GARDENING. 873 



rapidly germinates and grows; three or four seeds are placed for each hill in squares marked 

 out on the bed eight or nine inches square. As planting time approaches, the plants are 

 hardened by taking off the glass several days, and the day before planting they should be 

 thoroughly soaked with water, so that the earth will not crumble from the roots in transplanting. 

 This is effected by pressing into the ground, around each hill, a square ring of sheet zinc, 

 eight inches square by three inches high, to hold the earth together, and then passing a spade 

 under the hill, it can be lifted, ring and all, and carried to the place intended for growth. 

 This is precisely the way in which we transplant melons and cucumbers, and by means of it 

 gain at least two or three weeks, which in our short season is well worth while. Only a few 

 of the rings are required, as they are taken up as soon as the hill is planted and used for the 

 next one.&quot; 



If the pods are gathered before ripening on the vines, or when green, but well filled, 

 the beans are much nicer for winter use, than when allowed to ripen before gathering. 



Beets. The early varieties of beets are very useful for the leaves as &quot;greens,&quot; as well 

 as for the roots. Soaking the seed in tepid water for twenty-four hours before planting will 

 cause them to vegetate much sooner. A deep, rich, yet rather light loamy soil which has 

 been well manured the previous year, is excellent for beets. When an early crop is desired, 

 the seed should be sown as soon as the ground can be worked, and the principal crop in the 

 first week in May; but for winter use, sow as late as June. The sowing should be in drills 

 about an inch deep, and from fifteen to eighteen inches apart. The weeds should be kept 

 down by frequent cultivation. For further directions respecting beets, see Vol. I, page 3 64. 



Borecole, Or Kale. This is a variety of cabbage, the leaves of which do not form 

 into a compact head, but are generally loose and curled or wrinkled. It is more hardy than 

 the cabbage, and is thought to be improved by the touch of frost, and makes excellent greens 

 for winter and spring use. This plant is sown and cultivated the same as cabbage, and is 

 sown from May to June. For early spring use, the DWARF GERMAN and GREEN CURLED 

 SCOTCH varieties are sown in September, and protected during the winter with a covering of 

 straw or litter. Other varieties are DWARF PURPLE, IMPROVED SIBERIAN, IMPROVED GARNISHING, 

 and NEW RUSSIAN. SEA KALE grows spontaneously in some parts of England. Sow the 

 seeds early in the spring in well-manured, deep tilled soil, covering about an inch deep, with 

 rows two feet apart. Thin out the plants to six inches in the rows, and before winter cover 

 with straw or leaves. The following spring transplant in hills three feet apart each way. 

 . Sea Kale is grown for its blanched shoots, which are cooked like asparagus. 



Broccoli is also a species of cabbage that resembles the cauliflower. The principal 

 varieties are the EARLY PURPLE, a hardy kind with compact, large heads of brownish purple 

 color, WHITE CAPE, sometimes called &quot;Cauliflower Broccoli,&quot; a white variety resembling the 

 cauliflower, and WALCHEREN, also hardy and of fine quality. For early crops, the seed 

 should be sown in a hotbed, and the plants transplanted. The plants should be set in rows 

 two feet apart, with the same between the rows. They should be well watered until they 

 become fairly established in the soil. 



Cabbage. The cabbage thrives best in a deep, rich soil, that has been thoroughly 

 pulverized. It is a hearty feeder, and requires a plenty of nitrogenous manure, and also 

 phosphates. For early use, the seeds should be sown in hotbeds in February or March, or 

 they may be sown about the middle of September, and the plants kept over winter in cold 

 frames. The former method is preferable where the winters are severe. Transplanting 

 should be done in the spring as soon as the ground will admit of being worked, the plants 

 being set in rows two feet and a half apart. They should be set in the ground up to the first 

 leaf, no matter how long the stem may be. For winter use the seed should be sown in May 



