GENERAL CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT. 609 



may be added, or the plants may be frequently watered with liquid 

 manure. By keeping on some of the glasses as long as the plants can 

 be contained under them, a part of the crop will come in earlier ; amd 

 by frequently stirring the soil and supplying liquid manure, so as to 

 retard the appearance of the flower, and keep the plants long in a 

 growing state, a portion of the crop will be later and larger. If some 

 of the patches have been planted in sandy soil, not very rich, the 

 plants will be smaller and forwarder than the others, and will admit 

 of being covered by the glasses till the crop is fit to cut, which will 

 give a very early supply. The same objects will be effected to a cer- 

 tain extent by giving a similar treatment to plants which have stood 

 out through the winter at the base of a wall, or to plants which have 

 been sown in spring. 



The Second Crop. Prick out the plants as soon as they admit of it 

 into beds, six inches apart every way, so as to allow of their being 

 taken up with balls, and planted in rows, four feet by three feet, in 

 rich soil, in the end of April or the beginning of May. 



The Third Crop. Proceed in the same manner, and transplant into 

 rows, three feet by two feet, about the middle of July. 



Succession crops throughout the summer can be treated like those 

 of cabbages. It is a good practice to sow frequently, so as always 

 to have a stock of plants to fill any vacant ground. A winter crop 

 may be obtained by sowing in the middle of July, in a warm border, 

 or on the south side of an east and west ridge, and allowing the plants 

 to come to heads without transplanting, but taking care to thin them 

 to twelve inches or fourteen inches apart every way. In the course 

 of November, heads will be formed from three inches to nine inches 

 or ten inches across, and the plants may then be removed with balls, 

 and planted in a bed of soil, to be covered by a frame and sashes ; or 

 in a bed under an open shed, and farther protected by mats and dry 

 hay. By this latter mode, which may be adopted where a frame can- 

 not be had, Mr. Cockburn, in Sussex, has been able to send three 

 dishes of cauliflower to table every week during the autumn and 

 winter till February (< Hort. Trans.' vol. v. p. 281), 



Broccoli (B. oleracea Botrytis cymosa, Dec.), differs from the cauli- 

 flower chiefly in being so much hardier as to produce a supply of 

 heads during the winter and early spring. There are a number of 

 excellent varieties, which may be arranged as autumn, winter, spring, 

 and summer varieties. 



The best autumn broccoli is the Walcheren, which, by planting late, 

 may generally be had up to Christmas. Then follow Hammond's and 

 Adams' White Cape, Grange's White Cape, and Purple Cape. For 

 winter use, the Early Cornish is the best winter white broccoli known ; 

 Snow's White, Osborn's White, Backhouse's White Protecting are 

 good ; while for spring use, Knight's Protecting, Frogmore Protecting, 

 Dilcock's Bride, Dalmeny Park, Osborn's New White Sprouting and 

 the Purple-sprouting Mammoth, Portsmouth, and Veitch's Spring 

 White. For summer use, Wilcove's Late White, Carter's Champion, 



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