388 The Profitable Culture of Vegetables. 



BORECOLE, or KALE. There is not much sale for Kale until the weather 

 gets severe ; then the demand usually becomes good and the price remu- 

 nerative. For this reason the crop should, if possible, be allowed to 

 stand until wanted. When they are picked, only the young growths and 

 perfect leaves should be packed, decaying and discoloured foliage being 

 rejected. The "greens" are packed in bags or in baskets, according to the 

 requirements of the salesman, and care should be taken to pack as tightly 

 as possible, as when the receptacles are only partly filled dissatisfaction is 

 caused and low prices realised. 



BROCCOLI. The cutting of Broccoli begins with the cold weather, as 

 soon as the autumn cauliflowers are over, and continues to the beginning 

 of the following summer, according to the season, the successional sowings 

 made, and the varieties grown. The crop is usually arranged that the bulk 

 of the supplies are placed on the market from March onwards. The heads 

 are cut so as to be surrounded with a fringe of leaves, and these in turn are 

 trimmed so as to expose the flower, but projecting a little beyond it to afford 

 a slight protection. They are graded into two classes " bests," consisting 

 of large, clean, compact, white heads, and " seconds," which are composed 

 of those smaller and less perfect. Discoloured or damaged heads, or those 

 which are overgrown and open, should not be sent to market. They are 

 packed in crates and are sold by the " tally " of five dozen. 



SPROUTING BROCCOLI is generally most in demand after the turn of the 

 year, when cabbages and savoys are getting scarce and white broccoli has 

 not yet appeared on the market in quantity. The sprouting heads are 

 broken off with a small piece of the stem attached, and packed firmly in 

 bags or bushel baskets. Care should be taken only to pack young growths 

 with tender stems, old and tough stems being very objectionable. 



BRUSSELS SPROUTS. The picking of Brussels Sprouts usually begins 

 in October and continues through the winter months until about February, 

 by which time the crop is generally finished. The plants are, as a rule, 

 gone over two or three times, the largest only being removed each time, 

 but some growers will wait until a breadth of plants are ready, then have 

 them pulled up by the roots and carted to the sheds, where the Sprouts arc 

 stripped and graded into two qualities and the tops cut off and bagged. 

 In a few provincial towns it is customary to send the whole plant into 

 market after cutting off the roots. Several methods of marketing Sprouts 

 are employed ; in some markets "pot" baskets are used, in others, especially 

 late in the season, they are sold in Jcwt. bags, but for the most part they 

 are packed in half-bushel baskets of 20lbs. early in the season and in bushel 

 baskets of 40lbs. later. After the Sprouts are cleared the tops are cut off 

 and sent to market in bags containing cwt. Where the crop is grown in 

 quantity picking is usually done by women ; the customary price paid is 

 2d. for picking and packing a half-bushel ready for despatch, or 2d. when 

 the basket is not made up. 



CABBAGES. The cutting of spring Cabbages usually begins in February, 

 when alternate plants and rows from close-set plantations are cut out and 



