30 THE CAULIFLOWEE. 



years they seem to have been so very abundant, and 

 so materially aided in their work of destruction by the 

 black grub below and the green grub above ground, 

 that many complete failures have occurred in en- 

 deavors to grow plants. To avoid this I recommend 

 that the ground intended for plants be plowed or 

 spaded in the fall, and if stable manure is to be 

 used, let it be well rotted and turned under at this 

 time, and again work the soil early in the spring, at 

 this time turning under a good dressing of potash 

 salts; keep the ground free from weeds by occa- 

 sional stirring until the time for sowing the seed, 

 then lay out a bed six feet wide, and as long as you 

 please: make the surface smooth, and enclose it with 

 common boards ten or twelve inches in width set 

 edgewise perpendicularly, one-half their width 

 under ground and held in place by stakes driven at 

 the joints and centres. Within this frame, begin- 

 ning at either end, dig and thoroughly pulverize the 

 soil by means of a spading fork, potato fork, or 

 similar implement, watching closely for any grub 

 worms which may not have been eradicated by the 

 previous workings and which we now propose to 

 keep out by means of the partially sunken boards. 

 "Fertilizers may, at this time, be applied and 

 forked under or raked in, using judgment as to 

 method and quantity, which must be determined by 

 the previous condition of the soil and the strength 



