THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 307 



over, and two deep, round every plant, to receive water occasionally, 

 till fit for earthing up ; and which, immediately previous to landing 

 the plants, should be filled with good compost earth, if convenient. 

 Then give each a -little water, which repeat at intervals of three 

 or four days, till in a vigorous growing state, and afterwards occa- 

 sionally. Or, after having first manured and dug the 'ground, you 

 may make trenches as if for celery, in the direction of north and 

 south, and in the bottom of each, lay four inches deep of well rotted 

 cow-dung, cast thereon five or six inches of earth, and point over 

 the whole with your spade, mixing the earth and dung effectually : 

 in these trenches plant your cauliflower plants at the above distances, 

 and give occasional waterings as before. 



To attempt planting cauliflowers in poor ground, would be labouv 

 in vain ; they love, nay they require a deep, very rich, and moist 

 loam, and agree exceedingly well, with large quantities of manure. 



You should be provided with hand-glasses, garden-pots, or covers 

 made of two boards, each a foot long, and nailed together at right 

 angles, to cover every plant, at night and in very severe weather, 

 for two or three weeks after planting ; observing to take them off, 

 early each morning, except the weather is desperate, and never to 

 keep a dark covering over the plants, longer than necessity re- 

 quires. 



This occasional protection is necessary, to keep them in a con- 

 stant and uninterrupted state of vegetation, for if stunted at this pe- 

 riod, by frost or too much cold, many will button, and very few pro- 

 duce large flowers. 



The early cauliflower plants, under hand-glasses, should have 

 earth drawn up to their stems. This will be of great service in pro- 

 moting a strong forward growth. 



The hand or bell-glasses may still be continued over these plants 

 on nights, android wet weather ; but in warm days, and when there 

 are mild rains, let them be exposed to the free air : when the plants 

 are considerably advanced in growth, the glasses should be raised 

 proportionably high on props ; first drawing a border of earth, two 

 or three inches high, or more, round each plant ; then place the 

 props upon that, and set the glasses thereon ; but towards the end 

 of this month, or beginning of next, they should be taken entirely 

 away. 



The above instructions will suit any part of the union, except as 

 to time of planting, which should in every place be, on the eve of 

 the first brisk spring vegetation, when no clanger can be appre- 

 hended from subsequent frosts ; and where this can be done in 

 December, January, or February, with safety, so much the better. 



Young cauliflower plants raised from seed sown last month, 

 should now be pricked out into nursery -beds, or some in a hot-bed, 

 to forward them for final transplanting. See page 176, 



Sowing Cauliflower Seed. * 



Cauliflower seed may be sown any time this month, in the open 

 ground, to raise plants for heading in October, &c. 

 For the further treatment of cauliflowers, see May. 



