BEOCCOLl 



VEGETABLE GARDEN cauliflower 1117 



Time of so-wing. — Seeds may be' sown 

 very thinly in shallow drills about 6 in. 

 apart from the beginning to the middle of 

 April, and again two or three weeks later 

 to obtain a succession. When the seed- 

 lings have developed 3 or 4 leaves they 

 may be transplanted in dull showery 

 weather if possible to the ground which 

 was prepared the previous autumn, and 

 may have produced a crop of early 

 Potatoes m the meantime. Although it 

 is possible to secure good crops by plant- 

 ing as late as the end of July, and even 

 early in August, as a rule the best results 

 are obtained by having all the plants in 

 their places by the middle of June. The 

 first seedlings above ground may be 

 pricked out about 6 in. apart into a warm 

 border about a month after sowing, and if 

 left here for another month to become 

 sturdy, they may then be transplanted 

 in showery weather to their permanent 

 quarters. The absence of showers, how- 

 ever, should not interfere with planting 

 Broccoli at the proper time, but a good 

 soaking with water should then be given 

 in lieu of rain. The plants should be 2 

 to 3 ft. apart each way, the vigorous 

 varieties being given the greater amount 

 of space for development. The general 

 treatment in regard to hoeing, weeding, 

 watering &o. is afterwards the same as 

 for Cabbages (see p. 1114). 



Protection. — In severe winters it may 

 be found advisable to protect the heads of 

 the late kinds — that is, those for use in 

 spring and early summer — by means of a 

 little clean straw or litter. Or the leaves 

 may be slightly cracked at the midrib or 

 stalk and bent inwards over the heads. 



In some places an operation called 

 ' heeling in ' is practised. It consists in 

 bending the stalks over until the heads 

 face the north or west. The object in 

 view is to prevent the heads being injured 

 by alternate frosting and thawing — the 

 latter really doing more damage than the 

 former. It is therefore considered better 

 to have the heads facing north or west, as 

 the sun wiU not then shine upon them, or 

 only so feebly as to be of no importance. 

 The operation of ' heeling in ' is usually 

 carried out during mild weather in Novem- 

 ber. If the plants are in rows running 

 east and west, a trench is opened before 

 the first row on the north side. All the 

 plants in the first row are then bent over 

 with the heads facing the north, and soil 

 from the second trench is placed over the 



stems to keep them in the required posi- 

 tion. The plants in the secondrow are then 

 treated in the same way, and so on until 

 the work is finished. If the rows are 

 running north and south, it will be found 

 more convenient to bend the plants so 

 that the heads shall face westwards ; but 

 the work is precisely the same. Care, 

 however, should be taken not to expose 

 the roots more than is absolutely neces- 

 sary, otherwise they may be injured by 

 frost. 



VARIETIES OF BROCCOLI 



Among the Broccoli most useful for 

 the garden are Veitch's Autumn Self-pro- 

 tecting, which is valuable for autumn 

 and early winter use. Its firm whitish 

 and compact heads retain their crispness 

 and freshness a long time, owing to the 

 protection they receive from the leaves 

 which curl inwards and protect them 

 a good deal. 



Walcheren is a well-known variety 

 and still one of the best for autumn use. 

 Mammoth White is a compact-growing 

 late Broccoli with deep green leaves, 

 which curl over and protect the large 

 white heads well. It is of good quality 

 and continues in use for a long time. 

 Other varieties for autumn and winter 

 use are Purple Cape, White Cape, Back- 

 house's Winter White, Knight's Protect- 

 ing, Oshorn's White, Snow's Superb, 

 White Sprouting, axiA Purple Sprouting. 

 The latter is a distinct variety, and is 

 often called the Asparagus Broccoli. It 

 has purplish curled leaves, and instead of 

 producing a compact head as in the ordi- 

 nary varieties, it throws up numerous thick 

 and fleshy purple shoots fi-om the centre 

 and also from the axils of the leaves. 

 These shoots are produced in succession 

 for a long time, and should be gathered 

 before the flowers open. They are used 

 in the same way as green Asparagus. 



For use in spring and early summer 

 may be mentioned Alexandra, an excel- 

 lent variety of first-rate quality ; Cattell's 

 Eclipse, considered at one time to be the 

 best late Broccoli cultivated ; Methven's 

 June, a very hardy sort standing the 

 winter well, and remaining in use till 

 nearly the end of June ; Wilcove's Superb 

 "PP hite, and Veitch's Model. 

 I For diseases &c. see p. 1113. 



CAULIFLOWER (Beassica olera- 

 CEA BOTRYTis cauliflora). — The Cauli- 



