CAULIFLOWER 237 



mercial cauliflower in our greenhouses at Arlington Farm. If you 

 have seen these houses you will remember they are not supplied with 

 side ventilation and so are more or less unsuitable for crops which 

 run into hot weather in the spring, since it is very difficult to keep 

 temperatures down to the proper degree. Our most uniform success 

 with a crop oi seed has come with the first planting, seed of which 

 is usually sown about the middle of September. This crop is in 

 marketable condition about Christmas, and if allowed to stay in the 

 benches immediately shoots to seed and the seeds are ripe for har- 

 vest in late April or early May. Our second crop of cauliflower 

 goes into the house as soon as the first one is out. Seed of this 

 crop is planted the end of October or November 1 and is trans- 

 planted into the house about January 10. If the spring does not 

 prove to be too hot this will set a very good crop of seed and will 

 be ready for harvesting the latter end of May or June 1. Our 

 plants are set in the greenhouse for seeding about 18 inches apart 

 each way. I am inclined to think that the chances of success would 

 be considerably increased by having solid beds rather than raised 

 benches. We find that our troubles from disease invariably begin 

 after the plant has passed the marketable stage, since it undoubtedly 

 begins to lose its resistance to disease which has kept it going up 

 to that time. I think that it would be quite necessary in going into 

 this business to see that the soil is thoroughly sterilized. The best 

 crop that we ever produced was from a second planting, which gave 

 us 19 pounds of seed from a greenhouse 50 feet long and 20 feet 

 wide. This is, I think, very much better than one could count on 

 for an average." 



Soil. Most of the soils in which cauliflower is forced 

 contain considerable sand. It is doubtful, however, 

 whether sand is essential to the success of the crop, es- 

 pecially if manure is used in ample amounts. Neverthe- 

 less, as stated in previous chapters, some sand in green- 

 house soils, regardless of the vegetables grown, possesses 

 distinct advantages. But excellent crops are often forced 

 in heavy soils. 



Fertilizing. There seems to be a consensus of opinion 

 that the question of soil fertility is of much greater im- 

 portance than that of soil texture. Whatever may be the 

 natural character of the soil, it must be heavily fertilized 

 in order to grow cauliflower successfully. There must 



