46 Cultivation of Sea-kale, 



run very deep. Then mark out the whole of the ground from 

 east to west into divisions of 2 ft. 3 in. each ; down the centre of 

 the second and every other division put in the plants one foot 

 apart : these divisions I shall call the beds, and the others the 

 paths ; but remember to begin with one path, and finish at the 

 farther end with another, and put short strong stakes at the 

 corners of every bed. During the summer these paths are to be 

 dug over at least three times, to the depth of 10 in., in order to 

 render the soil extremely fine ; but, should it be of a close texture, 

 then remove part of it, and bring, in the place of what you 

 remove, an equal quantity of sand. On no account use riddled 

 ashes, instead of sand ; for their rugged surfaces injure the soft 

 cellular vessels of all roots, and hurt their soft expanding leaves. 

 The plants will not be sufficiently strong, the second year of 

 their growth after planting, to be worth forcing with hot manure ; 

 but they will be worth the trouble of covering with the soil from 

 the paths : besides, they must be cut off' to increase the number of 

 their suckers. About the third week in February, when the 

 weather is dry, mark out the paths 2 ft. 3 in. wide, and when the 

 soil is finely broken, lay it upon the beds 8 or 9 in. thick ; so that 

 the beds and the paths, when covered, will appear like c in fig. 6 . 

 As spring advances, examine the plants by removing the soil 



with your hands, and when they are grown 7 or 8 in. high, cut 

 them off a little below the bottom leaf: their heads will be found 

 perfectly white, and all the leaves growing close together. 



As you gather the heads, throw a little soil over their roots. 

 Although the buds have grown in soil, very little will be attached 

 to them ; and this little is easily removed by plunging them into 

 water, holding them by the upper end of the stem. 



If the weather is settled about the end of April, the beds are 

 to be entirely uncovered ; this operation will appear to many to 

 be most extraordinary ; but it is essentially necessary, otherwise 

 the few small heads that may be left uncut will go to seed, and 

 injure the plant for the two following seasons. The gardener 

 must take a sharp bright spade and commence at the end of each 

 bed and throw the soil down into the paths, cutting off every 

 head or parts that may be higher than the original level of the 

 beds (in Jig. 6. a b) before the soil was first placed upon them. 

 The vital principle in the roots of the sea-kale is so great, that 

 they cannot be injured by being" cut through; as will be soon 



