372 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [May. 
The earliest will, towards the middle or latter part of this month, 
begin to form their heads, when thej may be greatly forwarded in 
their whitening by tying their leaves together. For this purpose, 
get some strong bass or small osier twigs, go over the plants row 
by row, and tie such as begin to turn their leaves inward for head- 
ing; first gathering all the leaves up regularly; do not, however, 
bind them too close, for that would occasion their rotting. 
This method may be practised with a few early plants, but by no 
means with the principal crop; as those treated in that way never 
produce such large and firm heads as they would if left to nature: 
ihowever, market gardeners may derive some advantage from it, as 
the early produce will always command the highest price. 
Continue to plant out your spring cabbage plants for autumn 
and winter use agreeably to the directions given in page 316. Plant 
also, at this time, a full crop of red pickling cabbage and savoys. 
All these will require an open situation; they never thrive or head 
well near trees, walls, or shade of any kind, and the richer your 
ground the larger sized heads will you have. You may plant some 
between rows of forward kidney-beans and other low growing crops, 
which will occupy the ground when those are off. 
Let all be planted out, if possible, in moist or cloudy weather, 
and immediately after give each a little water, unless the ground is 
already sufficiently saturated. 
Sow now some early York, sugar-loaf and other close quick- 
hearting kinds for summer and autumn use; likewise savoys, large 
drum-head, flat-dutch, and any other of the large late heading 
sorts for autumn and winter cabbages, and also some of the red 
pickling cabbage. Sow these seeds as directed in page 517, and 
transplant young advancing seedlings into beds as there directed, 
watering them immediately, and given them shade for a few days 
if necessary. 
Sowing Borecole. 
You may now sow a principal crop of green and red curled bore- 
cole for autumn, winter, and spring use; for an account of which 
see pages 191 and 317. 
By sowing the seed early you will have tall strong stems, and 
large bushy heads, sometimes growing to the height of four feet; 
but the largest are always obtained from the spring sowings; how- 
ever, it is usual to continue sowing successive crops of them to the 
end of July. 
The seed should be sown in beds of open ground tolerably thin 
and covered lightly or raked in regularly. In dry weather it will 
be of use to water the beds occasionally, both before and after the 
plants are up. When about three inches high, it will be proper to 
thin the seed-bed, and prick out a quantity therefrom at four inches 
distance, that the whole may obtain proper strength for final trans- 
planting. 
Towards the end of the month, those sown in April should be 
planted out into beds of rich sandy soil in the manner directed for 
