CAULIFLOWER 239 



Wood ashes are employed by some growers. Bone 

 meal at the rate of one pound to 20 square feet of space 

 is beneficial. Lime should be used in the beds at least 

 every other year. 



Soil preparation. Some of the most careful growers 

 prefer to compost the soil and manure at least half a year 

 in advance of planting the beds. This insures a thorough 

 mixture of the manure with the soil, and no method will 

 give better results. It is more expensive, however, than 

 preparing the beds in the frames or greenhouses by 

 applying stable manure and other materials and incor- 

 porating them thoroughly with the soil. The thorough 

 methods used in preparing soils for lettuce will apply 

 equally well in the preparation of beds for cauliflower, 

 except that more stable manure might be used. The 

 beds should be at least 8 inches deep. 



Starting the plants. Strong, vigorous plants are essen- 

 tial to a good crop. Many failures are attributable to 

 poor plants. They are easily checked in growth and 

 when stunted they seldom recover sufficiently to produce 

 good heads. It is not uncommon for writers to say that 

 cauliflower plants should be started in the same way as 

 cabbage, but the fact is they demand much more careful 

 attention. The plants, too, are very susceptible to damp- 

 ing-off fungi. To avoid losses from this source, the soil 

 should be steam sterilized and the most careful attention 

 given to watering and ventilating. 



Sowings for the first crop are generally made between 

 September 1 and November 1 ; if a succession is desired, 

 sowings should be made at intervals of about two weeks. 



It is an advantage to sow in rows 3 inches apart, and 

 then water may be applied between the rows without 

 wetting the plants, which is helpful in preventing damp- 

 ing-off. The seed should be sown thinner, too, than for 

 cabbage, so that the plants will be strong and there will 

 be free circulation of air among them another pre- 

 ventive measure of damping-off. 



