12 
AMERICAN KITCHEN GARDENER. 
the dry weather of summer, is all the culture which they require, till the 
season of production has terminated. They will produce some tolerable 
heads the same year in August, and thence till November; next year they 
will head sooner in full perfection. By having fresh stools planted every 
year or two, the old and new plantations together furnish a production of 
heads from June 01 July till November. Besides the main head, several 
smaller lateral heads generally spring from the sides of the stem in succes¬ 
sion ; hut, in order to encourage the principal head to attain the full size, 
most of the side svekers should be detached in young growths, when their 
heads are the size of a large egg, which in that state are also prepared for 
some tables. As to the continuing main heads, permit them to have full 
growth till the scales begin to diverge considerably, but gather them before 
the flowers appear, cutting to each head a part of the stalk. When the en¬ 
tire crop on a stem is taken, cut off the stem close to the ground, to give the 
plant more strength for new shoots.”— Abercrombie. “To encourage the 
production of large main heads, some detach all the lateral heads in a young 
state. These are commonly in a fit state for eating raw, having attained 
about one third of their proper size ; and they are for this purpose frequently 
sold in Covent Garden market, chiefly to foreigners. Another thing prac¬ 
ticed, with the same view, is the shortening the ends of the large leaves.”— 
Neill, in Ed. Ennjc. 
Winter dressing .—Abercrombie says, “ First cut down all the large leaves, 
but without hurting the small central ones, or the new shoots. Then dig 
the ground between and along each row ; raising it gradually from both 
sides, ridgeways, over the roots, and close about the plants. In rigorous 
frosty weather, cover also in the litter, and close about each plant.” Arm¬ 
strong remarks, that “ various means have been employed for preserving 
the outstanding plants during the winter. That which is most commonly 
used is, after stripping off the dead or decaying leaves, and trimming down 
the sound ones to three or four inches, to open trenches around the plant, 
and to draw about it the earth furnished by these. This is again covered 
with long dung or stable litter, so as entirely to exclude rain, and snow, and 
frost. But, in making these provisions against cold and wet weather, w r e 
must not forget that it is possible to be careful overmuch; for if the mounds 
of earth and litter be large and close, we expose our plants to suffocation 
from want of air; to exhaustion from a continued vegetation, and to scorch¬ 
ing from the fermentation of the covering matter, which, if the weather be 
wet, and but occasionally warm, seldom fails to occur. 
“ To obviate these difficulties, it has been proposed that the mounds be 
gradually formed ; that the first covering be merely a wrapping of long 
dung, and that the additions made to it be conformed to the weather, leav¬ 
ing openings in all cases, on its southern side, for the purposes of ventila¬ 
tion, and in no case to permit the covering to exceed two feet in thickness. 
