A' 



cut, you mud water them every other c^cniiig, until 

 they 'ha\'e taken frefii root •, and afterwards, as the 

 phuits advance in height, you fliould draw the earth 

 about their ftcms with a hoe, whlcli wii! keep the 

 earth moill about their root^^, and greatly Ilrengthen 

 tlie plants : }-ou muft alfo obierve to keep them clear 

 from weed.s which are apt to draw the plants up 

 tall (if fuffered to grow amongft them,) and often 



fpcil them. 



Thele Cabbages will fon-ieofthem be fit for ufe foon 



after IMichaehuas, and will condnue until the end of 

 Februaiy, if they are not deftroyed by bad weather ; 

 to prevent v/hich, the gardeners near London pull 

 up their Cabbages in November, and trench their 

 ground up in ridges, laying their Cabbages againft 

 their ridges as clofc as poffible on one fide, burying 

 their ilems in the ground: in this manner they let 

 them remain till after Chridmas, when they cut them 

 for tlie marlvct; and althougji the outer part of the 

 Cabbage be decayed (as is often the cafe in very wet 

 orharci^'winters,) yet, if the Cabbages were large and 

 hard v/hen laid, the infide v/iil remain found. . 

 I'hc Ruffian Cabbage v/as formerly in much greater 

 .cfteem tlaan at prefent^ it being now only to be found 

 in particular gentlemens gardens, wlio cultivate it 

 for their own ufe, and is rarely ever bionght to the 

 market. This niuft be fownlate in the fpring of the 

 year, and managed as thofe before direfted^ with 

 this difference only, thatdiefe muftbe fconer planted 

 out for good, and muft have an open clear fpot of 

 ground, and require much lefs diftance every v/ay ; 

 for it is but a very fmall hard Cabbage. 'Thefe will 

 be fit for ufe in July or Auguft^ but v;ill not con- 

 tinue long before they will break, and run up to 

 feed. The beft method to have thefe Cabbages good. 



is 



to procure frcih feeds from abroad every year, for 

 it is apt to degenerate in England in a few years. 

 The early and Sugar-loaf Cabbages are commonly 

 fown for fiunmer ufe, and are what the gardeners 

 about London commonly call Michaelmas Cabbages. 

 The feafon for fowing of thefe is about the end of 

 July, or beginning of AugufV, in an open fpot of 

 ground; and when the plants have got eight leaves, 

 you muft prick tliem into beds at about three inches 

 diftance every way, that the plants may grow ftrong 

 and fliort fnanked-, and in the middle of O6tobcr 

 you fhould plant them out for good •, the diftance 

 that thefe require is, three feet row from row, and 

 tv/o feet and a half afunder in the rows. The gar- 

 deners near London conimonly plant thefe Cabbages 

 upon the fame fpot of ground, where their winter 

 Spinach is fov/n ; fo that when the Spinach is cleared 

 oh' in the fpring, the ground will have a crop of 

 Cabbages upon it; you muft therefore clear off" the 

 Spinacli juft round eacli plant early in the fpring, that 

 with a hoe you niay draw the earth up to the ftem ; 

 and when all your Spinach is cleared off, v/hich is 

 commonly in the beginning of April, you muft hoe 

 <lown all the weeds, and draw up the earth again 

 about your Cabbage plants. 



In May, if your plants v/ere of the early kind, they 

 will turn in their leaves for cabbaging; at which 

 rime, the gardeners near London, in oalcr to obtain 

 them a little fconer, tie in their leaves clofe v;ith a 

 llender Ofier-twig to blanch their m.iddle; by which 

 means, they have tliem at leaft a fortnight foonerthan 

 they couki have jf tliey v/ere left untied. 



"i'he early Cabbage being the firft, we fnould choofe 

 (if for a gentleman's wk) to plant the fewer of them, 

 and a greater quantity of the Sugar-loaf kind, which 

 conies after them ; for the early kind v/ill not fupply 

 tlie kitchen long, generally cabbaging apace v/hen 

 tl'icy begin, and as loon grov/ hard, and burft open ; 

 but the Sugar-loaf kind is longer before it comes, 

 and is as How in its cabbaging ; and, being of an 

 hollow kind, will continue good for a long time. I 

 have known a large quarter of ground, which was 

 planted wid\ this fort of Cabbage for market ufe, 

 v/hich hath afforded a fup]:)!y for near three months 



^ icr. T'his, thoupk of fini'ular fervice to a gen- 



A 



tleman's garden, is not fo much for die advantage 

 of the market gardener, who loves to have his ground 

 cleared fooncr, that he may liave another crop upoii 

 it, of Celery, Endive, &c. which is niore to his 

 purpofe; for they, paying large rents for their land, 

 are obliged to have as many ^crops in a year as 

 poffible. 



Although I before have advifed the planting out of 

 Cabbages for good in Oftober^ yet the Sugar-loaf 

 kind may be planted out In FebrLiary, and will fuc- 

 ceed as well as if planted earlier, with this difference 

 only, that they v/ill be later before they cabbage. 

 You ftiould alfo referve fome plants of th^ early kind 



in fome v^ell-flieltcred fpot of ground, to fupply your 

 plantation, in cafe of a defe6t ; for in mild winters 

 many of the plants are apt to run to feed, efpecially 

 when tlieir feeds are fov/n too early, and in fevere 

 winters they are often deftroyed. 

 The Savoy Cabbages are propagated for winter ufe, 

 as being generally efteemed the better when pinched 

 by the froft : tliefe muft be fown about the middle 

 of April, and treated after the manner as was dire6led 

 for the common white Cabbage -, with this difference, 

 that thefe may be planted at a clofer diftance than 

 thofe ; two feet and a half fquar^ will be fufficient. 

 Thefe are always much better when planted in an 

 open fituation, which is clear from trees and hedges; 

 for in clofe places they are very fubjeft to be eaten 

 almoftupby caterpillars, and other vermiin, efpecially 



if the autumn prove dry. 



Tlie Borecole may be alfo treated in the fame manner, 

 but need not be planted above one foot, afunder in 

 the rows, and the rows two feet diftance : thefe are 

 never eaten till the froft hath rendered them tender, 

 for otherwife they are tough and bitter. 

 The feeds of the Broccoli, (of which there are fe- 

 veral kinds, viz. the Roman, or purple, and the 

 Neapolitan, or white, and the black Broccoli, with 

 fome others ; but the Roman Is chiefly preferred to 

 them all) fhould be fown about the latter end of 

 May, or beginning of June, in a molft foil ; and 

 when the plants are grown to have eight leaves, tranf- 

 plant them into beds (as was direfted for the com- 

 mon Cabbage ;) and toward the rniddle of July they 

 will be fit to plant out for good, which fhould be 

 into fome well fficltered fpot of ground, but not under 

 the drip of trees : the diftance thefe require is about 

 a foot and a half in the rows, and two feet row from 

 row. The foil, in which they Ihould be planted, 

 ought to be rather light than heavy, fuch as are the 

 kitchen gardens near London : if your plants fucdeed 

 well (as there will be little reafon to doubt, unlefs 

 the winter prove extreme hard,) they will begin to 

 fliew their fmall heads, which ate fomewhat like a 

 Cauliflower, but of a purple colour, about the end 

 of December, and will continue eatable till the middle 

 of April. 



The brown or black Broccoli Is by many perfons 

 greatly efteemed, though it doth not deferve a place 

 in the kitchen-garden, v/here the Roman Broccoli 

 can be obtained, which is maich fweeter, and will 

 continue longer in feafon : Indeed, the brown fort is 

 much hardier, fo that it will thrive in the coldeft fi- 

 tuations, where the Roman Broccoli Is fometlmes 

 deftroyed in very hard winters. The brown fort 

 Ihould be fown In the middle of May, and managed 

 as hath been direfted for the common Cabbage, and 

 fhould be planted at the fame diftance (which is about 

 two feet and a half afunder.) This will grow very 

 tall, fo ftiould have the earth drawn up to their ftems 

 as they advance in height. , This doth not form 

 heads fo perfect as the Roman Broccoli ; the ftems 

 and hearts of the plants are the parts which are 



eaten. '' - ' 



The 'Roman Broccoli (if well managed) will have 

 large heads, which appear in the center of the plants, 

 like clufters of buds. Thefe heads fliould be cut 

 before they run up to feed, v/ith about four or five 

 inches of the ftem ; die fldn of thefe ftems ftiould be 

 ftripped off, before they arc^ boiled : thefe will b^ 



very 



pp 



