Culture of the Cauliflower. 433 



in that time ; and a great deal of it twice cropped with celery in 

 the same season, which is of rare occurrence except in a London 

 market-garden. Of course the plants must be well prepared and 

 strong ; and done justice to in planting with a good preparation : 

 but a London market- garden is the place to see all things well 

 prepared for. 



Cauliflowers, as I have before told you, I make a point never 

 to sow sooner than from the 18th to the 25th of September; 

 sowing the seed in boxes, frames, or pans, close to the glass. 

 The last of my late cauliflowers I sow about the 15th October, 

 in pans in a little bottom heat, and always make it a rule to 

 prick at this season of the year in thumb pots first, having 

 at this time plenty of spare pots that flower-garden plants 

 have been turned out of. I keep them shifted on in some old 

 melon mould until February, when the plants are become very 

 strong; making it a rule to trench, ridge, and manure my first- 

 cleared celery ground, for the purpose of placing hand-glasses 

 for the first crop. When prepared, if the ground should be wet 

 and cold, I take care to throw out a sort of trench the width of 

 the hand-glasses ; mark out a place for each glass ; throw out a 

 little of the earth where each glass is to stand, and put in a 

 small quantity of dry dusty mould, old dry mushroom bed, or 

 such like ; which I always take care to have ready prepared in 

 the corner of some shed, or covered up with straw mats, which 

 are made by the men in rough weather. I always find in 

 winter plenty of dry dusty rubbish handy and useful for saving 

 many things from cankering, as well as for saving cauliflowers 

 from getting black legs ; which every grower is acquainted with, 

 and by which disease many crops are lost. When the hand- 

 glasses are prepared as above, I turn out about four of these 

 large plants under each glass, keeping them well aired at all 

 suitable times. They grow remarkably free, let the weather be 

 what it may. If the weather proves dry in March, I get 

 manure water prepared, put into it a quarter of a pound of nitrate 

 of soda to one hogshead of tolerably strong cow-dung water ; 

 taking care to add to it a few gallons of hot water to make it a 

 little warm, which well repays the trouble, for they will grow 

 through the cold March winds like as in May, and fine cauli- 

 flowers I always get early in April. This season I find I did 

 not have any account kept of cutting them until April 15th; 

 but, by growing and shifting some along until I get them 

 into No. 8. pots, and placing them for a few weeks in a 

 vinery that is just put to work, or a peach house, I have had 

 cauliflowers early in March. They are found very useful at 

 that season of the year in every family ; as they come before the 

 spring vegetation begins to do much, and the winter stock is 

 getting exhausted. I continue to sow just a pinch of cauli- 



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