540 On the Cultivation of the Water Cress. 



remarked, make excellent garden manure. From the mass 

 of plants thus taken out, the youngest, and those with most 

 roots, are selected ; these are placed on the gravel in rows at 

 the requisite distances, with a stone on each plant, to keep 

 it in its place. The Cress will not grow freely in a muddy 

 bottom, nor will they taste well when there is mud about the 

 roots, which should be carefully removed, and replaced by 

 gravel or chalk. It is absolutely necessary to have a constant 

 current, as when there is any obstruction to the stream or 

 flow of water, the plants cease to thrive. The times of renew- 

 ing the beds are in May and June, and from September to 

 November. The planting is done in succession, so that the 

 crops may come regularly into cutting. Those planted in 

 May are fit to cut in August, and those planted in November 

 are ready to gather in the spring. 



After the plants have been cut about three times, they be- 

 gin to stock, and then the oftener they are cut the better : in 

 summer it is necessary to keep them very closely cut ; and in 

 w ater of a proper depth, and with a good soil, each bed sup- 

 plies a gathering once a week. In winter the water should be 

 rather deeper than in summer (four or five inches) ; to obtain 

 this, the plants are left with more head, that the water may 

 thus be impeded. Mr. Bradbery has about five acres 

 planted. He sends the Cress in hampers, each containing 

 eight dozen bunches, to the London markets every day 

 throughout the year, except Sundays; three days in each 

 week to Covent Garden market, and the other three days to 

 Newgate market. 



The water in Mr. Bradbery's Cress plantations is 



