This plant requires a very rich, moist soil. Land that will produce
only a fair crop of cabbage is unfit for cauliflower. If the land is
very rich and well fertilized it may be reasonably expected that the
returns from the crop of cauliflower will more than repay the cost of
putting the land in good condition.
_Seed._--No more important element enters into the success of the
cauliflower crop than the quality of the seed and to the seed alone is
often due the difference between success and failure, profit and loss.
The best seed that can be secured is the cheapest at any reasonable
price, and it should always be obtained from a well-known, reputable
seedsman.
_Seed-bed._--This should be carefully prepared. The soil should be
enriched with a liberal application of commercial fertilizer, or
thoroughly decomposed stable manure. After the fertilizer is applied
it should be thoroughly worked in to a depth of three or four inches.
From a few days to two weeks should elapse before the seed is sown
for there is great danger in planting seed too soon after applying
commercial fertilizer as the seed is likely to be destroyed by the
action of the mineral substance unless it has been dissolved and
thoroughly incorporated with the soil. The time between the application
of the fertilizer and the sowing of the seed will depend upon the
amount of rainfall and it is often better to wet down the seed-bed each
day for four or five days before planting and not to depend upon the
uncertain rainfall. The rows should be about three inches apart. In six
or seven days the young plants should begin to appear and the ground
between the drills should be cultivated. Do not allow the soil to dry
out as the cauliflower plant from seed to head should never be checked.
Neither should the bed be kept too wet, else there is danger of
"damping off." The bed should be carefully watched and if the disease
does break out it may be checked by removing the diseased plants,
working the soil, scattering dry sand and sulphur along the rows and
withholding water until the surface soil becomes dry. It might be
pointed out here that about six months must be allowed from the sowing
of the seed until the crop matures.
_Transplanting._--The plants should not be allowed to remain long in
the seed rows. If left too long they will soon crowd and become weak
and spindling. When they have reached the height of one inch, they
should be pricked off and set in another portion of the bed. They may
be set in rows four inches apart with the plants one and a half to two
inches apart in the rows. Here they should remain until ready for the
field. If care has been exercised all the way through, the plants will
be short, stocky and vigorous. By the time they are four or five inches
high or when the leaves have lapped they are ready for the field. It
is not best to let them get too large, because there is often a delay
of a few days in order to obtain good climatic conditions for setting
out. If left too long in the seed bed, greater care must be exercised
in transplanting, else the plants may suffer a severe check and will
button or break irregularly instead of forming smooth well shaped heads.
_Soils and Preparation._--Work should be started on the ground at
least a month before the plants are set out. The cauliflower is a deep
rooted plant, consequently the soil should be prepared deeply. It
is not advisable to turn under the good surface soil and to obviate
this ground may be plowed shallow and then stirred and opened with a
bull-tongue to a depth of seven or eight inches. After this the surface
should be cultivated to a depth of two or three inches. Give thorough
preparation by frequent cultivation before the fertilizer is applied,
preparatory to setting out the plants.
_Setting Out._--It is best that the plants be set out either just
before or immediately after a rain, but if this can not be done they
should be set out late in the evening and watered, giving each plant
about a quart of water. A cloudy day is much preferable to a clear one
and if the day on which the plants are set out is followed by cloudy
weather, so much the better. The ground should be leveled or smoothed
over, for which purpose a roller or float may be used. After this the
ground may be marked off. Two markers should be constructed, one with
the teeth three feet apart, the other with the teeth two feet apart.
These may be made of wood after the pattern of an ordinary garden rake.
In place of a marker a line may be used or the ground may be checked
off with a light hand plow. Only a limited number of plants should be
removed from the seed-bed at one time. The leaves should be cut back
about one-half or one-third, using for the purpose a large pair of
shears. Sprinkle the plants with water as soon as removed from the bed,
place in a shallow box or basket and keep them shaded from the sun.
_Cultivation and Care._--The field should be frequently cultivated and
the ground should be scarified at least every week and after every
rainfall. The best tool for cultivating is an ordinary cultivator
and the ground should not be worked to a greater depth than two and
one-half or three inches. This will preserve a surface mulch of dry
earth and prevent loss of moisture by evaporation. As soon as the heads
commence to form the leaves should be drawn together at the top and
loosely tied near their tips with a piece of cord or twine. Rafia makes
a good substitute for twine and is preferable because there is less
danger of cutting the leaves. The practice of breaking down the leaves
over the head has been tried, but found not quite so satisfactory. If
the heads are left uncovered they become yellow through the action of
the sun and rain but when the leaves are drawn together and tied, they
bleach out pure white, and curd-like.
_Gathering._--Cauliflower may be cut before it is mature, but the
flavor is not so well developed as it is when the heads are full grown.
For winter shipment heads from four to six inches in diameter are of a
desirable size and the market will take them fully as well or better
than large ones. The field should be picked over at least every two
or three days during the season, though heads will remain in good
condition for nearly a week if the weather be cold. Examine the head by
separating the leaves on the side. As soon as the head is well rounded
up in the center and developed so as to force the leaves outward, and
assumes a grained appearance, it will be found to be fully matured. The
heads should be cut, preferably, when dry. If moist they are likely to
decay in transit. The best time of day is the afternoon if they are
intended for long distance shipment. About an inch of stem should be
left on the head and three rows of leaves. After cutting, the heads
should be carefully placed in a wagon and carried to the packing house
or on dry pleasant days packing may be done in the field.
_Packing._--The package recommended for general use is the ordinary
lettuce basket. Before packing, the leaves should be cut back to stubs.
Each head should be carefully wrapped in a large sheet of white glazed
paper. The baskets should be packed snug and tight without bruising the
heads, and only those of uniform size should be placed in each basket.
Never place different sizes in the same package and always discard
inferior or injured heads; the compost heap is the place for them.--(F.
B. 255; Fla. E. S. 59; Tex. E. S. 57; Cornell U. E. S. 292.)