The Cauliflower Part 7

CARRARA ROCK.--An extra selected strain of Erfurt, said by Wm.

Elliott & Sons, of New York, to be the earliest and surest variety to head.

CARTER'S DEFIANCE (_Early Defiance_).--Gregory considers this a fine variety for forcing or very early use.

CARTER'S DWARF MAMMOTH.--An early variety, coming in just after Carter's Defiance. Plant dwarf, head very large, perfect in form and of fine color.

CARTER'S EXTRA EARLY AUTUMN GIANT.--A variety said, in 1889, to have large, close, white heads, both flower and leaf being less coa.r.s.e than those of Autumn Giant.

CARTER'S MT. BLANC, see _Mt. Blanc_.

CHALON PERFECTION. A variety mentioned in _Gardener's Monthly_, in 1886. Said to be as white as snow, almost as smooth as ivory, and to make good heads in soil of moderate fertility. Probably the same as Early Dwarf Chalon, which see.

CHAPEL (_Chapel's Cream_).--Catalogued in Bailey's "Annals of Horticulture," in 1889.

CLARK'S CHAMPION.--An imported English variety mentioned in _Vick's Magazine_ for 1887, p. 52, as being a little later than s...o...b..ll and Vick's Ideal.

CYPRUS.--Said by Wolfner and Weisz, of Vienna, in 1888, to be a beautiful early sort. It is an old Holland variety.

DANISH s...o...b..LL.--Offered by Vaughn, in 1891, who says he has tested it for two seasons, and finds it a good, extra early sort.

DEAN'S EARLY s...o...b..LL.--This, the oldest, and for a long time the most popular of the s...o...b..ll varieties, has now been displaced in this country by Henderson's s...o...b..ll and other early sorts. It is often said to be earlier than Early Dwarf Erfurt, but at the Chiswick trials, in 1876, it did not prove to be so. A writer in the _Garden_, for 1880, places it third on the list of early varieties, placing Carter's Extra Early Defiance first, and Veitch's Extra Early second. It appears to be fully as dwarf as the earliest Erfurts, and to have a little larger head. It has been said, even by the introducer, to be the English duplicate of the Early Dwarf Erfurt, but there is no doubt of its distinctness from that variety, as was afterwards recognized. There was another German variety, however, name not given, at the Chiswick trials referred to, which was reported to be identical with Dean's s...o...b..ll.

Mr. Dean says: "The s...o...b..ll may be told by one unfailing test, viz.: when the heads begin to burst into flower, they become suffused with a pretty purple tint."

This variety was introduced into England in 1871, by Mr. A. Dean, from Denmark, where it was largely cultivated. It is still one of the best early varieties, especially for hot weather and light soils. Mr. Dean states that it is about the only variety of which seed can be grown in England, and he considers English-grown seed of this variety the best.

d.i.c.kSON'S ECLIPSE, see _Eclipse_.

DREER'S EARLIEST SNOWSTORM.--Henry A. Dreer, in 1890, says in his catalogue: "The earliest and best of all for forcing. It is dwarf, with short outer leaves, and can be planted two feet apart each way; always sure to make large, fine heads earlier than any other, and is the market-gardener's favorite. This variety must be kept growing constantly, as it will not stand a check at any period of its growth."

In 1891, he writes that this variety is a strain of Extra Early Erfurt, the seed of which is grown at Erfurt, Germany.

At the New York experiment station, in 1888, it produced heads fit for use eighteen days later than Henderson's Early s...o...b..ll, and Earliest Dwarf Erfurt.

DWARF ERFURT (_Extra Early Erfurt_, _Early Dwarf Erfurt_, _Extra Early Dwarf Erfurt_).--These names all refer to practically the same variety, which is usually sold in this country under the name of Extra Early Dwarf Erfurt, and is now the most popular early variety grown. It is similar in habit to its parent, the Early Erfurt, but more dwarf, and the leaves smaller and more upright, allowing the plants to be set closer together. The heads are close and well formed, but do not remain solid long, owing largely to the hot weather in which they are generally formed. The best seed comes from Erfurt, Germany, but as the variety rapidly deteriorates, there is great difference between the selected and ordinary stocks.

Johnson & Stokes say, in their catalogue for 1890, that their extra selected Early Dwarf Erfurt is distinct from the Early Dwarf Erfurt.

Burpee calls his Extra Early Dwarf Erfurt "the finest of all early cauliflowers." He, as well as some other seedsmen, sell different qualities, "extra selected," "true," numbers "one" and "two," etc.

French-grown seed sells for about half the price of German seed.

At the Chiswick trials, in 1876, where all known varieties were grown, the Early Dwarf Erfurt proved to be the earliest variety grown. It is best grown as a summer variety, being rather tender for a late crop, though sometimes used.

M. May, in the _Revue Horticole_, for 1880, describes this variety as follows: "Early Dwarf Erfurt. Very early, with light-colored, short, upright, spoon-shaped leaves, which surround the head well, but do not cover it. The head is well rounded, very regular, of remarkable whiteness, and very fine and close. It readily attains a diameter of fifteen to twenty centimeters [about five to seven inches]. This variety is especially adapted to forcing, as its small size permits it to be readily cultivated under gla.s.s. The best times for sowing it appear to be at the beginning of spring and the end of summer. One may also sow it in September to obtain a crop in April and May."

Mr. J. Pedersen, of Denmark, speaks as follows of this variety in Burpee's work on "Cabbages and Cauliflowers:" "The success with cauliflowers depends greatly upon the right choice of varieties. This year, for instance, we have in this country suffered from drouth to an extent not known of for the last score of years, and yet I have seen a surprisingly grand field of cauliflowers, of an improved strain of the Early Dwarf Erfurt variety, grown in a stiff clayey soil, very dry in the surface, not in the best state of cultivation, and without any artificial watering whatever. The roots of the plants were 'puddled'

when planted out; that was all. I do not believe that seven per cent., perhaps not five, of said field of thirty or forty thousand plants failed to make fine, large, solid, beautifully white and typical heads.

Other varieties have either utterly failed, or made stunted, imperfectly developed heads."

At the New York experiment station, in 1882, the Extra Early Dwarf Erfurt was slightly earlier than the Early Dwarf Erfurt, and produced double the proportion of good heads.

The Ohio experiment station, in 1889, reported as follows: "The varieties or strains most highly recommended are Early Puritan, Early Padilla, Long Island Beauty, Early Sea Foam, Early s...o...b..ll and Vick's Ideal. These all appear to be nearly identical with Early [Extra Early]

Erfurt, and may be considered as strains of that variety."

As the Dwarf, or Extra Early, Erfurt has furnished a large share of the varieties now popular in this country, the following list of Erfurt varieties will be useful for reference. The first three are in the order of earliness; the others (descended from Dwarf Erfurt,) being alphabetical:

Early Erfurt Mammoth.

EARLY ERFURT.

_Dwarf Erfurt._ Alabaster (Johnson & Stokes).

Berlin Dwarf.

Best Early (Burpee).

Carrara Rock.

Gilt Edge (Thorburn).

Ideal (Vick).

Imperial.

Lackawanna (Tillinghast).

La Crosse Favorite (Salzer).

Landreth's First.

Long Island Beauty (Brill).

Model (Northrup).

Padilla (Tillinghast).

Prize (Maule)?

Puritan (Ferry).

Sea Foam (Rawson).

Small-Leaved Erfurt.

s...o...b..ll (Faust).

s...o...b..ll (Henderson).

s...o...b..ll (Thorburn).

Snowstorm (Dreer).

Snowstorm (Pearce)?

EARLY.--At the New York experiment station in 1888, a variety called "Early," from the English Specialty & Novelty Seed Co., was the only one among nine varieties which failed to head. The Early London White is sometimes known as "Early."

EARLY ALLEAUME, see _Alleaume_.

EARLY DEFIANCE (Sutton), see _Carter's Early Defiance_.

EARLY DUKE.--Mentioned as one of the best four early varieties for Central France in the _Annales de la Societe d' Horticulture de l'

Allier_ for 1852. See Lefevre.

EARLY DUTCH.--An old variety, described by Vilmorin as follows: "A large hardy variety, suitable for field cultivation. Stem long and rather slender; leaves elongated, but very large, of a grayish green, somewhat undulated. This is one of the varieties in which the side of the leaf is bare at the base for a considerable distance. The head is hard and solid, yet very large. It is a half-late variety. In its original country it does better than the French varieties and it is cultivated on a grand scale around Leyden. Large quant.i.ties are shipped to England, where it is found in the London markets, together with cauliflowers from the coasts of France, and especially Great Britain.

The name Dwarf Holland, which is given to this variety in Germany, can only be explained by comparison with other Holland varieties. In comparison with the French varieties it is tall."

EARLY DWARF CHALON.--Vilmorin catalogues this as "new" in 1889, and says: "Stem very short, head rather large, grain white and very close. Specially recommended for open air culture." See Chalon Perfection.

EARLY DWARF FORCING (Sutton).--No description.

EARLY DWARF SURPRISE.--An early variety from Vilmorin, which headed well at the New York experiment station, in 1884.

EARLY DWARF VIENNA.--Said by Wolfner and Weisz, of Vienna, to be an old superior sort, still grown for the first and second crop.