48 
THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
and entail no 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 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 tlie 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. 
Though 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 those tremendous summers of 1868 and 1870, we had as 
fine crops of broccolis and cauliflowers as in the rainy summers that 
preceded and followed them, 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 the 
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 frost stops 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 in a north 
aspect all winter may not flower until June, and this will enlarge 
the scheme by a month at winding up. Nevertheless, by what 
may be termed the rough and ready way of growing broccoli, 
there must be a break in the supply. To ensure continuous sup- 
plies, other and more troublesome methods of procedure must be 
