1 6 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES 



BRUSSELS SPROUTS 



Few vegetables are more useful in their season than 

 this, being of easy culture, and keeping a considerable 

 time when fully grown. I am not an admirer of the 

 very large, loose sprouts that resemble a small Savoy 

 cabbage, as their flavour is not equal to that of the 

 small, hard, compact sprout. There is a great art in 

 cooking green vegetables, and the Editor's notes on this 

 important subject will be read with great interest, for 

 vegetables are spoiled in the cooking more than in the 

 growing. Vegetables do not receive sufficient atten- 

 tion, and fault is often found with the quality when 

 the cooking is to blame. I have denounced the large 

 coarse sprout, and market growers, who value size, as 

 the large sprout soon fills the sieve, will, I fear, not 

 agree with my remarks ; but I am pleased to note 

 that even with large growers there is an increasing 

 tendency to grow the medium -sized sprout with a 

 hard bullet-like growth. There is no loss, as a larger 

 quantity of sprouts can be grown on the same space. 

 There can be no question whatever but that the 

 Brussels sprouts is a profitable vegetable if given a long 

 growing season. It may be urged, How can it be 

 profitable when the plants occupy the land so many 

 months ? Again, it is urged that the plant needs ex- 

 ceptionally good soil, and will not thrive in any other. 

 This is a mistake. It will do grandly if planted early 

 in land that has been dug deeply, or, what is better, 

 trenched in winter and thrown up roughly. There are 

 many failures, I admit, even with this easily -grown 

 vegetable. One a common one is to sow the seed in 

 March, leaving the seedlings in the seed-bed till June or 

 even July, and then planting after a crop of early potatoes. 

 Grown thus, there is not time for the plant to develop, 

 and the result is a small poor sprout not hard enough 



