ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE CAULIFLOWER. 
283 
out in November are inactive, in consequence of the check received in 
removal, and therefore less likely to suffer from frost. 
Protecting cauliflower plants under bell or hand glasses, is one of 
the most common expedients in kitchen gardening, and is executed as 
follows, viz.:—a border, on the end or side of a compartment in the 
open garden, is prepared by having a good coat of rich dung deeply dug 
in. The ground is divided into four feet-wide-beds, with two-feet-wide 
alleys between. Along the middle of the bed, or beds, a rank of hand¬ 
glasses is placed, by line, two feet apart from each other. Within the 
impressions made by the bottoms of the glasses, four or six of the best 
and healthiest plants are drawn from the seed or nursing-bed, and 
dibbed or let in with a trowel. Three or four of these plants are 
intended to perfect their heads on the spot; the supernumeraries to 
be transplanted to some other place in the spring. When the planting 
is finished a little water may be given to each to settle the earth about 
their roots, especially if the soil, or weather, be dry, as sometimes 
happens in the month of October, the proper season for the performance 
of this work. The glasses are then put on for the winter, but, on 
the morning of every fine day, the south fronts of the glasses are raised 
oil a brick-bat to admit fresh air, but shut down close again at night. 
This is the only protection and attention required by the plants 
throughout the winter, except, perhaps, taking the glasses entirely off 
in the middle of a mild day, stirring up the surface of the earth among 
the plants, and taking away dead or dying leaves, and replacing the 
glasses before night. Attention should also be given that no snails or 
slugs take up their winter quarters within the glasses, because these 
would assuredly injure the plants one way or other. If any enemy of 
the kind appear, a dusting of hot lime, or a sprinkling of lime-water, 
will kill or drive them away. 
The plants so treated will, during the month of March, be advancing 
rapidly, and about the beginning of April will have filled the glasses 
with their leaves. When this takes place the supernumeraries must be 
removed, and those that remain well earthed up, at the same time 
forming a kind of basin round the stems to hold water, copious supplies 
of which will be required occasionally, if the season be dry. At this 
time also, the glasses are raised all round, by being set on three or four 
brick-bats, to give head-room, till about the beginning of May, when 
they may be entirely laid aside. 
Cauliflower plants cultivated in this way are the first ready for table, 
and very often come in too much together for private use, too many 
hand-glasses, therefore, need not be employed ; for those plants which 
have stood, perhaps, exposed to the open air all winter unscathed, will 
