CATS. 



95 



CAULIFLOWER. 



shoemakers, and which are finer than the 

 French wire nails of this length. When 

 finished, turn the strip up and nail it to the 

 paling or edge of roof, the nails that have 

 been driven into it being point uppermost. 

 The cat will not relish his reception when 

 he, or she, next attempts to come that way. 



Cat Teasers of Tin Plate. 



Many persons, perhaps, will have a 

 number of tin cans that they do not care 

 to throw away, and which they would 

 utilise, if they knew how to do so. They 

 may make very effective cat teasers of them 

 by first of all placing the tins on a hot stove 

 to melt the solder and bring them to their 

 pristine condition of flat plates. They 

 must then, with a sharp-pointed tool, 

 scratch small triangles on the surface of 

 the tin, as shown at A in the accompany- 

 ing illustration, and with a strong chisel- 



CAT TEASER OF TIN PLATE. 



shaped punch cut through two sides of 

 each triangle thus made. The triangles' 

 must then be turned up on the third 

 side so as to bring the apex of each 

 uppermost, as shown in the side view at B. 

 A piece of tin plate thus treated and nailed 

 on a flat surface will prove most objection- 

 able to cats ; but possibly of the two the 

 nails will be found a more effectual de- 

 terrent, and certainly easier to make. 



Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea Botry- 



tis). 



In all varieties of the Brassica;, except 

 broccoli v . and cauliflower, we find them 

 cultivated for their leaves, growing either 

 loosely on the stem, or forming a round 

 compact head, blanched by being covered 

 with the outer leaves, or sprouting from 

 the stem, sometimes in small heads, at 

 others in separate small slender leaves. 

 In the broccoli and cauliflower, however, 

 the abortive flowers form a serried corymb, 

 connected with the stem by a thick, fleshy 

 peduncle, the whole thickly interwoven, 

 and forming a compact round head of a 



CAULIFLOWER. 



creamy white colour, and of great delicacy 

 when properly grown. There are many 

 varieties now in use which may be ascer- 

 tained on reference to the price lists of the 

 principal growers. 



Sowing, &>c. With us the plant is 

 treated as an annual, although it may, like 

 all the race, be propagated from cuttings. 

 In 'order to keep up a succession, three or 

 four sowings should be made in the 

 season, the first sowing being made on a 

 slight hotbed in February, or very early in 

 March. This is done by digging awaym'^ 

 few inches of the soil the size of tMT 

 intended bed, filling it up to a few inches 

 above the surrounding soil with fresh 

 stable-dung which has been well turned, 



