BRO 
BRO 
because thoroughly hardy kind. No 
amount of frost appears to injure it, so 
• that it may be depended on when all 
others are killed. The seed should be 
sown in March on a warm border, rather 
thinly, and the young- plants attended 
with water and kept clear of weeds till 
they are fit to transplant, which is usually 
by the end of June. The ground des¬ 
tined for them should have been previ¬ 
ously well dunged and dug ; and when 
first out they should have plenty of water 
in dry weather, for though so hardy, it 
is desirable to have them well grown 
before the winter sets in. They require, 
on account of their wide-spreading leaves, 
to stand at a distance of two feet from 
each other, andwih then covey the ground, 
if planted early and attended with the 
hoe twice or thrice in the course of the 
summer. 
The heads of these plants may be cut 
at the latter end of autumn, and the 
stems will then throw out numerous 
sprouts, remaining good till the following 
March. The varieties usually grown are 
the Brown, Green, Yariegated, and Pur¬ 
ple Curled; the latter, though a deep 
purple while growing, boils to a deep 
rich green. 
BROCOLI. Brassica botrytis (De 
Candolle,) Nat. Ord. Cniciferce. There 
is scarcely a more important article con¬ 
nected with the produce of the kitchen 
garden than the present, or one that is 
more difficult to ensure. A poor effete 
soil will not bear them, the result, not¬ 
withstanding any amount of manure that 
maybe employed, being always unsatis¬ 
factory; and in other soils that are natu¬ 
rally stronger they are often attacked by 
a disease known as “ clubbing;” and, 
again, having escaped both these perils, 
it not unfrequently happens in a severe 
winter that the hearts of the plants are 
destroyed by frost, and the culti¬ 
vator’s main dependence for the spring- 
supply is thus cut off. To growBrocoli 
well the soil should be naturally rich 
holding loam, inclining rather to what 
is technically called “heavy,” than to a 
light character; such land, well worked, 
and plenty of manure applied, will pro¬ 
duce this delicious vegetable in perfec¬ 
tion. The varieties are now so numerous 
that no difficulty need be felt in selecting 
sorts to yield a supply at any desired 
time ; for with a little attention to this 
particular, and some management in the 
periods of sowing, Brocoli may be had 
nearly or quite all the year. It does 
not appear necessary to enumerate all 
the varieties known in gardens, and we 
shall, therefore, mention only such as 
would be suitable and certain to give a 
full supply through the year. To begin 
with the season : in February a sowing 
may be made of the Walcheren, an ex¬ 
cellent variety for summer and autumn 
supply, very nearly equal in quality to 
the best Cauliflower; this should be 
placed in a gentle heat, and the plants 
brought on gently, so as to be fit to 
transplant to the borders by the end of 
March ; they will be in perfection 
through August and September. 
The principal sowing of nearly all the 
other sorts may be made any time be¬ 
tween the middle of March and that of 
the following- month; in warm, sheltered 
situations, it is advisable to get the 
seed in early, but in a northern climate 
or on exposed places it is better to defer 
it to the later period. The ground in¬ 
tended for the reception of the seed 
should be well broken in the digging, 
and if a south border can be spared the 
plants will be so much the better. At 
this time, any of the following may be 
sown, in quantity according to the space 
likely to be available for them: 
A small bed of either of the Cape 
varieties for autumn use may be found 
desirable, though the Walcheren being 
every way so superior, and the spring 
sowing just mentioned coming to per¬ 
fection at about the same time, renders 
this almost an act of supererogation 
where the former is grown at all. 
Suow’s Autumn, iu a warm position, 
will be fit for use in November and 
December ; to be followed by one very 
nearly related, though somewhat later. 
Grange’s Early White, which arrives at 
perfection through J anuary andE ebruary. 
The True Portsmouth, with a pale sul- 
pher-coloured head, is very hardy and 
fine-flavoured, coming in about the end 
