Cauliflower. 1 83 



and the autumn plantation may be intercropped with French 

 beans, lettuces, late celery, &c. 



Copious supplies of moisture during the growing period is an 

 essential part of the successful cultivation of Cauliflowers. 

 If the weather is dry planting must be accompanied by a good 

 watering-in. Where the area devoted to the crop is only of 

 moderate extent further supplies of water, accompanied by 

 surface mulches, present no serious difficulties, but the mois- 

 ture for crops on a more extensive scale usually depends upon 

 the natural rainfall, and unless evaporation of soil moisture is 

 prevented by keeping the surface soil in the condition of a 

 mulch by frequent stirrings with the hoe, summer crops may 

 prove unsatisfactory. 



When a head shows, a large leaf should be broken over it to 

 keep it clean and white. At this time the plants should be 

 examined frequently and cut as soon as ready, as if over- 

 looked for a day or two they may be quite spoiled through 

 getting too open, especially if the weather is warm. Cutting 

 should always be done in the early morning, as soon after day- 

 break as possible, whilst the dew is upon the plants, and they 

 should be taken under cover at once. If cut under a hot sun, 

 after the dew has evaporated, the quality will be deteriorated. 



Manures : It is useless attempting to grow Cauliflowers on 

 poor land ; it should be rich with manure, preferably by a heavy 

 dressing given to a preceding crop. When applied specially 

 for Cauliflowers it should be well-rotted, 20 loads to the acre 

 on good land and double that quantity on poor land being none 

 too much, supplemented by 3 cwt. superphosphate and 1 cwt. 

 sulphate of potash, applied previous to planting. If the land is 

 properly prepared, nitrogenous fertilizers will not be required, 

 but if for any reason growth is too slow give i cwt. nitrate of 

 of soda or sulphate of ammonia to the acre, applied in a ring 

 around the foot of each plant. 



Varieties : For the earliest supplies : Early London, Snow- 

 ball, Magnum Bonum, Salomon. For early summer: Sutton's 

 Purity, Carter's Mont Blanc, Webb's Peerless, Lenormand's, 

 Early Dwarf Erfurt. For late summer and autumn : Early 

 Emperor, Walcheron, Kinver Monarch, Eclipse, Autumn Giant, 

 Autumn Mammoth. 



