BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19456, 12 October 1926, Page 14

BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

i A USEFUL WINTER CROP. Few vegetables are more useful in their season than this, being of easy culture, and keeping for a considerable time ■when full-grown. It is a variety of cabbago which has acquired an abnormally long stem, covered with numerous compact miniature cabbage heads of fine flavour. The miniature heads, which arc called sprouts, will prove a very tender and sweet vegetable when properly cooked. There is a tendency among gardeners to. attempt to grow sprouts as Jarge as possible, but large sprouts are not altogether desirable. A moderatelysized sprout or "button" is far more compact and of better flavour than a large specimen which has burst open. If large heads can, by good culture, lie secured free from coarseness and a tendency to split, it is th the credit of the grower, but, there is a considerable ri.sk in attempting this. The stem of this plant terminates in a small but useful bead, which can be gathered and used as a separate vegetable at the end of the season. Brussels sprouts will grow on most soils provided they are firm and fairly rich The ground must not be too firm, however, so that drainage is impaired. Although they do well on fairly rich soil, the sprouts will be spoiled if given any manure, such as stable manure, just, previous to planting. The manure should consist of what is left by a preceding plant that received a fair dose. When preparing the soil it should be worked deeply to allow drainage, but should not be left loose. Make, it firm but leave jt loose on the very surface. There is a marked difference between a deeplyworked. firmed soil and one which is naturally heavy and has not been worked. The plot in which the sprouts are to be grown should not be where another member of the cnbbnge family has recently been grown. The seed for this crop may lie sown nt, the end of September or in October in a seed bed in h sunny position. The smaller-growing varieties are the best for a small garden. Ihe Aigburth being a good one. Sow thinlv in row* 6in. to Bin. apart. When tire seedlintrs have develoned two or three pairs of leaves thev should be transplanted into their permanent, quarters. This e-irly, permanent, transplanting allows the nl'wits ' obtain s; good hold o n the, soil before dry weather sets. The retention of

a good ball of - soil on the roots when transplanting is a decided help in establishing the plants as soon as posible. The plants should be set out about 2ft. apart in rows 30in. apart. A catch-crop of lettuce may be grown between the rows. No liquid manure should be given to the growing plants or else a rank growth will take place. Large, gross plants are not best by any means, and frost is liable to cripple them. Forced plants' have a weak, pithy stem with large but loose sprouts not of the best flavour. On the other hand plants that are grown steadily throughout have strong, woody stems with compact sprouts of medium size and good quality. Compact sprouts are not, easily affected by frost. Frost does not harm well-grown, healthy plants. Rather it has a beneficial effect in that it tends to make the sprouts more compact. In gathering the sprouts those at the bottom should be used first. When this is done the plants will continue to produce more sprouts as they grow taller. A sharp knife should be used to cut off the sprouts. for the spurs thus left on the stem will probably result in a second crop of sprouts. The important, point in gathering the sprouts is that they should not be pulled off. Like all members of the cabbage family the Brussels sprouts are subject to club root. This explains why they should not be grown on land that recently grew a crop of the cabbage family, as the spores of club root lie in the soil waiting for a suitable host plant. To check club root practise rotation and give an application of lime. Also discontinue the use of organic nitrogenous manure. .