Borecole, or Kale 



seed drills should be nine inches apart ; but for pricking out six 

 inches will answer, and thus a very small bed will provide a lot of 

 plants. When pricked out, the little plants should be six inches 

 apart each way, and should go to their final quarters as soon as they 

 touch one another. When Borecoles are planted out on the flat in 

 large pieces,, a fair distance is two feet apart each way, but some 

 vigorous kinds in good ground will pay for another foot of space, and 

 will yield enormous crops when their time arrives. The planting 

 should be done during showery weather if possible, but these Brassicas 

 have an astonishing degree of vitality. If put out during drought 

 very little water is required to start them, and as the cool -weather 

 returns they will grow with vigour. But good cultivation saves a 

 plant from extreme conditions ; and it is an excellent practice to dig 

 in green manure when preparing ground for Kales, because a free 

 summer growth is needful to the formation of a stout productive 

 plant. 



We have suggested that two sowings may be regarded as gene- 

 rally sufficient, but we are bound to take notice of the fact that the 

 late supplies of these vegetables are sometimes disappointing. In a 

 mild winter the Kales reserved for use in spring will be likely to 

 grow when they should stand still, and at the first break of pleasant 

 spring weather they will bolt, very much to the vexation of the man 

 who expected many a basket of sprouts from them. A May sowing 

 planted out in a cold place may stand until spring is somewhat 

 advanced without bolting, and an August sowing may serve two 

 purposes, the forwardest being useful to cut from in spring, and the 

 backwardest being suitable to plant out for early supplies in the 

 following autumn. 



As regards the varieties, they agree pretty nearly in constitution, 

 although they differ much in appearance and in the power of resisting 

 the excitement of spring weather. But in this section of vegetables 

 there are a few very interesting subjects. The Variegated and Crested 

 Kales are extremely ornamental and eminently useful in large places 

 for decorative purposes. These do not require so rich a soil as 

 Sutton's A i or Curled Scotch, and they must have the fullest 

 exposure to bring out their peculiarities. It is found that in 

 somewhat dry calcareous soils these plants acquire their highest 

 colour and most elegant proportions. When planted in carriage 

 drives and other places where their colours may be suitably dis- 

 played, it is a good plan to cut off their heads soon after the turn of 

 the year, as this promotes the production of side shoots of the most 



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