Farm Field And Garden

For three consecutivo seasons we have „deavored to determine what foundaL there may be for the common no tíon that deep set cabbage plants give Ltter beads and a larger proportion of heads than those set at the normal or natural depth. It is a very general pracÏL among gardeners to set the plants to the depth of the first leaf when transdantiig to the field. The resnlts of L-ee years' tests show that no advantage is to be gained by such a practice. In 1889 the experiment was tried npon twelve varieties, about twenty plants of ach being set tip to the first leaf, and as jnany inore set to the same depth at hich they stood the seed bed' "jtrangely enough, it appears that onehalf the varieties gave better results from shallow setting and the other half better from deep setting. There were, however, rather more heavy heads from the deep setting. Combining all the reatis, the gain in weight from deep settúig was as 13.60 is to 13.46, a difference 50 small as to lead to the conclusión that the particular method of planting prob8bly had nothing to do with the yields. In 1890 the test was repeated, the early Wskefield cabbage being used for the pnrpose. The plants were grown upon a heavy and rather poor clay loam. Here the shallow planting gave decidedly the better results, both in the percentage of plants producing good heads and in the average weight of heads. In 1891 the test was again repeated, this time with Early Wakefield and Premium Drumhead. The plants were ■ grown on a rich and well prepared loose clay loam, and all the conditions throughout the season were such as to insnre a fair and uniform test. The average reault was in favor of the shallow setting so f ar as the weight of heads is concerned, but in favor of deep setting in the percentage of plants producing good or mature heads, but the diff erences were slight and no greater than might be expected from two or more lots of plants treated in the same maniier. The two varieties, however, gave different resulta. The Early Wakefleld gave better results from deep setting and the Drumhead from shallow setting. Upon the whole the result of the entire investigation leads to the conclusión that the depth at which strong and stocky cabbage plants are set does not influence the extent or weight of the erop.