ox PvEARIXG KITCIIEX YEGETAELF.S. 



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iiine,whicli will speedily kill them. TIig green fly or aphis 

 is also sometimes found on the y oimg plants, in which 

 case they should be sprinkled with tobacco-water, though 

 this remedy will certainly affect their flavour. In hot 

 and dry weather, the seed-beds will require a good supply 

 of water, though for summer sowings a cool and shaded 

 situation should be chosen ; but with early and late 

 sowings, a warm south harder is best. 



After the young plants have escaped all these enemies, 

 they should be carefully weeded and thinned out to about 

 one or two inches from each other ; for if this is not done, 

 they ^vill grow long, weak, and slender, and will never 

 afterwards become so large and fine as those that are 

 treated in this manner. 



When they have acquired about six leaves, they should 

 be pricked out into another bed or plot of ground, taking 

 care not to break the root.?, and to have as much earth as 

 possible attached to them. To eftect this, they should be 

 well watered on the previous day, and should be taken up 

 with a small three-pronged fork ; for if they are drawn 

 without being thus loosened, the roots will be greatly 

 injured, and no soil will adhere to them. xVlways cut off" 

 the extremities or tails of the roots, that is, the long 

 tapering root that descends from the centre of the stem 

 perpendicularly into the soil ; as this operation will in- 

 crease and facilitate the formation of fibrous roots. 



The nursery bed must be of good rich soil, well dug, 

 and the plants dibbled into it in rows of half a foot apart, 

 and four inches between the plants ; after planting they 

 should be liberally watered, and also on future occasions 

 when required. 



Of the few operations to which cabbage plants are sub- 

 jected, that of pricking them out is the most important 

 for producing large cabbages, as the plant is thus induced 

 to form a greater abundance of root fibres, which after- 

 wards provide it with a larger supply of food and nourish- 

 ment. At the time of performing this operation, the 

 plants should be sorted, so as to collect all those of the 

 same size together ; otherwise, when after^\'ards planted 

 out, the crop would come in irregularly, for the larger 

 plants will always be ready for use before the smaller 



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