CRUCIFER^l. LXXXIII. BRASSICA. 



235 



watering and occasionally shading from the mid-day sun, till 

 they have taken root ; to remain in such beds till they have 

 gained strength till October. 



Hand-glass Division. " Towards the close of October, 

 transplant a quantity finally into rich ground, which has been 

 well dunged, under hand-glasses in rows three feet and a half 

 or four feet asunder, with intervening alleys a foot wide, and 

 three feet apart in a row. Set three, four or six plants centrally 

 under each glass about four inches apart, with the design of re- 

 taining only two or three of the best plants in the spring. Give 

 a moderate watering at planting, and put on the glasses close 

 till the plants take root, discoverable in a week or ten days, by 

 their shewing a renewed growth ; then raise the glasses on the 

 wannest side, one or two inches in mild days, to admit free air 

 to the plants. Continue the glasses all winter, but in all tem- 

 perate weather tilt up the south side daily two or three inches to 

 give the requisite admission of free air. You may occasionally 

 take the glasses off, especially if the plants appear to draw or 

 get on too fast in growth, as they are sometimes apt to run into 

 small button heads in their nursery state, useless for future 

 culture ; but put on the glasses early towards evening, and 

 always keep them on at night and during cold rain, snow, and 

 frosts, shutting them close down in all inclement weather,- and 

 during rigorous frosts it would be advisable to give some pro- 

 tection with long dry stable litter round the glasses, or to cover 

 with mats, removing the covering when mild settled weather 

 occurs. Thus conforming to the vicissitudes of the weather, 

 continue the glasses till the close of April or beginning of May, 

 giving larger admissions of free air as the warmer season of 

 spring advances, and sometimes in fine mild weather admit a 

 moderate warm shower of rain. Meanwhile in March, if all 

 or most of the plants under the glasses have stood the winter, 

 be careful to leave only one or two of the strongest under each 

 glass, transplanting the superabundant into the open garden in a 

 quarter of rich mellow earth, improved with rotten dung dug in 

 a spade deep ; setting the plants two feet and a half asvinder, and 

 giving water. In thinning the plants be careful in taking out 

 those with black shanks, but do not take the trouble to transplant 

 them, for they will prove abortive. At the same time, to assist 

 those remaining under the glasses, draw a little earth about the 

 stem of each. To these continue the glasses till the period men- 

 tioned above to forward them in full growth for the most early 

 production ; but as they expand in the herb raise each glass 

 upon the props three or four inches high, to admit air freely, 

 and to give a larger scope of room above, for the free growth of 

 the plants, or when further advanced you may draw a small 

 ledge of earth round the bottom of each glass, both to raise the 

 props higher for an additional upward space, and to contain 

 water when occasionally given in dry weather. Towards the 

 end of April or the beginning of May, when the plants will in 

 a manner have filled the glasses, remove these from the most 

 forward, but continue the aid of glass as long as practicable, to 

 accelerate the plants into early heading in May. Thus the most 

 early crop will produce a supply of flower-heads for gatherings 

 in succession in May and June." 



Frame Division. " The other plants of the same sowing 

 designed for wintering in frames, may in young growth, at the 

 end of September or beginning of October, be either pricked 

 at once into the winter beds, or be at that time removed into a 

 preparatory bed in the open garden, to have a month's growth 

 in order to be transplanted into the frame beds in the end of 

 October or beginning of November in rows, crosswise, four or 

 three inches apart in the bed, covering the surface with dry 

 ashes or sharp sand. Give a light watering, and put on the 

 lights close till the plants have taken root, then prop up the 

 lights behind two or three inches, or draw them off occasionally 



to the back of the frames in mild dry days, but keep them on 

 when very cold, and in rain, snow, frost, and always at night, 

 and in severe frost cover the glasses and round the frames with 

 dry long strawy litter and mats ; but in all mild, dry weather 

 admit the air fully as in managing the hand-glasses. Then in 

 March or beginning of April, transplant the whole into the open 

 garden in rows two feet and a half asunder, and they will come 

 into full production in July and August." 



Half-sheltered Portion. " In want of frames or hand-glasses, 

 you may in October either prick some plants into a warm south 

 border close under the fence, three inches apart to be protected 

 in rigorous frosts with mats, dry litter or reed pannels ; or you 

 may prick some into a bed, arched over with hoops, to receive a 

 covering of mats during cold nights or heavy rains, snow or 

 frosts in the day-time in winter. Give the full air in all moder- 

 ate weather till March or April, then all to be transplanted 

 finally as above." 



Secondary sowing or first spring-raised crop. " For late 

 succession summer cauliflower to succeed the autumn-raised 

 early and main summer crops, or if none were raised to stand 

 the winter. Sow in February or beginning of March in a mo- 

 derate hot-bed, or where that cannot be had, in a warm border 

 under a frame or hand-glass, and when the young plants have 

 leaves an inch broad, prick them into other beds of the same 

 description, three inches apart, to gain strength by three or four 

 weeks growth, in order to be planted out into the open garden at 

 the end of April or beginning of May, where they will produce 

 tolerable heads in July or August. Sow also in the open garden 

 during the last fortnight in March and the first in April for a 

 later succession with small heads in August and throughout 

 autumn. Plants of the late crop removed as late as May for 

 fruiting the same year should be planted in a shady border." 



Second spring-raised crop. " The next and last sowing is for 

 the late autumn and winter crop, commonly called the Michael- 

 mas crop, to be made towards the 24th of May, in a bed of light 

 earth. Prick out the young plants in June to remain in the in- 

 termediate bed till about the middle of July, then to be trans- 

 planted two-feet and a half asunder. Give occasional watering 

 till they have taken good root. They will begin to produce heads 

 in October, but they will be of superior size in November and 

 December if temperate weather follows. 



Final culture of the three crops. " With respect to the cul- 

 ture of the different crops, after being finally transplanted, it is to 

 hoe the ground occasionally in order to cut down weeds, and as 

 well to loosen the earth and draw some round the stems of the 

 plants. When the early crops are nearly advanced to full growth 

 in May and June, one or two good waterings to the roots will con- 

 tribute to their producing large heads. In the dry weather of 

 meridian summer water those not in flower twice a- week, and 

 those in flower every second day. As the flower heads shew 

 themselves turn down some of the larger leaves to defend them 

 from sun and rain, and to preserve them white and close in per- 

 fection." Abercrombie. 



Insects and Slugs. " Cauliflower plants when first planted 

 out are frequently infested with flies or their larvae, to attract 

 which it is not uncommon to sow a little radish-seed on the Cauli- 

 flower ground a fortnight before transplanting, the flies preferring 

 the tender leaves of the radish to those of the cauliflower, the 

 latter are thus suffered to escape." London. 



Look carefully once a-week or oftener, if mild weather, over 

 the cauliflower plants, as slugs will destroy many of them, the 

 best way is to pick them carefully off with the hand. Laying a 

 little chaff round the plants is said to keep off slugs. In severe 

 weather mice and rats will be apt to destroy them ; recourse must 

 then be had to poison and traps. The plants should be kept 

 clean from dead leaves and weeds. 



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