272 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 2, 1891. 
CULTURE OF THE CAULIFLOWER. 
The Cauliflower, with the Broccoli, are said to have been introduced 
into England and the Continent of Europe from Cyprus, where it has 
been cultivated for centuries, and also from the coasts of the Mediter¬ 
ranean. Unprotected the Cauliflower would rarely withstand the 
•severity of our winters, except, perhaps, in the favoured climates of 
Cornwall and South Devon. Like all the Brassica family, many 
■excellent varieties of the Cauliflower have been introduced into com¬ 
merce in recent years by the great seedsmen of this country, France, 
and Germany. Those finding most favour in this country are Veitch’s 
Extra Early, Sutton’s First Crop, Early London, Carter’s Extra Early 
Autumn Giant, Walcheren, and Veitch’s Autumn Giant, the last named 
being the hardiest as well as the latest of all Cauliflowers. Plants 
raised from seeds sown at the same time as the five previously 
mentioned varieties make a good succession to the Walcheren. The 
heads are large, firm, compact, and white, and well protected by the 
overlapping leaves from injury by frost. 
Soil. —A deep sandy loam, enriched with well decomposed stable 
manure, trenched into it at least two spades deep, will be congenial to 
the requirements of the Cauliflower, and tend to the production of the 
best possible results under judicious treatment and the influence of 
genial weather. This will allow of the bottom spit, if good, being 
turned up to the action of the weather, thereby subjecting substances 
in the soil, previously inert, to a fresh decomposing action, and rendering 
them available for the food of the plants. In the process of trenching 
the manure should be well mixed with the soil, and should not be 
nearer to the surface than 9 inches. Early and late plantings must 
be made in well-drained ground ; for the general planting it does not 
matter if it is but imperfectly drained—that is, not drained at all, as in 
that case the plants will stand a better chance of being uniformly damp 
at the roots during the summer and early autumn months, and, there¬ 
fore, less liable to have their growth checked, which would result in 
the production of precocious and imperfectly formed heads. 
Sowing. —Seeds of Extra Early and First Crop should be sown in 
gentle heat under glass towards the end of January or early in 
February, and out of doors at the foot of a south wall or fence as early 
in the latter month as the condition of the soil and weather will permit 
its being done. A pinch of seed of the varieties named above should 
be sown at the same time to yield a succession of Cauliflowers up to the 
autumn-raised plants, the end of June and throughout the months of 
July, August, and September, when the supply will be continued by 
plants of Early London, Extra Early Autumn Giant, 'Walcheren, and 
Veitch’s Autumn Giant, raised from seed sown in April. The last 
sowing will produce heads the following May and June, being made from 
the 20th to 25th of August in the south and west of England and 
Ireland; and from ten to fifteen days earlier in the northern parts 
of these islands. Sow the seed in beds about 4 feet wide, with 
a foot alley between, these being divided and subdivided according to 
■circumstances, and covered lightly with pulverised soil from the alley, 
raked level, and then covered w;th a piece of small-meshed garden 
netting, supported by short forked sticks, as a protection from the birds. 
As soon as the young plants are a couple of Inches high they must be 
pricked out in a suitable situation in rows 6 inches apart, and at the 
same distance in the rows, setting the plants down to the bottom leaves 
in the soil and rendering the soil moderately firm about the roots ; 
giving water (in the absence of rain at the time) to settle the soil. As 
soon as these plants have become well established they should be finally 
transplanted with balls in drills 3 inches deep, 2 feet apart, and at the 
same distance from plant to plant in the row. A space of 6 inches less 
every way will be ample for Extra Early and First Crop, these being 
compact, dwarf-growing varieties. The only difference in the pricking 
out the young plants resulting from the August sowing, is that they 
must be placed underneath handlights, or in cold pits or frames 
liaving a sunny aspect, instead of in the open. If the soil in which the 
plants are set during the summer should be of stiff nature, the 
application of water at the roots, except to settle the soil about them 
\yhen planted, will not_ be necessary ; but, on the other hand, if it is 
li^ht, frequent applications of water at the roots will be necessary 
should the summer be a hot and dry one. As soon as the plants 
have taken well to the soil they may have a little of the latter drawn 
up to them on either side. 
Autumn and Winter Treatment of August-raised Plants.— 
The plants in handlights, pits, and frames should be protected from 
frost by lights and shutters, and fern or litter in case of severe frost. 
They must, however, have abundance of air given them on every 
favourable opportunity, removing the lights and shutters in the morning 
in the absence of frost or snow, and replacing them in the evening 
whenever frost is anticipated. A dusting of lime and soot mixed can 
be occasionally made between the ends and sides’of the frames and pits 
and the plants to prevent the inroads of slugs among the plants during 
the winter. A little wood ashes and soot should be strewn over the 
soil before pricking out the young plants in it. This will protect their 
roots from the attacks of insects. 
Transplanting Cauliflowers in Spring.—As early in February 
as the weather will permit lift the plants with a garden trowel, with 
little balls of earth attached to the roots, and transplant them carefully 
Into drills in the manner described above. This done stick a Spruce 
bough or Laurel branch well into the ground at the north side of 
the individual plants for a few weeks. These will save them from 
injury by frosts and cutting winds until the roots of the plants have 
pushed into the fresh soil, when they may be removed. Another plant¬ 
ing should be made early in March, treating the plants as indicated. 
Where branches and boughs of the description mentioned are not at 
command it will be advisable to defer the first planting for a few 
weeks. In the north of England and Scotland it will not be safe to 
put the plants out before the second and third week in March. 
Taking and Eetarding the Crop. —The heads of Cauliflowers 
may be cut when they are about 3 to 4 inches in diameter, and from 
that till they attain their full size, but before they lose their compact¬ 
ness. The heads should never, except in special cases, be cut before 
they have reached these dimensions. The “ flower ” should not be 
exposed to sunlight, as that would spoil its whiteness. When the heads 
are turning in too quickly three or four of the leaves can be bent 
over them as a means of keeping them back. The operation may also 
be had recourse to when frost is anticipated in autumn and early 
winter. This will save the heads from being injured by a few degrees 
of frost. If the breadths of plants are looked over when frost is 
anticipated, and all developed heads cut with a few inches of stalk 
attached, and are then stood on the ends closely together on the floor of 
a shed or cool house out of the reach of frost or damp, they will 
keep good for a fortnight or three weeks from the time of cutting. 
—H. W. Ward. 
Grafting. —Attend to this as soon as the sap has risen sirfficiently 
to cause the wood buds to commence unfolding, and the bark to leave 
the wood freely. Enough moisture must be forthcoming at once to 
prevent the scions drying, and in order to make this point more secure 
the growth of the stock must be in advance of the scions. The latter 
are, therefore, usually taken off several weeks before growth commenc e^, 
and laid in wdiere they are cool and moist ; the stocks are also roughJy 
headed back about the same time. It is not advisable to graft tre: s 
that are not vigorous and healthy; grafting will not remedy this, and it 
is better to grub them out and plant others in another place ; but strong 
healthy Apple or Pear trees of poor varieties may be grafted with 
good varieties, and will quickly make large bearing trees again if well 
attended to. It is not usual to graft large trees of stone fruits, such as 
Plums or Cherries ; they do not heal their wounds so readily as Apples 
or Pears, and are liable to death from “gumming” and other causes if 
cut hard back ; they are, therefore, usually propagated by budding in 
the summer season. 
Various Methods. — For large standard trees and those the 
branches of which when cut back exceed half an inch in diameter, the 
plan known as “ rind grafting ” is the simplest and surest mode. The 
stocks having been sawn off as previously advised, they will only require 
cutting back about an inch farther so as to secure perfectly fresh wmoel 
to w'ork on. Sawdng must be carefully done that the branches may not 
be split or the bark injured, and all cuts should afterwards be pared 
smoothly wdth a knife. The next thing is to slit the bark from 2 to 
3 inches down the branch, commencing at the top where it was sawn off, 
it is then slightly rai.sed on each side of the slit by the handle of a 
budding knife or a grafting bone. All is now ready for the scion, 
which must be about 6 inches long, and cut wdth a flat face at the lower 
end of the same length as the slit in the stock, but not deep enough to 
expose the pith. This has now to be inserted in the stock, pushing it 
gently downwards from the top underneath the bark, care being taken 
that no soil adheres to it when it is inserted under the bark of the 
stock. When the branches are 2 inches or more in diameter two or 
three scions are generally inserted in each, and in large standard trees 
from twelve to twenty branches may be worked, giving those the 
preference near the crown of the tree, and inserting the grafts wdth an 
upward tendency, or much troub’e will be needed afterw’ards to induce 
them to grow upright. As soon as the scions are on each branch 
another person should bind them in firmly wdth raffia or some similar 
material, and cover wdth clay or grafting wax to keep out the air until 
the inner bark of the stock and scion are securely united. If clay is rrsed it 
cannot be too adhesive, and must be well worked over wdth a spade, 
mixing in a quantity of soft hay cut into chaff and some horse manure, 
in order to prevent it cracking. When the clay is not very good cow 
manure may also be added, birt we never use it, as our clay is naturally 
soft and greasy. Prepare sufficient of this mixture before the work is 
commenced, and enough ought to be placed on to completely exclude 
the air from the wounded parts and keep them moist, at the same time 
it must be borne in mind that two buds at least of the scion must be left 
outside the clay. 
Have a pail of w’ater at hand wdien applying the clay in order to 
leave a clean smooth surface when finished, and in places much exposed 
to dry cutting winds it is a good plan to tie a handful of damp moss 
over the clay and to damp it occasionally. Some use grafting wax—a 
composition of pitch, beeswax, tallow, &c .—instead of clay. We have 
found the French cold grafting wax, known as “ Mastic L’homme 
Lefort,” to be capital where only a few grafts have to be covered, as it 
