482 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [Sept 



or rake them in so as that they may be lodged about a quarter of 

 an inch deep; if the weather should prove dry, water the beds oc- 

 casionally in the evening till the plants are up, and in about five 

 weeks they will he fit fur transplanting into their winter quarters, 

 as directed in October. 



Many people are of opinion that it is time enough to sow the 

 seeds of the various kinds of late cabbages in spring, but they may 

 rest asured, that such as are sown at this time, will produce much 

 larger and more solid heads than the spring sown plants; besides, 

 they will be fit for use immediately after the early cabbages are 

 consumed, and keep up a regular and constant supply of that ex- 

 cellent vegetable, whether for sale or private use, till the spring 

 sown crops shall have attained to full perfection. 



Sowing Caidifloiver Seed. 



The critical period, in the middle states, for sowing cauliflower 

 seed is between the twentieth and twenty -eighth of this month; if 

 sown earlier the plants would be very subject to button (as the 

 gardeners term it) or flower in April or early in May, which 

 flowers seldom exceed the size of a common button, and thereby 

 the hopes and expectations of the cultivator are lost. 



I would recommend to sow the seed at three different periods, 

 say the twentieth, twenty-fourth and twenty-eighth of this month; 

 for each sowing let a small spot of rich ground be neatly dug, mark 

 out the bed three and a half feet wide, and immediately sow the 

 seed and rake it in carefully; or you may first rake the bed smooth, 

 and with the back of the rake push the loose mould evenly oft' the 

 surface for near half an inch deep into the alleys, one half to each 

 side, then sow the seed, and with a spade or shovel cast this shoved 

 oft' loose earth over it about a quarter of an inch deep, or a little 

 more, and finish by picking oft' the lumps or small stones with your 

 hand, or drawing them oft" neatly and lightly with the rake; or you 

 may sow the seed on the smooth raked surface, and sift over it 

 about a quarter of an inch of light earth. 



Should the weather prove dry, water the bed both before and 

 after the plants are up, and in a month after sowing they must be 

 transplanted into beds of good rich earth, covered with garden 

 frames, at the distance of three inches from one another, there to 

 remain during winter, and to be taken care of as directed in the 

 following months. 



In the southern states the most forward of these may be finally 

 planted out in November, as directed in page 315, and covered 

 with bell or hand-glasses during winter; but in the middle or eastern 

 states this practice will not succeed on account of the severity of 

 the weather at that season. 



If the plants should happen to be late and of a weakly growth, 

 when you are planting them into frames in the latter end of Octo- 

 ber, let a trench be dug about ten inches deep in a dry, warm, and 

 well sheltered situation, the breadth of a frame and the length of 

 one, two, or more, according to the quantity of plants; then fill it 



