VOL. XVII. NO. 3a. 



AND HORTI.CULTURAL REGISTER. 



253 



to examine, but is, when properly cooked, one of 

 the most delicious and delicate vegetables of the 

 whole bnissica or cabbage tribe. The flower n?one 

 fi the part for which the plant is cultivated ; the 

 flower buds form a close round head, and very 

 white, and a p-ood flower will measure from six to 

 ten inciies in diameter ; but if the flower is cut 

 after it lias begun to expand or open, it will, of 

 course, appear larger than what I have stated ; but 

 it sliould be known, that it is by no means so valu- 

 &blo as it was in its firm, close state 



Cauliflowers are raised from seed, sown as early 

 in the spring, on a warm southern aspect, as the 

 frost leaves' the ground ; again, for the autumn 

 crop, the first week in June, on a northern aspect. 

 Half an ounce of seed, if good, will be sufficient 

 to sow a bed four feet wide, by ten or twelve in 

 length. The soil for the seed bed ought to be 

 light and in good heart, but not too rich with ma- 

 nure ; but those who have frames and glass lights 

 could forward tlie plants at least six weeks, by 

 maknif a slight hot-bed, and covering the manure 

 about six inches with good fresh mellow loam. 

 JAbout the middle of iViarch sow the seed, being 

 Imindful to secure the frame all round with dry lit- 

 iter. laying boards on the top of it to keep out the 

 Irain or snow, as well as to secure the soil in the 

 I frame from the frost, which might, otherwise, pene- 

 itrate through and freeze it. Supposing that the 

 (seed is sown in a frame, and it having been secured 

 i as before advised, the plants will soon make their 

 i appearance, when plenty of air must be given, ev- 

 I ery day when the weather will admit of it, by 

 I propping up the glass, in order to make them strong 

 and healthy. The plants by the middle of April 

 will be ready to transplant, which might be done 

 in the same frame they were sown in, if there is 

 not another at hand, by first taking up the plants, 

 carefully, with a trowel, and carrying them to some 

 warm sheltered spot, until you get the frame ready. 

 All that would be necessary to be done, is to re- 

 move the soil from the bed, and then to fork it well 

 over, adding a little more manure if the bed is cold ; 

 but if the bed has any heat in it, no more will be 

 requisite, as a slight warmth is all that is wanted. 

 After the manure has been nicely levelled with the 

 fork, and beat down solid, replace the soil and rake 

 it smooth ; then provide yourself with a board, tlie 

 width of the frame, placing it on the soil to stand 

 on, in order to prick out the plants about four 

 inches apart ; select the strongest first, and so go 

 on, until all of them are transplanted. 



As soon as the plants begin to grow, give an 

 abundance of air, every fine day, and water when 

 the ground appears dry. Every warm day, the 

 glass should bo taken entirely off the frame. If 

 the weather is fine about the 20th of May, the 

 plants may be put out in the ground, which sliould 

 be prepared for their reception, to fruit or head. 

 A mellow, loamy soil should be prepared, that has 

 had a bountiful supply of well decomposed or rot- 

 ten manure; holes may be opened about two and 

 a half feet apart, from centre to centre, and about 

 twelve in diameter, taking out six or eight inches 

 of the soil, and filling it with the kind of manure 

 spoken of, and mixing the under soil and the ma- 

 nure well together. By taking the plants care- 

 fully from the bed, with a hollow trowel, they will 

 receive but a trifling check, if any, when trans- 

 planted. 



The plants must now be kept in a growing state, 

 by giving them plenty of manure water (which 

 might be easily obtained in any farmer's yard) three 



or four times a week, if there should be a contin- 

 uance of hot dry weather. This is where the 

 whole secret lies, in the growing of the cauliflower, 

 i. e., to keep the plants growing from the time of 

 planting, until you perceive the flower has attained 

 a sufficient size for cutting. 



If the seed is sown in the open,ground in June, 

 a similar mode of culture should be followed in 

 the transplanting, and final planting, as recom- 

 mended above. These plants will not begin to 

 show their heads or blossoms until late in the au- 

 tumn ; but if any of them should not complete their 

 growth, they will do nearly as well as in the open 

 ground, if placed in a good cellar where there is a 

 good portion of light. Remove .ihem carefully, 

 and place the roots in good earth, and the operation 

 is completed. 



Plants for producing an early crop in the spring, 

 should be protected in cold frames during the win- 

 ter. The seed should be sown the latter part of 

 July, or the beginning of August. The plants 

 may be set out in No. 2 pots ; and upon the a])- 

 proach of cold weather, they should be set in a 

 frame and protected from frost. Take advantage 

 of every warm day in January and February, to 

 open the frame, and in the month of March they 

 may be removed to a declining hot-bed, where they 

 should be turned out of the pots into the soil. 

 Hero they may remain until the middle or latter 

 part of April, when they may be removed to a 

 warm spot in the open ground, as before advised. 

 If a hollow trowel is used, and the plants are taken 

 up with a good ball of earth, they will not suffer in 

 transplanting. Hoe and water, if the weather 

 should be dry, and by the end of May, or early in 

 June, fine heads of flowers may be obtained, thus 

 keeping up a succession the year round. In large 

 private establishments, or where they are raised for 

 the market, they may be grown in deep frames, 

 where they will be fit for cutting the latter part of 

 April. At Mr Cushing's, cauliflowers are cut for 

 the table as early as March, and the supply kept 

 up the whole season by successive sowings, as here 

 recommended. A good mellow soil, and plenty of 

 water, during our hot summers, are the only requi- 

 sites to ensure fine heads of flowers. 



In another article, I shall give the cultivation of 

 that fine vegetable, the Brussels sprouts. 



Yours, J. W. RUSSELL. 



Mount Auhurn, Cambridge, Jan. 1639. 



(From the Plymouth Rock.) 



BONE MANURE. 



In this section of the country, where nature has 

 not been profuse in the distribution of fertile fields, 

 rich alluvials, or verdant prairies ; and where we 

 have no overflowing Nile to meet the drafts annu- 

 ally made by the husbandman, on the soil he cul- 

 tivates, it is a question of no small importance to 

 the farmer, how he can, with the least expense and 

 in the most permanent manner, restore hia fields to 

 their wonted fertility. This subject has engaged 

 the attention of many able writers in the agricul- 

 tural periodicals of the day, with incalculable ben- 

 efit to the community. Lime, Plaster, Ashes, Marl, 

 Salt, &.C., have each their advocates, and there re- 

 mains no doubt that they are all valuable as a ma- 

 nure, when properly applied. But as my object at 

 this time is to treat on Bone Manure, I will confine 

 myself to that subject. 



Having seen many favorable notices of bone 



manure, I was induced early last May to send to 

 tlie manufactory of Mr Ward, at Roxbury, and pur- 

 chase twelve bushels, in order to test its utility on 

 crops. It was too late in the season to expect any 

 satisfactory result on wheat or grass lands, and the 

 severe drought which nearly destroyed my corn, 

 rendered it impossible for me to judge of its effi- 

 cacy on this crop. But of its good effect on Man- 

 gel wurtzel, ruta bagas, beets, beans, &c., I can 

 speak with confidence. 



In order that the bone manure might acquire a 

 degree of heal, about a week before applying it I 

 mixed four bushels of crushed bones with an equal 

 quantity of ashes, and having sprinkled it sufficient- 

 ly with water, let it remain in a heap. On the 22d 

 of May I selected about one fourth of an acre of 

 light sandy land, and after giving it a liberal dress- 

 ing of good mud compost it was ploughed, rolled, 

 harrowed and drilled for mangel wurtzel. The 

 preparation of bone manure in the incipient stage 

 of fermentation, was strewed in small quantities 

 in the first row (a single handful for the space of 

 three feet) and omitting it in the next, it was placed 

 only in alternate rows ; the seed was then planted 

 and carefully covered with the ho", which, owing 

 to its being gathered before it was perfectly ripe, 

 did not germinate well, there was not half plants 

 enough where the bone manure was applied, and 

 where there was none, not half as many ; in due 

 season the vacancies were planted with ruta bagas. 

 These came up well, but through the season of 

 drought those rows which received a sprinkling of 

 bone manure, exhibited a decided superiority of 

 appearance, — although its long continuance had 

 nearly destroyed my hopes of a crop worth harvest- 

 ing, when on the 25tli of August, we were favored 

 with a bountiful shower of rain and hail, and al- 

 though the hail made sad havock with the leaves, 

 which had the appearance of having been in a 

 pitched battle, yet from this time their growth was 

 very rapid, at harvesting we had four bushels of 

 mangel wurtzels, and two bushels of ruta bagas in 

 each row where the bone manure was applied, and 

 in those rows where it was omitted, we had but 

 one bushel of each, and this diflference was uniform 

 through the whole. My whole crop measured 

 about one hundred bushels ; my deductions from 

 this experiment are these : Had I applied bone 

 manure to the whole crop which would have cost 

 in addition about one dollar and fifty cents, I should 

 have raised fifty bushels more of those vegetables, 

 which would have cost me three cents per bushel 

 and which are worth at least twentyfive cents per 

 bushel for stock ; making a difference of eleven 

 dollars, on this small patch. A like difference 

 was obseivable where applied to beets, French tur- 

 nips and beans, in all these experiments the efl^ects 

 were truly astonishing, and established in my mind 

 the fact, that " bone manure is one of the most 

 powerful stimulants, that can be applied to the 

 earth as a manure." 



HORACE COLLAMORE. 

 Pembroke, Jan. 21st, 1839. 



The oftener carpets are shaken, the longer they 

 last, as the particles of dirt and sand which collect 

 upon them grind the threads. Sweeping them also 

 wears them. 



To remove ice from door steps, throw on salt; it 

 will cause the ice to crack and become loose, when 

 it may bo easily removed. 



