DIVISION OF HORTICULTURE 



913 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



the leaves break away from them under slight pressure, probably about the middle of 

 October. The root system should consist of a straight growth 6 to 9 inches long, and 1 

 to 2 inches thick (the forcing crown), and a number of smaller pieces 3 or 4 inches long 

 and slightly thicker than a lead-pencil. These latter should be cut off close to the 

 parent root and should be trimmed off squarely at the top and slopingly at the other 

 extremity. These '" whips," as they are termed, should be packed in earth in the cellar 

 till spring in shallow boxes with the growing ends just protruding above the surface 

 of the soil. As spring approaches these should be placed in the light and kept slightly 

 moist until weather conditions permit their being planted out in the open. They 

 should be planted in the open 18 inches to 24 inches apart in well manured ground. 

 These whips in the autumn will have developed into the forcing crowns required and 

 the method as before described will be employed to secure the next season's whips. 



To return to the forcing crowns taken into the cellar in the fall. These should 

 be packed in earth or moss. The latter method has been used this last year with 

 entirely satisfactory results and its use has been found cleaner and more convenient, 

 being lighter to handle and retaining the moisture better. It has proved most con- 

 venient for household use to pack about six crowns in a box say 10 inches by 18 inches 

 by IS inches high, leaving about 12 inches clear space above the tops of the crowns to 

 allow room for growth, and covering the top with sacking to exclude the light, and as 

 these crowns become exhausted another box can be brought into bearing. At an aver- 

 age temperature of 55 degrees F., about a month's forcing is required before the kale 

 is ready for use though of course as spring approaches the period required for forcing 

 becomes shorter. 



The total forced growth last year averaged 16 ounces per crown. In the spring the 

 crowns left in the open can be forced in the same manner as rhubarb for rapid forcing, 

 or simply banked with earth and blanched. The employment of the two methods of 

 course extends the season. 



CULTUKAL EXPERIMENTS WITH VEGETABLES. 



During the year a series of cultural experiments was added to the work previously 

 undertaken in the testing of varieties; an account of this branch of the horticultural 

 work follows. 



Cabbage. — To ascertain the advantage, if any, of starting plants in hotbed rather 

 than sowing seed in open, in their permanent location : — 



Variety. 



Early Jersey Wakefield. 

 Copenhagen Market. . . . 

 Paris Market 



Sown 

 Hotbed. 



Mar. 



26. 

 26 

 26 



Ready 

 for use. 



July 7. 

 " 19. 



Sown Open. 



Ready 

 for use. 



May 1 . . . . I July 28 

 " l....|Aug. 5 

 " 1 . . . . I July 22 



Cauliflower. — The same experiment as that described above for cabbage was also 

 tried with three varieties of cauliflower: — 



Variety. 



Danish Giant 



Early Dwarf Erfurt 

 Snowball 



Sown in 

 Hot bed. 



Mar. 31. 

 " 31. 

 " 31. 



Ready 

 for use. 



July 



Sown in 

 open. 



Muv 3 

 " 3 

 " 3 



Ready 

 for use. 



Aug. 



Invermere. 



