104 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



The sea-kale is a native of the sea-coast of 

 Britain, as noticed by Gerard, who. observes, in 

 his " Herbal," that " the sea-colewort groweth 

 naturally upon the beach and brim of the sea, 

 where there is no earth to be seen, but sand and 

 rolling pebble-stones." It is often found grow- 

 ing out of the crevices of the rocks even of our 

 highest cliffs. When it grows lower down, it 

 sometimes gets covered with sand, and thus be- 

 comes naturally blanched, which circumstance, 

 no doubt, led to our blanching it artificially. 



Use— The young shoots and stalks, when from 

 the length of 3 to 9 inches, are the parts used. 

 These, however, unless blanched (etiolated), are 

 no better than the coarser kinds of borecole, but 

 when blanched they become exceedingly deli- 

 cate, and much prized. The ribs of the leaves, 

 even after they are nearly fully developed, are 

 sometimes used, being peeled and eaten as as- 

 paragus. In either state they are tied up in small 

 bundles and boiled, and served up with meat 

 like cauliflower, covered with white sauce, melted 

 butter, or on toasted bread. This kale cannot 

 be too much boiled, so long as its form is not 

 broken down ; it should then be thoroughly 

 drained, and set a few minutes before the fire, 

 to allow more of the moisture to escape by eva- 

 poration, which renders it more crisp and better 

 flavoured. 



Propagation. — Being, unlike the ma- 

 jority of the Brassicae, a hardy perennial, 

 it is propagated by seed, and also by 

 cuttings of the roots, which are replete 

 with buds or eyes around the bottom of 

 the crown, which are sufficiently visible ; 

 and also with dormant buds all over the 

 surface of the roots, which are invisible, 

 but will develop themselves if the roots 

 are cut up into small pieces and planted. 

 It is, however, in the estimation of some, 

 best raised from seed, as such plants, at 

 least for the first and second year, de- 

 velop only one principal bud or eye on 

 the top of the crown, throwing up a much 

 stronger and better formed head than 

 they do afterwards when several buds are 

 allowed to expand. This, however, may 

 be corrected by rubbing off the eyes when 

 they have attained the size of large peas. 

 The London market-garden practice is to 

 propagate by the root in preference to the 

 seed, and in the following manner : — " To- 

 wards spring, after the produce has been 

 all cut, the roots are taken up ; all the 

 thongs," the long naked roots, "are cut 

 off, and laid in large heaps ; and as soon 

 as the cut part or upper portion becomes 

 hardened, ground is prepared for its re- 

 ception by manuring and trenching. The 

 roots are then planted out a foot apart, 

 in rows 18 inches asunder, and a crop of 



lettuces are planted between them : as 

 soon as the buds become visible, all are 

 cut out except the strongest one, the 

 ground is kept clean, and nothing more is 

 done till November, when they are ready 

 again for forcing." 



Sowing or planting. — Seed is sown in 

 March; the roots planted at the same 

 time. In cold damp soils, the beginning 

 of April is better for the latter purpose ; 

 but much in this respect depends on the 

 wounded parts of the roots being well 

 healed over, else there is danger of their 

 rotting. The seed is best sown in drills 

 2 inches deep and 6 or 8 inches wide, 

 scattering the seed equally over the bot- 

 tom to give the young plants more room 

 when vegetation takes place. Some sow 

 in beds in the broadcast manner, either 

 of which will do equally well, as the 

 plants are only to remain there for one 

 season, when they are to be taken up and 

 transplanted for good. Two ounces of 

 seed will sow a bed of 36 square feet, or 

 if in drills a foot apart and 8 inches in 

 breadth, the same quantity will suffice. 

 The seed is large and light, very often 

 either too old or imperfectly formed ; but 

 this is easily ascertained by cutting them 

 through the middle : if sound, the seed 

 will be found plump and solid. They 

 should be covered to the depth of 2 

 inches. Sometimes they are sown where 

 they are to remain, in which case the 

 same quantity of seed will sow a piece 

 of 75 square feet in drills 2 feet apart, as 

 it must in this case be sown thin. Care 

 must be taken, when the plants come up, 

 that they be thinned to the distance of 

 15 inches. Some divide the ground into 

 beds, and set the cuttings or young plants 

 in rows in them 2 feet apart, and the 

 plants 18 inches in the line : when three 

 rows are thus planted, a space of 3 feet is 

 left as an alley, and another bed of simi- 

 lar dimensions formed. Others, instead 

 of thin-planting the beds, make shallow 

 holes along the line, and drop three or 

 four seeds in each, leaving one plant only 

 to come to maturity. Some people think 

 that in this way the plants are stronger 

 than when subjected to transplantation. 

 For ourselves, having practised all the 

 ways, we could never see much difference 

 in the results. 



The seed usually vegetates in four weeks. 

 Mr Martin's plan of increasing sea-kale is 



