March.1 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



191 



Choose seed of the early purple, and some of the cauliflower 

 broccoli; sow a little of each kind about the middle or latter end of 

 the month in an open bed of rich earth, and rake them in: when the 

 plants come up, manage them as directed in May, June, and July. 



Solving Borecole, or curled Kale. 



Towards the end of this month you may sow a first crop of bore- 

 cole for autumn service. 



There are two principal sorts, the green and the brown; both 

 very hardy plants, with tall stems, and full heads of thick fimbriate 

 curled leaves, not cabbaging, and are desirable open greens for 

 winter, &c. 



Let this seed be sown in an open exposure, distant from trees 

 and close fences, as in such situations they are apt to draw up too 

 fast, with long weak stalks; sow it broad-cast, and rake it in evenly. 

 For other particulars, see the succeeding months. 



Borecole is extremely valuable for winter and spring greens, 

 where the winter frost is not too powerful for it, particularly in all 

 the southern states: it is the most hardy of the cabbage tribe, and 

 in mild winters will stand tolerably well in the middle states. In 

 the eastern states it will require to be taken up before the winter 

 frosts set in with much severity, planted in trenches up to the 

 leaves, and covered occasionally with straw or other light covering; 

 the heads may be cut oft' as wanted, and in spring the stems, if 

 taken up and planted out, will produce an abundance of most deli- 

 cious sprouts. 



Of forking and dressing the Asparagus Beds. 



This work should be begun about the latter end of* the month: 

 for the purpose of digging or forking these beds you should be 

 provided with a proper fork, having three short tines, six to eight 

 or nine inches long, perfectly fiat, about an inch broad, and the 

 ends of them rounded and blunt; however, in want of such, it may 

 be performed with a small, short-pronged common dung-fork. 



In forking the beds be careful to loosen every part to a moderate 

 depth, but taking great care not to go too deep to wound the crowns 

 of the roots. 



The above work of forking these beds is most necessary to be 

 done every spring to improve and loosen the ground, and to give 

 free liberty for the buds to shoot up; also to give easy access to the 

 sun, air, and showers of rain. 



The beds being forked, they must afterwards be raked even; 

 observing, if you do not rake them immediately after they are 

 forked, to defer it no longer than the first week in April, for by 

 that time the buds will begin to advance. 



Before raking the above beds you may scatter thereon a lew 

 radish and lettuce seeds to pull up while young. 



As to the method of gathering or cutting asparagus when ad- 

 vanced to a proper growth for the table, it is generally mosl 



