IMPROVED ^rODE OF FORCING SEAKAI.E. Ill 



pared and well manured, my practice is to strew a heavy coating 

 of salt over the surface. The plants — one year's seedlings — 

 may be placed in rows one yard apart, and about two feet apart 

 in the row : I always, however, put two plants in each station, 

 side by side. Any time from the end of November until the 

 beginning of February is eligible; and the young plants should 

 be taken up in a most careful way, and planted immediately, 

 with all possible root. As soon as planted, I place a mound of 

 old tan over each pair : this coaxes the bud, and preserves it 

 from the withering March winds. The buds do not fairly pro- 

 trude through the tan covering until the middle of Aj^ril, by 

 which period the plants have produced fibres, and become ca- 

 pable of enduring both sun and wind without check. Nothing 

 particular is now requisite during the summer, with the exception 

 of a clean course of culture, and the avoidance, during cleaning 

 processes, of all injury to the leaves. By this mode of procedure 

 I invariabljf produce first-rate crowns for forcing purposes, by 

 one summer's cultivation from the seed-bed ; and were I to grow 

 it as a commercial speculation, ever so extensively, I would always 

 break up, force, and replant annually. 



I will now proceed to show how these roots should be forced ; 

 and, indeed, in this consist the main features of the case. No 

 better place can be found than a mushroom house for this pur- 

 pose : as, however, some persons do not possess this useful ad- 

 junct to good winter gardening, it will be well to observe that 

 any structure which will exclude the severity of the weather will 

 answer. As a guide to the inexperienced in these matters, I 

 will just name the conditions of forcing requisite. First, a 

 steady bottom heat of 75° max. ; second, an atmospheric warmth 

 of 60° max. ; and, thirdly, total darkness. To this may be added 

 a moist atmosphere at* all times: this is particularly essential. 

 Below the floor line of the mushroom-house a sunken bed must 

 be provided, three feet below the floor line if fermenting matter 

 is to be used ; and, except as a commercial speculation, ferment- 

 ing material will be found as safe and economical as pipes or 

 tanks. This three feet excavation, then, when forcing com- 

 mences, must be filled three-fourths of its depth with hot 

 manure ; over this a coating of older material may be placed for 

 the roots to rest upon. The roots for forcing must be taken up 

 with very great care ; the less they are broken tiie finer will the 

 kale be. I place them as thickly as they can stand together, 

 and take care to keep their heads or crowns level ; and I fill 

 them up loosely with very old tan or decayed leaf soil as they 

 are placed. No water is allowed when they are thus started to 

 force ; tliis is reserved for a subsequent operation. The fact is, they 

 require a rather strong bottom heat at first to rouse them from 



