THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
73 
and the most tender of them require to be sheltered during 
winter; and as only such of the finest quality are worth the 
trouble of protecting, these form a group which it is con- 
venient to separate from the rest as cauliflowers, although in 
every essential particular they are as truly broccolis as any of 
the more hardy and less elegant varieties. 
The Broccoli ( Brassica oleracea botrytis ) and Cauli- 
flower ( Brassica oleracea caulijlora ) are gross feeding- 
plants, and therefore require a rich deep soil. The culti- 
vator who seeks to obtain a supply from a poor soil will 
be disappointed unless he happens to be favoured with a hot 
summer, and gives the plant regular and copious supplies of 
liquid manure. Only on good living can handsome heads of 
broccoli be produced, and, therefore, the first step towards a 
good supply is deep digging and abundant manuring. In our 
heavy damp clay land, all the varieties attain to their highest 
possible quality, but a rather light, well-tilled loam is to be 
preferred for varieties that produce their heads during winter 
and spring. _ However, we have cut abundance of the finest 
broccoli during ten months out of the twelve, the times of 
scarcity being June and December; and though we have seen 
our plantations under water for days together, and at other 
times stiffened with fifteen degrees of frost, we have rarely 
suffered from the trials the plants are exposed to on our cold 
soil in the winter season. On those old garden soils that 
produce club, the seed-beds should be prepared by digging in 
lime or plaster, and the ground for planting on should be 
prepared by double digging, and putting a heavy layer of good 
manure between the two spits. By such management the 
club will be exterminated, and the land will be constantly 
increasing in cleanliness and strength. 
Broccoli as an ordinary Garden Crop. — By good 
management broccolis may be cut during eight or nine months 
out of twelve, and entail but little more trouble than a crop 
of cabbage. It is best to make three sowings — the first as 
early in March as the state of the heavens and earth will 
permit, the other two in the first week of April, and about 
the middle of May. Sow in drills in the same way as 
cabbage, and on as good a seed-bed as can be prepared for 
them. From these three sowings a constant succession of 
plants will be obtained, and they should be planted out as 
fast as they become large enough, on land heavily manured 
