THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 177 



" I practice clean cultivation, mainly to keep the 

 weeds down and yet aim to conserve the moisture; 

 sometimes cultivating as many as three or four 

 times a season, using a one-horse cultivator. In 

 order to utilize the land to the utmost, I plant 

 celery between the cauliflower rows, planting just 

 at the time when the cauliflowers are being set out. 



" As soon as the heads commence to form I draw 

 the outside leaves together and tie them to keep 

 the sunlight off the heads. This should be done as 

 soon as the head can be seen and I usually leave 

 the leaves tied until the head is cut out. When 

 treated in this way the heads will nearly always be 

 snowy white. Otherwise they become brown, and, 

 if kept long in the field unprotected, will become 

 yellow and the heads will spread, losing their crisp- 

 ness and delicate flavor. Late in the season I find 

 immature heads do best if put in cold frame or cold 

 cellar to mature." 



" I have grown cauliflower for three years," 

 writes L. P. Fisher of New Hampshire. " I have 

 tried the Snowball variety. Cauliflower will do 

 well on ground that has been worked for a year or 

 two. The soil should be rich and well pulverized. 

 It has been my experience that cauliflower will not 

 do well when transplanted, and for that reason it 

 is best to sow as many hills as you wish to cul- 

 tivate. When the plants are up they may be 

 thinned to one in the hill. 



" In regard to blanching : I go over my crop twice 

 a week on the average, and tie the tops over the 

 heads where there is danger of sunburn. In a very 

 few days after this is done the heads are ready for 

 market. I have never had any trouble with the 

 heads rotting, caused by tying the tops over them." 



