88 
THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
For very small gardens, the following plan will be found 
serviceable and convenient. Procure a good box, about four 
feet wide, and as much in depth. Take this to a warm, close 
cellar, and in it put six inches of moderately light dry soil. 
In this soil place the crowns, and give them a gentle watering, 
and in the course of six or seven weeks, if the place is a 
moderately warm one, some good kale may be expected. 
Seakale Unblanched. — Those who are obliged to have a 
large supply of - early spring vegetables will find it a very 
useful plan to grow a breadth to cut from without forcing or 
blanching. Plant under a north wall say fifty strong plants 
a foot apart each way. Keep them clean, and fork between 
them once a year. Do not force them or cover them, but let 
them come on naturally, which they do just as the spring 
greens and broccolis are over, and it is just at this season 
that green vegetables are scarce, and consequently we very 
often have to commence cutting the spring cabbage at a 
sacrifice. Now, the fact that this method of growing seakale 
will serve to fill up a gap between these two crops is a very 
important one, for apart from the great advantage to be 
gained by giving the cabbage bed another ten days or a fort- 
night to grow larger, it is a good and delicious vegetable, 
little inferior to asparagus, but perhaps will not suit the taste 
of dainty epicures. It is never in better condition than when 
it has grown to the length of eight or nine inches. The 
flower-heads of seakale make a nice dish if cut before the 
flowers open. 
Seakale raised erom Cuttings is not so good in the end 
as that raised from the seed, but with good management 
cuttings will make plants fit for forcing in one season, and, 
therefore, this system of propagating has its merits. To raise 
stock from roots quickly, take stout thongs or tails of roots 
from plants that have been forced, and plant in a bed in a 
frame until they have formed a fair head of leaves, when 
they should be planted out in the open. If this is not con- 
venient, prepare a thoroughly good bed, and in the month of 
March cut up a lot of roots into pieces a span long, and, as 
a rule, ranging in thickness from that of a man’s middle 
finger to that of a common lead pencil. Plant these with 
their top ends one inch below the surface, and cover with fine 
soil and finish the bed fairly. They will soon push through 
and make fine plants. If to be lifted the next winter for 
