540 Bicton Gardens, their Culture and Management. 



which you tasted when here. I gathered the eleven last of the 

 fruit on December 2. ; making in all 427 ripe and perfect fruit 

 gathered oif the same plant. I am pleased to say one of the 

 Miisa Dacca is showing fruit, very fine ; it was only a small 

 sucker planted out last March. The M. sapientum, planted on 

 the same day, has its leaves at this time doubled against the top 

 of the house ; and the trunk, which, when I measured it for you, 

 was 14 ft. 6 in. high, and the base of the stem 3 ft. 3 in. in cir- 

 cumference, is now more than 16 ft. high, and the trunk 

 3 ft. 7 in. in circumference at the base, although I have kept 

 them cold and short of water now for some time. 

 Bicton Gardens, Dec. 12. 1842. 



Letter XXI. System of Kitchen-Gardening continued. Culture of the Cab- 

 bage, Broccoli, Pea, Bean, Onion, Carrot, Parsnep, and Spinach, 



The most useful of all vegetables is the Cabbage, both for man 

 and beast ; and every person who has a little bit of garden 

 ground attempts to grow and cultivate it, or some of the 

 numerous family of ^rassica. It is to be seen in eveiy garden, 

 whether large or small, during some part of the season ; and 

 almost every town and village has its own peculiar sort : but 

 some of them are not worth cultivating, although they will tell 

 you they will do for the cows and pigs ; yet cows and pigs like 

 a good cabbage as well as we do, and it is no more expensive to 

 cultivate a good one than a bad one. Cabbages will grow on 

 any good ground ; but, like every thing else, are fond of good 

 manure, and of ground well prepared and sweetened. I believe 

 I have grown every new sort I have ever heard of ; and up to 

 this time I find none to excel the Matchless, the Nonpa- 

 reil, and East Ham Cabbage, for quickness, beauty, and good 

 flavour, growing close to the ground, and having no waste 

 loose leaves to encumber them. The true Nonpareil will come 

 in the quickest by fifteen or twenty days. The East Ham is 

 the largest. The Matchless is the smallest, and of a very fine 

 dark green colour for cooking as coleworts and greens, and is 

 either the same, or very much like what I used to see. grown in 

 the first-rate market-gardens about London for years. The 

 three above-named cabbages, true to name and sort, will give 

 satisfaction to every grower, if a good preparation be made 

 for them. They are quite distinct, and I think I should 

 easily know them from each other wherever I might see them 

 growing. 



They cultivate the worst sorts of cabbages in Devonshire I ever 

 saw. I recollect well, on first entering Bicton kitchen-gardens, I 

 saw a large piece of something planted out cabbage-fashion. I 

 asked the foreman what it was, and he told me it was the spring 



