==The Seed-bed.==—­Broccoli should always be sown on good seed-beds and be planted out; the seed-beds should be narrow, say three or three and a half feet wide, and the seed must be sown in drills half an inch deep at the utmost—­less if possible; and where sparrows haunt the garden it will be well to cover the beds with netting, or protect the rows with wire pea guards.  A quick way of protecting all round seeds against small birds is to put a little red lead in a saucer, then lightly sprinkle the seed with water and shake it about in the red lead.  Not a bird or mouse will touch seed so treated.

The seed-beds must be tended with scrupulous care to keep down weeds and avert other dangers.  It is of great importance to secure a robust plant, short, full of colour, and free from club at the root.  Now, cleanliness is in itself a safeguard.  It promotes a short sturdy growth, because where there are no weeds or other rubbish the young plant has ample light and air.  Early thinning and planting is another important matter.  If the land is not ready for planting, thin the seed-bed and prick out the seedlings.  A good crop of Broccoli is worth any amount of trouble, although trouble ought to be an unknown word in the dictionary of a gardener.

==Manuring Ground.==—­As a rule, Broccoli should be planted in fresh ground, and, in mild districts, if the soil is in some degree rank with green manure the crop will be none the worse for it.  But rank manure is not needful; a deep, well-dug, sweet loam will produce a healthy growth and neat handsome heads.  However, it is proper to remark, that if any rank manure is in the way, or if the ground is poor and wants it, the Broccoli will take to it kindly, and all the rankness will be gone long before they produce their creamy heads.  Still, it must be clearly understood that the more generous the treatment, the more succulent will be the growth, and in cold climates a succulent condition may endanger the crop when hard weather sets in.

==Method of Planting.==—­Broccoli follows well upon Peas, early Potatoes, early French Beans, and Strawberries that are dug in when gathered from for the last time.  But it does not follow well upon Cabbage, Turnip, or Cauliflower; if Broccoli must follow any of these, dig deeply, manure heavily, and in planting, dust a little freshly slaked lime in the holes.  The times of planting will depend on the state of the plants and the proper season of their heading in.  But everywhere and always the plants should be got out of the seed-bed into their permanent quarters as soon as possible, for the longer they stay in the seed-bed the more likely are they to become drawn above and clubbed below.  As regards distances, too, the soil, the variety, and the season must be considered.  For all sorts the distances range from two to two and a half feet; and for most of the medium-sized sorts that have to stand out through the winter for use in spring, a distance of eighteen