M4- THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. [Apt\ 



lent vegetable. About the middle of this month, if the beds 

 be prepared as above, proceed to draw two drills in each bed, 

 about two inches deep, in which the seeds must be sown. Sow 

 moderately thick, so as to secure a crop, which afterwards 

 will be thinned out to twelve inches apart. The turnip-fly and 

 wire-worm are gi'eat enemies to all the plants of the class 

 Tetradynamia. The best remedy for the latter, is to have 

 them picked out of the ground by the hand ; the former may 

 be prevented from doing much injury, by a circle of quick-lime 

 strewed round the plants. 



Sea-kale may be cultivated by rearing the plants from seed 

 on a seed-bed, and, when a year old, transplanting them into 

 beds prepared as above, at the distance of eighteen inches each 

 way; but in setting young plants, place them in patches of 

 three plants each, taking care, in removing them from the seed- 

 bed not to injure the tap-roots. Sea-kale plants of a proper age 

 may be had of most nurserymen, but, in well regulated gar- 

 dens, a part should be annually sown, so as to have a supply 

 always at hand. However, where circumstances will admit, 

 we would advise to sow the seeds in the beds, where they are 

 to remain to come to perfection. This is attended with much 

 less trouble, and if the beds have been properly prepared, the 

 plants will become stronger than those which have been trans- 

 planted. 



Sea-kale is propagated by some of the most eminent gar- 

 deners in the vicinity of London, by cutting the roots of the 

 old plants into pieces about an inch long, and planting them in 

 drills like potatoes. By this means, the buds will spring and 

 find their way to the surface with greater certainty than if 

 planted by the dibble ; by which latter process, many of them 

 run a chance of being placed with their root-end uppermost, 

 and consequently be unproductive of shoots. 



BLANCHING SEA-KALE. 



The sprouts which rise at this time, and in May, being pro- 

 perly blanched, are held in high estimation. The process of 

 blanching is performed in a variety of ways. The most con- 

 venient and the best for sea-kale, which is not forced, is to 



