CAULIFLOWER 237 
mercial cauliflower in our greenhouses at Arlington Farm. If you 
have seen these houses you will remember they are not supplied with 
side ventilation and so are more or less unsuitable for crops which 
run into hot weather in the spring, since it is very difficult to keep 
temperatures down to the proper degree. Our most uniform success 
with a crop ot seed has come with the first planting, seed of which 
is usually sown about the middle of September. This crop is in 
marketable condition about Christmas, and if allowed to stay in the 
benches immediately shoots to seed and the seeds are ripe for har- 
vest in late April or early May. Our second crop of cauliflower 
goes into the house as soon as the first one is out. Seed of this 
crop is planted the end of October or November 1 and is trans- 
planted into the house about January 10. If the spring does not 
prove to be too hot this will set a very good crop of seed and will 
be ready for harvesting the latter end of May or June 1. Our 
plants are set in the greenhouse for seeding about 18 inches apart 
each way. I am inclined to think that the chances of success would 
be considerably increased by having solid beds rather than raised 
benches. We find that our troubles from disease invariably begin 
after the plant has passed the marketable stage, since it undoubtedly 
begins to lose its resistance to disease which has kept it going up 
to that time. I think that it would be quite necessary in going into 
this business to see that the soil is thoroughly sterilized. The best 
crop that we ever produced was from a second planting, which gave 
us 19 pounds of seed from a greenhouse 50 feet long and 20 feet 
wide, This is, I think, very much better than one could count on 
for an average.” 
Soil— Most of the soils in which cauliflower is forced 
contain considerable sand. It is doubtful, however, 
whether sand is essential to the success of the crop, es- 
pecially if manure is used in ample amounts. Neverthe- 
less, as stated in previous chapters, some sand in green- 
house soils, regardless of the vegetables grown, possesses 
distinct advantages. But excellent crops are often forced 
in heavy soils. 
Fertilizing.—There seems to be a consensus of opinion 
that the question of soil fertility is of much greater im- 
portance than that of soil texture. Whatever may be the 
natural character of the soil, it must be heavily fertilized 
in order to grow cauliflower successfully. There must 
