CEL 



[ 182 



CEL 



Pure, solid, white, for autumn ; Cole's su- 

 perb, red and white ; and Nutt's cham- 

 pion ; the last-named being the best we 

 have cultivated. 



Sowiny. The first sowing may be 

 made about the middle or toward the end 

 of February, sowing a very little seed in 

 a pan or box placed in any heated struc- 

 ture, and having a gentle hotbed made 

 up ready to receive the young plants as 

 soon as they are fit to prick out. The 

 soil cannot be too rich for them ; and, if 

 pricked out in gentle hotbeds under glass, 

 which is best, the young crop should be 

 kept up within two or three inches of the 

 glass, and attention paid to frequent wa- 

 tering, earth -stirring, and airing, in fa- 

 vourable weather. 



The sowing for a main crop should be 

 made about the first week in March ; and 

 although it may be sown in a rich, warm 

 border, yet it is better to make a gentle 

 hotbed for this sowing, even if it is only 

 of four boards nailed together, to keep 

 up the earth round the sides of the bed, 

 and no glass to cover it ; but, if an old 

 light can be spared until the plants are 

 up, all the better. Several prickings-out 

 may be made from this sowing in any 

 rich earth, in open situations, having the 

 beds made up neatly ready for pricking 

 out, either in warm, showery weather, or 

 during evenings in dry weather. The 

 plants should be inserted six inches apart 

 in the nursery-beds, well supplied with 

 water, until the plants are established, 

 and the earth among them frequently 

 stirred. 



A third sowing may be made about the 

 second week, or middle of April, iu the 

 open, warm border, to be attended to as 

 before mentioned, as to pricking-out, 

 watering, &c., only that cool situations 

 will be found best, such as north borders 

 for summer pricking-out, for a supply to 

 plant out for winter and spring use. 



Final planting ; the single-trench system. 

 The trenches, where the soil will allow 

 of it, may be eight or ten inches deep, to 

 receive the plants for the first summer 

 plantings; but, as the season advances, 

 not so deep by two inches at each suc- 

 cessive planting ; and, lastly, on the level 

 surface, for late winter and spring use. 

 "YVhen planted in deep trenches for the 

 first crop, the rows may be much nearer 

 together. Another method of planting 

 out the principal and late crops is, to dig 

 out a trench, four and a half feet wide, 



and one foot deep, placing the earth half 

 on one side, and half on the other side; 

 this done, give a thorough good manur- 

 ing, as the soil cannot be made too good 

 for this vegetable; let it be neatly dug in, 

 and the surface made smooth as the work 

 goes on ; then lift the plants with a trowel 

 from the nursery-beds, to insure their 

 having good roots ; let them be planted 

 precisely one foot from row to row, and 

 six or seven inches from plant to plant, 

 the row crossways of the trench, thus : 



Thoroughly well water; and, in the 

 course of a week after planting, the earth 

 should be carefully stirred over the 

 whole bed. 



The plants should not be shortened, as 

 many persons do ; but remove any de- 

 cayed or broken leaf, and all side-shoots 

 from the plants, one by one, being care- 

 ful not to injure other leaves or the roots. 



Earthing up. The first earthing up 

 should be done with a small trowel, 

 holding the leaves of the plant together 

 in one hand, and stirring and drawing up 

 a little earth to the plant with the other. 

 The next earthing is done by the help of 

 two light boards, six to eight inches 

 broad, of the same length as the trench 

 is wide ; these to be placed between two 

 of the rows of plants by two persons ; 

 then place between these boards well- 

 broken earth, as much as required; dra\r 

 up the boards steadily; do the same in 

 the next space, and so on until the 

 work is completed. By the last-men- 

 tioned method of final planting, more 

 than double the quantity can be grown 

 on a given space of ground, and the 

 heads are quite as fine as in the single- 

 trench system. It is also handy for pro- 

 tection in winter, either with hoops and 

 mats or litter. 



The trench being dug out four and a 



