Raising Cabbage Seed

Cabbage seed in England, particularly of the drumhead sorts, is mostly

raised from stumps, or from the refuse that remains after all that is

salable has been disposed of. The agent of one of the largest English

seed houses, a few years since, laughed at my wastefulness, as he

termed it, in raising seed from solid heads. In our country, cabbage

seed is mostly raised from soft, half-formed heads, which are grown as a

late crop, few, if any of them, being hard enough to be of any value in

the market. Seedsmen practise selecting a few fine, hard heads, from

which to raise their seed stock. It has been my practice to grow seed

from none but extra fine heads, better than the average of those carried

to market. I do this on the theory that no cabbage can be too good for a

seedhead, if the design is to keep the stock first-class. Perhaps such

strictness may not be necessary; but I had rather err in setting out too

good heads than too poor ones; besides, the great hardness obtained by

the heads of the Stone Mason, makes it possible, at least, that I am

right. Cabbage raised from seed grown from stumps are apt to be

unreliable for heading, and to grow long-stumped, though under

unfavorable conditions, long-stumped and poor-headed cabbage may grow

from the best of seed. To have the best of seed, all shoots that start

below the head should be broken off. To prevent the plants falling over

after the seed-stalks are grown, dig deep holes, and plant the entire

stump in the ground. Scarecrows should be set up, or some like

precaution be taken, to keep away the little seed-birds, that begin to

crack the pods as soon as they commence to ripen. A plaster cat is a

very good scarecrow to frighten away birds from seed and small fruits,

if its location is changed every few days.



I find that the pods of cabbage seed grown South are tough, and not

brittle, like those grown North, and hence that they are injured but

little, if any, by seed birds. When the seed-pods have passed what

seedsmen call their red stage, they begin to harden; as soon as a

third of them are brown, the entire stalk may be cut and hung up in a

dry, airy place, for a few days, when the seed will be ready for rubbing

or threshing out. Different varieties should be raised far apart to

insure purity; and cabbage seed had better not be raised in the vicinity

of turnip seed. There is some difference of opinion as to the effect of

growing these near each other; where the two vegetables blossom at the

same time, I should fear an admixture. When the care requisite to select

good seed stock, and the trouble, and, often, great loss, in keeping it

over winter, planting it in isolated locations, protecting it from wind

and weather, guarding it from injury from birds and other enemies,

gathering it, cleaning it, are all considered, few men will find that

they can afford to raise their own seed, provided they can buy it from

reliable seedsmen.