BRA 



vith variif;atcd Iravts, which arc cuIlivauJ a» [jlaiUb of or- 

 naniciil and ciinol'ny. There are others ;illo dI ;i fomewhat 

 perennial (hriib by nature, rifiiig with tall braiicl>ing ftcnis, 

 i'liruiihcil with leaves all ihe year round ; of which foine 

 .lie curiuully variegated, the plants contiiniinp Icvcral years. 

 Tliofe with variegated leaves uiake an higlily ornamental 

 and euiious appearance. 



'ri\efe forts are propagated and continued principally by 

 planting the oiT-fets, ilips, and flips of the lidc (hoot?, in the 

 fpring or fumnier fcafons, watering them till they become 

 \vell-ri)otcd. 



The common or green colewort !■; a hardy biennial plant 

 of the iipen-headed kind, with a fliort ftem producing a 

 head of lar^illi, oblong, plane, entire leaves, generally of 

 a green colour. It is a very hardy plant, and was formerly 

 cultivated for winter greens, but, till fcvorely pinched by 

 froll, is tough, rank-tafted, never boiling fo fine and tender 

 as the cabbage colsworts, for which reafon it is rarely culti- 

 vated now for the table. They may be raifed for winter 

 ufe by lowing the feed in July, as directed for cabbage cole- 

 worts. 



The Anjou cabbatre or colewort is a plant of the borecole 

 kind, which grows tall, and produces very large open head?. 

 li is raifed as the preceding kinds, but mud be planted out 

 at a much greater diftance. 



BrufTels' fprouts, or choii de Milan, is a dwarf, perennial, 

 open colewort, very prodiiftive of fprouts all the year round. 

 It is raifed by feeds, as in the other open eoleworts, and by 

 the perennial roots, the fmallell bit of which will grow and 

 iocreafe very fall. 



Method of culture in the turnip callage linds. 

 This is a fingular variety of cabbage, having its ftalks 

 fwelled globularly, like a great turnip, and crowned by a 

 large tutt of leaves, which never clofe or cabbage. The 

 forts are the turnip cabbage, with the turnip above the 

 ground ; and the turnip cabbage, with the turnip under the 

 ground. The plants rife and grow for fome time, as in the 

 common open colewort kind, till they form bulbs. It is 

 the globular or tutnip-part of tlie plant that is ufed, being 

 fometimes fliced in fonps, and by fome ufed as common tur- 

 nips ; but unlefs employed when quite young, they are rank 

 and unpalatable. They are much recommended for culture 

 in fields, as a green food for cattle and fheep ; their chief 

 merit is their hardinefs, as they aie capable of withftanding 

 the hardell winter. See Turnip Cabbage. Thefe plants 

 are propagated by feed fown annually in March, April, 

 and June, being fet out in an open lituation, in rows two 

 feet afunder, keeping them clean from weeds, and throwing 

 a little earth about the bottom of the ilems occafionally. 

 The turnip part will be fully grown by Michaelmas, and 

 continue all winter for ufe. They may likewife be fown 

 where the plants are intended to remain, and be hoed out 

 to proper diftances. This lail is probably the bell method 

 of cultivating field crops. 



Mtlhcd oj culture in the caul\Jlons:er kind. 

 The cauliflower is fuppofed to be a variety of fome of the 

 forts of common cabbage, brought up to its prefent improved 

 l^atc by diligent culture. Mr. Miller infills that the cauli- 

 flower is fpecifically diftincl from the common cabbage ; 

 becanfe, in a courfe of lilty years' experience, he could 

 never find tl'eleaft appearance of one approaching the other; 

 becaufe tiny are fo different in their leaves, when the plants 

 are you.ng, a? to be eafily diilinguifacd ; and becaufe the 

 common cabbnge puts out one upright ftem from the centre, 

 which afterwards divides into feveral branches; whereas the 

 cauliflower fends out many flower llems from the part that 

 is eaten, v/hich is a compad coUcftion of the heads of thefe 



BRA 



flalks, dividing afterwards into fo many (lems, and branching 

 out into many fpreading (lioots, fo as to form a large fpread- 

 ing head when in flower, but never rifing pyramidieally like 

 the cabbage. Tofc, however, afftrts, that though in a well 

 cultivated foil it inay be kept from degenerating, by being 

 properly watered, it will bceome a common cabbage, if neg- 

 Icdted. It was fird brought to England from the ifland of 

 Cyprus, and, in the courfe of the lall century, has been fo 

 much improved in our kitch.cn garden;., that moll parts of 

 Europe are now fupjiiied with Englifli feeds. 



The varieties are the early cauliflower and the late cauli. 

 flower, which are alike in their growth and fize, only the 

 early kind comes in about a week before the other, provided 

 the true fort can he obtained, of which, however, there is 

 no certainty, unlcfs by fowing the feed from the earliell 

 forts, as is tl:e praflice of the i^ondon kitchen gardeners, 

 who arc always in poffefTion of an early and a lite kind of 

 the former, of which they are very careful. Both the va- 

 rieties art of a delicate nature, being generally too tender to 

 refill the cold of the winter feafon, without the occafioiial 

 aid of glaffes or other means. Thofe who are curious in the 

 culture of the cauliflower, have generally three or fourcrops 

 in the year ; as an early fummer crop, a main fummer crop, 

 a late fummer crop, and an autumn or Michaelmas crop. 



The proper feafon for fowing the above crops are, for 

 the early fummcr-crop, about the middle of Auguft ; the 

 plants which rife in the fame feafon are to be pricked out, 

 and preferved through the winter, under bell glafles, liand 

 glaffes, frames, or other conveniences, v>'hich, being planted 

 out in fpring, arrive at perfeftion the enfuing fummer, trom 

 May to July and Auguft. For the late fummer crop to 

 fnccted the above, the feed mull be fown in February, or 

 early in March, but not later than the firft week in April, 

 the plants being fet out in May to come in for ufe in .Au- 

 guft and September. And for the Michaelmas or autumn 

 crop, the fowing fliould be performed about the middle of 

 May, the plants being fet out in July. Thefe are ready after 

 Michaelmas, and the following month, come to perfefliori 

 gradually in Odlobcr, but are never fo large, fair, or per» 

 feftly headed as the fummer crops. 



In the culture of the early and main fummer crops, great 

 attention is neceflary to procure good feed, fuch as is not 

 more than a year old, and which has been faved from the 

 bell forts. For the purpofe of railing them in the greateft 

 pertcftion, a bed of the richeft light earth, in the full 

 ground, in a free expofure, is to be prepared at the proper 

 period, by digging it well over neatly, one fpade deep, and 

 breaking the furfacc fine, then, either fowing the feed on 

 the furface, and raking it in evenly and liijhily ; or firft, 

 raking the furface fmooth, and then fowing the feed, fifting 

 light earth over it to a quarter of an inch in thicknefs. 

 When the weather is dry, gentle waterings, in the evening, 

 are neceffary, both before and after the plants appear ; and 

 if very hot, dry weather, it is advifeable to (hade the bed 

 moderately with mats in the heat of the day. The plants 

 generally appear in a week or ten days. All the culture 

 necefi'ary afterwards, is occafioiial watering and weeding, 

 until towards the latter end of September, when their leaves 

 will be an inch or two broad ; a q'lantity of the beft plants 

 fhoulJ then be pricked out, in four feet wide beds of rich 

 earth, in rows three or four inches d'ftant, rejecting all crooked 

 and black-flianked plants. As foon as they arc planted, 

 a moderate watering fliould be given, which, when dry wea- 

 ther prevails, fliould be moderately repeated. The plants 

 mull remain there till about the end of Oftober, when they 

 fhould be tranfplanted into their winter quarters, fome being 

 planted out under hand or bell glaffes for the earlieft crops ; 



others 



