To Obtain Seed

A stool, which has not been cut from, or even covered at all for blanching, must be allowed to run in spring. It flowers about June, and produces abundance of seed on every stem, which ripens about the close of July, or early in August.

Forcing

To force sea-kale, some established plants, at the end of October or early in November, being trimmed as directed above at that season, and the bed covered with a mixture of moderately sifted light earth, and sand or coal ashes, two or three inches deep, each stool must be covered with a pot, set down close, to keep out the steam of the dung; or, bricks or planks may be placed to the height of sight or ten inches on each side of the row to be forced, and covered with cross spars, having a space of about an inch between them. The dung employed must be well tempered and mixed for three weeks before it is required, or for four, if mingled with leaves, otherwise the heat is violent, but transient. When thus prepared, each pot is covered ten inches thick all round, and eight inches at the top. The heat must be constantly observed; if it sinks below 50°, more hot dung must be applied; if above 60°, some of the covering should be removed. Unless the weather is very severe, it is seldom necessary to renew the heat by fresh linings; when the thermometer indicates the necessity, a part only of the exhausted dung should be taken away, and the remainder mixed with that newly applied.

In three or four weeks from being first covered, the shoots will be fit for cutting, and they will continue to produce at intervals for two or three months, or until the natural crops come in. To have a succession, some should be covered with mulch, or litter that is little else than straw; this, by sheltering the plants from cold, will cause them to be forwarder than the natural ground ones, though not so forward as those under the hot dung; and by this means it may be had in perfection from Christmas to Whitsuntide.

It also may be forced in a hot-bed. When the heat moderates, a little light mould being put on, three or four year old plants, which have been raised with as little injury as possible to the roots, are to he inserted close together, and covered with as much earth as is used for cucumbers. The glasses must be covered close with double matting to exclude the light, and additional covering afforded during severe weather. Sea-kale, thus forced, will be fit for cutting in about three weeks. Instead of frames and glasses, any construction of boards and litter that will exclude the light, would undoubtedly answer as well. A common melon frame will contain as many as are capable of being produced in two drills of twenty yards each, and with only one-third the quantity of dung. To keep up a regular succession until the natural ground crop arrives, two three-light frames will be sufficient for a large family; the first prepared about the beginning of November, and the second about the last week in December. Another mode is, on each side of a three-foot bed to dig a trench two feet deep, the side of it next the bed being perpendicular, but the outer side sloping, so as to make it eighteen inches wide at the bottom, but two feet and a half at the top.

These trenches being filled with fermenting dung, which of course may be renewed if ever found necessary, and frames put over the plants, the light is to be completely excluded by boards, matting, etc.

Unlike the generality of vegetables, the shoots of forced sea-kale are always more crisp and delicate than those produced naturally. Those plants will not do for forcing a second time which have been forced in frames; consequently a small bed should be sown every year for this purpose, so that a succession of plants may be annually had, they not being used until three years old. Sometimes a plant will send up a flower-stalk; this must be immediately cut away, it will then be as productive as the others. But those plants which are | forced by whelming dung over the pots, are not much detrimented for the natural ground production of the succeeding year. When, therefore, they have done producing, all covering must be removed, and the ground dressed.