CAULIFLOWER PLANTS. 
37 
THE DERBY TULIP CHALLENGE. 
The Derby florists have offered a challenge to the growers of 
Nottingham to show thirty varieties of Tulips in the ensuing 
season; but the latter, without declining the offer, proposed in 
return to lower the number to twelve, believing that quantity 
would make it the more a match of quality; this, however, has 
been declined by the gentlemen of Derby, and the Nottingham 
florists are now rather assuming the position of the challengers, 
for on this question, though they do not agree to the original 
proposition, have made another offer to show twenty-one, or four 
blooms in each of the feathered classes and three in the flamed ; 
and in addition, propose to select five growers who shall each ex¬ 
hibit a stand of six flowers, cut from his own stock, against a 
similar number of the Derby growers. Mr. Wood, of the Coppice, 
Nottingham, also offers on his part to show six varieties against 
any florist of Derby; the preliminaries to be arranged by indif¬ 
ferent arbitrators. 
NEW MODE OF PRESERVING CAULIFLOWER PLANTS. 
Every gardener is but too well acquainted with the trouble of 
keeping the young plants of this delicate vegetable through the 
winter, especially where frames are scarce, or wanted for other 
purposes. At least it was my case for several seasons, until I 
adopted the following method, which has entirely removed the 
evil, insomuch that I have since had far less trouble with them, 
and the lights have been reserved for other uses. 
There is nothing peculiar about the sort of cauliflower grown ; 
but one very important point is to get them sown sufficiently 
soon to allow them to become well established before the winter. 
The first week in August is a good time, and the plants should be 
potted singly into small pots as soon as they have rough leaves, 
encouraging them to grow all the remainder of the autumn, by 
keeping a moist atmosphere about them, which is done by copious 
waterings, not only of the plants, but of the paths and ground 
around them : thus by the end of October they will have formed 
abundance of roots, and be in excellent condition to withstand 
