186 
TIIE CULTIVATOR. 
June. 
undoubtedly, are those which, retaining the old 
type of a purple corolla and crimson sepal, have 
an improved form and greater depth or brilliancy 
of color. Of this character, Corallina. Elegantis- 
sima, and Globosa, will be found some of the best. 
The next best (and by some more admired) varie¬ 
ties are those with white sepals, and purple, vio¬ 
let, or rosy corollas; of this class, Psyche, Mad. 
Sontag, Eliza Milliez and Gay lad, are good. 
There is a class with crimson and scarlet in vari¬ 
ous shades, in both corolla and sepal; many of 
which are remarkable for size, both of flower and 
foliage, but they are by no means so desirable as 
either of the former. Still for variety, some of 
them can hardly be discarded. Of these, Per¬ 
fection and Magnificent are fine. Two distinct 
species of Fuchsias, from the above, have, within 
the last few years, been added to our collections, 
the Fuchsia fulgens and corymbiflora; and which 
are fine objects where there is ample space. F. 
Serratifolia, is a fine winter plant; some persons 
complain of a difficulty in its cultivation, but all 
that it requires is to give it plenty of pot room, 
and to take care to keep it clear of the red spider in 
autumn. On the approach of cold weather, it 
must not be allowed to receive any check from 
being in too cool a house; then it will bloom free¬ 
ly from January to April, or later, in a warm 
green-house. B.M. —*>— 
Kitchen Garden. 
Sea Kale .—This is a very excellent vegetable, 
and one which, from its similitude to asparagus, 
is liked by most persons to whom that vegetable 
is agreeable. If raised from seed, it may be sown 
in the fall or in early spring. The plants should 
be transplanted like.young cabbages when three 
inches high ; and if sown in the fall, they should 
be protected by a frame and lights, or bv a little 
straw thrown lightly over them. In spring they 
should be planted out a foot apart every way, un¬ 
til October, when they will be strong and fit to 
plant out permanently. The bed must be deeply 
trenched and well made, as if for asparagus, with 
coarse manure at bottom, and very rich earth at 
top. It must be well drained if the subsoil be wet. 
The bed should be marked off into squares three 
feet every way. and three strong plants should 
be planted eight inches apart at the intersection 
of the squares, forming a hill. Keep the bed lroed 
clean, and when the frost sets in and the leaves of 
the kale die away, they should be cleared off the 
bed, and a thick cover of manure, leaves, or sea- 
weed, should be put all over the bed, to remain 
through the winter. After the beds have remain¬ 
ed thus several weeks, the crowns of the plants 
should be examined, and when the shoots have 
grown four or six inches long, cutting for the ta¬ 
ble may be commenced. 
At any time the growth may be induced earlier 
if wished, by turning an old box or a large flower 
pot over each hill of plants, and then covering the 
bed with hot manure from the stable yard, which 
will force them without further trouble. The 
plants should not be cut too much the first year, 
and as the spring advances the covering should be 
taken off, (or dug in, if manure) and the growth 
of the leaves encouraged by the same treatmeant 
as for cabbage, through the summer months, by 
which means they will be strong and yield well the 
following year. The bed will last for years, being 
dressed annually like an asparagus bed. Salt may 
be given in so doing with advantage. 
Brussels Sprouts .—This is a species of cabbage, 
of the same kindred as the Savoy, but with this 
difference, that after having grown two or three 
feet in height, it throws out small cabbages resem¬ 
bling miniature Savoys, all up the stem. They 
grow to the size of a small orange, when they are 
fit for table. Every plant furnishes a number, 
and those who have eaten them in Europe, where 
they are in universal use for winter, know them to 
be one of the most delicious of the cabbage fami¬ 
ly. The seed should be sown in April or May, 
and be transplanted exactly as directed for Broc¬ 
coli. In the fall the large leaves of the plant 
should be broken down. to.encourage the growth 
of the sprouts. They should be boiled quickly 
till tender, and very well drained: and they will 
be found a valuable addition to the table. .Their 
flavor is improved by the early frosts. 
Rhubarb .—This is a most wholesome and desi¬ 
rable plant for early spring. It precedes goose¬ 
berries, and makes excellent pies; and like the 
above vegetable, is of much more general use 
across the Atlantic than here. When stewed 
alone in a little water and sugar, and when eaten 
cold, with bread, it is a good dish for children. 
To grow it from seed, it should be sown in spring, 
in drills an inch deep, and a foot apart, and 
kept clean from weeds by the hoe. When two 
inches high, thin them to three or four inches apart, 
and in October they should be planted out in a 
permanent bed. This should be dug at least 
eighteen inches deep, and well manured with 
coarse, stable manure. Then plant the roots two 
feet apart in a row, with four or five feet between 
the rows. Cover the bed over six inches deep 
with leaves or litter in the winter. Every fall 
the bed.should be dug over with a fork, and covered 
with litter and some manure, and it will produce for 
years. The best way is to purchase roots, cut 
them up into as many pieces as the crown separates 
into heads, and plant them, because, from seed, it 
will be three years before the rhubarb can be used. 
The rhubarb may be forced exactly in the same 
way as we have directed for sea kale, by covering 
boxes or large flower pots, and heaping hot dung 
over them. The stalks of the leaves are the parts 
eaten, and when thus grown under cover they are 
nearly white, and the better in flavor. The roots 
may be grown in this way also, without manure 
for forcing, if taken up in November and placed 
in boxes of earth, and put under the stage of a 
green-house. By this means the frost being ex¬ 
cluded, it will grow naturally and be ready in 
February. There is much difference in the qual¬ 
ity of rhubarb; that of which the stalk is green 
is*far preferable to that with red stalks, which lat¬ 
ter often has too rank a flavor to be agreeable. 
Scotch Kale , or Borecole .—This is a variety of 
winter cabbage, giving quantities of sprouts and 
leaves for winter use, being improved in quality 
when touched with frost. The seed should be sown 
in May or early in June, and be transplanted 2 feet 
apart, and treated similar to summer cabbages. 
In the south, and in warm positions in the western 
states, they will generally bear the winter. The 
best way is at the approach of winter to take them 
up, and plant them close together in trenches, 
covering with earth up to the lower leaves, and 
then straw or litter over them. A better way 
still, is to set them up in the same way on the 
floor of a light cellar. Best sorts: Green Curled 
Scotch, and Dwarf Curled. B. M. 
