Pullman herald. [volume], March 30, 1917, Image 5

About Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
Cabbage and Cauliflower Culture
C. B. SPRAGUE, Assistant Horticulturist
CLIMATE AND SOILS
Cabbage and cauliflower, due to their very similar relation-
Sip to each other, will be treated together as one subject in
this article under the heading of cabbage, Instances wherein
the cultural methods for the two crops differ will be men.
tinned and each will lie explained separately.
'Cabbage is one of the leading table truck crops grown in
the United Slates, ranking second in production only to to
matoes. It can be obtained in the markets at nearly all sea
suns. Unfortunately it is one of those crops, the acreage and
value of which, fluctuates greatly from year to year.
The cabbage thrives best in a cool, moist climate, In sec
tions with long dry seasons, and high temperatures, the crop
should be grown either in early spring or late fall to be given
'the advantage of the cool nights. The cabbage is a hardy
plant and when hardened oil properly will stand .several
degrees of frost and still not be hindered in its growing.
' Adaptation of the cabbage plant is great. Successful cab
bage crops may be grown on almost any kind of soil. Abil
ity to hold an abundant supply of moisture and al the same
time be able to warm up quickly in the spring, arc the most
essential features. Gravelly soils are not good because Kiev
are unable to hold sufficient moisture. Clay loams are ideal
if the proper amount of care is given to their preparation
SOIL PREPARATION
Owing to the wide range of soils in which cabbage can
be grown no one hard and fast rule can be laid down for their
preparation. Fall plowing, eight to ten inches deep, as soon
as crops are removed, is best. Spring plowing should be done
early in order to retain the maximum amount of moisture.
Ground should be worked down at the earliest possible time
and thoroughly harrowed at least once a week until planted.
Alter a rain the ground should be cultivated over as soon as
practicable. Never allow a crust to form, for in so doing, a
great amount of moisture is lost. Too much work cannot be
done in preparing the soil for this crop.
FERTILIZERS
Production is greatly increased in any type of soil by ap
plication of well rotted stable manure. The cabbage plant
is a heavy feeder and to get satisfactory yields must be grown
on rich soil. Ten to fifty loads of manure per acre, put on in
the fall, plowed under and It'll to decay through the winter,
are none too much. Commercial fertilizers are good but
present prices almost prohibit their use. Cabbage in a rota
tion following a sod of clover or alfalfa does well and fer
tilizers play a less important part in such planting.
PRODUCTION OF PLANTS
Uood clean seed is one of the important factors. Too often
if the seed has the desired name attached and the price is
low no other questions arc asked. At present there arc no
ready means of determining at the tune of purchasing whether
or not seeds are standard and true to name. The general rule
is, seeds low in price are not always the most reliable. A
great deal of the renaming of old varieties is constantly tak
ing place and different strains of varieties are often mixed.
The only sure way, if especially desirous of producing a crop
all of one strain, is to buy the seed a year ahead and test a
small portion of it out by growing the plains to maturity.
Three pounds of seed drilled in and given good care should
produce enough plants to set ten acres.
Early plants are generally produced from seed sown in a
hotbed in February or March. In milder climates where the
temperature does not drop much below freezing, seed may be
.'planted in cold-frames in the fall and will be ready for setting
out early in the spring. Plants that are grown in a hotbed
do better if transplanted into fiats (small shallow boxes,
18 inches by 22 inches by 4 inches deep, with holes in bottom
tor drainage) or cold frames, when they become good stocky
plants three to four inches high with leaves measuring two
inches or more across. When live or six inches or more high,
with leaves nearly as broad as a man's hand, they are ready
to be placed in their permanent positions in the field.
v Seed for late plants is generally sown m carefully prepared
. seed beds m the open ground. The sod should be thoroughly
cultivated, raked tine and well tinned down. The bed should
•not be over six feet wide, to admit of care and watering from
each side. Seed may be sown broadcast and raked in, or
drilled in rows twelve inches apart to allow cultivation with
a wheel hoe. Plants raised in this manner are generally ready
• tor transplanting to the field in four or five weeks from time
oi sowing seed.
TRANSPLANTING
Iraiisplantiug of the cabbage is very important. Care must
oe taken to keep from injuring the root system of the young
plant. When injured, a week or ten days may pass before
tue plant ready begins to grow. It is then, in" all probability,
bunted m its growth, and will never make the plant it would
nave made had it been kept growing continuously. Moisture
play's an important part in transplanting, since the plants are
wtely to he ready for setting out in the held about the time
ii t weather is hot and dry. The best time to transplant is
just before a rain. In irrigated sections, plant in wet fur
rows where water has recently been llowing. During cloudy
weather, or late in the afternoon, is the best time for setting
0 the held, and if soil is dry apply a small quantity of water
around the roots. Cover over with dry soil. Never set the
Plant and then wet the ground on the surface. This causes
mo much evaporation from the soil. The leaf area of the
pants is sometimes reduced by grasping the leaves in the
' aim U nd shearing off one-third of the upper portion, thus
sbJirrß cva lJoratloll of water through the plant itself. A
D-Sf'f stuck Up on the west side of a freshly transplanted
L ut .to shield it from the afternoon's burning sun will often
««P it from wilting down. A small leafy branch or a piece
paper, arched over a plant, with a clod of earth on each
Qtr, will give excellent protection from the sun.
uenrr* re((Jiuniended distances for planting are various, de
avail If °? lilC variety grown and the amount of moisture
wide lul plaut growth. Early varieties do not require so
are v ,Bpa<' lUK because the plants arc generally smaller and
Early Wi l Ul ll iQ- t'mc °* car wueu moisture is more abundant.
twHio cabba £c *** planted twelve to eighteen inches, in rows
be ni i Ur- l° Ulirt >'"si* iucues apart. Late cabbage should
lhiif • ? Jteen to thirty inches in the row, the rows being
Uu-ty-sa inches apart.
rowstfv caulitiower is planted eighteen to thirty inches, in
thirty .rtv *Sl- X iucLeß apart. Late cauliflower should be placed
!? y-su to forty-eight inches, in rows forty-eight iuchea apart.
lfc_BP, c-Ck luw I'lanting is often used with excellent results,
Uiu the amount of hand labor by hoeing.
CULTIVATION
iy_n?tSe require 's a great amount of cultivation. The old
&d -* lna i "cabbage should be hoed every day" is a truth-
Stivat see"is to be benefited by frequent and shallow
a dug, 011 ' eveu m very dry weather when there is already
i'Ultiv m • over the area- Cultivation with flue toothed
mora » Preferable, stirring the soil to a depth of two
or three inches and leaving m smooth a surface as possible.
Hoeing about; the plant* in the row is equally as important
«* the cultivating between rows except where check row plant
ing is followed. Cultivation should be continued as long as
tin- leaves will allow passage between the rows. It is often
better to sacrifice a few of the leaves by breaking off, than to
'•ease cultivation too early. Tbe leaves break more easily early
in the morning or late in the evening. The time between ten
o'clock'in the morning and four o'clock in the evening is best
to cultivate cabbage. **
Cauliflower must not be allowed to become sunburned.
W Inn the head begins to form gather up the outer leaves, fold
them over the top and fasten by tying a string around the tips.
Ihe head thus develops in comparative darkness and remains
white and attractive with a better flavor.
HARVESTING
Cabbage should be harvested as soon as the heads have at
tained a sufficient size. Small or medium sized heads are
often preferred to an over grown head. The loss from crack
ing or bursting is often great when not harvested at the right
time. Care .should be given in handling not to bruise the
beads. Bruised areas cause decay and make the crop unsight
ly when placed upon the market. The time of harvesting
cauliflower is much more limited than that of the cabbage.
The heads develop much more quickly and must be cut just
as soon as they reach full size and before starting to break.
lose watching is the only method recommended for determin
ing the harvesting time.
STORAGE
Cabbage may be Kent in a cool, well ventilated cellar, or
may be stored in the ground as follows: Select a well drained
spot and dig a trench or plow a furrow eighteen inches wide
and ten or twelve inches deep. The cabbage heads are pulled
up and placed beads down in the trench The first layer will
consist of two rows of heads ami the second layer, of one
row of heads, may be put on top of I lie first, between the up
turned roots. Straw or corn stalks may be placed next to
the cabbage and the hole covered over with a thin layer of
soil. As weather becomes colder more soil must added to
prevent of alternate freezing and thawing. Cabbage should
be in good condition when put into storage. Water between
the leaves should all be drained out by a gentle whirling of
the head held up by its root, and all diseased leaves should
he removed. No storage is recommended for cauliflower.
VARIETIES
Many varieties and types of cabbage are used tor general
field and garden crops. The" early sorts are Early Jersey
Wakefield (or Wakefield) and Charleston (or Charleston
Wakefield). The second early sorts are Henderson's Early
Summer, Copenhagen Market, All Seasons, and Henderson's
Succession. The late varieties are Flat Dutch, Autumn King,
Winuiugstadt, Danish Ball Head and Danish Round Head.
Cauliflower varieties are not so numerous, Early Snowball
and Extra Early Dwarf Erfurt being the chief early varieties
and Dry Weather the main late variety.
PARKS AM) recreation
GROI NHS I MILS IN
COMMUNITY GROWTH
The great American problem of
making more money lias so thor
oughly permeated the people that we
have almost forgotten how to play.
We don't play enough and when we
do play, instead of all taking part in
the game, we hire a lew professional
baseball players, pay a fancy admis
sion price, sometimes bel our money
on the game, and watch them play.
This is not eat ion, it is "spendu -
I urn" ami the players get the exer
cise and the money and what do we
gel.
Our rural recreation parks should
have the following factors:
1. Cent hall for Indoor activ
ities, contests and exhibits.
2. Play ground for outdoor fairs
and sports. *
:',. Picnic grounds for picnics,
cant [1 ground, etc.
I. A swimming pool, wherever it
is possible.
'the evolution of the rural fair lias
reached Ihe point where it is often
little better than a carnival com
pany. Is '„■; possible that the rural
folks can no longer enjoy tnemseivi 1
without balloon ascensions, horse
races, I'll-,:' Are we no longer inter-
ted in the best products of the
farms and the true skill of rural
folks? Why isn't there just as much
skill in plowing a nice clean, straight
furrow, showing a fine team of raft
horses, sowing broadcast by hand a
patch of grain or cradling a swath
of clover or alfalfa as there is in (lo
ing souk* of the stunts we now try
to do?
If you must throw baseballs at the
negro babies or toss croquet halls
into tilted beer kegs, let us not sell
tie concessions, but do this under
the management of the fair and leave
the money for the betterment of the
community.
Look over the following factors
and consider them with regard to
how the) fit your community
1. Product of Soil
_. Market and Transportation
Facilities,
3. Good Roads and Streets.
l. An Intelligent Reading People.
5. 1 loud Schools and Churches.
8. Suitable Parks and Recreation
(i rounds,
7. Pleasant, Comfortable Homes.
--W. S. Thornber, Director of Exten
sion, State College of Washington,
Girls at the State College of Wash
ington boarding outside the dorm
itory have organized into two large
groups and are planning that as
many as possible of both groups
shall meet at an appointed place at
least once a month and hold a regu
lar house meeting for social and self-
Improvement.
COMMUNITY BREEDING
Next to feeding and care, breeding
is the most important step in build
ing up a profitable dairy herd or Im
proving the quality of any class of
live stock.
The prog re: live stock and
dairy farmers today are realizing
more and more the value of good,
pure bred sires. The} have learned
that by co-operating with hen
neighbors In the purchase of bulls,
that they can reduce the expense or
dinarily attached to the purchase of
a new bull ever) two or three years.
The dairymen are learning also
that the final proof of a bull's value
is the records of his offsprings; and
it pays extremely well to keep that
good bull in the community as long
as he is a sure breeder.
This community breeding of live
stock is proving beyond doubt that
it pays for the farmers of one com
munity to concentrate their efforts
upon one breed of cattle or other
live stock. The confining of all ef
jforts to one breed bads to greater
Interest and pride in the work on the
part of the farmer This in turn
leads to better stock. Finally, that
neighborhood thai confines its ef
forts to developing a high quality of
animals all of one breed attracts
buyers for Its surplus stock.
All these things are accomplished
by the co-operative breeders' asso
ciations. Why not wake up in
Washington and form several of
these associations In the dairy com
munities of the slate in order to in
tease our profits from the sale of
dairy products and to establish a
reputation for the production of
high class dairy cows,
We have always looked to Wis
consin for good dairy cows Co
operative breeding is largely respon
sible for the reputation Wisconsin
has lor producing good dans cows.
If we will tint awake to our oppor
tunity, Washington need not take a
back seat for any state, regarding
the quality of her live stock.
The Extension Department of the
state College at Pullman is ready to
help in. the organization of such as
sociations and in the selection or
bulls to be used. Let's co-operate.
— •las. N. Price, Extension Specialist
in Dairy and Live Stock, Extension
Service, state College of Washing
ton.
Twenty-four lieutenancies in the
United States Army and in the Ma
rine Corps will be open this spring
to Washington State College Seniors
and graduates of last year's class if
th" College regiment maintains its
present high standard of efficiency
which led to placing the State Col
lege among the "distinguished insti
tutions" last June on the basis of its
work of the preceding year.
NOTED PUBLISHER TO ~
LECTURE APRIL TURD
Mi. Kllsworlli to Tell how Litem
. tui-e Is Made
Perhaps the most valuable enter
tainment the lecture course * i.l
have to offer this year will lie ihs
lecture Tuesday evening, April 3, by
William \\. Ellsworth, for 37 years
connected with the Century company
and mi tho past, three years its'
president. The subject of the lec
ture is "Forty Veins of American
lateralure." in addition to being a
comprehensive survey of American
literature for the past half century,
it. is full of most fascinating accounts
of the inside workings of ,i great
publishing company, and of personal
reminiscences of great literary lights
during the past half century
Prof. Fred Lewis fatee of the
Pennsylvania State College wrote to
Mr. MllNworth after a recent lecture
delivered to his college us follows;
'I want to tell you first of all that
your lecture was the finest we have
bad here lor ii long time, A man
who can hold a thousand of our stu
dents absorbed for an hour with a
lecture devoted to literature is a
rare bird. You have a great story to
tell, and you tell it with conviction
.i- one who lias been a part, of what
tie tells."
No one is better fitted to tell the
story of American publishing and the
literature it has helped to produce
than Mr. Ellsworth. It was not long
alter lire) llarle and Mark Twain
had made their great successes that
Mr. Ellsworth became a publisher,
lie has known practically all of the
A Direct Service
»
Dependable ami Good
THREE THROUGH TRAINS DAILY TO THE EAST
Buy Your Ticket Through via
NORTHERN PACIFIC RY.
The Yellowstone Park Line
The Line to use to Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Bell
iiigliaiii; Vancouver, IV ('.. Victoria, B. C, to Port
land .mil to California in connection with the Fast
<!. X. P. S. S. Co. steamships, making train time
from Portland.
Perfect Dining Car Service
/<?/ evSA ' '"'kels '" '"'II points, berth reservations, and
It ____\ I '"" '"f°nna from
yO^^p^C)/ Wm. Laird- Agent, Pullman, Wash
XjClrJ< M. A. Berg, T. P. A., Moscow, Idaho
A. D. Charlton, A. G. P. A., Portland, Ore.
§ satisfied customers
My long list of
satisfied customere
makes a sufficient
that it will pay
you to see me
about your sale.
n. w. CAIRNS
LEADING AUCTIONEER
Office with Walker & Struppler
Pullman Phone Me at My Expense Wash
Weeders! Weeders! Weeders!
Rolled Weeder Steel Is Hard to Get These Days
Luckily we have secured enough for ten weeders. If you
want a cheap w< eder, a good weeder, in fact the only one worth
while, belter see us at once.
See sample at shop next to Stokes' Garage.
FALLQUIST BROS.
(7\l&&&fZ' -J AH Length, and Widths
——^- *™*m€l C R. Sanders Co.
great literary lights of the last 40
yours and be has much to tell about
them — Mark Twain. (able. Howells.
I'"" llopklnson Smith/ Stockton,
Mrs, Deland. Winston Churchill!
luck London, and many more.
Mr. Kllsworth tells Just what It
coats to make a book, tells of the
publisher's profit, and shows how
difficult it would be to sell books at
lower prices than now obtain. He
tells also of the "best-sellers." and
how books are advertised.
No other writer or lecturer has
ever told so much that Is Interesting
and heretofore unknown about the
world of books and magazines.
The lecture will be in the audi
torium at 8:00 p. in. on Tuesday.
April 3. Student passes will admit;
general admission will be 25 cents.
A TWO-TON DRILL
A radial drill more than ulue feet
in height, weighing approximately
two tons, and valued at $850, Is now
being constructed in the machine
shops at the State College of Wash
Ington by students lv Mechanical En
gineering. Later it will be used In
the college shops. By using it, an
operator may drill a row of holes in
a twelve-foot beam without moving
the stock. This machine was de
signed by classes ln mechanical draw
ing at the College; the patterns were
made by Freshmen ln the pattern
shop; the castings were poured in the
College foundry; and ft is now going
through the College machine shop.
The third group of girls to occupy
the Practice House, conducted toy the
department of Home Economics at
the State College of Washington I*
now installed in the house has just
moved In. Members of this group
are Elsie Freakes, l.uella Hoptou.
Helen Canfleld, and Jennie McCor
mack.