CAULIFLOWER 235 
Fig. 81.—Cauliflower. Almost every plant produced a head. 
Cornell University showed that ground beds (Fig. 81) 
were much superior to raised benches with bottom heat 
for the forcing of cauliflower. A smaller percentage of 
the plants on the benches produced marketable heads, 
which were also smaller and poorer in quality. It is more 
difficult, in the raised beds, to maintain proper soil mois- 
ture conditions, which is one of the most important 
factors in growing cauliflower. With proper care the 
crop can be grown successfully on raised beds, but it is 
a much more certain proposition in ground beds, to say 
nothing of the expense of constructing and repairing 
benches. 
Varieties—Only two varieties, Erfurt and Snowball, 
(Fig. 82) are used to any considerable extent for forcing. 
They are early and compact growers, and they produce 
beautiful heads of the highest quality. The character of 
the strain selected is of much greater importance than the 
variety, for the best strains of either variety are excellent 
for growing under glass. 
Seed.—Experienced growers fully realize the necessity 
of using good seed. They have learned that the use of 
