iffer in their standard of a Stone
Mason cabbage, in earliness and lateness, and in the size, form, and
hardness of the head. But all these varieties agree in the
characteristics of being very reliable for heading, in having heads
which are large, very hard, very tender, rich and sweet; short stumps,
and few waste leaves. The color of the leaves varies from a bluish green
to a pea-green, and the structure from nearly smooth to much blistered.
In their color and blistering some specimens have almost a Savoy cast.
The heads of the best varieties of Stone Mason range in weight from six
to twenty-five pounds, the difference turning mostly on soil, manure,
and cultivation.

The Stone Mason is an earlier cabbage than Premium Flat Dutch, has fewer
waste leaves, and side by side, under high cultivation, grows to an
equal or larger size, while it makes heads that are decidedly harder and
sweeter. These cabbages are equally reliable for heading. I am inclined
to the opinion that under poor cultivation the Premium Flat Dutch will
do somewhat better than the Stone Mason.

Until the introduction of Fottler's Drumhead it was the standard
drumhead cabbage in the markets of Boston and other large cities of the
North. Have the rows three feet apart, and the plants from two to three
feet apart in the row.

~Large Late Drumhead.~ Heads large, round, sometimes flattened at the
top, close and firm; loose leaves numerous; stems short; reliable for
heading, hardy, and a good keeper. The name "Large Late Drumhead"
includes varieties raised by several seedsmen in this country, all of
which resemble each other in the above characteristics, and differ in
but minor points. Have rows three feet apart, and plants from two and a
half to three feet apart in the row.

~Marblehead Mammoth Drumhead.~ This is the largest of the cabbage
family, having sometimes been grown to weigh over ninety pounds to the
plant. It originated in Marblehead, Mass., being produced by Mr. Alley,
probably from the Mason, by years of high cultivation and careful
selection of seed stock. I introduced this cabbage and the Stone Mason
to the general public many years ago, and it has been pretty thoroughly
disseminated throughout the United States. Heads varying in shape
between hemispherical and spherical, with but few waste leaves
surrounding them; size very large, varying from fifteen to twenty inches
in diameter, and, in some specimens, they have grown to the
extraordinar