306 The Profitable Culture of Vegetables. 



Other Methods of Forcing in the Open. In localities where 

 stable manure is expensive, and the quantity used must be 

 limited for the sake of economy, lifted crowns of Seakale may 

 be forced on cold beds. Ground convenient to the manure 

 supply is selected, and marked out into beds 4ft. wide, with 2ft. 

 alleys between. The soil in the alleys is broken up finely to 

 the depth of 1ft. and then put on the beds, so that the alleys 

 will then be about 20in. deep. The crowns are then set in the 

 soil on these beds in the same manner as on the hot-beds, 

 leaving a space of 5 or Gin. along each side empty. All the beds 

 are planted, and a little litter strewn over to prevent the soil 

 and the dormant crowns from being frozen. A portion of the 

 beds are then covered with frames or with mats, exactly as 

 the hot-beds are covered, and the alleys are filled with good 

 hot manure, well trodden down. Fresh beds are started in 

 succession, so as to keep up a regular supply until the "natural" 

 Kale comes in. The growth is slower than on hot-beds, but the 

 quality is good, and when cutting is begun the supply from 

 successive beds goes on without a break. 



Precisely the same system of forcing and blanching is 

 followed with the beds where the roots are left in the ground, 

 except on those beds where the Kale is grown naturally. As 

 already described, at the end of the first year after a plantation 

 is laid down one row between each three is lifted for forcing, 

 and the soil in the alley dug and ridged up. After the turn of 

 the year this soil is put on the bed to the depth of 8in., after 

 being well broken up, and the procedure of covering the bed 

 and filling the alleys with hot manure is the same as given 

 above. The advantage of forcing the roots where they grow 

 is that they are available for five or six years in succession, with 

 a minimum of trouble and expense. On the other hand, by lifting 

 the roots the same amount of fermenting manure and covering 

 will force and blanch ten times the number as when left where 

 they grow, and the beds may be made -where one chooses, in a 

 place convenient to manure and packing shed, which in good 

 weather is a great advantage, whilst the difference in bad 

 weather is best left to the imagination. The balance of advan- 

 tage is therefore very largely in favour of lifting the roots. 



It should be pointed out that the above system of forcing is 



