350 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  25,  1901. 
Broccoli  all  the  Winter. 
There  are  not  always,  perhaps  not  often,  the  circumstances 
permitting  of  the  acquisition  of  a  Broccoli  crop  all  the  winter,  but 
the  weather  of  the  past  winter,  and  up  to  the  present  time,  has 
approached  almost  the  ideal  towards  that  end  and  for  attaining  a 
1-ngtbened  supply,  at  any  rate  in  seme  districts.  Needless  to  say  a 
selection  of  kinds  must  be  grown  wherewith  to  keep  up  a  succession 
of  beads,  and  at  midwinter,  when  frost  is  threatening  and  severe,  it  is 
not  possible  for  Broccoli  to  attain  to  a  normal  size.  For  dining-room 
use,  however,  ihis  does  not  so  much  matter,  small  ones  being  more 
appreciated.  For  several  years  it  has  been  an  absolute  impossibility 
to  maintain  an  unbroken  supply,  because  frost  has  inflicted  so  much 
damage  among  them  that  but  a  small  percentage  remained  to  survive, 
even  among  the  hardier  late  kinds.  In  the  winter  of  1899-1900,  for 
instance,  hundreds  were  destroyed  before  the  dawn  of  the  new  year. 
Most  of  the  tenderer  early  sorts  were  buried  in  the  course  of  ground 
tnnchmg  before  Christmas,  and  the  ranks  of  later  spring  Broccoli 
were  serious  y  thinned.) 
Theiebas  been  a  few  sharp  frosty  spells  during  the  past  winter, 
but  tbeir  duration  has  been  short.  In  some  gardens  even  these  have 
left  their  mark  in  the  Bncoli  plantations,  but  complaint  is  not 
universal.  The  Self-Protecting  and  Winter  Mammoth  furnished  a 
daily  supply  followug  the  autumn  Cauliflowers  until  the  end  of 
January,  but  in  my  case  the  latest  portion  of  these  were  for  safety 
lilted  and  stored  under  cover.  Many  so  treated,  however,  would  have 
been  bett<r  lelt  alone  could  one  have  had  a  reliable  weather  forecast. 
At  the  clote  of  this  supply  there  was  only  a  short  interval  before 
Walcheren  Broccoli  was  producing  small  heads  ;  then  followed 
Ptnzwnca  and  Snow’s  Winter  White,  two  useful  kinds  when  the 
weathtr  is  propitious,  but  in  a  severe  winter  they  are  invariably 
destroyed  if  left  outdoors  here.  Yeiteh’s  Spring  White,  a  kind  that 
I  always  depend  upon,  and  Vanguard,  another  equally  good,  kept  each 
other  company  in  their  time  of  maturity,  and  which  extends  over  three 
or  four  weeks.  An  old  favourite,  Knight’s  Protecting,  and  Main  Crop, 
follow  these  in  their  turn,  and  are  joined  by  Continuity  and  Leamington. 
Veitch’s  Model  and  Late  Queen  are  so  invaluable  that  their  names 
bece me  absorbed  in  the  annual  seed  list  with  a  magnetic  persistence. 
It  would  be  a  source  of  concern  were  they  by  any  chance  missing  from 
Broccoli  quarters  in  spring.  Miller’s  Dwarf  Russian  is  a  very  hardy 
kind,  and  so  is  Bouquet,  a  name  suggestive  of  its  character.  They 
both  deserve  a  place  in  the  most  select  list  for  late  use. 
While  concern  for  the  present  day’s  need  is  uppermost  in  the 
gardener’s  n  ind,  there  presents  itself  the  claims  of  the  next  year’s 
supply  in  dual  companionship,  and  a  mistake  so  often  made  by  many  is 
the  u  o  early  sowing  of  the  seeds.  Early  sowing  of  winter  Broccoli  and 
B  recole  is  not  so  con  mon  a  practice  as  formerly ;  but  even  now  anxiety 
s<  metimes  asserts  itself  in  the  fear  of  being  behind.  Of  the  greater  of 
the  two  evils,  the  last  named  is  probably  the  least,  for  early  sown  stock 
attain  to  ungainly  proportions  days,  and  sometimes  weeks,  before  they 
can  be  planted  out  in  their  permanent  quarters.  Time  was,  and  is  now, 
perhaps,  when  eaily  sowing  was  necessarily  followed  by  transplanting 
into  Lursejy  beds,  to  be  again  lifted  and  replanted.  But  what 
unnecessary  labour  is  thus  involved  !  April  is  quite  soon  enough  for 
any  of  the  early  Brcccolis,  ai.d  May  is  better  than  March  for  the  late 
ones.  By  sowing  late,  growth  proceeds  steadily,  and  by  the  time 
they  ate  of  planting  size  there  will  be  some  ground  available  for  their 
reception.  Late  Broccoli  is  advisedly  planted  on  firm  ground,  the 
exhausted  Strawberry  bed  being  a  lavoured  site  with  many.  To  be 
able  to  draw  ti  e  plants  ficm  the  seed  bed  to  put  out  on  Strawberry 
ground  imply  at  once  a  necessity  for  sowing  at  a  corresptndingly  late 
p<riod.  Such  sorts  as  Model  and  Late  Queen  can  te  sown  up  to  the 
middle  ol  May,  and  then  be  in  pltnty  of  time.  At  this  late  period 
some  care  is  necessary  to  protect  tie  teed  from  birds,  which,  it  they 
find  out  and  set  upon  Biassica  seeds,  they  scon  play  serious  havoc. 
My  txpeiietce,  l  ewever,  is  that  birds — and  chaffinches  are  the 
gaidener’s  won-t  enen  y  in  this  instance — find  other  food  sources  about 
this  time,  and  while  in  March  and  Ajril  tie  seed  bed  must  be  carefully 
netted  over  as  a  j  recautionary  measure,  in  May  the  germinating  seeds 
o  ten  go  unmolested.  This  may  not  be  an  invariable  rule,  but  it 
certan  ly  bajpeLB  olten,  and  is  an  agreeable  relief  from  the  worries  so 
often  expected,  and  unfortunately  tealised  earlier. 
It  is  impossible  to  draw  strong,  fully  developed  plants  from 
crowded  seto-  beds ;  they  are  more  often  thin,  lean,  and  debilitated, 
and  when  jut  out,  even  on  good  ground,  particularly  should  the 
weather  be  ungenial,  they  remain  stationary,  or  advance  in  a  very 
ha  i-Learted  manner.  Od  the  other  Land,  plants  suitably  developed, 
plant*  d  on  fiim  ground,  even  in  droughty  periods,  grow  well,  if  given 
water  until  they  have  a  new  root  bold.  Seme  advocate  digging  for 
w'mter  Broccoli,  but  my  experience  is  the  time  is  letter  spent  on 
o>b<r  work,  ot  which  it  might  !e  truthfully  said  there  is  never  a 
dearth  in  the  summer.  Gardens  differing  in  soil,  situation,  and 
shelter,  produce  varying  returns,  even  with  the  best  of  cultivation.  I 
had  a  good  illustration  of  this  last  year,  in  a  visit  paid  a  neighbour 
distant  only  some  four  miles  away.  There  the  garden  was  sheltered 
by  high  Beech  hedges  and  other  trees,  aDd  within  that  enclosure  were 
full  crops  of  spring  Broccoli ;  in  this  garden,  surrounded  by  walls 
only,  and  no  other  shelter,  a  large  proportion  of  the  Broccoli  had  gone 
to  furnish  roo‘-food  for  a  future  crop,  without  supplying  any  material 
for  the  kitchen.  While  my  neighbour’s  plants  had  to  share  the 
ground  with  the  Potato  crops  in  summer  and  autumn,  and  which  is 
admittedly  not  conditions  of  the  best,  mine  were  given  a  clear  course 
and  plenty  of  room ;  thus  the  winter  shelter  made  all  the  difference, 
represented  in  full  and  partial  crops,  satisfaction  and  discomfiture. 
— W.  Strugnell. 
Hejavenating  Old  Vines. 
During  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  quickening 
influence  of  commercial  methods  upset  many  cherished  ideas  in  regard 
to  Vine  culture.  The  advent  of  cheap  glass  induced  cultivators  to 
gradually  plant  Vines  on  a  more  extended  scale,  till  in  not  a  few 
instances  growers  could  be  found  who  annually  produced  Grapes  by 
the  ton.  Cultivators  of  that  type  were  not  contented  to  wait  long 
for  a  crop,  quick  results  they  would  have,  hence  the  express  system 
came  into  vogue  ;  the  Vines  were  cropped  to  their  fullest  extent  lor  a 
few  years,  then  uprooted,  and  young  ones  planted  to  take  their  place. 
All  th'Dgs  considered,  such  a  course  is  perhaps  the  host  one  to  follow 
in  regard  to  “  manufacturing  *’  Grapes  for  cimmercial  purposes.  In 
some  large  gardens  where  the  vineries  are  numerous  a  similar  practice 
is  also  followed  with  good  results;  in  others  of  hss  |  retension  old 
Vines  have  still  to  be  retained  as  long  as  they  can  be  induced  to  b*  ar 
a  dicent  crop.  A  regular  supply  of  Grapes  is  expected  during  certain 
months  each  year,  and  with  only  one  or  two  vineries  at  command  the 
idea  of  uprooting  any  of  the  Vines  is  one  not  to  be  enteriained. 
Fortunately,  however,  Vines  may  be  kept  in  good  condition  for  a 
remarkably  long  time  if  proper  measures  are  t  iken  to  keep  the  roots 
active,  and  the  canes  clean  and  strong.  I  have  seen  old  Vines,  whose 
record  extended  over  120  years,  still  producing  good  crops  ol  highly 
finished  Grapes.  After  having  been  pruned  back  during  a  great 
number  of  years  the  spurs  become  gnarled,  unduly  long,  and  often 
break,  and  then  is  the  time  to  set  about  putting  young  heads  on  old  roots. 
During  the  present  month,  when  Vines  in  late  houses  aie  sending 
out  their  shoots,  attention  should  be  given  to  such  matterp.  If  strong 
shr  ots  near  the  base  of  the  rods  are  selected,  and  trained  loosely  to  the 
tnllis  between  the  old  rods,  they  will,  in  many  instances,  reach  t  e 
apex  of  the  roof  in  one  season.  When  half-way  up  the  rooi  I  like  to 
step,  remove  the  laterals  which  foim  at  the  point,  and  thus  cause  the 
main  bud  to  break  ;  this  will  produce  a  stronger  shoot  than  the 
lateral  would  have  done  had  it  been  left,  and  the  stopping  will  cause 
the  lower  part  of  the  Vine  to  thicken  considerably.  At  the  autumn 
piuning  such  canes  may  be  either  pruned  to  the  point  where  stoppi  g 
was  performed,  or  a  toot  or  two  higher  up,  according  to  the  strength 
and  ripeness  of  the  cane.  Weak  shoots  should  be  stopped  at  an  earlier 
stage  to  insure  that  greatest  of  all  considerations — viz.,  a  strong  and 
well  ripened  cane  at  the  base.  In  all  instances  the  side  growths  may 
be  pinched  to  one  jbint.  By  stopping  the  laterals  on  the  old  rods 
somewhat  closer  than  usual,  it  i8  an  easy  matter  to  find  room  for  the 
additional  young  rods. 
Given  Vines  in  fairly  good  health,  the  roof  of  any  vinery  of 
ordinary  length  may  be  covered  from  base  to  top  in  two  seasons 
with  strong  canes  capable  of  being  lightly  cropped  along  ib  ir  entiie 
lei  gth  the  following  year.  After  a  young  cane  has  been  lakm  Irom 
an  old  one,  the  majority  of  cultivators,  however,  know  that  the  latter 
usually  gets  weaker  each  year  if  left,  and  although  Grape  growers  are 
son  etin.es  tempted  to  still  retain  some  ot  the  old  rods,  my  exjrerience 
has  taught  ne  that  when  once  plenty  of  vigorous  young  canes  have 
been  obtained  the  sooner  the  old  ones  are  cut  away  the  letter.  In 
cases  where  ihe  rods  are  rather  thick  in  the  first  jlace,  it  is  an 
advantage  to  cut  out  half  the  old  ones  after  the  first  year,  e'en  if  the 
“  youngsters  ”  have  not  reached  the  top  of  the  house,  as  the  following 
year  the  latter  n  ake  Buch  satisfactory  progress  as  to  amply  repay  ihe 
sacrifice.  When  the  Grapes  on  old  Vines  shank  badly  the  trouble 
nay  frequently  be  overcome  by  the  practices  above  advocated,  because 
of  the  increased  root  action  thus  obtained,  but  in  conjunction  with 
such  work  due  attention  to  border  reuovation  must  be  given  in  outer 
to  obtain  the  best  results.  1  do  not  mean  by  this  that  the  roots 
should  be  lifted  entirely  either  during  the  previous  or  following 
autumn,  as  such  matteis  must  be  carried  out  with  caution,  or  only 
stunted  canes  are  produced.  If,  however,  a  few  inches  of  the  old 
soil  is  removed  and  replaced  by  fresh,  young  roots  quick  y  push  into 
it,  and  “surlace”  root  action  is  thus  encouraged.  I  am  abo>  t  to  begin 
selecting  rhoots  lor  “young  rods”  on  old  rods  still  vigorous,  but 
nearly  forty  years  old. — H.  D.j 
