72 CULTURE OF SEAKALE 



plants taken up can be treated as follows : break off all 

 roots close to the stems and put under some earth for 

 cuttings. On a wet or frosty day when out of doors' 

 work is at a standstill these can be cut out into lengths 

 for next season's planting. The plants thus taken up 

 can be forced, or if not wanted at the time of taking up, 

 they, like the roots broken off, should be stored away 

 in soil, packed closely together crown uppermost, so 

 that when a quantity is required for forcing or sending 

 away they are ready to hand. 



Forcing 



There are innumerable ways of forcing, in fact, so 

 long as a dark place can be secured with a temperature 

 of fifty to sixty degrees, all requirements will be met. 

 The roots can be packed in light soil closely together, 

 leaving just enough room for the kale to grow up, the 

 crowns being just under or even level with the soil. 

 On this I like to put a good covering of wheat straw or 

 dry sweet leaves — but before doing this the plants should 

 receive a gentle watering to settle the soil and to give 

 the necessary moisture. Should the conditions be not 

 dark enough, a frame should be fitted over so that the 

 plants will be as in a box with the lid on. A very 

 gentle heat is sufficient, at first fifty degrees being 

 the maximum, rising to sixty-five which is the highest 

 permissible if good stout kale is required. This should 

 not be longer than eight to ten inches, for should it be 

 allowed to grow longer, it would be well on the road to 

 ruin. Such kale cooks badly, indeed, the shorter the 

 kale the better does it cook — personally I prefer it to be 

 about six inches in length. Cooks are often blamed for 

 hard and tough kale when the fault is really that of the 

 grower — who has left it too long before cutting. To 



