276 



THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



of forcing ; and no one who gives it a fair 

 trial will afterwards relinquish it for main 

 crops, although he may still choose to force 

 a certain qunntity for earlier supplies, 



The sea-kale bed is to be planted in 

 March, in straight rows five feet asunder; 

 the plants in each row to be eighteen inches 

 apart. It is, of course, understood that the 

 ground be thoroughly trenched and ma- 

 nured as iisual. Something, but not much, 

 is gained by obtaining year-old plants from 

 the nursery instead of sowing the seed in 

 the rows, there to remain. By the first 

 method you have a larger cutting the en- 

 suing spring ; but you may oiit from your 

 seedling plants, which will have sufi'eredno 

 check by removal, and will grow with cor- 

 responding vigour. 



Some time in December, not too soon, 

 when the foot-stalks of the leaves have 

 fairly separated themselves from the crown 

 of the plants, heap over each about a quar- 

 ter of a peck of sea-sand or wood-ashes ; if 

 not to be liad, any light unmanured soil 

 will do. Then earth up the plants from a 

 trench dug along the space between the 

 rows, exactly as if you were earthing up 

 celery, only th.at no leaves appear above 

 the top of the mound. The earth should 

 be heaped up till it is aboi;t two feet above 

 the crowns of the plants, and then flatted 

 down with the back of the spade, and the 

 whole made very smooth and neat. The 

 long trench between the rows of sea-kale 

 will act as a drain during the dead time of 

 winter. In tiie spring, when the shoots 

 begin to push, large cracks will be seen in 

 the bank of mould, and a trial may be made 

 with a trowel, as soon as they are supposed 

 to be sufficiently advanced for cutting. 



The sea-kale thus obtained is larger, 

 more succulent, and more delicately fla- 

 voured than that blanched under pots. In 

 one case the growing shoot is constantly in 

 contact with the damp mould, and absorbs 

 moisture instead of parting with it. In 

 the other, tlie kale is subject to all the in- 

 fluences of air, though excluded from those 

 of light, from which, however, it is only 

 protected by a porous, imperfectly-closed 

 vessel. All the expense of pots and manure 

 for forcing is saved; and the only objection 

 to the adoption of this plan in all cases, is, 

 that the crop comes in too much at once. 

 But by having rows of kale in different 

 exposures, a difference of at least ten days 

 may be made ; and a few plants at the foot 

 of a south wall, earthed up from the border, 

 and merely so covered with mould that it 

 slopes against the wall, will afford a very 

 early gathering. 



No second cutting should be attempted ; 

 not so much for fear of weakening the 



plants, as because the weak shoots thus 

 obtained are comparatively worthless. The 

 earth should be levelled into the trenches, 

 exposing the crowns of the plants, and by 

 introducing some rank maimre tliere will 

 be plenty of time for a crop of cauliflowers 

 (in single line) before the increasing leaves 

 of the sea-kale require their removal. 



A caution should be given to avoid a 

 mode of culture highly approved by many 

 who grow or sell, but do not tliemselves 

 eat sea-kale. Instead of protecting and 

 blanching the shoots by a covering of sweet 

 earth, they overwhelm their beds with bar- 

 rowfuls ol' leaves collected in autumn (oak- 

 leaves are most in vogue), and just shovel 

 them on one side when tlic crop is fit for 

 the knife. This plan has not a single ad- 

 vantage over the earthing system, except 

 indulging the laziness of the cultivator, for 

 any decrepit old woman could sprinkle a 

 few apronfuls of leaves over her garden, 

 but the other requires an able-bodied man 

 to do it properly. The plants are not a day 

 forwarder unless the leaves heat very much; 

 and then the characteristic of the method 

 is fully evidenced. If the oak-leaves were 

 gathered perfectly dry, and remained so 

 during the whole winter, if no grass or 

 weeds were ever intermingled with them, 

 all mipht be well. But the leaves are 

 damp, there is some green rubbish among 

 them, and consequently a slight fermenta- 

 tion takes place, slight putrefacliou follows, 

 and the produce grown beneath, which de- 

 lights the eye like a beautiful branch carved 

 in ivory, disgusts the taste by a flavour as 

 nauseous as it is undoubtedly unwholesome. 

 I have seen sea-kale of this kind produced 

 at table that was quite uneatable. No 

 wonder we now and then meet with people 

 who have tried it only once, and do not 

 like it. 



This valuable esculent, so easy of culti- 

 vation, requiring no peculiar advantages of 

 soil, climate, or situation, well deserves to 

 be more extensively propagated. Those 

 who form their judgment from the estima- 

 tion in which it is held in and about London, 

 are little aware how far it is from being 

 general in the remoter districts of Great 

 Britain. It is admirably adapted by its 

 liai'diness to such countries as Canada, 

 Norway and Sweden, Northern Russia, etc., 

 where if earthed up before the frost came, 

 it would lie dormant under the thick snow, 

 and be ready on the return of spring to put 

 forth its delicious shoots. It is also fitted 

 for those northern insular situations where 

 the temperature never rises above a mode- 

 rate degree, and where the rains of summer 

 and the constant damps of winter would rot 

 our more tender vegetables. 



