Vegetable Growing 



By Various Authorities. 



HOW TO GROW PRIZE-WINNING CAULI- 

 FLOWER. 



Three factors are absolutely essential to the production 

 •of first-class cauliflower, namely, good seeds, rich soil and 

 a uniform and abundant moisture supply. Cauliflower 

 is easily the most exacting member of the whole "Brass- 

 ica" family, and all factors required for the proper de- 

 velopment of plants belonging to this class of vegetables 

 are needed in an intensified degree for cauliflower. In 

 order to be successful in the growing of good heads, seri- 

 ous attention should be paid to the selection of a proper 

 variety for the section of the country where the cauli- 

 flower is to mature. 



Cauliflower by nature is a moisture-loving plant, and 

 thrives to perfection only in naturally moist and cool 

 climates. In late years, several strains of cauliflower 

 have been developed which show an unusual adaptability 

 to dry regions. The foremost of these varieties is Dry 

 Weather — well named, since it stands drought to a re- 

 markable degree. But before going into detail as to 

 variety let us for a moment consider the different types 

 •of cauliflower, their quality and usefulness. 



Cauliflower may be divided into two distinct classes, 

 of early and late maturity. The late sorts deserve little 

 consideration for various reasons. They can onlv be 

 grown in a limited area of this country, where a uniform- 

 ly cool and moist temperature prevails. In intense hot 

 summer weather, every late variety will invariably go to 

 •seed before fully matured, or lose its color. For this rea- 

 son, the best growers in this country have found it 

 preferable to make two sowings of an early sort and 

 raise an early and late crop — one in the spring from seeds 

 sown in March and one in the fall from seeds sown in 

 May and plants transplanted earlv in July. 



The parent variety of 75 per cent of all early cauli- 

 flower listed under one name or another is "Extra Earlv 

 Dwarf Erfurt." This variety is easily the most thorough- 

 bred in existence. For centuries the market gardeners of 

 Erfurt in the Thuringian Forest of Germany, have been 

 literally breeding this remarkable strain, until thev got 

 it to a very high degree of perfection. 



The finest strains of Danish cauliflower seed are grown 

 from stock seed imported into Denmark from Germany. 

 One of the best known strains of Extra Early Dwarf 

 Erfurt cauliflower is listed by many seedsmen under the 

 name of Snow Ball, and a good strain of Snow Ball is as 

 good as anything that can be grown in most sections of 

 the country. Dry Weather, another somewhat later Dan- 

 ish strain of Dwarf Erfurt, does particularly well in dry 

 sections of the country. 



By about March 1 prepare a hotbed, using strictly fresh 

 stable manure, which should be packed tightly into the 

 bed to a depth of 2 feet. On top of this, spread a 4-inch 

 layer of finely sifted soil which should consist of equal 

 parts of compact and rich loam. Ten bushels of this 

 mixture would cover a surface equal to two hotbed 

 sashes to a uniform depth of 4 inches, as suggested above. 

 Get the surface of bed perfectly level, Vnd with the 

 help of a straight board or lath, make rows about one- 

 half inch deep and 4 inches apart. Sow the seeds thinlv. 

 and try to maintain an even temperature in your hotbed, 

 giving plenty of ventilation on bright sunny days to en- 

 courage stocky growth of plants. 



By .\pril 1 transplant the seedlings into a cold frame, 

 ■setting them 4 inches apart each way. Never let cauli- 



flower seedlings suft'er for lack of moisture. They will 

 stand considerable cold, after they are once hardened. 

 But should the bed ever dry out thoroughly for lack of 

 water, it will prove very detrimental to the proper de- 

 velopment of plants later on. 



As soon as all danger of night frost is past, which in 

 most sections of this country is middle of May, set out 

 your cauliflower plants on a well enriched piece of 

 ground 2 feet apart in the row with 3 feet between the 

 rows. Where space is ample, the plants may be set in 

 checkerboard fashion, 3 feet apart each way, so that horse 

 cultivation can be employed both ways. For cauliflower 

 (as well as cabbages) you cannot get your soil too rich. 

 Splendid results are scored by certain truckers in the 

 East, who make it a rule to put a large fork full of well 

 rotted manure in the bottom of each hole in which the 

 cauliflower plant is set. Should the soil be dry at the 

 time the plant is set out, it pays well to open the hole with 

 a hoe and pour about a quart of water into the bottom. 

 Then, when setting the plant, draw sufficiently dry soil 

 around its stem and base to prevent evaporation of the 

 moisture from below. 



Just as soon as the plants pick up and are beginning 

 to show healthy growth, take a horse or wheel hoe and 

 cultivate freely. It is surprising how much dry weather 

 cauliflower will stand, if proper cultivation is given. 

 \Mien the heads being to form and attain the size of a 

 man's fist, take the outer leaves of the plant and fold 

 them toward the center. They may be tied together with 

 raffia, or fastened in any convenient way, just so they 

 shade the young heads. This will keep them a beautiful 

 white and very attractive for the bench. — Vegetable 

 Grower. 



CUCUMBERS UNDER GLASS. 



The English cucumber is much superior to the common 

 field cucumber for table use. Its large size, attractive 

 shape, freedom from the bitter, astringent flavor next to 

 the skin and lack of seed place it at once in a class by 

 itself. Moreover, it is not a difficult crop to grow under 

 glass. It is true that the English gardener devotes a 

 great deal of care and attention to producing this crop, 

 and it may appear to be difficult to grow. My experi- 

 ence, however, leads me to believe that it requires but 

 little more care than the growing of tomatoes under 

 glass. 



We planted and grew a crop of Rollison's Telegraph, 

 a very prolific variety of excellent quality. On April 6 

 the seed was sown in flats and two weeks later the seed- 

 lings were transplanted into 4-inch pots, where they re- 

 mained until set in the beds on May 17. The soil used 

 was a compost made up of equal parts of sod and stable 

 manure which had been previously piled in the open and 

 allowed to decay. Three applications of liquid manure 

 were given at intervals during the bearing season to sup- 

 ply the necessary plant food, as the roots of the cucum- 

 ber are gross feeders. One row of plants was set in each 

 of the four benches in the house with a distance of 2 feet 

 between each two plants. 



Four things demanded attention in handling this crop : 

 ventilation, watering, training and the removal of the 

 staminate blossoms. We aimed to hold the temperature 

 at from 85 to 90 degrees during the day and at 75 degrees 

 at night. During June and July it became necessarv to 

 shade the house to prevent too high temperatures. After 



