The Canadian Horticulturist. 141 



CAULIFLOWERS FOR THE HOME GARDENS. 



HE delicious cauliflower, although highly prized by many, is yet too 

 seldom met with in the home gardens of our State. Possessing 

 many of the good qualities of the cabbage, it is to a certain extent 

 lacking in the peculiar rank flavor which renders the former dis- 

 agreeable to many people. In a general way, the culture is the 

 same as for cabbages. Early varieties should be started in the 

 house or hot bed as soon as the first of April. Handle as needed 

 and set in the open field as early as possible — say the 20th of May, setting the 

 plants about two by three feet. The best soil is a rich, moist, but well-drained, 

 loam. Like the cabbage, the cauliflower is a gross feeder and demands intense 

 culture. If growth be stopped, from any cause, the heads are liable to "button," 

 or form small sections interspersed with leaves, worthless for market purposes. 



Frequent cultivation is necessary, and it is probable that in case of very 

 dry weather about the time of heading, irrigation would be a profitable means of 

 securing a crop, at least for home use. When the heads are about three inches 

 across, the outer leaves should be brought together and held in place by means 

 of a piece of twine, or rafifia, that the heads may be well bleached. Handling 

 the plants in pots previous to setting in the open field can be recommended, 

 since the indications point to an increased percentage of good heads as a result 

 of such practice. In one of our tests, the foliage of one lot of each of the five 

 varieties, was reduced by one-half, while duplicate lots were left without trim- 

 ming. As a rule, the per cent, of heads formed was greater from plants not 

 trimmed. There was practically no difference in the earliness of the two lots, 

 nor was there a marked difference in the size of the heads, consequently we 

 cannot recommend the practice of trimming cauliflower plants severely at the 

 time of setting in the field. 



Great variation is found in the diff'erent varieties and strains of the same 

 type, as regards earliness, percentage of heads formed, and the character and 

 quality of the heads, but nearly all the earliest varieties produced a high per- 

 centage of marketable heads, while the late sorts were anything but satisfactory. 

 Most of the late varieties were checked by the dry weather and showed a ten- 

 dency to " button " or go to seed. 



Among the best sorts we have Alabaster, a small, early variety, of erect 

 habit, thus permitting of very close planting ; Autunin Giant, a very large, 

 late variety of excellent quality — should not be started so early as most other 

 sorts ; Best Early (Burpee's Best Early), small, but one of the earliest surest 

 heading varieties ; Dwarf Erfurt, one of the most popular early varieties ; 

 Early Danish, of the Erfurt type, forming a medium sized head, very firm 

 and good, one of the best ; Kronk's Perfection, a very fine strain of the 

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