Volume 7 / Part 2 — Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, for the year 1827. Part II. ◊ (continued 4)
Reading edition
21. On the Cultivation and Forcing Sea Kale.—The Crambe maritima, or Sea Kale, is an indigenous plant of this and other countries of Europe, and found on the sandy beach of the sea-shore.
It has been long introduced into our gardens as a culinary vegetable, but it is only within the last thirty years, that it has been brought into general use, and subjected to a mode of cultivation, very different from that which was first bestowed upon it.
The principal value of this plant is its property of early growth; appearing at table at a time when few such things can be had. It precedes asparagus, for which it is no bad substitute; and as it makes a dish of itself, it gives a variety to the delicacies of the table; and if the opinions given of its medicinal virtues be correct, it is well worth cultivation, and the notice we are about to take of it, in describing an easy method of having it in great perfection throughout the winter months, and up to the time it may be gathered from the natural ground.
Prepare one or more beds (with alleys two feet wide between) for the reception of the seeds, in the following manner: mark out the bed or beds two and a half feet wide, and of any required length, as near as can be from east to west; line off the sides and ends, driving a stake at each corner to ascertain the boundaries; dig out the earth of the bed one spade deep, removing it to some distance; fill this excavation with the purest and finest sand which can be procured in the neighbourhood, either from the sea-shore, the bed of a river, or from a pit. It signifies nothing of what colour it is, so it be pure, and as free from loam as it can be had; for in proportion as the soil of the bed is poor or rich, so will the flavour of the plant be when dressed. When this precaution is not taken, and when the plants are suffered to enjoy the rich and cultivated soil of a kitchen garden, or the situation made so, by rich dressings or coverings of fresh manure, the plants are stimulated into an unnatural luxuriance, which deteriorates the flavour, imparting to them that strong disagreeable scent and taste, resembling common cabbage, than which nothing can be a greater drawback on the value of the vegetable; but when grown entirely in pure sand, the flavour is mild and pleasant, and is relished by most palates.
When the bed is filled with sand and raised therewith about six inches above the natural level of the ground, (and this should be done previous to the end of March, which is the sowing season,) draw a drill along the middle, from end to end, about three inches [p498] deep, in which drop the seeds pretty thickly, as they can be thinned out to the proper distance after they come up. If the sand or weather be dry at the time of sowing, give a little water in the drill and immediately cover up. If the seed be good, the plants will soon appear, and when they are advanced to a size large enough to enable the gardener to choose the most promising, let them be thinned out to the distance of six or seven inches, the distance at which they may remain. During the summer, the bed should be occasionally watered with dung water; and this for the purpose of encouraging the growth of the plants on their first setting off; and as manure given in this shape is more fugitive than when applied in a more solid or concentrated state, it cannot impart rankness to the plants when they arrive at that age fit to be brought to table.
The plants cannot be forced, nor should any of their shoots be cut, the first winter after sowing; but should be suffered and assisted to establish themselves, and gain sufficient strength to yield adequate crops, in the succeeding years.
About the month of November in the second winter after sowing, a part at one end of the bed should be prepared for forcing. For this purpose, and in order that it may be done with facility and effect, a rough wooden frame or frames should be made, eighteen inches high behind, and one foot high in front, shaped like a common hot-bed frame, and of any convenient and portable length; and in width, the same as the bed. Light wooden covers in convenient lengths should be fixed by hinges to the back; these may be raised at will for admission of light and air, and, in fine weather, may be thrown entirely back. When the frames are placed, dig out the alleys one foot deep to receive linings of hot dung, which may be banked op against both the back and front of the frame. The surface of the bed within the frame must be covered with soft, short straw, or hay, nine inches thick, to arrest the heat which rises from the linings, and form that warm humid region into which the shoots will advance. The temperature of these dark frames must be regulated by due attendance; and in intensely cold or frosty weather, the frames at night will require coverings of mats and litter, to prevent the plants receiving a check.
The required supply of the family—the time for it—and the length or number of the frames, must be judged of by the gardener, and who will act accordingly; but two frames are indispensable; because the second should be considerably advanced by the time the crop in the first is all cut.
Young plants may be transplanted; and if they are to be had, may be tried; but the safer way is to sow and plant both, to prevent disappointment; and in order that the roots be not too much exhausted by forcing, one bed should be forced in one year, and another the next.
The crowns of the roots have a tendency to rise; and as annual [p499] additions of sand will be required after the autumnal dressing, the beds by these additions become unsightly; but cutting off the most aspiring (with its flowering stem) every summer, will keep the whole within proper bounds. Instead of covering with dung or litter, to protect from winter’s frost, the frames may be set on those parts intended to be forced, to answer that purpose; and the uncovered parts of the beds may receive a coat of mould out of the alleys, to be drawn back off the sand in the spring.
The writer of this began to force Sea Kale as long ago as 1798, using hot dung within, as well as without, a frame with glazed lights; but soon found that, neither the glass nor dung inside was necessary or suitable; he, therefore, afterwards succeeded, by the above plan, to produce the finest crops of this vegetable, at any time in the winter months; and can confidently recommend such management, especially to those who have no hot-house or hot-bed frames; because when there is any early forced house or frames, if old roots are properly selected and potted in the autumn, and placed in such house or frame, where there is sufficient heat, and well shut up from light by whelming other empty pots over them, a crop may be had in this way, without the trouble and expense of out-door forcing.
J. M.
METEOROLOGICAL DIARY for the Months of September, October, and November, 1827, kept at EARL SPENCER’s Seat at Althorp, in Northamptonshire. ◊ The Thermometer hangs in a North-eastern Aspect, about five feet from the ground, and a foot from the wall.
FOR SEPTEMBER, 1827.
Thermometer. Barometer. Wind.
Lowest. Highest Morn. Eve. Morn. Eve.
Saturday 1 37 60 30.20 30.20 E EbS
Sunday 2 42 64 30.20 30.18 NE NE
Monday 3 44 64 30.18 30.18 NE NE
Tuesday 4 51 59 30.18 30.18 NE NE
Wednesday 5 51 61 30.17 30.17 NE NE
Thursday 6 48 57 30.17 30.17 NE NE
Friday 7 51 59.5 30.17 30.15 NE NE
Saturday 8 52 60 30.11 30.07 NE EbS
Sunday 9 51 62 29.83 29.77 EbS SW
Monday 10 55 67 29.74 29.69 SW SW
Tuesday 11 55 69.5 29.66 29.58 SSE SbW
Wednesday 12 55 62.5 29.54 29.57 SW W
Thursday 13 50 61 29.70 29.93 W W
Friday 14 46 65 30.03 30.03 W W
Saturday 15 50 67 30.10 30.13 W WNW
Sunday 16 58 67 30.17 30.17 WbN W
Monday 17 57 66 30.17 30.16 E ENE
Tuesday 18 57 62 30.13 30.10 ENE NE
Wednesday 19 45 57 30.02 30.02 SW W
Thursday 20 46 54 29.69 29.70 SE NE
Friday 21 43 63 29.70 29.48 NNE SW
Saturday 22 45 60 29.44 29.34 SW WbS
Sunday 23 43 59 29.30 29.40 SW WSW
Monday 24 40 60 29.50 29.50 SE SW
Tuesday 25 42 61 29.50 29.50 SSW S
Wednesday 26 48 65 29.48 29.48 SE S
Thursday 27 52 66 29.48 29.57 NE NE
Friday 28 48 64 29.57 29.57 NE SE
Saturday 29 47 61 29.57 29.54 E SE
Sunday 30 53 63 29.60 29.60 SE SE
FOR OCTOBER, 1827.
Thermometer. Barometer. Wind.
Lowest. Highest Morn. Eve. Morn. Eve.
Monday 1 52 65 29.67 29.70 SE SE
Tuesday 2 54 63 29.74 29.90 E ENE
Wednesday 3 46 62.5 30.04 30.12 ENE ENE
Thursday 4 45 60 30.21 30.23 NE NNE
Friday 5 42 62 30.28 30.17 NNE NNE
Saturday 6 44 61.5 30.10 29.96 E E
Sunday 7 43 58 29.87 29.73 E SbE
Monday 8 39 61 29.60 29.33 SE SE
Tuesday 9 46 62 29.20 29.08 SE WSW
Wednesday 10 48 53 29.20 29.13 SW NE
Thursday 11 46 56 29.04 29.08 SW SW
Friday 12 44 55 29.12 29.32 W W
Saturday 13 34.5 53 29.39 29.39 W W
Sunday 14 44 57 29.60 29.68 W SW
Monday 15 46 61 29.70 29.71 SW SSW
Tuesday 16 57 64 29.71 29.71 SW SSW
Wednesday 17 49 62 29.71 29.69 SE SE
Thursday 18 38 61 29.69 29.63 SE E
Friday 19 45 60 29.63 29.63 ENE E
Saturday 20 52 62 29.63 29.59 E E
Sunday 21 50 59 29.50 29.42 E E
Monday 22 52 59 29.28 29.10 EbS SE
Tuesday 23 51 59 29.02 29.18 SE SE
Wednesday 24 47 60 29.44 29.74 SE WbS
Thursday 25 46 59 29.87 29.88 WbS SSW
Friday 26 52 61 29.96 29.84 SW SE
Saturday 27 46 60 29.63 29.46 SE SSW
Sunday 28 45 57 29.31 29.50 NE NE
Monday 29 33 48 29.77 29.88 NE WNW
Tuesday 30 33 52 29.82 29.68 W W
Wednesday 31 46 53 29.64 29.64 NW NNW
FOR NOVEMBER, 1827.
Thermometer. Barometer. Wind.
Lowest. Highest Morn. Eve. Morn. Eve.
Thursday 1 32 50 29.87 29.90 NW NW
Friday 2 37 51 29.68 29.90 W NNW
Saturday 3 30 53 29.98 29.98 W W
Sunday 4 41 56 30.00 30.03 W W
Monday 5 44 56 30.10 30.20 W W
Tuesday 6 45 57.5 30.18 30.11 W W
Wednesday 7 45 48 30.06 30.03 W W
Thursday 8 43 49 30.00 29.96 E E
Friday 9 44 53 29.77 29.68 W WbN
Saturday 10 46 54 29.73 29.80 WbN W
Sunday 11 47 57 29.80 29.80 W NW
Monday 12 35 53 29.97 30.00 NW WbN
Tuesday 13 40 60 30.00 30.02 WbN WbN
Wednesday 14 50 50 29.98 29.88 EbS SE
Thursday 15 41 48 29.66 29.50 SW SE
Friday 16 37 47.5 29.30 29.39 E ESE
Saturday 17 30 47 29.62 29.69 ESE SE
Sunday 18 36 51 29.86 29.95 E E
Monday 19 45 50 30.02 30.02 EbS S
Tuesday 20 45 48 30.00 29.92 W NW
Wednesday 21 36 39 30.01 30.01 NbW N
Thursday 22 31 34 29.80 29.60 W W
Friday 23 17 36 29.58 29.47 W W
Saturday 24 22 33 29.60 29.79 WbN WbN
Sunday 25 21 39 29.79 29.80 W W
Monday 26 37 45 30.08 30.12 WNW NW
Tuesday 27 38 47 30.17 30.10 SW SW
Wednesday 28 36 45 29.88 29.70 S SE
Thursday 29 39 49 29.27 29.30 SE WbS
Friday 30 35 51 29.30 29.30 W W