14337 19187 -1331 19117 6572- 10 11 885 Thomas phosphate 36010 650 8 Cotton seed meal_169048104 207 Murlate of potash S Muriate seedpotash__ 15277 6477 650Cotton meal-207 of 1 620 Acid phosphate _ 650 Cotton seed meal F 14057 5257 2592 21159 12842 24616 4098 20893 8348 } 222611 29 7 850 18599 6054 12859 20371 12054 21368 9453 I 11 __ No fertilizer----Average of 9700 [9424 20518 _- -- ___ unfertilized plots-- tw~o 8800 8317 12545 The Wakefield for general use in the South. The Early Jersey Wakefield is one of the best early varieties, while Extra Early Pilot has matured 3 to 5 days earlier. Charleston Wakefield is the best second-early, both for home use and for market. The Drumhead and. Flat Dutch varieties are best for late planting and are heavy yielders. Some of the late varieties do not head. A few varieties are briefly described and-Drumhead VARIETIES. types are best suited Extra Early Pilot.-This variety is the earliest in cultivation ; heads are perfectly solid, long, conical shaped; size, small, averaging one to two pounds each; below: flavor,. good(. home It wvi For1 lll nit Illucil closer phltninwi Hum use and( markl'Ict. is. co)11111 .fle few~ out~side leaves. for the car Tisj' licst, 14111 is5sd ... , 'v ;hicet\ ly than1 crl (.,nmcn (ls jhI;In [(( E1 xr'a uIse 1111d uirIkcI. ~1 l (:han'1('sI 1)1) 1)U/l. d llca11 IS e sll olid(. arIger' and( more round4(ish1 tHum the l aity hIcsey Wa kceld, andI a wveek 01' tel dad's 11ter. The crop1j nIaturles in a short p~erLiod. Oiie of the 141st scc(011-c IIIN \ iiets fori mari- Early Pilot. )oth1 is hIomI It mndedl :d for and icli M% t T--.- 4 :e0' F , ti&~7 I" Figure 2. 15 Early Drumnhead.-This variety makes an excellent succession for the varieties named above, being a few days later than Charleston Wakefield. Heads uniformly compact,- large, broad and flattened; hence this variety requires more room than varieties producing heads. It is a good shipper, and is highly rec ominended for home use and for market. Flat Dutch.-Heads are very large, somewhat depressed in shape, very full and firm. There are numerous outer leaves, large and crimped. It is exceedingly hardy; matures a few days later than Drumhead; rec mmended for home use. Variety tests at Auburn. smaller Yields il Pounds per Acre. Name oJ Variety -----First Crop Early Jersey Wakefield -24890 Volga Duke _ -_ _ _ - _ Flat Dutch Indian Summer-_-_-__-_-_ 1911 14934 1912 11283 13067 19287 11200 13769 16800 14934 1913 91 1914 1915 11200 19600 9184 Grand 18669 35842 11896 0752 Charleston Wakefield _-___ 28076 Early Drumhead -----------1 _ _.- - 18667 Louisville Drumhead _ Danish Ball Head --------- 12445 Red Rock (Failed to head) _ Selected Jersey Wakefield Extra Early Pilot Premium Large Drumhead-_ Drumhead Savo) Surehead----- ------------Large Green Glaze (failed to head)-- -- - - - -- - 18668 12445 2464,1 _ - 16502 24641 16801 11410 10708 17423 11200 15764 9707 ----------- 12842 6933 21057 o U Succession____ 14583, 12246 Improved Brunswick-_-__ All Head Victor Flat Dutch __-Taits May Queen All Season Early Winnigstadt ___ ______ Early.-_- 13067 12134 13515 17174 14306 12395 15576 ___ __- 15382 _______ Variety tests at Bessemer, Ala. I 14,354 Flat Dutch------------1 14,328 Dutch --------Dwarf I 13,373Wakefield Jersey Oharlestont Wakefield - Name of Yields in pounds per acre. Vuriety( 1912 ; 1913 1914 21,247 7,447 17,310 24,053 Flat 24,462 11,155 Succession.---------- - - 13,347 -26,321' Drumhiead ---------28,362 Large Drumhead-------- ----------:Early Winnigsladt--------------------23,270 16 HARVESTING AND MARKETING. Cabbages are usually harvested as soon as they have attained good marketable size, earliness being an important factor in prices. The stem is cut close up to the head, and the coarse outer leaves removed. Heads that are not sound and firm should never be shipped. The average yield of cabbage in home garden in Alabama is about three tons per acre, but much higher yields than this are frequently made. The yield in the Gulf Coast section of the state is generally from 150 to 200 100-pound crates. Prices vary from fifty cents to $2.00 per crate; there is little or no profit if the price is less than $1.00 per crate. The package most commonly used is the squareended , rectangular crate, 17x17x30 inches in size, which holds about a barrel or 100 pounds. In packing, care should always be taken to place the stem-end of the cabbage outward, as the stem-end is better able to resist bruising against the sides of the crate. The heads should be packed tightly into the crate, for there will always be considerable shrinkage. It is customary and advisable to mark on the outside of the crate the number of heads contained. In many cases cabbages are shipped by express, but this is necessarily an expensive method. Growers in a community should co-operate and ship in car-lots, and thus save on the important item of transportation. When shipping in car-lots, close attention must be paid to ventilation, or there may be great loss from heating and decay in transit. Cabbage is a good cropper. Prices are subject to considerable fluctuation, but quite often nice sums are realized from the crop. The size of the cabbage crop held over in storage in the North should be carefuly considered by the southern trucker in planning his acreage of early cabbage, since a large crop stored in the North usually means low prices for the southern crop. INSECTS AND DISEASES. In the production of many crops, clean culture is of great importance in controlling injurious insects and diseases. This includes, in addition to the regular culOvation of any particular crop, the destruction of all nearby weeds and rubbish which may serve either as food or as hiding places. Destroy all crop remnants when the cabbage is harvested. This may be done by 17 burning or by plowing them under deeply. As a rule insects which chew or suck juices from the leaves of plants, can be more easily controlled than can fungus diseases, which frequently attack the internal tissues of leaves, stems, or roots. The cabbage louse (Aphis brassicae) is frequently injurious to cabbages and related plants. The best remedy is a soap solution, made as follows: Into two gallons of water, shave thinly one pound of ordinary, laundry soap. Boil and stir until the soap is completely dissolved, and then add two gallons of cold water. This solution should be thoroughly and forcibly sprayed so. as to completely wet the under sides of' ,all leaves of affected plants. "Black Leaf 40," which is a nicotine extract from tobacco, is effective also for plant louse control. Cutworms of several species are very common: These "worms" feed not only on cabbage and other garden plants, but also on grass and weeds; hence the importance of clean culture with the previous crop. Beyond this, the best remedy is poisoned bran-mash, made by thoroughly mixing while dry either one ounce of Paris green with five pounds of wheat bran; or,one ounce of white arsenic with ten pounds of wheat bran, and then stirring in a mixture of cheap molasses and water until the "mash" consistency is reached. Fairly satisfactory results .may be had by using the mash- along the rows at each plant after the cabbage. plants have been set. It is better, however, where. the ground to be planted was in sod or very grassy during the preceding fall, to take action before planting is done. The soil should be well prepared and thoroughly disked to remove all green food planits that, might compete with the.poisoned bait, then scatter a, evening, green grass, oats or clover dipped ina mixk ture of one ounce of Paris green in a pailful of water The baits should be placed at intervals o er the bre ground and treatment may be repeated after two: 8 three days and before planting is done. Be careful not to allow chickens to have access to the poisoned masi Cabbage worms, which cause the large holes in the. leaves of cabbage and related plants, can be most effe6tively controlled by spraying or dfisting 'the' pilnts prior to heading, with arsenite of lead.I ap lied ift 'f 18 dust form, one pound of arsenate of lead powder should be thoroughly mixed dry with from ten to twenty pounds of air slaked lime, or dry wood ashes, and dusted thinly on the leaves of affected plants. If a spray is preferred, use one pound of arsenate of lead powder to 50 gallons of water, and apply with spray-pump. No danger of poisoning.-The cabbage heads from within outwards, not by a folding in of the outer leaves as is occasionally supposed. There is no danger of poisoning therefore if the remedies here suggested are used prior to the time the head is half-formed. Most of the cabbage, especially throughout the northern part of the country, is thus treated with arsenical poisons for cabbage worm control. Chemical tests have shown that it would be necessary to eat many hundred pounds of cabbage at one time to convey a poisonous quantity to a human being three weeks after the treatment is given. The harlequin cabbage bug, or "calico-back" (Margantia histrionica), which sucks sap from the leaves of cabbage and other cruciferous plants, cannot be destroyed by the use of arsenical or stomach poisons. They are also very resistant to kerosene emulsion. Clean culture and hand-picking are important measures of control. This insect is more troublesome on the late crops than, on early cabbage. Mustard, planted early, or in advance of the later crops, may be used as a trapcrop. The bugs will first congregate on the mustard and deposit quantities of eggs thereon. The mustard may then be sprayed with pure kerosene, or covered with straw and burned. Root-knot:-Roots attacked become knotty at irregular intervals. The trouble is caused by tiny worms (nematodes) which are present in old southern garden soils, especially those which are light and sandy. Since nematodes cannot live on the roots of all kinds of plants, it is possible to partly starve them out by practicing rotation of crops. Some of the plants on which nematodes do not live are corn, oats, Iron and Brabham varieties of cow-peas, peanuts, velvet beans, and crab-grass. Club-Root:-This disease is caused by the presence of a myxomycete, Plasmodiophora brassicae, (a low form of plant life) within the cells of the roots, and is. 19 apt to be confused with root knot. In club-root, however, the roots swell into larger finger-like masses or "clubs." The disease is worst in acid or poorly drained soils. The best remedy is slaked lime, applied several weeks before planting at the rate of fifty to seventy-five bushels per acre every few years. Rotation of crops is also important. Avoid plants from soils infested with the disease. Black Rot is a serious bacterial disease, in which the cabbage plant becomes dwarfed or one-sided inm growth. A cross-section of the stem of diseased plants will show a dark brown or black ring in the stem just beneath the bark. In severe cases this blackening can usually be traced upward into the cabbage head. In extreme cases, the plant may die. Plants of all ages are attacked. There is no certain method of controlling the disease, but a knowledge of the following facts may enable the grower to prevent it or to hold it partly in check. The disease may be carried by infected seed, by insects, by live stock, or by running water. It might be spread over a large area by throwing a diseased plant on the manure heap instead of burning it. Wilt ("Yellows"), which is very common on cabbage in this state, does not affect any other crop. It is first seen in the lower outer leaves. The whole leaf may turn yellow at the margin or between the veins, later turn brown as if scorched by fire, and finally drop off. Sometimes only half of the leaf is affected while the other half remains green. This is the more usual characteristic of the disease. The lowest leaf is the first to drop off, and is followed by those above in. rapid succession until the bare stock remains. Crop_ rotation should be practiced, to extend over a period of 5 to 8 years. "Damping-off" attacks young seedlings. Under certain conditions damage is often rapid and extensive.. It is caused by two or more species of fungi, the spores of which occur in many old garden soils. In the seedbed where plants are crowded, the soil kept too moist, or the humidity kept too high, with poor circulation. of air and insufficient light it is most apt to appear. The young seedlings are attacked at the surface of the soil, the stems are soon girdled and the plants fall over- 20 die, although the tops appear healthy. Seed should be sovn in soil where "damping-off" has occurred, no t keep the soil wet by too frequent watering i9uring the winter or early spring plants are umder sash, always water in the morning, rather -hn in the afternoon. Spraying with-weak Bordeaux :ixture, or applying road dust, fire-dried sand, slaked lime,-or sulfur about the base of the plants will greatJt aid in checking the disease. is a bacterial disease which enters at the crown and spreads rapidly throughout the vre plant. The bacteria rarely enter uninjured plants. The greatest damage is done to ripe cabbage, those "in storage. Heavy losses have been sustained where the heads were improperly stored. The disease ° ~E rapidly over the outer leaves, making the cab ads ~hfge unsightly and affecting the market value. Avoid ereds where the disease has been known to occur. Handle the crop carefully when harvesting, so as to brdise the heads as little as possible. See that the heads are dry before putting them in storage. znAl D c: kl when -'i&A-or Soft-Rot