September  20,  190". 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
273 
Early  Cauliflowers. 
{Concluded  from  page  228.) 
As  soon  as  the  seedlings  have  made  one  rough  leaf  and  are  showing 
another  they  must  he  either  potted  or  pricked  off.  In  either  case  the 
plants  sh  uld  he  given  a  warm  and  sheltered  yet  sunny  situation,  and 
even  in  the  most  favoured  parts  of  the  country  they  need  protection  in 
winter  This  may  consist  in  the  South  of  England  of  mtts,  8U(>ported 
by  hoops,  in  hosty  weather,  the  plants  being  pricked  off  about  4  inches 
aptrt  in  4  leet  wide  beds  with  a  foot  or  a  little  wider  alley  between. 
The  pltnts,  however,  do  not  always  winter  satisfactorily,  and  there  is 
no  question  of  iilass  being  the  better  and  in  the  end  cheaper  protection. 
I  have  two  stocks  of  plants,  and  for  those  in  hand-lights  I  prefer  a 
souih  bonier,  the  others  he  ng  in  a  frame  on  an  east  or  west  border. 
Tne  hand-lights  are  simply  wooden  boxes  about  7  inches  in  depth,  and 
with  loose  glazed  tops,  the  sashes  being  of  wood.  They  are  2  feet 
square,  HI  d  aie  placed  2  feet  asunder  in  the  row  and  between  rows. 
Each  hand-liiiit  holds  thirty  plants  at  4  inches  apart.  A  dozen  hand- 
lights  thus  acci  mraodate  360  plants.  This  means  about  sixty  plants, 
five  umier  each  hand-light,  allowed  to  remain  as  pricked  off  for  heading, 
and  300  for  transplanting  m  the  open  ground  when  the  weather  becomes 
suffic  eiitly  genial  in  the  spring  or  early  in  April.  ^ 
A  two-  ight  frame,  8  leet  by  6  feet,  holds  about  400  plants,  pricked 
out  or  in  3-i"ch  pots.  The  soil  should  be  rich  and  friable,  and  if  well 
mixed  witti  some  maiden  loam,  in  which  leaf  mould  or  thoroughly 
decompoi-ed  manure  has  been  incorporated,  all  the  better.  In  the  case 
of  liaud-ligtits  c,n  a  sloping  border,  positions  should  be  made  for  them 
qui  e  level.  F.ir  frames  the  soil  must  ^e  filled  in  toabout  6  inches  from 
the  glass,  or,  if  in  pots,  about  8  inches  therefrom  with  sifted  ashes. 
Tne  pricsiug  off  should  be  done  by  the  eaily  part  of  October, 
alway.s  before  the  seedlings  become  crowdei,  selecting  the  best  plants, 
clear  in  the  leg  or  stem,  and  with  a  perfect  central  axis.  Plant  jnst 
up  to  the  eid  lea  es,  and  close  the  soil  firmly  about  each  'plant. 
When  completed  give  a  good  watering  to  settle  the  soil  about  the 
Toots,  and  the\  will  seldom  require  watering  afterwards  during  the 
winter.  In  placing  into  3-inch  pots  a  single  crock  will  be  necessary, 
poitii.g  firmly  up  to  the  seed  leaves,  and  plunge  the  pots  in  the  ashes 
to  the  rims.  The  ashes  should  be  moist,  and  the  plants  watered. 
Wat  ring  must  be  attended  to  from  time  to  time. 
VVneiher  the  plants  are  pricked  off  in  hand-lights  and  frames  or 
pntt  d,  they  must  be  allowed  all  the  air  possible,  but  not  too  much 
rain,  or  they  w  11  become  sappy,  and  not  able  to  stand  the  cold  of 
winter,  li  is  advisable,  however,  if  the  weather  be  dry  to  keep  on  the 
lights  for  a  te  v  days  after  the  plants  are  pricked  off  till  they  root 
afresh,  even  shading  from  bright  sun.  The  less  of  this  consistent 
with  re-esiab  isiimeut  the  better,  for  from  the  time  the  plants  are 
estahiishe  l  iu  the  hand-lights  or  frames  till  they  are  removed  from 
them,  wnen  the  weather  permits  in  the  spring,  the  aim  should  be  to 
expose  ttiem  to  as  much  light  and  air  as  can  possibly  be  done.  Except 
in  case  ol  heavy  rain,  they  may  be  left  uncovered  till  frosts  occur,  when 
the  lighis  must  be  put  on  at  night,  and  removed  in  the  morning  as 
soon  as  the  frost  has  departed.  In  very  severe  weather,  when  frost 
coutinues  night  and  day,  the  lights  must  be  kept  close,  and  unle  s 
covered  wiih  snow,  dry  litter.  Fern  or  mats  placed  on,  not  removing 
the  protective  material  until  the  plants  and  soil  are  thawed.  As  the 
>  season  a  vances  tne  plants  ought  to  be  more  and  more  exposed,  giving 
plenty  of  air  when  there  is  no  frost,  and  on  mild  dry  days  remove 
the  lights  altogether.  Shortly  before  planting  out  the  lights  should  oe 
disf^used  will!,  in  order  that  the  plants  may  be  properly  hardened. 
During  winter  all  dead  leaves  must  be  p  eked  off. 
In  March  or  April,  according  to  the  state  of  the  weather,  and  also 
taking  the  h  cality  into  coiisi  eration,  the  plants  will  require  trans¬ 
planting.  A  warm  south  border  is  most  suitable,  about  four  plants 
being  planted  so  as  to  admit  of  covering  with  a  hand-glass,  to  be 
removed  on  all  favourable  occasions.  The  plants  grown  in  pots  are 
best  suite  I  tor  this  kind  of  work,  or  for  planting  where  some 
temptiraiy  pn  teciion  can  be  afforded,  though  those  lifted  with  good 
balls  from  a  Iranie  answer  admirably  for  warm  situations  in  the  south 
eany  in  March,  and  in  the  north  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks  later. 
Air  .'houl  1  be  given  more  or  less  according  to  the  state  of  the 
weather.  When  the  plants  have  grown  too  high  for  the  hand¬ 
glasses,  the  latter  should  be  raised  by  placing  bricks  beneath  the 
corners,  turfy  loam  beii  g  parked  round  the  plants  up  to  the  lower 
leaves,  ai.d  drawing  earth  against  the  lower  edges  of  the  hand- 
lights.  The  top  of  the  hand-lights  will  require  to  be  removed  when 
the  plants  beciime  large,  and  ultimately  the  whole  of  it.  The  remainder 
of  he  stock  not  finding  hand-light  accommodation  can  be  planted  as 
ti  e  weather  becomes  favourable.  Given  a  distance  of  2  feet  apart 
ever\  wa\  in  lich  soil  they  will  produce  good  heads  in  succession  to 
those  in  ttie  hand-1  ghts. 
The  object  ol  potting  the  plants  in  autumn  is  to  secure  transference 
to  the  heauing  quarters  with  as  little  check  as  possible,  thus 
accelerating  establishment  and  a  sturdy  growth  alien  to  bolting.  But 
there  is  another  side  to  the  potting  system — that  of  securing  early 
produce.  This  is  effected  by  transferring  some,  if  not  all,  of  the 
plants  in  3-inch  pots  to  7-inch  early  in  February,  or  as  soon  afterwards 
as  the  weather  permits.  They  are  then  placed  in  cold  pits  or  a  cool, 
light,  airy  house,  as  the  plants  simply  require  protection  from  frost. 
From  such  quarters  the  plants  can  be  turned  out  iu  a  south  border 
about  the  middle  of  April,  and  heading  takes  place  in  due  course.  By 
shifting  a  portion  of  the  plants  into  12-inch  pots  instead  of  planting 
outdoors  and  placing  in  a  wall  case  or  orchard  house,  feeding  with 
liquid  manure,  Caulifiowers  of  the  finest  quality  will  be  had  a  fortnight 
or  three  weeks  in  advance  of  those  from  hand-lights.  Ciulifiowers 
should  be  cut  before  the  white  heads  are  exposed  to  the  sun  and  light, 
or  they  will  quickly  open,  acquire  a  bad  colour,  and  be  ruined  in 
quality. — G.  A. 
Select  Early  Apples. 
There  are  two  standpoints  from  which  the  grower  surveys  early 
Apples,  either  from  the  position  of  the  cultivator  for  sale  when  a 
certain  and  a  large  crop  is  of  paramount  imporfance,  or  from  that  of 
the  private  grower  whose  desires  are  bounded  by  a  certain  if  sufficient 
crop.  The  standpoint  of  the  consumer  might  also  be  considered,  when 
quality  would  form  a  main  feature;  but  gardeners  of  all  sorts,  lam 
afraid,  do  not  take  the  question  of  quality,  at  least  as  app  ied  to 
cooking  Apples,  into  much  account.  Looking  at  the  matter  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  private  cultivator  one  is  greatly  struck  when 
visiting  gardens  at  this  time  of  the  year,  or  later,  when  in-pecting 
fruit  rooms,  at  the  grave  want  of  proportion  between  late  and  early 
sorts,  the  latter  in  comparison  with  tbe  former  bulking  many  times 
greater.  The  result  is  that  the  Apple  supply  up  to  December  is 
abundant  beyond  ordinary  requirements,  and  from  and  during  January 
it  is  meagre,  and  liable  to  rapid  exhaustion.  A  drastic  and  far  reaching 
change  is  urgently  called  for  in  order  to  bring  the  late  and  early 
supply  into  proportion  with  the  relative  demands  of  the  seasons,  and 
this  can  be  effected  only  by  eliminating  early  sorts  that  are  too  much 
alike,  and  which  mature  at  the  same  time,  replacing  them  with 
reliable,  free-fruiting  late  sorts.  The  discussion  of  which  these  are 
may  well  be  left  over  for  the  present,  when  the  more  pressing  question 
of  which  are  best  pre- winter  Apples  calls  rather  for  attention. 
Previous,  however,  to  discussing  the  relative  good  qualities  of 
varieties  it  ought,  I  think,  to  be  made  clear  that  some  Apples,  m  other 
respects  first-rate,  fail  when  cooked,  tested  by  flavour,  the  most 
important  of  all  qualifications.  For  example,  the  most  excellent 
Duchess  of  Oldenburg  and  Ecklinville,  as  compared  with  Early  Julian 
or  with  Keswick  Codlin,  are  greatly  inferior  in  quality,  tne  first 
named  of  these  two  and  Northern  Greening  being  perhaps  the  most 
delicious  of  all  Apples.  Early  Julian,  which  we  fi  id  here  and  there 
in  the  north  under  the  synonym  of  Tam  Mmtgomery,  supplies  fruit 
not  only  fit  to  eat,  but  good  to  eat  in  July,  throughout  August  and 
September,  when  it  is  a  by  no  means  undesirable  soft  dessert  Apple, 
and  keeps  in  good  condition  till  Christmas,  though  it  is  as  the  earliest 
culinary  variety  that  those  who  grow  it  esteem  it  most  h  ghly.  Trees 
in  youthful  vigour  set  enormous  crops,  which  require  severe  thinning  in 
oriier  to  obtain  size  in  those  left,  and  also  to  prevent  the  greater 
portion  of  the  fruit  from  dropping  prematurely,  which  certainly 
follows  overcropping.  As  soon  as  the  fruits  are  sufficiently  large  to 
handle  they  are  fit  to  cook,  and  they  are  perhaps  most  delicious  when 
simplv  peeled  and  cored  and  baked  in  a  hot  oven.  Nothing  is  known 
of  the  history  of  this  Apple  or  of  its  names.  Dr.  Hogg  thought 
“  Julyan”  to  be  the  preferable  name;  but  against  that  wo  may  set 
the  fact  of  a  “St.  J alien”  Apple  appearing  m  French  works  of  the 
latter  part  of  last  century.  George  Bindley  describes  it  as  a  Scotch 
dessert  Apple,  though  it  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  lists  published  by 
Scotch  writers  on  .'gardening.  The  tree  requires  a  warm  soil. 
Keswick  Codlin,  less  grown  now  than  its  good  qualities  entitle  it 
to  be,  crushed  out  of  cultivation  the  old  English  Codlin,  a  larger 
though  sofbr  fruit,  and  a  less  prolific  tree.  Like  the  last  variety, 
Keswick  Codlin  succeeds  best  on  a  warm  soil,  which  must  be  preserved 
in  a  highly  fertile  condition  to  insure  the  production  of  really  good 
fruit.  When  a  constant  supply  of  young  bearing  wood  is  provided  to 
replace  worn-out  branches  no  Apple  produces  fruit  in  such  bountiful 
profusion,  and  thinning  to  a  slight  extent  is  nec  ssary  whde  the  iruits 
are  yet  small  to  prevent  them  squeezing  each  other,  and  also  to 
provide  space  for  those  left  to  swell.  The  fruit  is  in  condition  to  use 
from  August  ti  1  January,  and  it  may  be  preserved  for  months  later, 
though  that  is  hardly  desirable  with  plenty  of  more  seasonable 
varieties  to  supply  demands  in  winter  and  spring.  The  crop  should 
be  gathered,  in  detail,  in  August,  to  thin  the  fruit  and  ease  the  tree  of 
its  burden.  In  September  the  bulk  of  the  crop  is  ready  to  gather, 
though  individual  fruits  still  immature  should  be  lelt,  when  tney  will 
