KEEPING. 51 



only a few plants in a garden, and who wish to 

 prolong the season, that several cuttings may be 

 taken from a single head if desired. A portion of 

 the head should be left each time. Occasionally, 

 but not often, a stump will sprout and form a sec- 

 ond crop. A method of accelerating the formation 

 of heads, which is practiced in Ireland, may also be 

 worth recording. It consists in slitting the stalk 

 from near the ground upward toward the heart, 

 and placing a stick in the slit to prevent the parts 

 reuniting. The soil is then drawn up around the 

 cut, and the plant staked to prevent its breaking 

 off. It is said that plants so treated will form their 

 heads from six to eight days earlier than they 

 otherwise would. 



