160 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



fNo. 3 



thrown away if no more stock be required. Tlie 

 plants in the rows will grow luxuriantly, and be- 

 come very large, so much so as, in all probability, 

 to come in contact, forming one connected line of 

 sea-o-reen foiiasre. All the culture during the sum- 

 merlind autumn, will consist in keeping the beds 

 clear from weeds, and in digging alternate spaces 

 two or three times, to the dej>th of 9 inches, so as 

 to pulverize and render the soil as fiiie as possible. 

 At the two last operations (say in July and Octo- 

 ber,) it would be as well to incorporate with the 

 soil a two-inch layer of decayed leaves, mixed with 

 one-fourth- part ot pure wood-ashes. 



The reader will be very carelul to avoid sea- 

 coal, or even pit-coal ashes. It formerly was the 

 custom to cover sea-kale with conical hills of those 

 ashes during winter, and one out of three or lour 

 plants perished, the damage being ascribed to niice_, 

 or moles. I never have lost a plant since I lef' 

 off that acrimonious chemical compound, styled 

 ashes, nor could I, by any means keep my bed en- 

 tire, while I employed it. Its destructive influence 

 has at length been admitted, and sea-kale now en- 

 joys a regular growth, and repays its cultivator. 

 No forcing ought to be attempted during the first 

 Avinter; but it would not be amiss, after clearing 

 off all the old leaves, to stram a line along the 

 edges of the beds, and cutting the earth by it 

 three inches deep, to mould up the two-feet beds 

 with the earth taken to that depth from the inter- 

 mediate spaces. A tall marking stick should, how- 

 ever, be placed near the centres of the plants. 

 After the "earthing up," a blanching-pot, wooden 

 box, or old bee-hive, is to be set over every plant. 

 A straw-hive is indeed an excellent material. It 

 is sufficiently strong, warm, and impervious to light, 

 even when used alone, without leaves, lor blanch- 

 ing. A small, or even a very tolerable gathering 

 of"'fine white kale will be the result of this treat- 

 ment, earlier or later, according to the season and 

 climate; and, in cutting it, the knife should be 

 passed below the surface of the stratum of soil that 

 was added, so as to bring up each full-sized shoot 

 in a compact state, and not in detached leaves. 

 The smaller sprouts ought not to be cut; and, 

 when all the large ones have been taken, the su- 

 perposed soil should be drawn back into the spaces, 

 and the whole plot reduced to an even surface- 

 level. This work will, it is presumed, be perform- 

 ed about mid-April, and then a knife, or very 

 sharp-edged spade, should be passed through the 

 shoots, so as to cut off every one that rises above 

 the original level of the bed. This cutting will 

 induce the plants to send forth a number of Iresh 

 shoots, and prevent, in a degree, the protrusion of 

 flower stems. The routine culture of the second 

 season will comprise iceediag with a Oat hoe, dig- 

 ging and enriching of the spaces, as belbre direct- 

 ed, and the immediate excision of every flower- 

 stem that may be sent up. 



Forcing. — (These directions will apply equally 

 to asparagus in single rows, by the second method.) 

 After the leaves of the sea-kale, and stems of asj^a- 

 ragus have become inactive, remove the former, 

 and cut oli the latter. Mark each sea-kale plant 

 with a tall stick, dig and mould up the beds with 

 fine earth from the spaces, as in the previous sea- 

 son; but now, and in each succeedmg year, dig 

 out, and remove to a spot at hand (as convenience 

 may point out,) the earth of each space, on the 

 sides of those rows which are to be excited, so as 



to leave trenches one foot deep. The plots ought 

 to be so contrived as to furnish three distinct 

 forcings, \he first to commence late in November, 

 to be cut at the close of the year; the second about 

 the first week in January; and the third early in 

 February. A fourth reserve ought to come in at 

 the natural season, blanched, but not forced, in 

 April. The trenches are to be filled to tlie level of 

 the tops of the line of pots or covers with tree- 

 leaves, blended, if possible, with one-third part of 

 fresh stable manure. When this level is attained, 

 the pots, and spaces between them, must be cover- 

 ed to tl'.e depth of two feet with the same mate- 

 rials: but for asparagus, which can ha.ve no pots, 

 leaves alone are recommended to the depth of 18 

 inches. If shallow boxes or troughs, l!)nned of 

 three strips of boards fastened together, and five or 

 six iriches deep, could be inverted over the whole 

 line of asparagus, the mixture of dung and leaves 

 might be safely employed. 



The bed of fermenting material, in either case, 

 ought to form a compact mass of etjual depth; and 

 this it would be advisable to cover wilh straw, hur- 

 dles, or thatch, to keep out excessive rains, and to 

 retain the developed heat. Trial-slicks should be 

 thrust deeply into the masses; and if these, on be- 

 ing withdrawn, feel gently warm, the work of for- 

 cing will proceed regularly; and kale and grass 

 will be procured in succession from Christmas to 

 the end of March; to be succeedl^d by the crops 

 from the unexcited bed. After forcing, and clear- 

 ing ofl the leaves, &c. the trenches are always to 

 be filled up, and the surface-level restored. The 

 slight difference to be observed in treating these 

 two delicious vegetables, will soon be sufficiently 

 obvious to every cultivator of discernment, and 

 need not be alluded to at this time* 



From tlio Farmor's Ma3;a7,ine.- 



SIR jOTiiv Sinclair's code of agriculture.- 



A new edition, being the third, of this work,- 

 has just appeared, which, at such a time as thisi, 

 when agriculturists of all descriptions are so much 

 depressed, is a proof of the high estimation in 

 which it is held by the public. The present edi- 

 tion will be found still more valuable than either 

 of the former. It is improved, both by what has 

 been withdrawn, which indeed is not much,' and 

 by what has been added; while the whole work 

 has been carefully revised and corrected, both in 

 its doctrines and its reasonings. Sir John, we 

 perceive, is now almost, if not altogether, an en- 

 tire convert to the sentiments of i\lr. Coke and 

 some others, in regard to the drilling of corn of all 

 kinds, and, with a few exceptions, upon all soils. 

 On this point, perhaps, his opinions may not be 

 assented to by many intelligent fanners in Scot- 

 land, who, though they would not object to the 

 general principle, slill do not think, that, in our 

 climate, and especially upon strong clays, drilling 

 can be adojited so advantageously as upon the 

 liijcht soils, and with the earlier seasons of Norfolk; 

 or that it can ever be generally subsiitnted for 

 broad-casting in this part of the island. It is cer- 

 tainly true, however, on the other hand, that it 

 might be carriml much farther than it has ever 

 been with us, with a fair prospect of ample remu- 

 neration for the additional expense required, par- 



