Brussels Sprouts. 169 



roots. Single lines of quick-growing catch crops may be sown 

 between the rows as soon as planting is finished. After culti- 

 vation consists in keeping the ground free of weeds and the 

 surface soil loose by frequent hoeing. The bottom leaves 

 should be removed as they become yellow. 



Some growers remove the head of the full-grown plant under 

 the impression that doing so makes the Sprouts develop earlier, 

 but the practice is a bad one. The head of leaves is not only 

 required to assist the plant in the formation of the Sprouts, but 

 it also serves to a certain extent to protect them during sharp 

 frosts. The Sprouts should be gathered as they come ready. 

 It is customary to break them off with the thumb and fingers 

 but this is a mistake, they should be cut off with a sharp knife, 

 leaving a piece of the stalk attached to the stem. By gathering 

 them in this way a second crop follows, which lengthens the 

 season and adds to the profits. 



Manures : The soil for Brussels Sprouts should always be 

 deeply worked and contain a fair amount of organic manure, but 

 neither the preparation nor the manuring of the ground should 

 be done specially for the Sprouts when it can be avoided ; this 

 is much better done for the preceding crop so that the soil has 

 become compact and all rankness has passed away from the 

 manure. This objection to recent manuring does not apply in 

 the same degree to soil of a sandy, hungry nature, which may 

 well have a dressing of from 10 to 15 tons of farmyard manure, 

 but whenever manure is applied specially for this crop it should 

 always be thoroughly decayed. Before the plants are set out 

 on the ground which has had no manure immediately preceding, 

 the following fertilizers should be spread evenly over and be 

 hoed or harrowed in : Superphosphate 3 cwt., sulphate of 

 potash 1 cwt. (or the equivalent in other phosphatic and potassic 

 fertilizers of a readily-available nature) to the acre. Where 

 manure has been given it should be supplemented by half the 

 quantities of the above fertilizers. 



Varieties: Wroxton, Dalkeith, and Aigburth are all good 

 reliable sorts which have stood the test of time, whilst there 

 are numerous selected strains sent out by the leading seedsmen 

 which are well worth a trial, such as Sutton's Matchless, Carter's 

 Perfection, Veitch's Paragon, and Webb's Pride of the Market. 



