BRUSSELS SPROUTS 93 



paper. It may be easier to lay the papers over 

 the measuring line tied well above the tops of the 

 plants. After a time, if the weather is dry, they 

 will need watering; and, for seedlings newly set, 

 always use water that is warm enough so that the 

 tender plants will not be chilled and thus growth 

 checked. Continual stirring of the soil must be 

 kept up. Feed the little cabbages a bit of nitrate 

 every ten days and, as this stimulant is distrib- 

 uted, cultivate. As the heads begin to crowd, 

 some of the leaves should be broken to give more 

 room. Always leave the sheltering canopy un- 

 touched, because, unless shaded, the delicate 

 flavor may be injured and the buds acquire their 

 original strong cabbage flavor. 



We may expect the harvest in four months or 

 a little over. When sown in June, we may look 

 for mature sprouts all through October and No- 

 vember. The biggest buds are gathered as needed, 

 leaving the plants to go on developing the sprouts. 

 Be sure to gather in the early morning, if you want 

 to keep them fresh and full of flavor. 



The plants are left out all winter in mild cli- 

 mates. Where the winter weather is freezing, 

 they are dug late in the fall and stored. They 

 may be kept fresh for winter use in such localities 

 by digging up the mature plants and placing them 

 root down close together in a pit below the frost 

 line or in a coldframe or a cool cellar. If soil is 

 scattered about the roots, enough moisture and 



