£94 HORTICULTURAL TOUR. 



tcmber, and the crowns are ready for use in October and 

 November. They continue good throughout the winter, 

 unless the weather prove uncommonly boisterous and se- 

 vere. Like German or curled greens, they are generally 

 accounted more tender after having tasted the frost. Early 

 in the spring, they are found very apt to run to flower. 



Here at Brussels, the market is supplied with them du- 

 iing the greater part of the year. We were at first rather 

 surprised to find them already on the stalls (8th Septem- 

 ber) ; but we now learn that they had even appeared so ear- 

 ly as the beginning of last month, and are told that the sup- 

 ply will continue uninterrupted till the end of next April. 

 This prolongation of the season of Brussels sprouts, is ac- 

 complished partly by successive sowings, and partly by the 

 way in which the plants are treated. The first sowing is 

 made early in spring, under glass ; and other sowings fol- 

 low at intervals of about three weeks, till near midsummer. 

 The seedlings are planted out in rows, sometimes in large 

 beds, and frequently between the lines of haricots, peas, or 

 potatoes. It is a common practice to pinch off the tops of 

 the plants a fortnight before the gathering of the rosettes 

 is begun. This operation of pinching off the tops, we 

 very commonly perform on garden-beans, in order to pro- 

 mote their fruitfulness ; and with Brussels sprouts, it is done 

 with the view of directing the energies of the plant to the 

 production of lateral shoots. When the tops are left, they 

 are used as greens in the early spring: they resemble tur- 

 nip-leaves in taste, having a good deal of the peculiar fla- 

 vour which distinguishes the Crueifera.', while the sprouts 

 are remarkably bland. Only a few crowns arc taken from 

 each plant at a gathering ; the plant itself being thus left 

 nearly uninjured. In this way it pushes out new rosettes 

 inplac4 <>f Hi';/ removed, Willi us al homo the plant is 



