452 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



[ Jtrne 28, 1871. 



weather nntil the plants recover. The plants having become 

 Btout, or about 6 inches high, or I wUl say thsy were sown at 

 the close of April or beginning of May, they will be fit to prick 

 out ak the close of May or early in Jane ; and in from three 

 weeks to a month after that, or early in July, they will be in 

 fine condition for planting out. It is equally prejudicial to 

 allow the plants to become crowded when transplanted as it is 

 in the seed beds ; this crowding often renders the plants lanky, 

 and such seldom stand a severe winter. 



The situation for planting Broccoli should be open, for in 

 shaded, and even sheltered, situations the plants are not nearly 

 so hardy as in open positions. For the early kinds, however, 

 sheltered situations are desirable, especially for varieties which 

 oome into use in December and January. For the spring and 

 late kinds the situation cannot be too open. 



The soil should be rich, but not from manure applied at the 

 time of planting, for that only causes a succulent tender growth, 

 the plants being more susceptible of injury from frost than 

 those not stimulated by fresh manure. Fresh loamy soil is 

 undoubtedly the best, as the plants are not so liable to suffer 

 from the maggot producing club, fioger and toe, or ambury, as 

 in old lioh garden soil. Fresh soil, or that which has been 

 recently taken in, will be benefited by a dressing of old ma- 

 nure ; for the ground having been trenched, and the surface 

 soil placed at some depth, that brought to the surface is some- 

 what inert from want of exposure to the atmosphere, therefore 

 a moderate dressing is useful in such a case to give the plants 

 a start, whilst not stimulating them to make a very succulent 

 tender growth. In such soils the plants may not grow so 

 strongly, nor attain so large a size of head, but they are more 

 hardy than those g own in very rich soil, and have, as a rule, 

 large heads for the size of the plants, and are very compact 

 and of fine quality. Old garden soil it is well to trench, 

 placing the SJrface soil at the bottom, and if the soil turned 

 up be poor, as it will be if it has long lain without trenching, 

 a moderate application of old manure m^y be given, and 

 pointed-iu with a fork. The trenching has been found one of 

 the best known means of preventing the club or smbury. If 

 the ground is rich omit the manuring, and give a good dressing 

 of lime, a substance not so frequently used in gardens as it 

 ought to be. It is not only beneficial as a manure, but is a 

 capital safeguard against insect; pests. Salt is also a good ap- 

 plication, and has been found very useful against club or am- 

 bury. Soot is also an excellent manure with salt ; and lime 

 and soot ia equal parts, with half a part of salt, by measure, 

 form OLe of the beat manures for the Cabbage tribe, the 

 dressing being made broadcast after the ground has been 

 dug ; and before planting, after the dressing, the ground 

 shou d be pointed over viith a fork. Half a bushel per r^d is 

 a good dressing. It is an excellent dressing for old worn-out 

 garden soils, and all three of iss components are good insect- 

 destroyers. 



Broccoli should have plenty of room. Nothing is gained by 

 crowding the plant;", but very often everything is lost. A dis- 

 tance of 2 feet G inches is as near as the rows ought to be, ex- 

 cept for such kinds as the Malta, 2 feet being sufiioient for 

 them. I prefer, however, to give all 24 feet between the rows, 

 and to have the plants 2 feet apart in the rows. This I con- 

 sider ample, but not too much. Where each row is to be 

 planted draw a rather wide drill, but shallow, as for sowing 

 Peas, and if the weather is dry water the drills well to their 

 full extent, and ia about six hours afterwards they will be fit 

 lor planting. In planting, much is gained by taking up and 

 planting with a trowel instead of a dibber. The latter method 

 takes more time than pulling up and dibbling, but the plants 

 receive comparatively little check. 



After planting give a gentle watering, and the plants will not 

 require any more unless the weather be unusually dry ; then 

 watering must be practised as required so as to insure the esta- 

 blishing of the plants. If the weather be moist the waterings will 

 not, of course, be required, but it is not good practice to wait 

 for rain falling ; the plants when large enough for planting 

 should be put out. As a rule, they should be planted out in 

 the first fortnight of July. The ground between the rows and 

 about the plants should be frequently stirred with a hoe, and 

 the plants earthed-up as they advance, drawing the soil around 

 the stems. 



By October the plants will be at their best as regards growth, 

 and early in that month I consider it advisable to lay them. 

 The best plan U to take out the soil to the north of the end 

 plant of the first row, taking out a few spits near to the stalk 

 or stem, and forming a channel outwards for the stem to lie in. 



The spade ia then placed in the ground about 6 inches from 

 the stem, on the opposite side, and ii pressed forward to the 

 plants, whilst with the other hand the head is inclined to the 

 north and brought to the ground, so that the stem rests in the 

 channel. The soil from the next plant is placed over the stem, 

 so as to cover it to the head, and the opening made by intro- 

 ducing the spade is closed. In this way the whole is done, 

 plant after plant, and row after row. It is necessary to have a 

 boy to hold the plants whilst the soil is being placed on the 

 stems. It should be put down firm, so as to keep the plants 

 in their proper position, the soil being gently pressed. Another 

 plan is to take up the plants with balls^ and lay them in with 

 their heads inclined to the north, they being planted so near 

 that the leaves touch, but not very closely. In laying-in, or 

 planting, the whole of the st»m is covered with soil, leaving 

 nothing out but the leaves. This is also a good plan, but the 

 heads are small — considerably smaller than those which are 

 laid in where grown or without transplanting. As a rule, by 

 the former plan the stems will be so long as to reach the ridge 

 of the next row, so that they will have the neck somewhat 

 raised, aa it should be — the necks of the plants should be a few 

 inches higher than the general level. 



The laying-in should be done in good time, so that the plants 

 may have time to form fresh roots before severe weather sets 

 in, to effect which it is necessary to operate whilst there is 

 heat in the ground. The laying-in giving a check to growth, 

 tends to ripen the juices of the plant, and it is as a consequence 

 more hardy. In all but very cold climates the laying-in may 

 be done early in November. It is best practised iu moitt 

 weather. 



Another plan of affording protection is that of planting so as 

 to leave an interval of about 4 feet between every two rows. 

 The preferable plan, however, is to plant the first row with 

 Oauliflowere, then to have two rows of Broccoli, the fourth row 

 Cauliflowers, and every third row after that the same, the two 

 rows between being of Broccoli. In this case the plants may 

 be planted 2 feet apart every way, and every third row coming 

 off before or by November, a space of 4 feet will be available 

 between every two rows of Broccoli. The soil is taken from a 

 trench 2 feet wide between these rows, and placed so as to 

 cover the stems of the Broccoli ; in fact, they are earthed-np 

 in the same way as Celery. This being done, a check is given 

 to growth by the cutting away of some of the fibres on one side ; 

 this tends to cause a concentration of the juices, whilst the 

 earth protects the stems from injury by frost. It is considered 

 desirable by some to give a dressing of salt after the earthing- 

 up, applying it on a dry day ; and that it may not enter 

 the young tender hearts, it should be scattered sideways along 

 the ridges, and so that it may not touch more than the old 

 leaves, which it will not injure. The object of using the salt is 

 to keep the plants from being frosted at the neck. The salt 

 may be applied at the rate of ten bushels per acre. The whole 

 may then, or before severe frost, be covered np with stable 

 litter, covering the whole, and especially about the plants. In 

 very severe weather mats, straw covers, or other materials, may 

 be used for protection, to be left on as long as the frost con- 

 tinues, but when thoroughly thawed remove it, and likewise do 

 so whenever the weather is mild. The manure will form an 

 excellent dressing for the ground. It may be drawn into the 

 spaces between the rows in March, and the intervals between 

 the Broccoli may be sown with Peas that do not require a 

 greater width between the rows than 6 feet, and between 

 the Peas again, where the Broccoli stands, Celery may be 

 grown. 



When the heads are appearing it ia well to turn the leaves 

 over them, so as to prevent their being exposed to the weather. 

 This may be done by half breaking through those leaves which 

 can be turned over the head. The heads soon become of a 

 yellow colour when exposed to the atmosphere, and are not 

 only not white, a point of perfection in a good Broccoli, but are 

 much coarser-flavoured. 



The plants are sometimes attacked by caterpillars, for which 

 there ia no remedy so good as hand-picking, and dusting 

 the leaves early iu the morning whilst the dew is on them 

 with quicklime or dry soot, both of which are good appli- 

 cations. 



The Brassiea aphis attacks Turnips and all the Cabbage 

 tribe. Last year it did considerable mischief in the north, 

 rendering whole fields of Turnips completely useless. It will 

 not yield to soot or lime, nor even salt ; the only effectual 

 remedy is to syringe the plants, or water them overhead 

 through a fiue-rosed watering-pot, with tobacco water, adding 



