May."] 



THE CULINARY GARDEN. 



155 



it, for the purpose of shading it from the sun, and at the same 

 time of defending it from the rain. By this means, the flower 

 is not only blanched, but its delicacy is increased. This exa- 

 mination of the plants should be frequently attended to, not 

 only with the early but also with the late crops ; for, by ad- 

 hering to the system of breaking down the leaves on the flower, 

 the blowing of it is considerably retarded in hot weather. 

 The crops should be freely watered in dry weather, and a 

 basin should be formed for the purpose of retaining the water 

 round the roots of the plants. 



SOWING BROCCOLI. 



Broccoli a full crop should now be sown on a rich spot. 

 Sow each sort separately, and attend in dry weather to water 

 them freely. The sorts recommended for last month are now 

 also to be sown, to which may be added the purple Cape, green 

 Cape, Grange's early cauliflower broccoli. The white broccolis 

 are supposed to be less alkalescent than the purple, and there- 

 fore are by many preferred. 



PLANTING BROCCOLI. 



Those broccoli-plants which are fit, should now be planted 

 out at the distance of two feet each way. Let the ground be 

 well prepared, by giving it a large proportion of manure, and 

 digging it well. In planting, take especial care not to bury 

 the hearts of the plants. If the weather be dry, give a good 

 watering, and occasionally repeat it, till the plants have taken 

 root. 



It is often the case, that old gardens are infested with an 

 insect, which insinuates itself into the roots of the brassica 

 tribe, and causes the well-known disease called by gardeners 

 the club. The only means of getting rid of this destructive 

 disease, is by removing the cause ; and this is to be efiected by 

 trenching the ground three feet deep or more, if possible, 

 thereby burying the insect and its eggs beyond the possibility 

 of its soon returning to the surface. Where this mode cannot 



