POPULAR VARIETIES OF GARDEX VEGETABLES. 



207 



heard of finer cauliflower than is sometimes grown in the south and west. The 



flower buds form a solid mass of great 

 beauty and delicacy, called the " curd," 

 and its appearance is shown in the 

 engraving. This is rendered more 

 delicate by being protected from the 

 sun. Break ofl" one or two of the 

 leaves, and place them upon the flower. 

 _ Gardeners sometimes sow seed in the 

 gtt autumn, for early cauliflower, and keep 

 the plants over in frames ; but by 

 sowing the early varieties in the spring, 

 in a hot-bed or cold-frame, or even in 

 an open border, they can be obtained in pretty good season. For late cauli- 

 flower, sow seed in a cool, moist place, on the north side of a building or tight 

 fence, in this latitude, about the first of May, and they will not be troubled 

 with the little black beetle, so destructive to everything of the cabbage tribe 

 when young. Do not allow the plants to become crowded in the seed-bed. 

 Transplant in moist weather, or shade the newly set plants. In the autumn, 

 plants which have not fully formed the " flower," or "curd," may be taken up 

 and placed in a light cellar, with earth at the roots, and they will generally 

 form good heads ; or they may be hung up by the stems, head down, in a cool 

 cellar, and will do well. 



A favorite European vegetable, Brocoli, resembles the cauliflower; indeed, it 

 is hardly possible to distinguish the two. The Brocoli, however, is the most 

 hardy, and in portions of Europe where the seasons are mild, remains in the 

 ground all the winter, furnishing good heads most of the cold season. Of 

 course, in many sections of our country Brocoli would not suffer in winter, but 

 it dislikes severe summer heat more than cold ; and to succeed, it would be 

 necessary to grow late plants, and set them out after the extreme heat of sum- 

 mer is past. 



CRESS. 



The Cresses are excellent and healthful salad plants, of a warm, pungent 

 taste, and are much relished by almost every one, especially in the spring sea- 

 son. "When young and tender the whole plants are 

 eaten, but when older, the leaves only. Cress is often 

 used with lettuce, and other salad plants, and the 

 Curled is very good for garnishing. Sow the seed in 

 a hot-bed or in a sheltered spot in the garden, quite 

 thick, in shallow drills. In a short time it will be fit 

 for cutting. Sow a little every week. The water 

 cress is a great luxury to most people, and cheaply 

 obtained by those who live near fresh water. Scatter 

 a little seed in moist places on the edges of ponds or 

 brooks, and in the eddies of streams, and in a few years the shallow water will 

 be stocked with plants. The engraving with the large leaves shows a branch 

 of Water Cress, and with the small leaves a plant of Curled Cress. 



COR]Sr SALAD. 



Corn Salad is a favorite salad plant in some portions of Europe, and is much 

 cultivated in America by those who have become familiar with its use across 



