220 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



within 2 or 3 in. of the stems of the 

 plants, laying the soil, as the work 

 proceeds, on the side away from the 

 row\ This necessarily removes the 

 soil from the roots, no more of 

 which is broken off than can be 

 avoided. All the plants in the row 

 are then regularly bent over, until 

 their heads rest on the ridge of soil 

 taken out of the trench. When this 

 is done, commence with the next 

 row, taking the soil out so as to 

 form a similar trench, and laying it 

 in a ridge upon the stems of the 

 row of plants bent over, so as to 

 cover them right up to their bottom 

 leaves ; and, in this way, proceed 

 until the whole is completed. If 

 the rows stand north and south, the 

 work is begun on the west side. By 

 this process, as will be seen, all the 

 roots on one side of each row, and a 

 portion of those on the other, are 

 disturbed. This causes the leaves 

 to flag a good deal for a week or 

 two, and checks growth. The 

 larger and more vigorous the plants, 

 the greater the need for thus pre- 

 paring them for winter. In light 

 soils, where they can be got up 

 without much mutilation of the 

 roots, should it be desirable to 

 prepare the ground for some other 

 crop before the Broccoli is off in 

 spring, they may be taken up alto- 

 gether and laid in some more 

 convenient place, lifting them, as 

 far as possible, with all their roots 

 intact. Where time can be spared, 

 we believe this to be a good system, 

 as we have noticed that where 

 Broccoli is managed in this way, it 

 is only during exceptionally severe 

 winters that it gets destroyed. The 

 length of time during which this 

 vegetable affords a succession, at a 

 period of the year when there is not 

 much variety, makes it worth while 

 to do all w^e can to prolong its 

 season. Fortunately, however, severe 



injury to the Broccoli crop is the 

 exception rather than the rule, and is 

 quite as likely to be the consequence 

 of imperfectly ripened stems as of 

 hard weather. 



Protecting. — When Broccoli 

 comes into use in too large quan- 

 tities at a time, and a blank in the 

 supply is likely to occur, some of 

 the plants may be taken up and 

 placed in an open shed in which 

 there is a fair amount of light and 

 air. Some ordinary soil may be 

 put into it, and the plants, the heads 

 of which shall have attained a usable 

 size, may be placed in the soil — but 

 not too thickly, or the leaves will 

 turn yellow and injure the heads. 

 If this be done in succession as the 

 plants form heads, there will always 

 be on hand a supply of BroccoH. 

 Frames or pits are better than a 

 shed in which to keep them, but 

 these are generally required for 

 other purposes. The practice of 

 taking up Broccoli in autumn when 

 nearly fit for use, and hanging them 

 head downwards in a shed or other 

 building, is not good ; for, .although 

 they will keep for a time in that 

 way, they get tough and inferior 

 compared with those that have had 

 their roots in moist soil. 



Growing for Exhibition. — 

 W^hen Broccoli is required for ex- 

 hibition, small plantations should 

 be made in different situations, in 

 order to make sure of having them 

 in at the required time. For this 

 purpose large compact heads are 

 indispensable, though it is better 

 to have them somewhat small and 

 close than large and open. Trenches 

 are sometimes dug for the plants, 

 and it is a good system where time 

 can be spared. The trenches should 

 be dug 2 ft. wide and two spits deep; 

 the top spit being taken out and laid 

 on each side, then a good thick coat 

 of fresh horse-droppings, or rotten 



