184 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH. 



Sowing Borecole, or curled Kale. 



Towards the end of this month, you may sow a first crop of bore- 

 cole, for autumn service. 



There are two principal sorts, the green and the brown ; both 

 very hardy plants, with tall stems, and full heads of thick fimbriate 

 curled leaves, not cabbaging, and are desirable open greens for 

 winter, &c. 



Let this seed be sown in an open exposure, distant from trees and 

 close fences, as in such situations they are apt to draw up too fast, 

 with long weak stalks ; sow it broad-cast, and rake it in evenly : for 

 other particulars, see the succeeding months. 



Borecole is extremely valuable for winter and spring greens, 

 where the winter frost is not too powerful for it, particularly in all 

 the southern states ; it is the most hardy of the cabbage tribe, and 

 in mild winters will stand tolerably well in the middle states. In 

 the eastern states it will require to be taken up before the winter 

 frosts set in with much severity, planted in trenches up to the 

 leaves, and covered occasionally with straw or other light covering ; 

 the heads may be cut off as wanted, and in spring the stems, if taken 

 up and planted out, will produce an abundance of most delicious 

 sprouts. 



Of forking and dressing the Asparagus Beds. 



This work should be begun about the latter end of the month ; 

 for the purpose of digging or forking these beds, you should be 

 provided with a proper fork, having three shorts tines, six to eight 

 or nine inches long, perfectly flat, about an inch broad, and the ends 

 of them rounded and blunt ; however, in want of such, it may be 

 performed with a small, short-pronged common dung-fork. 



In forking the beds, be careful to loosen every part to a moderate 

 depth, but taking great care not to go too deep to wound the crowns 

 of the roots. 



The above work of forking these beds is most necessary to be 

 done every spring, to improve and loosen the ground, and to give 

 free liberty for the buds to shoot up ; also to give easy access to the 

 sun. air, and showers of rain. 



The beds being forked, they must afterwards be raked even ; ob- 

 serving, if you do not rake them immediately after they are forked, 

 to defer it no longer than the first week in April, for by that time the 

 buds will begin to advance. 



Before raking the above beds, you may scatter thereon, a few 

 radish and lettuce seeds, to pull up while young. 



As to the method of gathering or cutting asparagus, when ad- 

 vanced to a proper growth for the table, it is generally most eligi- 

 ble, to be furnished with an asparagus knife, having a straight, nar- 

 row, taper blade, about six or eight inches Ipng, and about an inch 

 broad at the haft, narrowing to about half an inch at the point, 

 which should be rounded off from the back j observing, when the 



