75 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, May 5, 1857. 
VEGETABLE CULTURE AND COOKERY. 
THE CAULIFLOWER. 
The Cauliflower delights in a rich and highly-manured 
soil, with a cool bottom, not hot and burning. If the soil 
should be light, or the subsoil gravelly, manure must be 
applied in large quantities. 
The earliest crop of Cauliflower comes into use in May, 
and for this 5 the seed must be sown in the third week of 
August. Between the 18th and 25th of that month, and 
neither sooner nor later, prepare, in an open and warm 
situation, a bed of a size sufficient to supply the number of 
plants required, by making the surface light and fine. On 
this sow the seed thinly, and rake it in, afterwards sifting a 
little fine soil over it, but not more than a quarter of an inch 
thick. If the weather prove hot and dry, water the bed and 
shade the young plants when they begin to vegetate. In 
the middle of September, when the plants have made two 
broad leaves, prick them out on a bed of light, rich earth, 
in rows four inches apart, and three inches distant from 
each other in the rows. This must be done after rain ; or, 
if the weather should be dry at the time when they must be 
planted out, let them be watered a few hours previously, 
that they may rise more freely from the seed-bed, selecting 
those only which are the strongest, and which have the 
straightest stems, the others being allowed to remain pro¬ 
tected by a frame during winter. Give them frequent water¬ 
ings, if necessary, till they are quite established. If the 
nights are cold and the season ungenialthey may be covered 
with the lights of a garden frame to bring them forward; 
but during the whole of October they must be exposed night 
and day to harden them. 
In the last week of October prepare a plot of ground by 
giving it a good coating of well-rotted manure, and digging 
it in a spade's depth, breaking the clods and rendering it 
fine and mellow. At four feet apart plant out clumps of 
three, four, or five of the strongest plants which were pricked 
out in September, and let the plants be at such distances 
Irom each other as they may conveniently be covered with 
a handglass, and let as many of these clumps be planted 
out as there are glasses to cover them. The glasses 
are to remain close down till the plants have taken root, 
after which, as long as the weather continues mild, tilt them 
up about three inches high to admit air ; but in cold, frosty 
weather keep them close down. During fine weather in winter 
the glasses may be entirely removed in the middle of the 
day, but closed down again at night; and in this position 
they are to remain till the latter end of February or begin¬ 
ning of March, when all the plants are to be removed except 
two from under each glass, and planted out in the open 
ground in rows two feet and a half apart, and the same 
distance from each other in the rows. The use of the 
glasses may be entirely discontinued in the end of March 
or beginning of April, and the two strongest plants which 
were left are to remain where they are till they produce 
heads in May, the others which were planted out forming 
a succession crop in June or July. 
The plants which were allowed to remain in the seed-bed 
in September, protected by a frame or hooped covering, 
should, during winter and spring, have abundance of air in 
fine weather; and during March and early in April they are 
to be planted out as directed above, and in July and August 
they will come in for use. During summer the ground 
should be frequently hoed and stirred, and the plants 
earthed up round the stems. Copious supplies of water 
will be necessary if the season be dry, and occasional water¬ 
ings with liquid manure will prove highly beneficial. 
Should the winter prove severe, and the plants be killed, 
as is sometimes the case, a sowing must be made on a 
hotbed in January or February; and when the plants have 
made two broad leaves they are to be pricked out on another 
bed, protected by a frame, and in April planted out to 
supply the place of those which suffered during winter. 
For an autumn and early winter crop of Cauliflower the 
seed is to be sown in rich, light soil, in an open situation, in 
the end of May; and when the plants are large enough 
they are to be pricked out on another piece of ground as 
directed above. In the end of July plant them out where 
they are to remain, and in September, October, and 
November they will be ready for use. 
To Boil Cauliflower. —Trim off the outside leaves, and 
cut off the stalk close to the bottom of the head. Let them lie 
in salt and water for an hour, and then put them into boiling 
water with a handful of salt in it. Boil slowly till done, 
skimming the surface occasionally, and take them up im¬ 
mediately they are tender. Where milk is plentiful it is a 
great improvement to boil them in half water and half 
milk. Serve with or without white sauce according to taste. 
To Stew Cauliflower.— Heads which may have been 
left over, or such as have been boiled till nearly tender, may 
be divided into small pieces, and put into a saucepan with 
white sauce and a few mushrooms in it, or some very small 
onions which have been previously boiled, and when done 
enough served with toasted sippets. 
To Fry Cauliflower. —Boil a large Cauliflower as above, 
divide it into small pieces, and leave it on a dish to cool. 
Make a sufficient quantity of batter, in the proportion of a 
table-spoonful of flour and two table-spoonsful of milk to 
each egg. Beat the eggs very light, and stir into them the 
flour and milk alternately, a spoonful of flour and two 
spoonsful of milk at a time. Have ready some fresh butter 
in a frying-pan over a clear fire, and when it has come to 
the boil and done bubbling dip each piece of Cauliflower 
twice into the batter, and fry them a light brown colour. 
Serve them hot. 
Cauliflower with Gravy. —Boil them as already directed, 
and put them for a few minutes into a stew-pan with a little 
fat and a pinch of flour; add some gravy, salt, pepper, and 
nutmeg, a little broth, and stir them carefully. 
Cauliflower with Cream. —Boil them as above, and 
pour cream over them; sprinkle them with salt and pepper 
and the raspings of bread. Place the dish in a Dutch oven 
before a gentle fire, and let it remain there for a quarter of 
an hour. 
Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce. — When they are 
boiled set the heads, or pieces of the heads, together side 
by side in a dish, the flower uppermost, so as to appear to 
form only one large flower, and cover them with Tomato 
sauce. 
Cauliflower with Cheese. —Boil a large Cauliflower, 
as before directed, till it is quite tender, and when drained 
break it into sprigs. Have ready three ounces of Parmesan 
or any rich cheese grated fine. Put into a stew-pan a 
quarter of a pound of fresh butter, nearly half of the grated 
cheese, two large table-spoonsful of cream or rich milk, 
and a very little salt and cayenne. Shake it over the fire 
till it is well mixed and has come to the boil; then add the 
sprigs of Cauliflower, and let the whole stew about five 
minutes. When done put it in a deep dish, strew over the 
top the rest of the grated cheese, and brown it. This will | 
be found superior to maccaroni. 
Cauliflower Omelet. —Take the white part of a boiled ; 
Cauliflower after it is cold, chop it very small, and j 
mix with it a sufficient quantity of well-beaten egg to make i 
a very thick batter. Fry it in fresh butter in a small pan, j 
and send it hot to table. 
QUEEN BEE AND ROYAL JELLY. 
I was somewhat startled to find in your last all my ideas 
on the subject of the queen bee being fed, while in the larva 
state, with food different from that eaten by the other bees 
in that state, in danger of being overthrown by the “ fudge ” 
of Mr. Golding or the ipse dixit of Mr. Wighton. Mr. W. 
says that he has often “ examined hives during the time 
that queen bees are reared without discovering any food dif¬ 
fering from pollen, or bee bread.” I am not so wedded to 
this theory but that I would give it up if convinced of its 
improbability, and this I conceive I shall be prepared to do 
when Mr. Wighton has explained what is the nature of that 
dark-looking, acid substance sometimes found in the bottom 
of cells that have been used for queen bees, and why this 
substance is never found in any other cell. Did Mr. W., 
when searching for this substance, carefully examine the 
cells that had been used for queen bees ? I have found and 
tasted it, and have no doubt it is quite different from or¬ 
dinary pollen. Would not this matter be set at rest by the 
use of a powerful microscope, and by examining queens’ 
