No vegetable in the entire list so stubbornly resists our effort for its improvement as does the cabbage. Experience and observation lead me to believe that were careless methods adapted in the propagation of this vegetable by seed-growers, it would so rapidly degenerate as to soon lose its valuable characteristics.

The refuse cabbage left in our fields will survive mild winters, and if allowed to do so, will spring up and bear seed, which, in turn, will grow cabbages. In this way we have noted that the cabbage gains rapidly in hardiness and loses equally as rapidly its heading capacity. There is little doubt that if this manner of production were allowed to continue through a series of years, that the cabbage would soon lose its valuable properties and become little better than a noxious weed.

Intelligent effort has, in the past few years, made excellent progress in the improvement of the cabbage, but no one will reach satisfactory results in the direction of its development, without a thorough understanding of the whole subject. Selection must be made with reference to the entire plant, and every minor point must also be considered.

Selection with reference to the head only, as it is frequently made, while it will undoubtedly produce a strain very reliable in heading, can never reach the best results ; because the head, while it is perhaps the most important feature, is by no means the only one to be taken into consideration.

In order to arrive at a proper understanding of this subject, let us divide the cabbage family into three classes, having reference only to their season of maturity - the early, intermediate and late.

In an early sort we require not only earliness, but reliability in heading, close habit of growth, and hardiness. The Jersey Wakefield, to my mind, still combines more valuable characteristics than any other early variety. The development of recent years has gone a great way toward eliminating the flat heads which used to be so prevalent in this variety, and in the best strains of to-day the conical type is very well fixed.

In our selection we will first look at the head. This should be a well-shaped pointed cone, the largest points of circumference being as low down as possible. The point of the. head, though decided, should not be sharp ; let it gain size from its width rather than from its length. Great care should be taken that the leaves forming the head should lap across and over the point and as far as possible on the other side, for here lies the secret of that solidity which is one of its most valuable features. It should not be too large, for experience proves that extreme size and extreme earliness are directly opposed to one another; what we gain in one direction we shall be likely to lose in the other.

The leaves should be broad and smooth, with ribs running well down and joining the midrib near the base of the leaf. A most important feature is their thick leathery texture, for here we secure that hardiness so important in a cabbage so largely wintered over in the gardener's cold frames. This feature should, therefore, be encouraged to the utmost.

FIG 2. A Poor Jersey Wakefield.

The stalk is short and not very large. This and the root should show no sign of disease. These points, together with that close habit of growth so desirable in all early cabbages where planting thickly is an important consideration, and a dark healthy color of foliage, which speaks of strong vigorous constitution, should be possessed by the typical early cabbage; and if a number be selected with the idea of improving a strain, they should, if possible, be uniform to the minutest detail.

In the intermediate varieties we have a number of excellent sorts representing a variety of distinct types, all of which have valuable features of their own. The time at my disposal will not admit of a consideration of varieties, and I shall confine myself to Henderson's Early Summer, a cabbage which, as improved by the work of recent years, is a most excellent second early sort. As first in troduced, this variety produced a flat head, but the demand of recent years has led to the development of a rounder, deeper head, which I think preferable. The head, if the plant is mature, should be firm and solid. Tear away two or three of the leaves from the top and see that each succeeding leaf laps over and across the center. This is an important feature, and if disregarded, we should soon see a tendency to produce what are known as rosettes. We should select the largest early heads. Both size and earliness are desirable in an intermediate variety, but neither quality should be sacrificed for the other. Have the head oval across the top, but by no means pointed.

The leaves are broad and smooth, and have a somewhat spoon-like form, and not as thick and leathery as the Wakefield, but are quite thick and stiff.

The best strains of this cabbage are very uniform in color, a bluish green, quite glaucous, with light veins. 1 have frequently noticed a tendency to a lighter shade, with a peculiar shining appearance, which is an evidence of impaired vitality, and should be carefully guarded against.

The stem is short and stocky, should have good root-hold, and the entire plant should be perfectly healthy throughout.

In the late sorts we have a long list of names to choose from, and while each has distinctive features of its own, they are, with the exception of the Savoys, closely related to each other.

In considering the late cabbages, a study of the Premium Flat Dutch may not be unprofitable. We have here a large, deep, flat head, and as in the other sorts we have considered, I think care should be taken that the head should be well covered; that is, the outside leaves should lap over and across the center. There is a tendency in this and all other varieties closely related to it, to form heads whose outer leaves do not meet at the top, but roll back a little from the apex, exposing the leaves below. This is a dangerous tendency and should be carefully guarded against, as seed from such cabbage leads first to loose heads, and from them to "rosettes," or cabbage forming no heads at all.

In Premium Flat Dutch the leaves are slightly blistered and have a ruffled border. The last one, while reaching well across the center, usually curls up a trifle at the edge. They are pale green in color, a purple tinge usually appearing green in the fall.

One of the most important points to be considered is the shape of the outside leaves ; they should be as broad as possible, and leaved out to their junction with the stalk, or, as botanists would say, should not be pctioled.

To secure vigor and size it is best to allow an abundance of foliage, and while it is important not to depart from the prevailing color, the darker specimens should be selected. The stalk is short and very stocky.

We have described these varieties because they are well known representatives of their classes and not because of any desire to call special attention to them. Whatever strain or variety we undertake to improve, we must have in mind an ideal type and approach it as nearly as possible in every respect.

No set rules can be given for the improvement of this vegetable, because of the difference in varieties - a difference which it is desirable to maintain; but, other things bring equal, 1 think a short stocky stalk far preferable to a long one ; that the leaves should be broad and of good healthy color, and while there a few varieties in which the leaves take the petioled form, in most of them this form of leaf should be avoided. The most dangerous tendency in the head is that which I have described in the Premium Flat Dutch, to not cover well, a fault more or less prevalent in all varieties, and one we should endeavor to eliminate. We may improve the head also in size and in earliness, but we fail in our efforts to make a variety both larger and earlier.

There is in this work much to attract every lover of the garden, but it is the work of an expert, and he who succeeds must have that thorough acquaintance with the plant which patient study and practical experience alone can give.

The six figures show fairly well the improvement made in cabbages in the past few years. The poor types, in every case, are old cuts taken from what were them considered good specimens, and the better types show fairly good specimens as they now exist. Some of these old cuts are still used by seedsmen. The better illustration of Jersey Wakefield, Fig. 1, is rather too tall and sharp. The poorer one, Fig. 2, is a poor cabbage in every respect. The better Early Summer, Fig. 3, is fairly good, but it is evident that some of the outer leaves have been removed. The poorer type, Fig. 4, shows an untrue leaf and a poor head, with the dangerous tendency of the leaves to curl up at the ends? This cut is used by a number of seedsmen to illustrate several varieties, and forcibly indicates either ignorance or deception. The better Flat shows a smooth leaf and poor head at the center. Dutch, Fig. 5, is very good. The poor one, Fig. 6, Long Island, J. M. Lupton.