400 
JHE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
SEA HOLLY. A popular name for Eryngium 
maritimum and other species. 
SEA KALE (Crambe maritima). A hardy, herbaceous 
F perennial, a native of Britain. It is very extensively 
G cultivated in gardens as a vegetable for forcing, and for 
use in spring when the season’s growth commences. The 
young shoots and leaf -stalks are the parts cooked 
when they are crisp and well blanched. The stronger 
these can be obtained, the better; the chief object is, 
therefore, to cultivate with a view to securing good, large 
roots and crowns previous to forcing them. Sea Kale may 
easily be raised from seed, which should be sown in an 
open situation at the end of March, or early in April, 
according to the state of the soil. Sow in drills 
, 12in. apart, and thin the young plants to about ŝin. 
asunder in the rows for the first year. Before the next 
spring, the roots must be lifted, and replanted in rows 
from 2ft. to 24ft. apart, for growing into a size large 
enough for use. All the crowns and buds at the top must 
be cut off before replanting, and the roots inserted so 
that their tops are lin., or even 2in., below the surface. 
Sometimes, Sea Kale is sown at wider distances than those 
above given, and the plants allowed to grow for two 
years without being transplanted, when the tops may be 
blanched and used; but when thus treated the tops of the 
crowns must be cnt off, to prevent the plants seeding the 
second year. The greater part of the Sea Kale plants 
grown specially for forcing are raised from cuttings made 
from the roots. When a quantity of fully-developed 
‘Fic. 462. SEA KALE, 
crowns are lifted for forcing, there are plenty of pieces to 
be detached from the main root; these are sometimes 
called thongs, and any about 4in. in length will do for 
planting. They should be cleanly cut through with a knife, 
the upper end straight, and the lower or smaller end 
on an angle, in order that each may be readily dis- 
_ tinguished at planting time, which will be in the following 
these prepared root-cuttings must be buried in a heap of 
sandy soil. All the larger roots that have been forced 
~ may also be cut over and replanted, but it is advisable 
_ to keep growing some young ones each year. The roots 
covered with soil will have been forming shoots by early 
spring all round the crowns; they should be planted about 
lft. apart, in trenches, which require to be 2ft. asunder, 
to allow the leaves to develop. The crown portion of the 
cutting must be placed so as to be covered with soil. Thes 
numerous shoots which appear may, in due course, be# 
reduced to one, the strongest; this will then grow rapidly, 
if the soil is rich and of good depth. After the leaves 
die away in autumn, the roots, if intended for forcing under 
glass, thay be lifted, covered temporarily with soil, and 
protected until required for introducing into heat. During 
this process, any pieces of roots large enough for cuttings 
March, or early in April. Meanwhile, daring winter, | 
may be collected and treated for another year in the way 
Sea Kale—continued. 
above described. Root cuttings taken from plants that 
have not been forced are much stronger and superior to 
those saved from forced and, consequently, weakened 
stocks. 
Forcing. Sea Kale is one of the easiest of plants 
to force, provided heat is very gradually applied: .it 
will not withstand a high temperature at first. An 
easy method, where a supply of crowns has been pre- 
pared, is to place several nearly close together in large 
pots, and stand them ina temperature of about 45deg., 
turning an empty pot over the top, to exclude light. 
The floor of a mushroom-house is generally a good place, 
and, as this structure is usually kept dark, the shoots 
become blanched as they grow without being covered. 
They should be cut for use when at the stage represented 
in Fig. 462, and detached at the crown as shown. Sea 
Kale may also be forced in the ground by inverting 
over it large pots specially made for the purpose, and 
covering with fermenting material. A gradual heat 
is necessary, a very little at first is sufficient to excite 
growth. Light must always be excluded during the 
forcing process, in order to insure thorough blanching. 
SEA LAVENDER. A popular name for various 
species of Statice. 
SEAL-FLOWER. A common name for Dicentra 
spectabilis. 
SEA MILKWORT. See Glaux. 
SEA PINK. See Armeria. 
SEA ROCKET. See Cakile. 
SEASIDE GRAPE. See Coccoloba. 
SEASIDE GROUNDS AND PLANTS. The 
Seaside, as generally understood, is the coast-land imme- 
diately adjoining the sea, and, consequently, exposed to 
the influences of strong sea-breezes, and, with these, 
plenty of salt spray. Both have their evil effect on 
trees, and, with some exceptions, on plant-life generally ; 
but as Seaside residences are so numerous, and most of 
them have some sort of a garden attached, it may be of 
service to note some of the trees and plants best suited 
for protecting and rendering them attractive. On ex- 
posed parts of the sea-coast it is invariably necessary to 
piant, so far as may be practicable, a sereen or broad 
belt of trees and shrubs that are sure to be capable of 
withstanding the exposure, and eventually affording pro- 
tection for more tender subjects. Hurdles have to be 
placed round plants during winter, and numerous other 
contrivances resorted to for affording protection. Plants 
which, perhaps, thrive well just out of the reach of the 
salt spray may, and often will, succumb when exposed to 
it; and the wind may blow on certain points with great 
violence, while a short distance off it may seldom 
be seriously felt. The arrangement of Seaside Grounds 
should, therefore, be in the hands of someone with œ 
knowledge of the locality, and of the amount of exposure 
that preparation has to be made for contending against. 
ee 
A screen of trees and shrubs is usually much better than | 
a wall for a protection; the wind passes over the latter - 
with destructive violence, while its force becomes, as it 
were, lost on a mass of foliage. It is, however, often 
as much of a difficulty to get screen-plants established 
as it is those which are intended to be sereened because 
of being tender or more ornamental. Only small or 
moderate-sized specimens should be inserted, even for 
forming screens, or they will be rocked about by the 
wind before the roots can get a hold, and, consequently 
will not answer permanently. ' 
_ Some of the trees and shrubs most likely to succeed 
in very exposed situations on the sea-coast are: Euony- 
mus japonicus, Tamarix gallica (a most valuable and 
exceedingly hardy plant for forming screens), Escallonia* — 
Rie 
