332 THE FLOKAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



of June, a succession may be kept up the whole season. The after 

 culture consists in frequent stirrings of the soil between the rows, 

 and earthing them as soon as they get six inches liigh ; and when 

 there are about twelve or fifteen inches of expanded bloom upon the 

 stems, pinch out the top of the plant, this will induce them to swell 

 off their pods finer and more quickly. 



Beetroot. — Of beetroot there are many varieties in cultiva- 

 vation, but the best which I have found are the Fine Apple, Nutting's 

 Selected, and CattelVs Dark Bed. To secure well-formed roots a rich, 

 open soil is necessary ; not too light in its nature, but sufficiently 

 pulverized to be in a kindly friable state at the time of sowing. No 

 root crop pays better for deep trenching than does this, for as soon 

 as the descending roots come in contact with a hard under-surface, 

 they immediately branch out, and the cultivator gets, instead of 

 straight, clean roots, forked and deformed ones, many times wholly 

 unfit for use. The time of sowing must depend upon the nature of 

 the soil ; if it be light, and the spot sheltered in a walled garden, 

 the third week in April will not be too early, but in tenacious soils, 

 and exposed positions, the first week in May will be as early as is 

 safe. The seed should be sown in drills two feet apart, and not 

 more than two inches deep. Look out for vermin as soon as the 

 plant shows itself above ground, and keep it frequently dusted with 

 some dry wood ashes or soot. About the middle of June it will be 

 fit to thin out, and this must be- done with the fingers, leaving 

 a distance of twelve inches between the plants. Should gaps occur, 

 fill them up by transplanting the strongest on a shower}^ day, and 

 on all favourable occasions afterwards keep the Dutch hoe in action 

 amongst them, to keep down the weeds. They must be taken up about 

 the middle of October, on a dry day, and stowed away safe from 

 damp and frost. 



BoEECOLE, OR Kale, — Of these very useful winter and spring 

 greens, there is none equal to the Scotch Kale. It is true that 

 the Cottager's Kale is a desirable acquisition, but I question if its 

 claims as a vegetable are so great as the other. There are two dis- 

 tinct kinds of the first-named, the tall and the dwarf. I prefer the 

 latter myself on account of its compact growth and neat habit, which 

 renders it less liable to be hurt by frost. A first sowing may be 

 made in April, and another about the middle of May; the first 

 will serve for the first cutting, while the late sowing will furnish 

 plants to fill up any vacant ground. Later in the summer it is sur- 

 prising how serviceable these late plantings are to come into use in 

 the late spring months, when all kinds of greens are scarce. They 

 like deeply-stirred, richly-manured ground, and should be planted 

 out two feet apart each way. The same treatment will serve for the 

 Cottager's Kale, the Biida, or the Jerusalem Kale. In the same cate- 

 gory we have the Albert Sprouts and the Brussels Sprouts, but this last 

 I shall treat of at greater length, because where winter vegetables are 

 required, it is a valuable subject, and worthy of more extended culti- 

 vatien in every villa garden. It should, therefore, be cultivated in a 

 special manner. The first sowing of seed should be made on a warm 

 south border, at the end of March ; and when the plants are large 



