THE FIELD AND GARDEN VEGETABLES OF AMERICA TEXT

BUDA KALE, OR BORECOLE. _Thomp._ Russian Kale. Asparagus Kale. Manchester Borecole. Dwarf Feather Kale. Oak-leaved Kale. The Buda Kale somewhat resembles the Purple; but the stalk is shorter. The leaves are purplish, somewhat glaucous, cut and fringed. The variety is not only hardy and well flavored, but continues to produce sprouts longer than any other sort. It is sometimes blanched like sea-kale. CABBAGING KALE, OR BORECOLE. _Thomp._ Imperial Hearting. This is a new variety, and very much resembles the Dwarf Green Curled in the nature, color, and general appearance of the leaves: the heart-leaves, however, fold over each other, somewhat like those of a cabbage, but, on account of the curls of the margin, not so compactly. The quality is excellent. COCK'S-COMB KALE. Curled Proliferous Kale. Chou frisé prolifère. _Vil._ Stalk about twenty inches high. The leaves differ to a considerable extent in size, and are of a glaucous-green color. From the upper surface of the ribs and nerves, and also from other portions of the leaves, are developed numerous small tufts, or fascicles of leaves, which, in turn, give rise to other smaller but similar groups. The foliage thus exhibits a cock's-comb form: whence the name. The variety is hardy, but more curious than useful. COW-CABBAGE. Tree-cabbage. _Thomp._ Cesarean Borecole. Cesarean Cabbage. Chou Cavalier. This variety generally grows to the height of about six feet; although in some places it is reported as attaining a height of twelve feet, and even upwards. The leaves are large,--measuring from two and a half to nearly three feet in length,--smooth, or but slightly curled. It is generally grown for stock; but the young sprouts are tender and mild-flavored when cooked. Its value for agricultural purposes appears to have been greatly overrated; for, when tried in this country against other varieties of cabbages, the produce was not extraordinary. The plants should be set three feet or three feet and a half apart. DAUBENTON'S CREEPING BORECOLE. Chou vivace de Daubenton. _Vil._ Stalk four or five feet in height or length. The leaves are nearly two feet long, deep green; the leaf-stems are long and flexible. It sometimes takes root where the stem rests upon the surface of the ground; and, on this account, has been called perennial. The variety is hardy, and yields abundantly; though, in this last respect, it is inferior to the Thousand-headed. DWARF GREEN CURLED BORECOLE. _Thomp._ Dwarf Curled Kale. Green Scotch Kale. Dwarf Curlies. Chou frisé à Pied court. _Vil._ Canada Dwarf Curled. The Dwarf Green Curled is a very hardy but comparatively low-growing variety; the stems seldom exceeding sixteen or eighteen inches in height. The leaves are finely curled; and the crowns of the plants, as well as the young shoots, are tender and delicate, especially after having been exposed to the action of frost. The plants may be set eighteen inches apart. FIELD CABBAGE. Field Kale for mowing. Chou à Faucher. _Vil._ Leaves sixteen to eighteen inches in length, very dark green, deeply lobed, or lyrate, and hairy, or hispid, on the nerves and borders. The leaf-stems are nearly white. The variety produces small tufts, or collections of leaves, which are excellent for fodder, and which may be cut several times during the season. It is sometimes cultivated for stock; but, as a table vegetable, is of little value. FLANDERS KALE. _Thomp._ Chou Caulet de Flanders. _Vil._ This is a sub-variety of the Tree-cabbage, from which it is distinguished by the purplish color of its foliage. Its height is nearly the same, and the plant has the same general appearance. It is, however, considered somewhat hardier. GREEN MARROW-STEM BORECOLE. Chou Moellier. _Vil._ Stem green, about five feet high, clavate, or club-formed; thickest at the top, where it measures nearly two inches, and a half in diameter. This stem, or stalk, is filled with a succulent pith, or marrow, which is much relished by cattle; and, for this quality, the plant is sometimes cultivated. The leaves are large, and nearly entire on the edges; the leaf-stems are thick, short, white, and fleshy. It is not so hardy as most of the other varieties. The plants should be grown about three feet apart in one direction, by two feet or two feet and a half in the opposite. LANNILIS BORECOLE. Chou de Lannilis. _Vil._ Lannilis Tree-cabbage. Stem five feet high, thicker and shorter than that of the Cow or Tree Cabbage; leaves long, entire on the borders, pale-green, and very thick and fleshy. The leaf-stems are also thicker and shorter than those of the last-named varieties. The stalk is largest towards the top, and has the form of that of the Marrow-stem. It sometimes approaches so near that variety, as to be scarcely distinguishable from it. NEAPOLITAN BORECOLE. _Trans._ Neapolitan Curled Kale. Chou frisé de Naples. _Vil._ The Neapolitan Borecole is remarkable for its peculiar manner of growth, but is hardly worthy of cultivation as a table vegetable, or even for stock. The stem is short and thick, and terminates in an oval bulb, somewhat in the manner of the Kohl Rabi. From all parts of this bulb are put forth numerous erect, small leaves, finely curled on their edges. The whole plant does not exceed twenty inches in height. The leaves are attached to footstalks six or seven inches long. They are obovate, smooth on the surface, with an extraordinary number of white veins, nearly covering the whole leaf. The fringed edges are irregularly cut and finely curled, and so extended as nearly to conceal the other parts of the leaf. As the plant gets old, it throws out numerous small branches from the axils of the leaves on the sides of the bulb. The swollen portion of the stem is of a fleshy, succulent character, and is used in the manner of Kohl Rabi; between which and the Cabbage it appears to be intermediate. PALM KALE. Palm Borecole. Chou Palmier. _Vil._ Stalk six feet in height, terminating at the top in a cluster of leaves, which are nearly entire on the borders, blistered on the surface like those of the Savoys, and which sometimes measure three feet in length by four or five inches in width. As grown in France, the plant is remarkable for its fine appearance, and is considered quite ornamental; though, as an article of food, it is of little value. In England, it is said to have a tall, rambling habit, and to be little esteemed. The plants should be set three feet and a half apart in each direction. PURPLE BORECOLE. Red Borecole. Tall Purple Kale. Curled Brown Kale. Chou frisé Rouge Grand. _Vil._ With the exception of its color, the Purple Borecole much resembles the Tall Green Curled. As the leaves increase in size, they often change to green; but the veins still retain their purple hue. When cooked, the color nearly or quite disappears. It is remarkably hardy, and is much cultivated in Germany. RED MARROW-STEM BORECOLE. Red-stalked Kale. Stalk purplish-red, four and a half or five feet high, and surmounted by a cluster of large, fleshy leaves, on short, thick stems. The stalk is much larger than that of the Green Marrow-stem, and sometimes measures more than three inches in diameter. It is cultivated in the same manner, and used for the same purposes, as the last-named variety. TALL GREEN CURLED. _Thomp._ Tall Scotch Kale. Tall Green Borecole. Tall German Greens. Chou frisé grand du Nord. _Vil._ This variety, if unmixed, may be known by its bright-green, deeply lobed, and curled leaves. Its height is two feet and a half and upwards. Very hardy and productive. The parts used are the crowns of the plants; and also the tender side-shoots, which are produced in great abundance. These boil well, and are sweet and delicate, especially after frost; though the quality is impaired by protracted, dry, freezing weather. THOUSAND-HEADED BORECOLE. _Thomp._ Chou branchu du Poitou. _Vil._ Chou à Mille Têtes. The Thousand-headed Borecole much resembles the Tree or Cow Cabbage, but is not so tall-growing. It sends out numerous side-shoots from the main stem, and is perhaps preferable to the last-named sort. It is chiefly valuable as an agricultural plant, but may occasionally be grown in gardens on account of its great hardiness; but its flavor is inferior to all other winter greens. VARIEGATED BORECOLE. _Thomp._ Variegated Kale. Variegated Canadian Kale. Chou frisé panaché. _Vil._ This is a sub-variety of the Purple Borecole, growing about a foot and a half high. The leaves vary much in size, and are lobed and finely curled. They are also beautifully variegated, sometimes with green and yellowish-white or green and purple, and sometimes with bright-red and green. It is frequently grown as an ornamental plant, is occasionally employed for garnishing, and is sometimes put into bouquets. It is very good cooked after frost, but is not quite so hardy as the Purple Borecole. VARIEGATED COCK'S-COMB KALE. A variety of the Common Cock's-comb Kale, with the leaves more or less variegated with purple and white. It is not of much value as an esculent. WOBURN PERENNIAL KALE. _Thomp._ This is a tall variety of the Purple Borecole, with foliage very finely divided or fringed. The plant lasts many years, and may be propagated by cuttings, as it neither flowers readily nor perfects well its seeds. Its produce is stated to have been more than four times greater than that of either the Green or Purple Borecole on the same extent of ground. The weight of produce from ten square yards was a hundred and forty-four pounds ten ounces; but some of the large kinds of cabbages and savoys will exceed this considerably, and prove of better quality. The Woburn Perennial Kale can therefore only be recommended where the climate is too severe for the more tender kinds of the Cabbage tribe. * * * * * BROCCOLI. Brassica oleracea var. In its structure and general habit, the Broccoli resembles the Cauliflower. Between these vegetables the marks of distinction are so obscurely defined, that some of the white varieties of Broccoli appear to be identical with the Cauliflower. Botanists divide them as follows:-- "The Cauliflower has generally a short stalk, and white-ribbed, oblong leaves. The stem by which the flower is supported unites at the head of the primary branches into thick, short, irregular bundles, in the form of a corymb. It appears to be a degeneration of the _Brassica oleracea costata_, or Portugal Cabbage. "In the Broccoli, the stalk is more elevated; the leaf-nerves less prominent; the pedicles, or stems, connected with and supporting the flower, or head, less thick and close. They are also longer; so that, on becoming fleshy, they resemble in shape the young shoots of asparagus: hence the name of 'Asparagoides,' given by ancient botanists to Broccoli. It seems to be a degeneration of the 'Chou cavalier,' or tall, open Cabbage. "Cultivation, by improving the finer kinds of white Broccolis, is narrowing the distinctive marks: but, although so nearly alike, they must ever remain really distinct, inasmuch as they derive their origin from two very distinct types; viz., the Portugal Cabbage and the Tall Curled Kale. The Cauliflower also originated in the south of Europe, and the Broccoli in the north of Europe, either in Germany or Britain." _Seed._--Broccoli-seeds are rarely raised in this country; most of the supply being received from France or England. In size, form, and color, they are similar to those of the Cabbage or Cauliflower. An ounce may be calculated to produce about five thousand plants, although it contains nearly twice that number of seeds. _Sowing and Cultivation._--In New England, as well as in the Middle and Western States, the seeds of the later sorts should be sown in March or April, in the manner of early cabbages; whilst the earlier varieties may be sown in the open ground, from the middle to the last of May. If the sowing be made in the open ground, prepare a small nursery-bed not too directly exposed to the sun, and sow in shallow drills six or eight inches apart. The last of June, or as soon as the plants have attained sufficient size, transplant them into soil that is well enriched, and has been deeply stirred; setting them at the distance directed for the variety. If possible, the setting should be performed when the weather is somewhat dull, for then the plants become sooner established; but, if planted out in dry weather, they should be immediately and thoroughly watered. If the plants have been started in a hot-bed, they should be set out at the time of transplanting cabbages. The after-culture consists in hoeing frequently to keep the ground loose and clean, and in earthing up slightly from time to time about the stem. Some of the early varieties will be fit for use in September; whilst the later sorts, if properly treated, will supply the table till spring. The difficulties attending the growing of Broccoli in this country arise mainly from the extreme heat and dryness of the summer and the intense cold of the winter. Whatever will tend to counteract these will promote the growth of the plants, and tend to secure the development of large and well-formed heads. "When the heads of White Broccoli are exposed to light, and especially to the direct influence of the sun, the color is soon changed to a dingy or yellowish hue. It is, therefore, necessary to guard against this as much as possible by frequently examining the plants; and, when any heads are not naturally screened, one or two of the adjoining side-leaves should be bent over the flower-head to shade it from the light, and likewise to protect it from the rain. Some kinds are almost self-protecting; whilst the leaves of others spread, and consequently require more care in shading."--_Thomp._ _Taking the Crop._--"Broccoli should not be allowed to remain till the compactness of the head is broken, but should always be cut while the 'curd,' as the flowering mass is termed, is entire, or before bristly, leafy points make their appearance through it. In trimming the head, a portion of the stalk is left, and a few of the leaves immediately surrounding the head; the extremities being cut off a little below the top of the latter."--_Thomp._ _Preservation._--"They are sometimes preserved during winter as follows: Immediately previous to the setting-in of hard frost in autumn, take up the plants on a dry day, with the roots entire, and turn their tops downwards for a few hours, to drain off any water that may be lodged between the leaves. Then make choice of a ridge of dry earth, in a well-sheltered, warm exposure, and plant them down to their heads therein, close to one another; having previously taken off a few of the lower, loose leaves. Immediately erect over them a low, temporary shed, of any kind that will keep them perfectly free from wet, and which can be opened to admit the air in mild, dry weather. In very severe freezing seasons, an extra covering of straw, or other description of dry litter, should be applied over and around the shed; but this should be removed on the recurrence of moderate weather." They will keep well in a light, dry cellar, if set in earth as far as the lower leaves. _Seeds._--The seeds of Broccoli are not distinguishable from those of the Cauliflower. They, however, rarely ripen well in this country, and seedsmen are generally supplied from abroad. _Use._--The heads, or flowers, are cooked and served in all the forms of the Cauliflower. _Varieties._--These are exceedingly numerous; although the distinctions, in many instances, are neither permanent nor well defined. In 1861-62, a hundred and three nominally distinct sorts were experimentally cultivated at the Chiswick Gardens, near London, Eng., under the direction of Robert Hogg, Esq. In reporting the result, he says, "It is quite evident that the varieties of Broccoli, as now grown, are in a state of great confusion. The old varieties, such as Grange's and the Old Early White, have entirely disappeared, or lost their original character; whilst the distinctive names of Early White and Late White seem now to be possessed of no value, as, in some cases, the one is used for the other, and _vice versâ_." The kinds catalogued by seedsmen, and recommended for cultivation, are the following; viz.:-- AMBLER'S EARLY WHITE. _R. Hogg._ Similar to Mitchinson's Penzance, but easily distinguished by its winged leaves; those of the last named being interrupted. It is remarkably hardy, and produces a large, creamy-white head, very uniform in size. CHAPPELL'S LARGE CREAM-COLORED. Chappell's New Cream-colored. A very large and fine sort, earlier than the Portsmouth; flower cream-yellow. Sow in the open ground in May, and transplant three feet apart in each direction. DANISH, OR LATE GREEN. _Late Danish. Siberian._ The leaves of this variety are long, narrow, and much undulated; the leaf-stems are tinged with purple; the heads are of medium size, compact, exposed, and of a greenish color. It is one of the latest and hardiest of all varieties. DWARF BROWN CLOSE-HEADED. _Trans._ This variety resembles the Sulphur-colored; from which it probably originated. It is, however, earlier, and differs in the form, as well as in the color, of the flower. The leaves are small, not much waved, dark-green, with white veins: they grow erect, and afford no protection to the head. Most of the crowns are green at first; but they soon change to large, handsome, brown heads. The plants should be set two feet apart in each direction. EARLY PURPLE. _Trans._ Early Purple Sprouting. An excellent kind, of a deep-purple color. When the variety is unmixed, it is close-headed at first; afterwards it branches, but is liable to be too much branched, and to become green. The plant is from two to three feet high, and a strong grower; the leaves are comparatively short, spreading, and of a purplish-green color; the head is quite open from the leaves. Small leaves are sometimes intermixed with the head, and the plant produces sprouts of flowers from the alæ of the leaves. It succeeds best in rich soil, and the plants should be set three feet apart. EARLY SPROUTING. _M'Int._ Asparagus Broccoli. North's Early Purple. Italian Sprouting. Early Branching. A strong-growing, hardy sort, from two to three feet high. The leaves are spreading, much indented, and of a purplish-green color. The flower is close-headed, and, in the genuine variety, of a rich purple on its first appearance. It is, however, liable to lose its color, and to become greenish; and sometimes produces numerous small, green leaves, intermixed with the flower, particularly if grown in soil too rich. The variety is extensively grown by the market-gardeners in the vicinity of London. ELLETSON'S GIGANTIC LATE WHITE. Elletson's Mammoth. One of the largest and latest of the white broccolis. Leaves spreading; stem short. FINE EARLY WHITE. _Thomp._ Early White. Devonshire White. Autumn White. Plant tall, with erect, dark-green, nearly entire leaves. The heads are very white and close. This variety, in common with a few others, is sometimes cut in considerable quantities by market-gardeners previous to heavy frost, and preserved in cellars for the supply of the market. FROGMORE PROTECTING. _Hov. Mag._ Head pure white, scarcely distinguishable from the finest cauliflower; size large,--when well formed, measuring from seven to nine inches in diameter. A recently introduced sort, promising to be one of the best. The plants are extremely hardy and vigorous, and rarely fail to develop a large and fine head, having a rich, curdy appearance, and, as before observed, similar to a well-grown cauliflower. It is of dwarf growth; and the outer leaves, closing over the large head of flowers, protect it from the action of severe weather. GILLESPIE'S BROCCOLI. _Thomp._