CHAPTER XV 

 CAULIFLOWER 



History. Cauliflower has been grown in this country 

 since the earliest days of vegetable forcing. At first its 

 culture as a forcing crop was limited to frames. Sash 

 were then used to construct low, cheap houses which were 

 generally heated by means of flues. With the develop- 

 ment of the greenhouse industry an occasional gardener, 

 especially on Long Island, tried cauliflower. Today, 

 cauliflower is grown under glass, to at least some extent, 

 near most of the large centers of population. 



Importance. Cauliflower is not generally regarded as 

 a very important forcing crop. It is shipped during the 

 forcing season in large amounts from California and the 

 South, so that prices now are not nearly so encouraging 

 as they were years ago. The quality, however, is superior 

 to that of cauliflower which is grown in the open ground, 

 so that there will always be at least a fair demand for the 

 greenhouse product. It is probable that cauliflower could 

 often be profitably substituted for lettuce, and it would 

 thus relieve or prevent market congestion. While it is 

 now grown in small lots in hundreds of frames and green- 

 houses, and in large areas in a few houses, there is a feel- 

 ing among greenhouse men that the crop ought to occupy 

 a more important place in the forcing industry. The un- 

 certainty of getting good seed has undoubtedly been a 

 deterrent to many. We have reason to believe that the 

 seed problem has been solved (see page 235), and that 

 the industry will develop during the next few years. By 

 using dependable seed and proper methods of inter- 

 cropping, the forcing of cauliflower in greenhouses that 

 are properly managed should pay satisfactory profits. 



Beds vs. benches. Experiments made by Bailey at 



234 



