48 GARDENING FOR YOUNG AND OLD. 



ble, is, in point of fact, a great advantage ; but we must 

 make other things correspond. If the soil is dry, poor, 

 hard, cloddy and weedy, the hot sun may be an injury ; 

 it will wither up the cauliflowers and the careless culti- 

 vator will be very apt to blame the sun. But if your 

 land is well drained, moist, rich, mellow, deeply and 

 thoroughly cultivated and free from weeds ; if you have 

 good strong cauliflower plants of the right variety, and 

 set out at the right time ; if the roots have got firm hold 

 of the soil and have access to abundance of food and 

 water, let the sun shine, the leaves of the plant will 

 glory in the abundant sun ; and if they wilt a little dur- 

 ing the fierce heat of the day, the next morning will find 

 them bright and fresh and full of vigor. 



I would advise no one to go extensively into the culti- 

 vation of cauliflowers before they have had some experi- 

 ence ; better raise a few in the garden and make special 

 efforts to grow them to perfection. When you have 

 learned the secret of success, extend their cultivation to 

 the field and market garden. The standard varieties of 

 cauliflower are Early Paris, Erfurt Earliest Dwarf, Large 

 Lenormand and Walcheren. The former two are early 

 varieties, and the last two are larger and later. What we 

 have said in regard to the planting of early and late vari- 

 eties of cabbage, is equally true in regard to the planting 

 of early and late varieties of cauliflower. To have early 

 cauliflowers, of course, you must sow early varieties, but 

 for a late crop, it is not absolutely necessary to have late 

 varieties. If late kinds are planted early and every thing 

 goes well, they will give you a larger, handsomer, and 

 more profitable crop; but it often happens, where the soil 

 and season are not propitious, that the early varieties 

 planted late will give the best results. In other words, 

 if you can grow a large crop of the late varieties do so. 

 But if you have any reason to anticipate a failure, you 

 had better be content with raising a crop of the early and 



