The Cauliflower Part 6

"When the flowers commence to bloom out or form heads, is the most particular time. A man who thoroughly understands what a perfect cauliflower is, must now go through the field every two or three days and examine every head, and if there is any sign of its growing in quarters, or if a leaf is growing through the head, or if there is any looseness in its growth, the heads are staked and cut for market. For, as like produces like, it will never do to get seed from an inferior head, especially in the case of cauliflowers; for the seeds from these are more apt to run wild than any seed I ever grew. We usually set a Fottler cabbage in the place from which the poor plant has been cut, and it makes a fine head by fall.

"By the middle of June we have the field clear of all inferior heads, and their places filled with late cabbages. About this time all the heads saved for seed are 'sponging out' preparing to throw their seed-stalks. Now is our time to help them. On the upper side of the field, we have wooden water tanks, each holding about 20,000 gallons of _warm_ water. The water is run into the tanks in the middle of the day through flat open troughs, which heat it up to about 70 Fah. It is taken through canvas hose over the field, and the soil is soaked to the subsoil. Now our underdrains come into play, for all of the surplus water is drained off in about three days, and we can start the cultivator. We cultivate close up to the plants. If we break the leaves off it doesn't matter, for they fall off anyway as soon as the seed stalks start. This watering gives the plants new life and they start off for a second crop, or become biennials the first year. The watering and cultivation are kept up once in 10 days until the seed-stalks are so large that they cannot be run through without breaking the plants. The seed ripens from the middle of September to the last of October, according to how good a start was made in the spring.

"The expense and trouble are not over yet. The seed is ripening about the time our rainy season sets in, and we don't see the sun once a week on an average, so that our seed must all be dried by fire heat. Our dry-houses are 30 x 20 feet, and 18 feet high with 2 x 6 inch joists running across the houses in tiers, on which we hang the seeds for drying. A brick furnace is built in the middle of the house, with the flue running through the roof.

"We usually make three cuttings. As soon as the pods on the center stalks begin to turn yellow, and the seed a light brown, we make our first cutting. From one to three plants are put in a pile and tied with binding twine. The bundles are taken to the dry-house on wheelbarrows, made with racks on purpose for carrying the seeds. A cloth is spread over the rack to catch any sh.e.l.ling seeds. A man carries about 100 bunches at a load and pa.s.ses them up to a man in the house who hangs them on nails driven for the purpose. The seed is allowed to hang a few days to thoroughly ripen before firing up. We aim to keep the heat in the top of the house at about 80 until the seed and stalks are dry.

"The bundles are now taken down and laid upon a cloth where they are crushed by walking on them. Grain sacks are then filled with the stalks and pods as full as they will tie up, and the contents are thrashed in the sacks with a flail. The seed is then sifted from the stalks and taken to the fanning-mill, and after putting it through the mill two or three times, we set the boys to rolling it. For this purpose we have a board two and a half feet long by one foot wide, with thin strips nailed on the sides to keep the seeds from rolling off. A boy sits down on a cloth with a pan of seed by his side, and holds one end of the board in his lap, while the other end rests on the cloth. He puts a handful of seed on the top end of the board and gently shakes it. All of the sound plump seeds run off on to the cloth, while the shriveled seeds, bits of stalk, dirt, weed seeds, etc., remain on the board. A smart Indian boy will clean ten pounds a day, at a cost of 50 cents and his board. Now the seed is sacked in double cotton sacks, holding about ten pounds each, and is ready for market."

In a subsequent paper the same writer said, in answer to inquiries upon the subject, that the cauliflower and cabbage readily mixed, but that there was little danger of their doing so in his locality, as the cabbage was nearly out of flower before the cauliflower began to blossom. To make the matter certain, however, boys were sent to every neighboring cabbage patch to clip off all straggling late blossoms that remained. Only one variety of cauliflower, or strains of one variety, is grown by him for seed in any one year.

The following letter from the same writer explains itself:

"FIDALGO, Was.h.i.+ngton, April 3, 1891.

"MR. A. A. CROZIER, Ann Arbor, Mich.

"_Dear Sir_:--Your letter of inquiry received. In answer would say, I am the original cauliflower raiser in the Puget Sound country. In 1882 I discovered that by wintering the plants over in cold-frame, and keeping them growing all winter, those that were transplanted _without wilting_ would form heads, and then throw seed-stalks in time to form seed before frost, if they were continually wet with tepid water after heading. The first seed that was put on the market was sold by Francis Brill, Riverhead, L. I. Since then I have furnished some of the largest firms in the country with seed, and the seed has given perfect satisfaction.

There is a secret in raising good seed that I don't care to give away.

Several of my neighbors have tried to raise the seed, and I believe some of it has been put on the market, but it has proved inferior for the want of skill in knowing _which heads_ to seed from, as all heads will not do to seed from, even though they may appear perfect to an inexperienced eye. It's skilled labor that produces No. 1 seed.

"I enclose you my circular, with reports from growers and dealers, also quite a few from the experiment stations. I have a large number that I have not printed, as they came too late for this year. The business has grown from a few pounds in 1882 to nearly 300 pounds in 1890. I think in the near future, that Puget Sound will grow all of the cauliflower seed that will be grown in the country. Cabbage seed is also grown to a large extent. I raised about two tons last year, and there probably will be ten tons raised on Puget Sound the coming summer.

"Cabbage and cauliflower are grown to a considerable extent both in Oregon and Was.h.i.+ngton, though California sends our first to this market.

"You ask me for an account of my Early Perfection or "No. 9." It was a _sport_ or a "stray seed," found among some Erfurt Earliest Dwarf imported seed, and being the first in the field to form a head by over a week, I naturally saved it for "stock seed," and as it propagated itself perfectly, and was perfection itself, I named it Early Perfection. I am not aware of another by the name of Perfection on the market--never saw it in the seedmen's catalogues. Early Padilla and Early Long Island Beauty, by Brill, are the same; they originated with me, are a selection from _Erfurt Large_, and are _early_ and _large_.

"All of Tillinghast's Puget Sound cauliflower seed has been grown by me.

I have also grown all that Francis Brill has put on the market.

"D. M. Ferry & Co.'s Early Puritan originated with me, from a sport of Henderson's s...o...b..ll. I sold them the stock for two years.

"Yours Truly,

H. A. MARCH."

CHAPTER VIII.

VARIETIES.

The varieties of cauliflower differ among themselves less than those of most other vegetables, and their characters are less firmly fixed. Their tendency to degenerate, especially under unfavorable conditions, and the readiness with which they may be improved by selection, has given rise within recent years to numerous so called varieties, some of them but slightly differing from those from which they originated. These have frequently received the names of the seedsmen who first sent them out.

Many of these seedmen's varieties have dropped out of cultivation, as well as other varieties which have appeared from time to time, but which have not possessed sufficient distinctive merit. Some varieties, from not having been kept up to their original standard, have reverted to those from which they sprang, or become so like them that their names have come to be regarded as synonyms.

Nevertheless, all such names have been brought together in the following catalogue, and all the obtainable information given concerning the varieties which they represent. The testimony given is sometimes contradictory, either from want of proper observation on the part of the writers quoted, or from differences in the seeds sold under the same name. This is necessarily somewhat confusing to one who is looking up the merits of a variety, but it will form a better basis for judgment than would a mere descriptive list, without reference to dates or authorities. It is practically impossible to make a satisfactory cla.s.sification which will include all the varieties, and they have therefore been arranged here in alphabetical order, as being most convenient for reference. Nearly all of the most popular varieties have, however, characters sufficiently distinct so that they can be easily recognized. Some have short stems, others long; some are early, others late; some have upright leaves, others drooping; their color varies from gra.s.sy to bluish green; the heads vary from snow-white to cream-colored, and in two or three varieties cla.s.sed with the cauliflowers they are reddish or purple, as in some of the broccolis. The form of the head varies from flat to conical.

Most of our varieties have come from a few stocks whose characters, as well as those of their descendants, seem to have been largely determined by the locality in which they originated or have long been grown. The Algiers, Paris and Erfurt groups are examples. In each of these groups there is a series of varieties, differing mainly in size and earliness.

In the Erfurt group the production of early varieties has been carried farthest, owing doubtless to the character of the climate, as well as the greater skill employed in their selection. The early varieties, particularly of this group, are characterized by having comparatively small, narrow and upright leaves, and a rather short stem. A partial list of varieties, arranged in the order of earliness, follows the catalogue.

ADVANCE, see _Laing's Early Advance_.

ALABASTER.--Introduced to the general public by Johnson Stokes in 1890. In their catalogue for that year these seedsmen say: "Our _Early Alabaster_ was originally a sport from the finest German strain of the selected Dwarf Erfurt, one extra fine head appearing some ten days in advance of any other in the crop of one of the largest and most expert cauliflower growers on Long Island in 1881. The seed of this was carefully saved by him, and from it our stock has been brought up."

The seed of this variety has all been grown on Long Island, and it was all taken by Long Island gardeners until 1889, at which time there were said to be hundreds of acres of it in cultivation in Suffolk County, where it originated. [See Frontispiece.]

ALGIERS, (Probably includes _Large Algiers_ and _Large Late Algiers_).--Vilmorin, in 1883, described Algiers as follows: "Extremely vigorous, stronger and better developed than the Giant Naples, [Veitch's Autumn Giant]; leaves very large, undulate, almost curly, of a very deep and reflective glaucous green; stem large and strong, rather tall; head remarkably large, fine and white. In habit of growth it approaches the Half Early Paris, but in time of maturity it agrees with the varieties of Holland and England. It is especially adapted to open-air culture in a warm climate."

M. May, of France, placed it in 1880 just before Giant Naples in maturity, with a little shorter stem and little less ample foliage. He said: "Late, but of gigantic size; leaves large, long and numerous, of a glaucous green, and surrounding well the head, which becomes as large as those of our native varieties, and is snow-white and exceedingly fine.

Specially suited to warm climates. In our country it may be sown in September, and gathered the following August."

Rawson, a seedsman of New York, said in 1886: "A large and very popular late variety, and one of the very best for the market. This variety is largely grown for the New York market. It is one of the largest in cultivation, and always sure to head." Frotzer, of New Orleans, describes it as a French variety of the same season as Lenormand Short-stem, but a surer producer, having taken the place there of other second-early kinds since its introduction. At the Ohio experiment station it proved unsuited to the climate. A writer in the _American Agriculturist_ for 1889 stated that this variety was formerly largely grown in Suffolk County, Long Island, but that for the past two or three seasons it had done poorly, and would not be grown in the future. Its large size required the plants to be set four feet apart.

ALLEAUME (_Early Alleaume_, _Dwarf Alleaume_).--This variety, originated by an intelligent market gardener of Paris; was, according to the originator, one of the best for cultivation under frames. Cultivated there in the open ground, that is to say, sown in June and planted out in July, it has given remarkably good results. It is a little below medium height, and has a very short stem. Its oblong leaves are of a light grayish green. The head is of medium size, very white, fine grained, of first quality, and early. It is a variety of great promise.

This is the statement of the editor of _Revue Horticole_ in 1884. In 1888, Mr. Sutton, of England, calls it a distinct, dwarf, compact, French variety, having creamy-white heads, and coming in after Sutton's Favorite. In 1890, Vilmorin quotes it as a very early dwarf, short-stemmed variety, especially good for forcing.

In 1885, W. A. Burpee offered an "Extra Early Alleaume," which he described as "stem very short, leaves long, _entire_ or _very little lobated_, of a grayish-green color, forming a close protection to the head, which is large, fine grained and pure white." This is probably the same variety as above.

ALMA (_Waite's Alma_).--Hackett sells this as a new English variety of large size, firm, and surpa.s.sing in excellence the Walcheren.

There was, however, a variety named Alma, probably the same, growing at Paris in 1857 (see _Jour. Cent. Soc. Hort. France_, 1857, p. 422). In 1865 Waite's Alma was considered by some to be merely the Early London, and by others to be the same as Walcheren; at least, seeds of these two varieties had been sent out for it.

AMERICAN.--Seed of a very early variety bearing this name was sent by William Ingell, of Oswego County, New York, to the editor of the _Country Gentleman_, in 1861. Mr. Ingell, who named the variety, does not state whether he grew the seed or not. In 1889, Bailey's "Annals of Horticulture" contained the name "American," with _American Beauty_ as synonym.

ANCIENT LENORMAND, see _Lenormand_.

ASIATIC (_Early Asiatic_, _Large Asiatic_, _Large Late Asiatic_, _Dur d'Angleterre_).--These seem to be substantially one variety, the terms "early" and "late" being in this, as in some other cases, applied by different seedsmen to the same variety, when, as in this case, it is of intermediate season. Since the introduction of such extremely early sorts as the Extra Early Erfurt, this and other mid-season varieties are more often called "late." The Asiatic seems to have originated from the Early London, of which it is regarded as merely a stronger growing and later variety. The first mention I find of it is in _Hovey's Magazine_, in 1845, where Large Asiatic and Walcheren are called the two most noted varieties. In 1849 the same magazine states that it was sent out by the London Horticultural Society. In 1850 a writer in the _Gardener's Chronicle_ mentions this and Walcheren as his two favorite varieties. In 1854, J. D. Browne describes the Large, Late Asiatic in the report of the United States Department of Agriculture as larger and taller than Early London.

In 1855 this variety is mentioned in the American edition of "Neill's Gardener's Companion" as having recently come much into use. As this edition was taken from the fourth Edinburgh edition, the actual date here referred to was probably much earlier. Three other varieties, scarcely differing in character, are mentioned--the Early, Late and Reddish-stalked. The Large Asiatic is now extensively grown in Northern India, where it seeds freely, but has a short season, and is not considered as delicate or fine in flavor as the ordinary English varieties.

AUTUMN GIANT, see _Veitch's Autumn Giant_.

BALTIC GIANT.--In Burpee's "How to Grow Cabbages and Cauliflowers" (1888), Mr. J. Pedersen, of Denmark, gives the following account of this variety: "A new variety of large, late cauliflower, originated in these northern regions, and which I propose to name Baltic Giant, is very hardy, of robust growth, and produces very large and solid dazzling white flower-heads. A friend of mine writes from the Baltic island of Bornholm that in mild seasons he has left this splendid late variety in the open ground as late as Christmas, only protected by a leaf or two bent over the heads." The variety is being tested in this country by W. A. Burpee & Co.

BERLIN DWARF.--Rawson says: "In earliness, size and quality it resembles the s...o...b..ll." Gregory, in 1890, makes the same statement.

BEST OF ALL.--An early variety mentioned in _Gardening Ill.u.s.trated_, 1885, p. 438.

BLACK SICILY (_Large Black_, _Dwarf Early Violet Broccoli_).--Vilmorin says: "In growth and appearance this variety somewhat resembles Algiers. Stem rather tall, leaves very large, broad and much crumpled, almost curly; differs from all other cauliflowers in the color of its head, which is violet, and with a grain much coa.r.s.er than in other varieties, while it is sufficiently close, solid and large. Not very late; always grown in the open air, and ready to commence cutting in September." Mentioned in _Bon Jardinier_, in 1859, as one of the three princ.i.p.al Broccolis, with which it is generally and properly cla.s.sed.

BOSTON MARKET (_Improved Early Paris_).--This variety, which has now gone out of existence, was formerly extensively cultivated around Boston, where it originated by continued selection from the Early Paris. In the _American Journal of Horticulture_, for 1869, p. 92, is a figure and description.

BURPEE'S BEST EARLY.--An improved type of Dwarf Erfurt, named and introduced by W. A. Burpee & Co. in 1886, after, as they say, sixteen years selection by one grower. It is said to be of dwarf, compact growth, with a short stalk, and large, solid, nearly globular heads, very early and certain to head.

The Dingee & Conrad Company sell the same variety.

At the Ohio experiment station in 1889, this variety was regarded as probably the same as Large Erfurt, rather large, and a few days later than Early [Extra Early] Erfurt, but quite as good in other respects. At the Colorado station, in 1888, "Burpee's Earliest" was noted for its large leaves and white, compact heads. It headed ten days later than Henderson's s...o...b..ll.