B R A 
The fifth fort came from China, where it is culti- 
vated as an efculent plant ; of this there are two or 
three varieties which I have cultivated fome years, 
but I find them as variable as our common Cabbage. 
Thefe are annual plants, which, if town in April, 
will flower in July, and perfect their feeds in Octo- 
ber. They never dole their leaves to form a head, 
like the common Cabbage, but grow open and loofe, 
more like the wild Navew, and are very unfit for the 
table. As thefe are generally in their perfedion for 
ufe the beginning of July, I imagined their ftrong 
flavour and toughnefs might be occafioned by the 
warmth of the feafon ; therefore I fowed fome of the 
feeds in July, that I might make trial of them in 
winter ; but in the midft of froft, I found them milch 
worfe than our common Colewort, fo I thought them 
not worth propagating. _ ■ _ 
The other two forts of Cabbage are varieties fit for 
a botanic garden, but are plants of no ufe. Thefe 
may be propagated by fowing their feeds on a bed of 
light earth, early in the fpring, in the place where 
they are defigned to remain (for they do not bear 
tranfplanting well.) When the plants are come up 
pretty ftrong, they fhould be thinned, fo as to leave 
them four or five inches apart •, and they muft be con- 
ftantly kept clear from weeds. In June they will 
flower ; and their feeds will ripen the beginning of 
Auguft, which, if permitted to fall, the plants wall 
come up, and maintain themfelves without any far- 
ther care but to keep them clear from weeds. They 
are annual plants, and perilfi when they have per- 
fected their feeds. 
The beft method to fave the feeds of all the beft 
forts of Cabbages is, about the end of November 
you fhould make choice of fome of your beft Cab- 
bages, which you fhould pull up, and carry to fome 
fhed, or other covered place, where you fhould hang 
them up for three or four days by their ftalks, that 
the water may drain from between their leaves •, then 
plant them in fome border, under a hedge or pale, 
quite down to the middle of the Cabbage, leaving 
only the upper part of the Cabbage above ground, 
obferving to raife the earth about it, fo that it may 
ftand a little above the level of the ground ; efpecially 
if the ground is wet, they will require to be raifed 
pretty much above the furface. 
If the winter fhould prove very hard, you muft lay a 
little ftraw or Peafe-haulm lightly upon them, to fe- 
cure them from the froft, taking it off as often as the 
weather proves mild, left by keeping them too clofe 
they fhould rot. In the fpring of the year thefe Caff 
bages will fhoot out ftrongly, and divide into a great 
number of fmall branches : you muft therefore fup- 
port their ftems, to prevent their being broken off by 
the wind ; and if the weather fhould be very hot and 
dry when they are in flower, you fhould refrefh them 
with water once a week all over the branches, which 
will greatly promote their feeding, and preferve them 
from mildew. 
When the pods begin to change brown, you will do 
well to cut off the extreme part of every fhoot with 
the pods, which will ftrengthen your feeds •, for it is 
generally obferved, that thofe feeds which grow near 
the top of the fhoots, are very fubjeft to run to feed 
before they cabbage f fo that by this there will be no 
lofs, but a great advantage, efpecially if you have 
more regard to the quality than to the quantity of the 
feeds, which indeed is not always the cafe, when it is 
Intended for fale ; but thofe who fave it for their own 
ufe, fhould be very careful to have it good. 
When your feeds begin to ripen, you muft be parti- 
cularly careful, that the birds do not deftroy it •, for 
they are very fond of thefe feeds. In order to prevent 
their mifchief, fome ufe old nets, which they throw 
over their feeds, to prevent their getting to it : but 
this will not always do, for, unlefs the nets are very 
ftrong, they will force their way thro 5 them, as I have 
often feen •, but the beft method I know, is to get a 
quantity of birdlime, and dawb over a parcel of {len- 
der twigs, which fhould be faftened at each end to 
BRA 
ftronger flicks, and placed near the upper part of 
the feed, in different places, fo that the birds may 
alight upon them, by which means they will be fas- 
tened thereto, where you muft let them remain a con- 
fiderable time, if they cannot get off themfelves : and 
although there fhould be but few birds caught, yet it 
will fufficiently terrify the reft, that they will not 
come to that place again for a confiderable time after 
(as I have experienced.) 
When your feed is fully ripe, you muft cut it off; 
and, after drying, threffi it out, and preferve it in 
bags for ufe. ' 
But in planting Cabbages for feed, I would advife 
never to plant more than one fort in a place, or near 
one another : as for example, never plant red and 
white Cabbages near each other, nor Savoy with either 
white or red Cabbages ; for I am very certain they 
will, by the commixture of the effluvia, produce a 
mixture of kinds ; and it is wholly owing to this ne- 
glebl, that the gardeners rarely fave any good red 
Cabbage-feed in England, but are obliged to procure 
frefli feeds from abroad, as fuppofmg the foil or cli- 
mate of England alters them from red to white, and 
of a mixed kind between both ; whereas, if they 
would plant red Cabbages by themfelves for feeds, 
and not fuffer any other to be near them, they might 
continue the kind as good in England, as in any other 
part of the world ; for in the Dutch gardens, from 
whence the beft feeds of red Cabbages are procured, 
they cultivate no other fort. 
Cauliflowers have of late years been fo far improved 
in England, as to exceed in goodnefs and magnitude 
what are produced in moft parts of Europe •, and by 
the fkill of the gardener, are continued for feveral 
months together ; but the moft common feafon for 
the great crop, is in May, June, and July. I fhail 
therefore begin with directions for obtaining them in 
this feafon. 
Having procured a parcel of good feed, of an early 
kind, you muft low it about the twenty-firft of Au- 
guft, upon an old Cucumber or Melon-bed, fifting 
a little earth over the feeds, about a quarter of an 
inch thick , and if the weather fhould prove extreme 
hot and dry, you fhould ftiade the bed with mats, to 
prevent the earth from drying too faft, which would 
endanger the fpoiling your feed •, and give it gentle 
waterings, as you may fee occafion. In about a week’s 
time your plants will appear above ground, when 
you muft take off your coverings by degrees, but do 
not expole them too much to the open fun at firft. In 
about a month’s time after fowing, your plants will 
be fit to prick out, you fhould therefore put feme frefh 
earth upon your old Cucumber or Melon-beds ; or 
where thefe are not to be had, fome beds fhould be 
made with a little new dung, which fhould be trodden 
down clofe, to prevent the worms from getting thro’ 
it •, but it fhould not be hot clung, which would be 
hurtful to the plants at this feafon, efpecially if it 
proves hot •, into this bed you fhould prick your young 
plants, at about two inches fquare, obferving to flhade 
and water them at firft planting ; but do not water 
them too much ' after they are growing, nor fuffer 
them to receive too much rain, if the feafon fhould 
prove wet, which would be apt to make them black 
fhanked (as the gardeners term it, which is no lefs 
than a rottennefs in their ftems,) and is the deftruffion 
of the plants fo affected. 
In this bed they fhould continue till about the thir- 
tieth of October, when they muft be removed into 
the place where they are to remain during the winter 
feafon, which, for the firft fowing, is commonly un- 
der bell or hand-glafles, to have early Cauliflowers, 
and thefe .fhould be of an early kind : but in order to 
have a fucceffion during the feafon, you fhould be 
provided- with another more late kind, which fhould 
be fown four or five days after the other, and ma- 
naged as was directed for them. 
In order to have very early Cauliflowers, you fhould 
make choice of a good rich fpot of ground, that is 
well defended from the north, eaft, and weft winds, 
with. 
