74 
THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
and thoroughly well prepared by deep digging. The large 
growing sorts should be in rows three or four feet apart, and 
the plants three feet apart in the rows. Moderate growers, 
such as the Walcheren, may be two and a-half feet each way, 
and smaller sorts, such as the Cape, may be two feet apart 
each way. If the spring is late, the March sowing will be 
comparatively worthless, but the cost of seed is trifling, and 
it is always advisable to sow a pinch of broccoli with the other 
small seeds in March, for the chance of some strong plants to 
put out early. It is a great help to the supply if a sowing of 
Walcheren or Hammond's Improved be made in February in 
a seed-pan under glass, and the plants carefully handled for 
planting out in April. If at any stage the plants receive a 
check, or if allowed to grow to any considerable size in the 
seed-bed, they will fail at last, more or less. Therefore, 
showery weather should be chosen for planting out, but rather 
than delay too long waiting for showers, put out the plants 
when they are ready, and by shading and watering, help them 
to take hold of their new stations quickly, without, as we say, 
“feeling the move.” The after culture consists in leaving 
them alone, for they will not even require water. However, 
if extra fine heads are desired, and the summer is hot and 
dry, or the soil too poor to do them justice, water must be 
given, and, in the case of a poor soil, the water must be 
flavoured with some nutritive material, such as guano, or 
drainings from the manure heap. In the hot dry summers of 
1868, 1870, and 1876, we had fine crops of broccolis and 
cauliflowers, but not one had any artificial waterings except 
for a few days after being first planted out. But then ours is 
a very deep, heavy, and productive soil, and for broccolis we 
assist it by laying a coat of fat manure between the two spits, 
as rhe trenching proceeds. Supposing a good selection to 
have been made from the seed-list, you will begin to cut nice 
broccolis in August, and continue cutting until frosts stop 
the supply, which, perhaps, will not occur until January. 
Towards the end of February, if the weather is mild, the 
supply will be renewed, and will increase as the spring 
advances, and be at its height during April, and will come to 
an end during the latter days in May. Plants raised from 
seed sown under glass in February, and carefully managed 
afterwards, may give nice heads in July, which enlarges the 
scheme by one month in starting, and plants that have stood 
