132 



BRASSICACEOUS PLANTS. 



BRUSSELS SPROUTS. 



Thousand-headed Cabbage. Brassica oleracea var. 



In its general character, this vegetable is not unlike some 

 of the varieties of Kale, or Borecole. Its stem is from a 

 foot to four feet in height, and from an inch and a half to 



upwards of two inches 

 in diameter. It is re- 

 markable for the pro- 

 duction of numerous 

 small axillary heads, 

 or sprouts, which are 

 firm and compact "like 

 little cabbages, or rather 

 like hearted Savoys in 

 miniature. A small 

 head, resembling an 

 open Savoy, surmounts 

 the stem of the plant, 

 and maintains a circu- 

 lation of sap to the ex- 

 tremity. Most of the 

 original side-leaves drop 

 off as these small buds, 

 or heads, enlarge." 



Brussels Sprouts. Tkomp. 



Culture. The plant is always raised from seeds, which, 

 in size, form, or color, are scarcely distinguishable from the 

 seeds of the Common Cabbage. These should be sown at 

 the time and in the manner of the Cabbage, either in hot- 

 beds in March or April, or in the open ground in April or 

 May. When three or four inches high, transplant two feet 

 apart in each direction, and cultivate as directed for Cab- 

 bages and Cauliflowers. 



