178 MAKING HORTICULTURE PAY 



As to cauliflower cultivation in Missouri, Prof. 

 J. C. Whitten of the state experiment station, 

 writes : " With the first warm days of March or 

 early April, the plants should be transplanted to 

 the open ground. The richest soil obtainable 

 should be selected for the cauliflower plantation. 

 Two or three hundred loads of old, decomposed 

 manure will not make the land too rich. It is im- 

 portant, also, to secure a moist soil and yet one in 

 which good drainage may be secured. A moder- 

 ately heavy clay loam, sufficiently well drained so 

 that water will not stand on it, is best. 



" In transplanting they should be removed with 

 as much of their roots remaining as possible and 

 some of the outer leaves should be broken ofif to 

 lessen the amount of evaporation before the root 

 system is established. The plants are usually set 

 18 inches apart, in rows 3 feet apart, so as to admit 

 of cultivation one way with a horse. Frequent and 

 thorough cultivation is of the utmost importance. 



"As warm weather approaches, plant lice often 

 attack the cauliflower. These are best kept down 

 by the use of tobacco. If tobacco stems from the 

 cigar factory, or fine tobacco dust is scattered along 

 the rows, in early spring, the plant lice are not 

 likely to appear. It is always better to prevent 

 their appearance by an early application of tobacco, 

 than to attempt to get rid of them once they have 

 become abundant. If lice appear on the plant, the 

 best remedy is to dust them with fine tobacco. 



" As the plants begin to head the outer leaves 

 should be drawn up and tied so as to cover the 

 head. This bleaches the head and prevents injury 

 by the bright sunlight. In preparing for the market 

 the outer leaves are usually trimmed to the rim of 

 the head and the cauliflower packed in small boxes. 



