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MONEY IN THE GARDEN. 
 
 A VEGETABLE MANUAL, 
 
 PEEPARED WITH A VIEW TO 
 
 ECONOMY AND PROFIT, 
 
 BY P. T. QUINN, 
 
 PRACTICAL HORTICULTURIST. 
 AUTHOR OF "PEvR CUr.TI" E FOK PROFIT. " 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, 
 
 1906 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in tne year 1871, Dy 
 
 P . T . Q U I N N , 
 
 in the Office of thj Libiarian of Congress, at "Washington. 
 
A \ 
 
 ix^\ 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGH 
 
 Monet in the Garden 13 
 
 Location and Selection of Soil 14 
 
 Draining 14 
 
 Preparing the Ground 16 
 
 Manures 18 
 
 Capital 20 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Hot-33eds 22 
 
 Straw Mats 26 
 
 Cold Frames 28 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Artichoke , 32 
 
 Asparagus 34 
 
 Sowing the Seed 37 
 
 Preparing the Ground 38 
 
 Planting 39 
 
 Varieties. 44 
 
 Cutting and Bunching ^ 45 
 
 Profits 48 
 
 Insects 49 
 
 fS-05 
 
 /*->>>Oi * *^ 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Beans 52 
 
 China 53 
 
 White Kidney 53 
 
 Pole-Beans 65 
 
 Beets 59 
 
 Borecole 64 
 
 Broccoli 68 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Cabbages 72 
 
 Carrots 9*7 
 
 Cardoon 108 
 
 Cauliflower 109 
 
 Celery Ill 
 
 Celeriac 125 
 
 Com Salad, or Fetticus 127 
 
 Cress, or Peppergrass 127 
 
 Water-Cres3 128 
 
 Chives, or Gives 129 
 
 Chervil 130 
 
 Chervil, Turnip-rooted 131 
 
 Corn 131 
 
 Cudtffhbers 135 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Egg Plants 142 
 
 Endive 148 
 
 Garlic 150 
 
 Horse-Radish 151 
 
 Kohl-Rabi 155 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Lettuce 159 
 
 Leek 163 
 
 Martynia 166 
 
CONTENTS. VU 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Melons 167 
 
 Melon, Water 170 
 
 Mustard 172 
 
 Mushrooms 172 
 
 Nasturtium, or Indian Cress 177 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Onions 1 79 
 
 Okra, or Gumbo 187 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Parsley '. 189 
 
 Parsnip 192 
 
 Peas 194 
 
 Peppers 198 
 
 Potatoes 200 
 
 Jerusalem Artichoke 214 
 
 Pumpkins 215 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Radishes 217 
 
 Rhubarb , 221 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Salsify, or Yegetablf: Oyster 224 
 
 Seorzonera 225 
 
 Sea Kale 221 
 
 Spinach 226 
 
 New Zealand Spinach 229 
 
 Shallots 229 
 
 S<>rrel „ 230 
 
 Squash ..., 230 
 
 Sweet Potatoes , . , 233 
 
Viil CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEK XIII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Tomatoes 237 
 
 Turnips 244 
 
 Herbs 252 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Forcing-houses for Vegetables 254 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A List of Seeds for the Kitchen-Garden 263 
 
 List of Plants 264 
 
 Quantity of Seed to an Acre 267 
 
 Vitality of Garden-Seed 267 
 
 Distance Table 268 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 NowA-DAYS a non-literary practical man, 
 if tolerably successful in any specially, must 
 do one of two things. He either must keep 
 his own counsel and reticently go on, making 
 what profit he may, or he must be prepared 
 daily to answer a thousand-and-one questions 
 by mouth, and by letter, conscious that his 
 " pursley " is getting ahead of him, while he 
 casts and recasts multitudinous counsels fi'om 
 his one little mould of experience. 
 
 There is a way of evading these alterna- 
 tives, though it may call for a radical change 
 in the nature of the aforesaid practical man. 
 He can go into a book, there say whatever he 
 has to say, and, going out again (backward at 
 the preface), explain humbly : friends, you 
 will find it all in this volume. I've been as 
 matter-of-fact and explicit as possible, avoid- 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 ing speculation, and putting down, briefly, 
 tilings I have learned from daily toil and the 
 wisdom of other men. 
 
 This is why these two hundred and sixty- 
 eight pages of simple and conscientious direc- 
 tions are given to all who, by saving or 
 gaining, hope to find " Money in the Gaeden." 
 
 P, T. Ci. 
 
 Newark, N. J., March 1, 18^1. 
 
MONEY IN THE GARDEN 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In this work the author aims to give, in a plain^ 
 practical style, instructions on three distinct, al- 
 though closely connected, branches of gardening — 
 the kitchen-garden, market-garden, and field culture 
 of root-crops^the only credentials for the fitness of 
 his undertaking being a successful practical experi- 
 ence for a term of years. 
 
 Modern gardening simply is another term for 
 improved methods of farming, and success either in 
 the kitchen or market-garden, depends upon carrying 
 out these methods. 
 
 At present, no thinking cultiyatx^r can overlook 
 the need of a more general use of the best labor- 
 saving implements. Land is plenty. Manure, in 
 most sections, can be obtained at home, or bought 
 at reasonable rates. The last ten yeai's have l)een 
 exceptional in the high ]:)rices of farm and garden 
 produce, Tlie only drawback: to a relative profit 
 has been the high price of farm-labor. 
 
 This can only be overcome by a more extended 
 use of improved tools in preparing the ground, 
 2 
 
 M r C/vr.1. 
 
14 LOCATION AND SELECTION OF SOIL. 
 
 planting the seed, cultivating and harvesting the 
 ei-ops. Snch implements as have been nsed, and 
 found of real value, are described or referred to 
 under their proper headings. 
 
 LOCATION AND SELECTION OF SOIL. 
 
 These are important points, both for the kitchen 
 and market-garden ; in regard to the latter, prox- 
 imity to the market is amono- the first considerations. 
 As a large quantity of horse-manure must be carted 
 every year from the city or town, and all kinds of 
 garden-stuff must be delivered to the commission- 
 men or hucksters, whicli is most economically done 
 with tlie producer's own team, it follows that a favor- 
 able location witliin a few miles of a good market 
 increases the chances of success. 
 
 Garden vegetal )les, as a rule, will thrive best, 
 other things being ecpial, on a deep, sandy loam, with 
 an open sub-soil. Almost any character of soil, with 
 the exception of pure clay, can be brought up to a 
 high state of fertility l)y adopting the proper meth- 
 ods ; but, as in gardening, " the early bird catches 
 the worm," and a week's difPerence in the time of 
 ripening often makes a difference of from one to 
 two hundred dollars in the gross receipts from an 
 acre, the sandy loam will have the ad^'antage ovei* a 
 heavy clay soil, even if they are equal in other re- 
 spects. 
 
 Draining. — The gardci^ soil should be deep, thor- 
 oughly pulverized, and free from stagnant water. 
 Many soils are well adapted to the growth of vege- 
 tables, and require no draining. But where the 
 
BEAlNtlSra 
 
 15 
 
 for draining soils of this 
 
 ground is kept cold late in the Spring, fi*om the 
 effects of stagnant water or surface springs, it is 
 useless to attempt the culti\'ation of such land, witli 
 a view to j>^"ofit, until it is thoroughly drained. AVe 
 have never known of an instance, when a judicious 
 outhiy having heeu made 
 character, but the result, in a 
 few years, has fully jii stilled 
 the expenditure by vastly in- 
 creased productiveness, with 
 the same amount of labor and 
 manure that, before the land 
 was drained, would barely 
 pay expenses. 
 
 The cost of draining an 
 acre of ground will depend 
 to some extent on the price 
 of labor, the tenacity of the 
 soil, and the price of the tiles 
 or other material that will an- 
 swer the same ])urp()se. 
 
 In case the soil is com- 
 pact, the drains should be 
 twenty feet apart and three 
 feet deep ; with a more por- 
 ous sub-soil, thirty feet be- 
 
 • n , 1 1 DRAIN TILES. 
 
 tweeii Avili be close enougli. 
 
 Stones are frecpiently used for this purpose, but, even 
 when in abundance on the land, they will l)e found 
 the most expensive and least effectual. Kound pipes, 
 or sole tiles with collars, when properly laid, best an- 
 swer the purpose. Kext to these, hemlock boards 
 
16 
 
 1»EEPAKING THE GROUND. 
 
 *^ ripped " in the centre, lengthwise, and then nailed 
 together in the form of the letter ^ , will, when laid 
 on a iirni bottom, witli enongh fall, outlast a genera- 
 tion. The expense of tiles or boards is about the 
 same — one and three-quarter cents a foot. To avoid 
 making a blunder in so hnportaiit a matter, it is 
 always best to employ an engineer to run the lines 
 and mark the levels. Twenty -five dollai-s so spent 
 will neyer be regretted. The expense, counting 
 eyerj'thing, usually amounts to fifty or sixty dollai-s 
 an acre. AYlien the sub-soil plough is used to loosen 
 the soil before digging the drains, the cost may be 
 very materially lessened. 
 
 PREPARiNf^ TUE GRorxi). — A soil having an aver- 
 age de])th of four or five inches cannot be bj'ought 
 up to the standard of excellence in less than three 
 
 
 HOLUKOOK's swivel I'LOLGII. 
 
 yeai*s. The first step to l)e taken is to deepen it ; 
 this is ])artly done by siirface-plougliing eight or ten 
 inches deep, in tlie Fall, and following, in the bot- 
 
PREPAELNG THE GROUND. 
 
 17 
 
 torn of the furrow, with a hfting sub-soil plotigh. 
 The ground should be ploughed in ridges ten or 
 twelve feet wide, with deep, open furrows. This 
 treatment will leave the soil in the l»est condition to 
 be acted up<-)n by the fiv .st. In the kitchen-garden 
 the deepening will have to be dtaie with the spade 
 and dio:crino:-fc>rk. 
 
 In the Spring, the ground is harrowed down, a 
 hea\y di*essing of well-rotted manure spi-ead broad- 
 cast, and ploughed under. The more manure ap- 
 plied, the better will be the crop the first jear. 
 
 MAPES' LrFTDsG SUB-SOIL PLOUGH. 
 
 A crop of Potatoes planted on this soil the first 
 season, ^vill be found one of the best. The cultiva- 
 tor and hand-hoes should be kept active during the 
 eai-ly stages of growth, so as to subdue the surface- 
 soil. 
 
 In the Fall, when the Potatoes have been dug, 
 another application of manure, forty <.r fifty loa«is 
 
18 
 
 MANURES. 
 
 to the acre, the ground is again ploughed, and then 
 Spinach may be put in, giving in addition a dressing 
 of three or four hundred pounds to the acre of finely- 
 
 HAKROW. 
 
 ground bone or superphosphate of hme. This brings 
 lis to the important subject of 
 
 Manukes. — No matter how favorable the loca- 
 tion, nor what the character of the soil may be, he 
 tills to great disadvantage who fails to make a lib- 
 eral annual application of manures. The question 
 for the gardener is, IIow much manure can I use 
 with increased profit ? and, if he is alive to his own 
 interest, he will soon discover that the quantity that 
 can be so applied to an acre is large. 
 
 Of the bulky manures, that from stables where 
 
MANURES. 19 
 
 the horses are fed on grain and hay is of most vahie. 
 This qnalitj of manure, ahnost free from straw, we 
 buy at Newark, N. J., at an average of one dollar 
 and thirty -eight cents for a two-horse load. This is 
 hauled and throAvn in heaps, sometimes composted 
 with tanner's refuse and woods earth, turning it over 
 two or three times before applying it. 
 
 Market-gardeners Avill use from fifty to seventy 
 loads of this manure to an acre, besides a top-dress- 
 ing of five or six hundred pounds of a special fer- 
 tilizer. 
 
 For the past four years we have contracted for 
 all the refuse from a large soap factory, and have 
 found this waste lime, potash, and fatty matter a 
 valuable top-di-essing, applying it at the rate of three 
 or four tons to the acre. We have also used a com- 
 post made by deomposing muck witli the salt and 
 lime mixture,^ then adding to this compound an 
 equal bulk of yard-mamire. At the end of six 
 months the whole mass is homogeneous, and, when 
 turned under for garden-crops, fully erpial, load for 
 load, to pure horse-manure. 
 
 Gardeners in our section use " slaughter-house " 
 manure with profitable results. This is usually com- 
 posted with other manures, and left in a pile for sev- 
 eral months before using it. It costs about one dol- 
 lar and fifty cents a tAvo-horse load, and in quality is 
 about the same as a load of horse-mamire. 
 
 * The salt and lime mixture is made by dissolving one bushel of 
 salt in water, and then slacking three bushels of lime with the salt 
 water. This mixture should be turned over two or three times under 
 a shed ; one bushel of it will be enough for a cord of muck. 
 
20 CAPITAL. 
 
 We have used as much as seventy-five tons of 
 dried blood, or sugar-house scum, in a single season ; 
 when this is broken finely, and composted with horse- 
 manure and woods earth, it is a powerful fertilizer 
 for all kinds of crops. 
 
 Wood-ashes are always highly esteemed, but of 
 late years the supply has been very limited. Un- 
 leac^hed wood-ashes are worth from forty to fifty 
 cents per bushel ; for fertilizing purposes, using ten 
 to twenty bushels to an acre. A top-dressing of lime 
 every third year, thirty or forty bushels to the acre, 
 spread broadcast, and harrowed in just before plant- 
 ing, pays handsomely. 
 
 Every available substance that will make manure 
 should find its way to the compost heap or hog-pen, 
 to be worked over, and thus add to the capital for 
 the garden ; on this will greatly depend the success. 
 
 Of the concentrated fertilizers now in general 
 use, both for the kitchen and market-gardens, are 
 finely-ground bone, Peruvian guano, superphosphate 
 of lime, and last, but not least in value, fish guano. 
 The required quantity of these will depend on the 
 condition of the soil. Besides the main supply of 
 yard-manure, we use annually from three hundred 
 to one thousand pounds to an acre, and find that 
 such an application of a pure article pays well. 
 
 Capital. — With the farmer, the laying out of a 
 kitchen-garden should be of the first consideration. 
 In spare moments a fence can be put around the 
 garden, which should be located convenient to the 
 dwelling. With a full supply of the leading kinds 
 of vegetables, farmers could board their help for 
 
CAPITAL. 21 
 
 about one-half of what it costs when only meat, 
 bread, and Potatoes form the principal food. With 
 the farm-work properly arranged, the kitchen-garden 
 can be kept in good order without smy extra cost for 
 labor. 
 
 For the market-gardener, capital is very import- 
 ant when the proprietor knows how to use it — an art 
 learned only by experience. 
 
 It does not make much difference how intelli- 
 gent a man may be in other respects, nor Ikjw much 
 capital he has to start with ; if he has had no expe- 
 rience in the business, he lacks the main element of 
 success. 
 
 AYe know personally a large number of well-to- 
 do market-gardeners— men now worth from ten to 
 forty thousand dollars each — none of whom had 
 five hundred dollars to begin with. Industrious, 
 hard-working men, these, who at first turned every 
 available dollar into manure and reliable seeds. In 
 fact, lie who would be successful in market-garden- 
 ing must take the lead in all kinds of weather and 
 all kinds of worlv — late and early, rain or shine. To 
 stalwart young men, even with a limited capital, 
 willing to begin in a small way and work nidus- 
 triously, the chances of making '' money in the gar- 
 den " are as promising as ever they were. ' What- 
 ever is done, let it be well done." 
 
 2* 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 HOT-BEDS. 
 
 Location. — Select a southeastern exposure, pro- 
 tected from the north wind by a board-fence, hedge, 
 or the side of a building. Then excavate the ground 
 eighteen inches deep, eight feet wide, and as long as 
 required, allowii^ three feet for each sash. 
 
 Mahhuj the Bed. — Gardeners in the latitude of 
 New York start their hot-l:>eds from the 1st to the 
 15th of February. When started early, more ma- 
 nure is used, so that enough bottom-heat may be sup- 
 plied to keep the young plants growing until mild 
 weather sets in. Commence by putting a layer of 
 cold horse-manure, six or eight inches in thickness, 
 on the excavated surface. Begin at one end of the 
 intended bed, and be careful that this first layer, as 
 well as all succeeding ones, is spread evenly. Then 
 add a second layer of hot manure, of about the same 
 thickness as the first. The mass may now be trod- 
 den down by walking on top of it, keeping the 
 feet close together. Another layer of hot manure 
 may then be put on, the frames placed in position, 
 and pressed down firmly. Add another layer of fine 
 maimre, ten or twelve inches in thickness, inside of 
 the frames, as a finish, and })ut on the sashes. 
 
 The beds being eight feet w^ide, and the frames 
 
HOT-BEDS. 23 
 
 only six, tliere will be a margin of twelve to sixteen 
 inches outside, which should be banked up with ma- 
 nure as high as ihe top of tlie frame. 
 
 Frames may be made of (Mammon boards nailed 
 together, with a post in each corner for a support. 
 They should be five feet ten inclies wide fi-om front 
 to rear, and as long as desired— the front board 
 twelve inches high, and the rear eighteen to twenty- 
 four. The frames, when made, should stand level 
 on the bottom, forming an inclined plane on top ; so 
 that, when the sashes are on, there will be enouo-h 
 fall from rear to front to cast the water readily. 
 
 Cross-ties six feet long, made of narrow strips of 
 boards, one by three inches, should be mortised into 
 the front and rear boards of the frames every three 
 feet. These will support the sashes and strengthen 
 the frames. 
 
 Sashes can ])e bought from any sash manufac- 
 turer. They should be well constructed of seasoned 
 wood ; if not, the heat of the beds will warp the 
 wood, displace and break the glass. The narrow 
 lights of glass, 4 x 6, are preferable. These should 
 be cut curved on the lower edge, so that the water 
 will run oif in the middle of the light in single drops, 
 and not form lenses, which would likely scorch the 
 plants. 
 
 Putting on Earth and Sowing Seed.— Whew the 
 beds are finished, as stated before, the sashes are put 
 on at once and covered with straw mats. In case 
 the weather is pleasant, the mats may be taken ofp 
 for three or four hours the next day. Two days 
 from the time of making, under ordinary circum- 
 
24 HOT- BEDS. 
 
 stances, the earth may be put on. This should not 
 be done, however, until the niannre is well heated 
 inside the frames. Six or eight inches of leaf -mold, 
 or good garden-soil free from stones, will answer. 
 
 Two or three days from the time of putting in 
 the earth the seed may be sown. Select a pleasant 
 day, and remoAe all the sashes and mats. Unless 
 the soil is very rich, a handful of bone-flour or super- 
 phosphate should 1 )e sprinkled over each light. Then 
 turn the earth (:>ver with a digging-fork, and rake the 
 surface level ; for, if left slanting, tlie frequent 
 watering will wash the seed from the upper or rear 
 part of the bed. 
 
 Make shallow drills from rear to front two inches 
 apart and about three-rpiarters of an inch deep ; sow 
 the seed in these drills, and cover lightly by sifting 
 earth over the bed until the surface is again level. 
 Each kind of seed should be sown separately, and 
 la])eled at the time of sowing. Replace the sashes, 
 and, toward night, put on the mats. Except in very 
 cold weather, the mats should be taken off daily 
 about 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning. 
 
 The secret in growling strong, stocky plants is, 
 when they are w^ell up, to give an abundance of air 
 at the riffht time. Eor instance, if the sashes are 
 opened soon after removing the mats, the chances 
 are that the young plants will l)e injured by what 
 gardeners call " damping oftV While the plants are 
 young, no air should be admitted into the beds for 
 at least one hour after the mats have been removed. 
 Each succeeding mild day more air may be given to 
 the plants, to keep them from growing spindling. 
 
HOT-BEDS. 
 
 25 
 
 Egg-plants and Peppers reqnire more heat and 
 less air than Cal^hages, Canliflowers, Tomatoes, or 
 Lettuce. 
 
 AVlien Tomato plants are two inches high, they 
 should be pricked out into another frame. Those 
 who make a business of growing Tomatoes in a large 
 way, for market, transplant them twice l^efore set- 
 ting them out in the field. Each time that they are 
 moved from one bed to another, more room is given 
 in order to get short, stocky plants. 
 
 Egg-plants will do better, producing more fruit, 
 and earlier, if transplanted or put into " thumb-pots," 
 and placed in beds made like a hot-bed, only using 
 less manure. 
 
 The beds should be watered with tepid water 
 when the surface becomes dry. In April the plants 
 will require water every day. 
 
 WATERING POT. 
 
 There are few neighborh<jods where enough plants 
 cannot be sold to more than pay the expenses of mak- 
 ing and caring for the bed. When the young plants 
 
 AE.COL.LEQe 
 
26 STRAW MATS. 
 
 are taken from the seed-bed, Ciicunibers and Melons 
 can be started under the glass, and transplanted to 
 the open air in May. These plants will produce 
 fruit two weeks before seed planted in the open 
 ground. 
 
 STRAAV MATS. 
 
 Every gardener who grows early vegetables must 
 have a supply of straw mats to cover the sashes, when 
 forcing vegetables or plants by bottom-heat. These 
 mats are made at odd times during the Winter, when 
 nothing more important is on hand. At our farm 
 we have a wooden frame, made of four boards nailed 
 together. This frame is eight feet long and live feet 
 wide. In the centre of the top board there are live 
 nails fastened about ten inches apart, and live more 
 on the bottom board, to correspond with the upper 
 row^ of nails or pegs. Before commencing with the 
 straw, five pieces of marling or tarred twine are cut 
 about twenty-eight feet long ; one end of each piece 
 is fastened to a nail on the top board, then drawn 
 tight and fastened to the corresponding lower nail. 
 The surplus twine is wound around short pieces of 
 green wood, with a slit in one end to keep the twine 
 from unwinding. Sound rye straw that has been 
 thrashed with the flail is the best kind for making- 
 mats. They will be made more quickly if the straw 
 has been arrano-ed beforehand, shakino^ out some of 
 the short or broken pieces, and getting the butt-ends 
 of the sheaves even. 
 
 When everything is in readiness, two men or 
 boys stand in front of the frame, having a sheaf of 
 gtraw close to the edge of the frame on either side. 
 
STRAW MATS. 
 
 27 
 
 Each takes a small quantity of straw and places it 
 on the lower board restinfr on the nails, the butt-ends 
 
 MAT FRAME. 
 
 of the straw toward the outer edge of the fraiY^t* 
 Then, while holding the straw in position with th^ 
 left hand, with a quick movement, each in turn of 
 
28 COLD FRAIMES. 
 
 the five sticks is taken around the npright twine, 
 and the sti-aw made fast hy a slip-knot. This is re- 
 peated until the top row of pegs is reached, when 
 the mat is finished. Some gardeners use seven pieces 
 of twine, and state that the mats last twice as long 
 as when made with -^xe. Two expert men or l)ojs 
 accustomed to the work will make eight mats a day, 
 working nine hours. 
 
 These mats will be found useful for many things, 
 as well as protecting hot-beds from frost ; they will 
 last much longer if rolled up and placed under cover 
 when not needed out of doors. 
 
 COLD FRA^IES. 
 
 These frames may be constructed of rough hem- 
 lock boards, placing them two deep in the rear of 
 the bed, and oidy one in front. 
 
 When a suitable situation has been chosen, the 
 length of the frame should be north and south, so 
 that the beds will secure the advantage of the morn- 
 ino^ sun. The width or distance between the rear 
 and fi'ont boards of the frame should be five feet 
 ten inches, and the length as necessity may demand. 
 The top of the frame, Avhen properly made, should 
 be eight or ten inches above the \e\e\ of the adjoin- 
 ing surface, and the top board of the rear of the 
 frame about two inches higher than the front one ; 
 so that, when the sash is placed in position, there will 
 be enough fall from rear to front to readily carry off 
 the water. The boards are nailed fast to posts driven 
 well into the gromid, one at either end of the boards, 
 and one in the middle, to strengthen the frame. 
 
COLD FKA3IES. 29 
 
 Every three feet nari-ow strips or cross-ties sliould 
 be neatly mortised in the rear and front boards, and 
 then nailed in position. These give more strength, 
 and also make a support for the sides of each sash 
 when the plants need covering. Cold frames differ 
 from forcing-beds only in having no bottom-heat. 
 
 The soil should be a good quality of garden-soil, 
 and at least twelve inches deep. Before transplant- 
 ing, this soil should be well forked over, making it 
 fine and mellow, and then raking the surface level. 
 From five to eight hundred plants may be set under 
 each sash of 3x6. If the weather is warm at the 
 time of transplanting, it may be well to shade the 
 plants for a few hours in the middle of the day. In 
 case the plants are more than three inches high, 
 when transplanting them, to prevent their growing 
 any more during the Fall, it is better to remove the 
 sashes from the frames every mild day, until such 
 time as the cold weather sets in. 
 
 Cold frame plants require but little attention 
 during the AVinter months ; an occasional airing on 
 inild days will be (piite sufficient. This can be done 
 by raising the rear or side of eacli sash, and placing 
 a support under it for three or four hours in the 
 middle of the day. During very cold weather this 
 is not necessary, nor does it at all injure the plants 
 to be frozen. The gardener's care is to prevent, if 
 possible, the too frequent alternations of freezing 
 and thawino- broucrht about by the sudden chano-es 
 through the Winter. As the weather grows milder, 
 approaching Spring, the plants should have plenty 
 of air every day. Within comparatively few years 
 
30 COLD FEAMES. 
 
 marTvet-gardeners situated near large cities have 
 turned their attention to growing Lettuce under 
 glass, and they find it a profitable business. 
 
 Large quantities of frame-lettuce are now an- 
 nually grown near N^ew York, in frames similar to 
 those described for Cabbage and Tomato plants. 
 The only difference being, that tliey nmst be more 
 carefully constructed, and the soil should be of bet- 
 ter quality than that used for plants. 
 
 About the 1st of November the Lettuce plants 
 are transplanted into the frames, putting not more 
 than fifty plants to each sash. When planted closer 
 than this they seldom form large heads, and have to 
 be sold as " basket-lettuce," instead of so much per 
 head, which makes quite a difference in the receipts. 
 Lettuce planted in cold frames in November will be 
 salable in April, and w^ill generally sell readily at 
 from three to five dollars per hundred. Gardeners 
 usually make two dollars per sash on Lettuce raised 
 in this way, and the demand is always good when the 
 Lettuce is well-grown and carefully put up. With 
 bottom-heat, a crop is ready for market in nine weeks 
 from the date of planting. 
 
 For Lettuce-growing, the '' span frame " is becom- 
 ing popular among gardeners near New York. It 
 is similar in its construction to the ordinary frame, 
 only it is double, instead of single. A piece of joist 
 is placed along the centre, supported by posts driven 
 into the ground ; then cross-ties are mortised into 
 this joist every three feet on either side, and then 
 into the fi-ont boards. This will make the bed nearly 
 twelve feet wide, instead of six, being higher in the 
 
COLD FRAMES. 81 
 
 centre — enongli to give a good fall for the water 
 when the sashes are placed on the frames. A frame 
 arranged in this way will, with the same kind of 
 treatment, produce more full-grown heads of Lettuce 
 to the sash than the ordinary single frames in com- 
 mon use among gardeners. 
 
CIIAPTEK III. 
 
 ARTICHOKE. 
 
 Cynara scolymus. 
 
 There are only two varieties of this vegetable 
 that are grown in the gardens of this country — the 
 common green, and green globe. The latter is of 
 better quality, and gives more edible part in propor- 
 tion to the bulk of the heads than the common kind. 
 
 The Artichoke is propagated from seed, or by 
 suckers, when the plants are once established. The 
 seed should be sown in a moderate hot-bed about the 
 1st to the 10th of March, and, with proper care, the 
 plants will be large and strong enough to transplant 
 into the open ground by the 1st of May. They are 
 rank feeders, and succeed best Avhen planted in an 
 open situation, in a deep, rich loam. Unless the 
 weather is very moist when they are transplanted, 
 they should be freely w^atered for a week or two 
 after having been set out. 
 
 Suckers from the old plants should be taken off 
 early in April, keeping as much of the fibrous roots 
 as possible with the detached plants. Before plant- 
 ing they must be carefully trimmed, removing all 
 the outside leaves. Plants put out in the Spring, 
 3x3, will produce heads in July, and continue to do 
 60 until the 1st of November. As soon as the head 
 
ARTICHOKE. 
 
 33 
 
 is taken off, the foot-stalk should be cut down close 
 to the main stock or root 
 
 GREEN GLOBE ARTICHOKE. 
 
 As far north as Xew York the Artichoke needs 
 protection during the AYinter. We have saved onrs 
 for a number of years in the following manner : 
 
34 ASPAKAGUS. 
 
 Early in December the old leaves are removed 
 carefully, so as not to injure the main stock ; then, 
 by a digging-fork, some mould is thrown from either 
 side of the row towards the row of plants, raising a 
 mound of earth covering part of the plants. Then 
 a coating of leaves or long manure, five or six inches 
 deep, is put on top of this earth and along the line 
 of plants. 
 
 Early in April this covering is removed, levelling 
 the earth from around the plants before the young 
 sprouts start. If w^anted for a new bed, then these 
 plants can be transplanted, as described above. Not 
 more than three shoots should be allowed to a hill. 
 Some gardeners rub off every alternate bud, so as to 
 increase the size of those left on. 
 
 In this part of the country the culture of the 
 Artichoke is principally confined to private gardens ; 
 it is seldom found in the northern markets. But in 
 California it is extensively cultivated, and it may be 
 found on the tables, served as a vegetable in all the 
 first-class hotels and restaurants. 
 
 ASPARAGUS. 
 
 Asparagus cffichialis. 
 
 The Asparagus is a hardy perennial, that, under 
 proper management, when planted in the right kind 
 of soil, will produce annual crops for an indefinite 
 length of time. When well-grown and carefully 
 bunched it is sure to meet with a ready sale. The 
 demand for it has always been good, e\ en when other 
 vegetables were dull and selling at low prices. From 
 
ASPARAGUS. 35 
 
 year to year one hears the same question asked by 
 the consumers of Asparagus, Why is it that this vege- 
 table is not more generally cultivated ? The area 
 devoted to its culture has been increased very much, 
 but not enough to keep pace with the likewise grow- 
 ing demand. 
 
 During the last twenty years I have been en= 
 gaged, more or less each year, in raising vegetables 
 for market, and, at different times I have kno^\Ti 
 each and every kind of vegetable, grown to any ex- 
 tent for market, become a " drug," with the single 
 exception of Asparagus, which, thus far, has al- 
 ways been in good demand, and that, too, at paying 
 prices. 
 
 There are few persons who have b^en engaged 
 on an extensive scale in " trucking," who have not 
 been couipelled, in " l)ad seasons," to sell a part or 
 the whole of a crop for less money than it cost to 
 produce it. This would apply to the whole list of 
 vegetables, leaving out Asparagus, which, during such 
 dull seasons and poor markets, is generally made use 
 of by those who grow it to work off other kinds of 
 vegetables— that is, in case a grocer wants two or 
 more dozen of Asparagus ; to get it he would be 
 obliged to buy a portion of whatever the grower had 
 in his wagon at the time. In this way the gardener 
 who had an abundance of Asparagus would not lose 
 as much in the sale of his crops in dull seasons as he 
 who was not so situated. 
 
 AYithin the past ten years more attention has been 
 given to the culture of Asparagus. It is not rare, 
 now, to find fields of frc^m two to seven acres, in dif- 
 
d6 ASPABAGUS. 
 
 ferent sections, devoted to Asparagus for the New 
 York and other large markets. Some of these new 
 plantations have already begun to yield well, and yet 
 prices are not in the least affected ; on the contrary, 
 they have ad\anced. (Irowers estimated the yield, 
 during the past season, to have been abo^e an aver- 
 age one, and still prices ranged higher than they 
 have for many years. This condition of matters is 
 quite encouraging for those who have young beds, or 
 are about to eml)ark in this branch of gardening 
 with a view to profit. 
 
 To be successful in the culture of Asj)aragus for 
 market there are a few essential points to be fully 
 considered and carried out before any reasonable 
 hopes of success can be entertained. 
 
 The first is a selection of the most suitable soil 
 and situation ; the second, a thorough mechanical 
 preparation of the soil before planting, and the third, 
 heavy manuring. 
 
 The location of the bed is highly important. 
 When Aspai-agus first comes into market it sells 
 briskly at from five to eight dollars per dozen 
 bunches, and frequently as high as twelve dollars 
 per dozen, if the spears are large and the bunches 
 carefully made. From these prices it gradually falls, 
 as the supply increases, until it reaches two dollars 
 per dozen. Below this price it very seldom goes, 
 although at one dollar and fifty cents per dozen 
 Asparagus will pay a handsome profit. 
 
 When the soil has only been indifferently pre- 
 pared and poorly manured, earliness of the crop and 
 iarge-sized spears cannot be expected, and, as a mat- 
 
ASPARAGUS. 37 
 
 ter of course, under such circumstances, large profits 
 are not realized by the joroducer. 
 
 SOWING THE SEED. 
 
 Asparagus-seed should be sown in the Spring in 
 a bed made deep, mellow, and rich. When the sur- 
 face of such a bed has been raked over, removiup- 
 any stones or otlier obstructions, shallow drills should 
 be opened, about one inch deep and a foot apart. 
 The seed must be strewed thinly, l)y hand, in these 
 drills, and then covered l)y raking the 1:)ed with 
 wooden rakes, drawing them in the direction of the 
 drills. In fa\orable weather fresh seed ^vill sprout 
 in two weeks from the time of sowing. Seed older 
 than one year will take longer to germinate, and, if 
 more than three years old, it is unsafe to sow it ; 
 there is no prospect of its ever germinating. In 
 case the seed is older than one year, soaking it in 
 milk t^venty-four hours before sowing will cause it 
 to germinate sooner. 
 
 It is a good plan to scatter some Eadish-seed in 
 the drills at the time of sowing the Asparagus-seed. 
 The Radish will germinate and come up in a few 
 days from the time of sowing, marking the lines of 
 the rows. This will give a chance to run a scuffle- 
 hoe between the rows, destroying any weeds that 
 may have appeared, and keeping the surface loose 
 until the Asparagus plants are well up. Then the 
 spaces between the rows shoidd be disturbed fre- 
 quently, and no weeds or grass alloA\'ed to grow. 
 Well-grown one-year-old plants will be strong enough 
 for transplanting into the permanent bed. If the 
 
38 ASPARAGUS. 
 
 plants are weak, it is better to let tliem remain in the 
 seed-bed another season. Plants older than two 
 years should not be set out ; it is more than probable 
 they will fail to give satisfactory results. 
 
 Tliose who want only a few hundred plants, to 
 make a family bed, will lind it cheaper to buy them 
 from some responsible person than to attempt to raise 
 them from the seed. One pound of good fresh seed 
 wnll sow a l^ed 20 x 100 feet, and give from twelve to 
 fifteen thousand plants. 
 
 PREPARING TUE GROUND. 
 
 Asparagus Avill succeed best on a deep, sandy 
 loam, that is rich and mellow. There should be no 
 short-sighted economy pi-ac^tised in preparing the 
 gronnd for an Asparagus-l)ed. All the outlay for 
 labor and manure, judiciously laid out in making the 
 bed, will be returned to the owner, with a high rate 
 of interest, within the next ten years. 
 
 If the ground selected is naturally wet, or likely 
 to become so, then by all means have it thoroughly 
 underdrained. Asparagus can only be grown to the 
 highest point of profit on soil that is free from stag- 
 nant water, thoroughly pulverized to a depth of at 
 least twenty to twenty-two inches, and then heavily 
 manured. Tliere will be more satisfaction from 
 planting only a quarter of an acre on this thorough 
 scale, than in planting an acre under indifi^erent 
 preparation and poor manuring. The ground should 
 be thoroughly ploughed and sub-soiled both ways, 
 and then plenty of well rotted yard-manure ploughed 
 under. The more manure that is applied, the more 
 
ASrAKAGFS. 39 
 
 productive the yield will be when the ])lants are fair- 
 ly established. Barn-yard, manure, composted with 
 the salt and lime mixture, will be found an excellent 
 manure for Asj^aragus. 
 
 In garden-culture the ground selected should be 
 forked over to the same depth, and plenty of mamire 
 added before planting. Ground in "good heart," 
 with an application of from forty to fifty two-horse 
 loads of manure to the acre, will produce paying 
 crops. A dressing of fifteen or twenty bushels of 
 salt to the acre, before setting the plants, will be 
 found of service. 
 
 PLANTING. 
 
 It has long been a mooted question whether the 
 Fall or Spring is the best time to plant an Asparagus- 
 bed. In most cases more will depend on the condi- 
 tion and tilth of the soil than on the time of setting 
 out the roots. Where the soil is heavy and retentive 
 of moisture, and the Winters long and severe, un- 
 doubtedly the Spring is the best time. But on sandy 
 or clay loam, and as far south as Delaware or Yir- 
 ginia, Fall-planting will do just as well, and often 
 better than Spring-planting, under similar circum- 
 stances. 
 
 When the ground has been prepared by frequent 
 ploughings and sub-soilings for field-culture, or the 
 garden-spot thoroughly trenched with the spade or 
 digging-fork, then open furrows ten or twelve inches 
 deep, four feet apart one way and two feet the other. 
 Wlien the bottoms of the furrows are levelled, they 
 should not be more than nine inches deep. A single 
 
40 
 
 ASPABAGUS. 
 
 ASPAKAGUS ROOT. 
 
ASPARAGUS. 41 
 
 plant is set at each intersection, care being taken that 
 each root of the plant is drawn out horizontally to its 
 full length. At this distance apart there will be about 
 hve thousand live hundred plants to an acre, and two 
 hundred plants will be abundant to supply a family 
 of six persons. When set out in the Spring, the 
 crowns of the plants should not be covered more than 
 three inches. This light covering at first, or until 
 the plants have started to grow, is the safest plan to 
 follow. When the young shoots are three or four 
 inches above the surface, run a cultivator between 
 the rows ; the loose earth will fall towards the plants, 
 adding a few more inches of covering above the 
 crowns, so that, l^y the end of the first Sunnner, the 
 surface will be quite level. 
 
 When the Asparagus is planted in the Fall, the 
 plants will have to be covered full depth at once ; if 
 not, they will be in some danger from the snow and 
 water settling over the crowns, and then freezing. 
 
 In garden-culture the second covering may be 
 drawn over the roots by the hand-hoe any time dur- 
 ing the Summer. A cultivator should be kept going 
 between the rows often euough to prevent the growth 
 of weeds in the bed. This will be found the cheap- 
 est method of culture. When planted in the Fall, 
 the rows should have a light mulch of barn-yard 
 manure put on in NoTember and in the Spring fol- 
 lowing ; tliis mulch, with an additional quantity of 
 manure, either barn-yard, fish, guano, bone-dust, or 
 superphospate, should be turned under early in 
 April, or as soon as the ground is dry enough to be 
 worked. 
 
42 ASPARAGUS. 
 
 Annual dressings of common salt will improve 
 the quality and increase the size of Asparagus. There 
 need be no apprehension of danger from the applica- 
 tion of salt. I have frequently put on as much as 
 two inches in thickness on different parts of an 
 Asparagus-bed, and the young plants have come 
 through this coating of salt without any apparent 
 injury. A dressing of twenty-five or thirty bushels 
 of salt to the acre, every second year, will be quite 
 enough, in connection with the annual covering of 
 l)arn-yard manure or compost to be applied in the 
 Fall or Spring, as circumstances may dictate. 
 
 No Asparagus should be cut from the bed the 
 first or second year. Some growers go so far as not 
 to cut any until the fourth year from the time of 
 planting. If the plants have grown vigorously, a 
 crop may be cut without at all injuring the planta- 
 tion the third year. The amount that may safely be 
 taken off at this time depends altogether on the con- 
 dition and vigor of the plants. In case they are 
 weak, it would be poor policy to weaken them still 
 more by cutting for market or home consumption too 
 soon. 
 
 In the Fall of the first year it is a good plan to 
 throw shallow furrows from either side towards the 
 rows, and then round them off with a hoe or rake. 
 This slightly-elevated ridge will dry out sooner in 
 the Spring than a flat surface ; and Asparagus, treat- 
 ed in this way, will often make a difference in earli- 
 ness of five or six days, which is an important item 
 to those who grow it for market. 
 
 Early Asparagus always brings a much higher 
 
A&PARAGUS. 
 
 43 
 
 price than that which c( nnes 
 in late in the season. There 
 fore every achantage from 
 location, character of soil 
 and treatment, mnst be tak- 
 en into consideration by 
 those who cultivate for 
 profit. 
 
 "Wlien the plants are set 
 so that they have about nine 
 inches of covering at the 
 end of the third year from 
 the time of planting, the 
 crowns will be within seven 
 inches of the surface. At 
 this depth the beds may he 
 ploughed with a one-horse 
 plough in the Spring, and 
 the spaces between the rows 
 kept clean by a cultivator 
 during the rest of the sea- 
 son. In garden-culture the 
 '' crowns " need only be cov- 
 ered four or five inches. 
 This will save considerable 
 in the labor of working an 
 Asparagus-bed over the old 
 method of digging tlie wh( )le 
 surface every S[)ring, and 
 doing most of the work 
 with the hand-hoe during 
 the Summer. 
 
 CONOYEH'S COLOSSAIh 
 
u 
 
 ASPARAGTTS. 
 
 ASPARAGUS 
 
 VARIETIES. 
 
 Until quite recently there were only 
 two varieties generally cultivated for 
 market purposes — tlie green and the 
 purple-topped. The identity of these 
 two has been frequently maintained by 
 many intelligent gardeners, who attri- 
 bute the differences in size and color 
 to location, soil, and heavy or light ma- 
 nuring. There is no doubt in my mind 
 about these two being distinct varieties, 
 and that they will show their peculiari- 
 ties when grown on the same ground 
 and under the same treatment. With 
 hea^y manuring the size can be in- 
 creased very decidedly, but high cul- 
 ture does not change the color of either. 
 
 Two years ago S. B. Conover, of 
 New York, introduced a new variety of 
 Asparagus under the name of " Cono- 
 ver's Colossal." For this variety Mr. 
 Conover claimed superior qualities to 
 either of the two varieties known and 
 cultivated by market-gardeners. The 
 spears of this variety were said to be of 
 extraordinary size, of tender and good 
 quality when cooked, and, for field or 
 garden-culture, equally if not more pro' 
 ductive than the green or purple-topped 
 varieties. This claim had to be sub- 
 stantiated by practical growers before 
 discarding old and tried kinds for new 
 and untried ones. Many doubted its 
 
ASPAEAGtTS. 45 
 
 being any other than what was cuUivated on Long 
 Island and in other Asparagus-producing sections. 
 
 I have for two years experimented with the 
 " Colossal," and I am fully convinced that it is a new 
 variety here, possessing many characteristics that will 
 make it a valuable acquisition to our list of vegeta- 
 bles. Plants only one year old will average larger 
 than plants two years old, of the other varieties, 
 when grown on the same soil and under the same 
 treatment. 
 
 Formerly, in making an Asparagus-bed, the plants 
 were set too near together. With the " Colossal," 
 4x2 will be found better than close planting. Even 
 with the green or purple-top, 8 x 2 will be found, at 
 the end of live years, to produce more to the acre 
 than if set nine inches in the row and eighteen inches 
 between the rows. 
 
 CUTTING AND BUNCHING. 
 
 Cutting Asparagus intelligently is one of the nice 
 jobs in gardening that cannot, without careful in- 
 structions, be delegated to Tom, Dick, or Harry. A 
 careless use of the knife often spoils more stocks just 
 under the surface than there are spears fit for use 
 above. 
 
 The time to cut is before the liead of the Aspara- 
 gus branches out and loses its compact form, when 
 the spears are from six to eight inches long. The 
 knife must be kept sharp. It should be of a certain 
 shape, as seen on p. 44. The blade of this knife is 
 broad, and about eight inches long ; most of the cut- 
 ting has to be done with the point of tlie knife. It 
 
46 
 
 ASl»AIlAGrS. 
 
 should be run down, almost perpendicularly, along- 
 side of the spear, cutting the spear obliquely about 
 two inches below the surface. By this method very 
 few, if any, of the young shoots are injured by the 
 point of the knife. When the bed is three years old, 
 or the third year from the time of planting, it may 
 
 BUNCHING MACHINE. 
 
 be cut regularly each year. Not later, however, than 
 the middle of June, in the Northern States. After 
 this date the spears should be allowed to run to seed. 
 Where Asparagus is cultivated for market, bunch- 
 ing and tying are another part of the business that 
 
ASPARAGUS. 47 
 
 requires skill and practice. The bunches, to look 
 well, must be of uniform size and length. Almost 
 every groAver has, for bunching, a contrivance of his 
 0'>vn invention ; Some of these are very primitive. 
 The best that 1 have seen is represented on p. 46. 
 It is simple in its construction, and does the work 
 well. A man of ordinary intelligence can make one 
 of them in a couple of hours. It is two and a half 
 feet high, three feet long, and eighteen or twenty 
 inches wide on top. It looks on top like a saddler's 
 work-bench without the jaws. In front of the seat 
 there is a place hollowed out, with two narrow pieces 
 of iron hoops fastened the proper distance apart, and 
 curved, so as to give the right shape to each bunch. 
 Before putting the spears of Asparagus in place, two 
 tying-strings of the right length are laid across this 
 mould. When the bunch is large enougli, the hinged 
 top-piece is brought down and the loop from the 
 treadle placed on the side-button or hook, then by 
 the right foot the treadle is pressed down and fast- 
 ened in an iron slot. The bunch is then tied with 
 bass-matting or narrow strips of the bark of water 
 elm. The treadle is then loosened, the bunch taken 
 out, and the operation repeated. A thin piece of 
 board is put across in front of the first piece of iron, 
 so that, in bunching, all the heads of the Asparagus 
 may be pressed against this ])oard. Tlie butt-ends 
 are cut off all the same length the day on whicli they 
 are sent to market. 
 
 Sometimes a grower cannot send tlie Asparagus to 
 market every day, but he is compelled to keep it for 
 three or four days. By placing the bunches in pure 
 
48 ASPARAGtrS. 
 
 cold water, and then covering them, they may be 
 kept four or five days, and when taken out they will 
 look as fresh as if just cut. Or if, when cut, befoi*e 
 bunching, the spears are thrown on the cellar-Hoor, 
 and, when bunched, placed in cold water for a few 
 hours, each spear will swell out and look fresh. The 
 box on the front of the machine is intended for keep- 
 ing a knife, strings, &c., &c. By winding the string 
 around the box, when the string is cut in one place 
 it will be the right length for tying the bunch. 
 
 A few years ago white Asparagus was in demand 
 but lately there has been little call for it. However, 
 any one can have white Asparagus by keej^ing the 
 light away from it while growing. This can be most 
 cheaply done by covering the bed thickly, about the 
 1st of April, with a coating of salt hay or long ma- 
 nure, eight or ten inches deep. 
 
 Before cutting the Asparagus the litter is moved 
 one side and then replaced. 
 
 PROFITS. 
 
 The annual returns from an acre of Asparagus 
 depend so much on the character of the soil and the 
 treatment it receives that it is difficult to state the 
 exact amount. Some growers, favorably located, 
 make from six t(3 seve n hun dred dollars a year iJrofit. 
 This is much more than is realized by most growers. 
 Taking one year with another, a well-kept Asparagus- 
 bed will yield four hundred and fifty dollars per 
 acre profit. _ "^^^ — " 
 
 Since the close of the late war large ]^lantations 
 of Asparagus have been made in certain localities of 
 
ASrARAGUS. 49 
 
 the Southern States. This Asparagus will find its 
 way to the Northern markets, and, owing to the 
 natural advantages of climate, its early appearance 
 will affect the profits of Northern growers. Aspara- 
 gus can be shipped from Southern ports with but lit- 
 tle risk of injury, even if several days should elapse 
 before it readies its destination. Open crates the 
 same kind as those now used by Peach-growers will 
 answer for shipping Asparagus to Northern markets. 
 
 INSECTS. 
 
 Within the last ten years Asparagus-growers have 
 had serious cause for alarm, by the intToduction of 
 an insect from Europe. The Oriocerls aspamgi has 
 been doing a great deal of damage on Lon^ Island 
 and in the Asparagus-producing^ districts of New 
 Jersey. This insect made its appearance a])out 1860. 
 Since that time it has multiplied so fast, that, unless 
 some efPectual means is discovered to check its rav^ 
 ages. Asparagus-growing will be rendered unprofit- 
 able in some localities where now it is grown on a 
 large scale. 
 
 BEETLE AND LARVA. 
 
 "^^ are 
 
 The eggs of this insect are oblong. Thej ^i, 
 placed on the plant by one end, one ec^.g being some- 
 tnnes attached to the end of another.^ They hatch 
 in about eight days. The larva is very slow in its 
 
50 ASPARAGUS. 
 
 movements, and feeds on Asparagus, eating holes 
 through the bark ; when disturbed it ejects a noisome 
 liquid from its mouth, and does much injury to the 
 plant. The pupae are formed under fallen leaves 
 and rubbish on the earth. The insect appears in 
 about thirty days from the period of laying the egg ; 
 it hibernates under the bark of trees, moss, lichens, 
 old rails, &c., &c. As stated, it came from Europe, 
 and made its first appearance on Long Island. 
 
 The best remedy that is yet known is to dust the 
 plants with fresh air-slacked lime on beds one and 
 two years planted. On young beds the insects do 
 most damage. With bearing-beds, by allowing the 
 thin shoots to remain uncut, the larva collects on 
 them and does not injure the larger saleable spears. 
 By going through the bed once a day with a l)asin of 
 hot water, thousands can be shaken into the water 
 and are destroyed. This will, in many cases, check 
 their depredations. Fine bone-meal has been tried 
 by some growers with satisfactory results. Thia 
 dusting can only be done with young beds, or thin 
 spears on old beds ; for, if put on spears intended 
 for table-use, the Asparagus w^ill taste of the lime or 
 bone. The thin shoots can be cut off occasionally, 
 and burned, destroying what are collected on them. 
 
 Forcing. — When Asparagus is wanted before the 
 out-door beds produce in April, it can easily be 
 brought forward in hot-beds or forcing-pits. For 
 this purpose old roots are required ; those from six 
 to ten years old are the best. 
 
 The roots should be put into the bed in February, 
 and covered with about three or four inches of earth. 
 
ASPARAGUS. 51 
 
 From seventy-five to one hundred plants may be set 
 in a light of 3x6; when they start to grow this 
 number of roots will yield from fifty to sixty spears 
 a day. The temperature should be kept above sixty 
 degrees, and on mild days the bed should be copious- 
 ly watered and aired. It should be covered with 
 straw mats at night to protect against frost. In very 
 cold weather a bank of horse-manure, placed around 
 the outside of the frame, will help to keep the tem 
 perature up to at least sixty. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 BEANS. 
 
 Phaseohcs vulgaris, (&c. 
 
 Of the Dwarf, Kidney, or Snap Beans there are 
 many varieties, bnt only a few are in general cnlti- 
 vation. 
 
 Formerly this variety of Bean was extensively 
 raised by market-gardeners on Long Island, and in 
 parts of Xew Jersey, for the New York market ; 
 but since the close of the late war the principal sup- 
 ply, early in the season, comes from Virginia and 
 South Carolina, where lal)or and land are cheaper 
 than they are in the neighborhood of ^Northern 
 cities. 
 
 The most popular and profitable varieties of the 
 Snap Bean for field or garden-culture are the follow- 
 ing : 
 
 Early Valentine. 
 
 Refugee, or Thousand to One. 
 
 Early Mohawk. 
 
 Wax. 
 
 White Kidney. 
 
 China. 
 
 The Early Valentine is decidedly the most profit- 
 able to plaiit for home use or market. This variety 
 will ripen ten or twelve days before any of the 
 others, though planted at the same time and under 
 
BEANS. 53 
 
 the same treatment. This diiference in date of ripen- 
 ing often makes an increase of fifty dollars in the 
 market receipts. 
 
 The Valentine is a tender lieaii, of good quality, 
 and very productive. 
 
 The llefugee, or Thousand to One, is not so early 
 as the Valentine, bnt it answers well to follow as a 
 second crop, if planted at the same time. For many 
 years I planted it as a late variety for pickling, but 
 the Early Valentine has taken its place, and I now 
 like it better than the Refugee for this pui-pose. 
 
 The Early Mohawk is a late Bean, larger, and 
 more hardy than the other varieties. The pods are 
 long, very tender, and of good quality. 
 
 The Wax Bean is of comparatively recent intro- 
 duction, and, for family use, is a great favorite. The 
 pods are large, tender, of superior quality, and re- 
 main green and lit for table use longer than any 
 other kind on the list. 
 
 CniNA. — At one time this variety was considered 
 valuable for market, but, when planted alongside of 
 tlie Early Valentine, the latter will be found the more 
 prolitable. The China is said to be a few days earlier 
 than the Valentine, but I have grown them side by 
 side many a time, and have always found the Valen- 
 tine fit to gather first. AVhen young, the pods of 
 the China are very tender and sweet, but they soon 
 turn yellow and hard. 
 
 WnrrE KmNEY. — This is a large, late variety, and, 
 on account of its color, it is preferred for drying for 
 AVinter use. In a green state, the pods are not as 
 tender nor of as good a quality as the other varieties. 
 
64 BEANS. 
 
 The Kidney Dwarf Beans are not very hardy. If 
 jjlanted before settled weather, there is danger of 
 their rotting in the ground, or of their being injured 
 by late frosts. 
 
 It is safe to plant Snap Beans any time from the 
 5th to the 20th of May, hi the latitude of Xew 
 York, for the first planting. For garden-culture, a 
 succession of plantings should be made every three 
 weeks until September, so the table may be con- 
 stantly supplied w^ith young Beans all through the 
 season. 
 
 These Beans will succeed best on a rich, sandy 
 loam, drills open about three inches deep and two 
 feet apart, for field-culture. The seed is then scat- 
 tered thinly along these drills, about an inch apart. 
 It takes five pecks to seed an acre. The seeds may 
 be covered by a one-horse plough, a common hand- 
 hoe, or by drawing the soil over them with the feet. 
 The cultivation is principally done with horse-tools ; 
 a mule and Carrot-weeder will do all that is neces- 
 sary to keep the surface loose and the weeds down ; 
 or going over them once with the hand-hoe will be 
 quite suflicient. 
 
 The product per acre varies from seventy-five to 
 one hundred and fifteen bushels of green Beans, and 
 they usually bring from two to four dollars per 
 bushel for the early crop in the l^ew York market 
 When they do well, they will generally pay a profit 
 of about one hundred to one hundred and fifty dol- 
 lars per acre, one year with another. 
 
 String Beans carry very w^ell. Tw^o years ago my 
 brothers shipped from Charleston, South Carolina, 
 
BEA^S. 55 
 
 over five hundred bushels, during the season, to 'New 
 York, without having a bushel damaged on the way. 
 
 For Southern planting, the Early Valentine has 
 given the most satisfaction to gardeners for its earli- 
 ness, productiveness, and good quality. When this 
 variety is scarce and cannot be had, the Refugee, or 
 Thousand to One, is the second choice, but in no 
 instance has it been as profitable as the Early Valen- 
 tine. 
 
 For garden-culture, where the cultivation is done 
 with hand-tools, the rows need not be more than 
 fifteen or eighteen inches apart, according to the 
 quality of the gromid. On })0(jr soil the rows may be 
 closer together than when the soil is in good heart. 
 
 In general, Southern growers have not been care- 
 ful enough in packing Beans for the Northern mar- 
 ket. At the time of packing, every Bean should be 
 green. A single over-ripe pod will frequently spoil 
 the sale of a whole crate. 
 
 POLE-BEANS. 
 
 Although there are many varieties of the Pole or 
 Running Bean, but few of them are cultivated with 
 profit. The AVhite Lima and the Horticultural Cran- 
 berry are the only kinds commonly found in market. 
 Occasionally some of the other varieties are grown 
 in private gardens, but very seldom by American 
 gardeners. 
 
 The following is a list of some of the best sorti 
 for garden or field-culture : 
 
 Large White Lima. 
 
 Dutch Case-Knife. 
 
56 BEAl^S. 
 
 Horticultural Cranberry. 
 
 The Kunning or Pole Beans are not so hardy as 
 the Snap Beans. In the hititude of Xew York they 
 should not he planted in the open ground before the 
 middle of May. With a wet, cold Spring, Lima 
 Beans frequently rot if planted early, and sometimes 
 the gardener is obliged to plant them over three 
 different times before he can get a set of plants. 
 
 Pole Beans will succeed best on a deep, rich, 
 sandy loam that has been thoroughly worked before 
 j)utting in the seed. "When grown for market, earli- 
 ness has always to be taken into consideration, and, 
 to forward the ripening, many methods have been 
 practised by wide-awake gardeners. Some plant the 
 Beans in moderate hot-beds, in Aj^ril, and by this 
 means get plants two or three inches high by the 
 middle of May. Other gardeners adopt a more sim- 
 ple and practical method. Inverted sod is placed in 
 the cellar, then cut into small squares, and a single 
 Bean planted in each square. When the weather is 
 settled, the sods with the growing Beans are planted 
 around the hills. Where this plan is carried out, all 
 risk of the Beans rotting is avoided, and there will be 
 a difference of two weeks in the date of ripening. 
 
 When ready for planting, the ground is marked 
 out four feet each w^ay. At each intersection a hole 
 twelve inches deep is made with a crowbar, and a 
 cedar pole is set firmly in each of these holes. A 
 forkful of well-rotted manure should be placed 
 around each pole, and covered with about two or 
 three inches of fine soil, making a hill around the 
 pole two inches higher than the surrounding surface, 
 
BEANS. 57 
 
 and fifteen inches in diameter. A circular drill is 
 opened on this hill about an inch deep. Six Beans 
 are planted, at equal distances apart, in this drill, 
 always placing the eye of the Bean downward. This 
 is an important fact to bear in mind, as the Lima 
 Bean rises from tlie ground in this position. When 
 the Beans are in position, a light covering of tine soil 
 should be drawn over them. 
 
 One quart of Lima Beans will plant about three 
 hundred hills, allowing six or seven Beans to each 
 hill. The same quantity of the Case-Knife or of the 
 Horticultural Cranberry will plant a hundred hills 
 more, owincr to their beino^ a smaller-sized Bean. It 
 is always best to use fresh seed ; that which was 
 grown the previous season is preferable, although 
 Beans two years old will germinate. 
 
 When the young plants are two or three inches 
 above ground they should be thinned out, leaving 
 only three plants to a hill. In lield-culture, the work- 
 ing between the rows is done by horse-tools ; run- 
 ning the cultivator both ways leaves very little to be 
 done with the hand-hoe. AVIien the vines are two 
 feet long, it is best to go through the patch and 
 fasten up those that are not inclined to twine around 
 the poles. The Lima Bean always winds around the 
 pole in the same direction ; that is, from west to 
 east, or in the apparent opposite direction from the 
 movement of the sun. 
 
 When the vines are six feet high the ends should 
 be pinched off. This will cause them to throw out 
 long side-shoots, that will yield a bountiful supply of 
 large pods, hanging within easy reach for gathering. 
 
5S BEANS. 
 
 The profit from the ciihnre of Lima Beans varies, 
 from year to year, according to the season and the 
 supply in market. When grown on ground well 
 prepared, and near a home-market, two hundred dol- 
 lars per acre above expenses may be realized. I 
 have frecpiently gathered, on an average, one quart 
 of dry Beans from a pole. They usually sell from 
 four to six dollars per bushel, and are always in good 
 demand. From eighty to ninety bushels to the acre 
 of dry Lima Beans is considered a good yield, and 
 they seldom sell for less than four dollars per bushel. 
 There is very little difference in the profit whether 
 the Beans are sold green or dried. 
 
 Kunning Beans require a strong soil, and it is use- 
 less to attempt to grow them, with a view to profit, 
 on thin, poor soil. Well-rotted hog-pen manure, ap- 
 plied in the way described, will give a fine growth 
 of Beans. A small quantity of finely-ground bones, 
 or of superphosphate, applied to the hill at the time 
 of planting, or at the first hoeing, gives the young 
 plants a vigorous start, which they are likely to 
 maintain through the whole season. 
 
 The first outlay in preparing to grow Beans is 
 for good, heavy poles. Cedar are the best ; they 
 Avill cost from one to three dollars per hundred ; but 
 if they are put under cover during the AYinter, they 
 will last eight or ten years. 
 
 The size and productiveness of Bunning Beans 
 may be increased from year to year by selecting for 
 seed only the largest pods, and, from these, saving 
 none but the finest specimen beans. 
 
BEETS. 
 
 59 
 
 BEET. 
 
 Beta vulgaris. 
 
 The Beet is a rank feeder^ and only produces 
 maximum crops with heavy manuring and high cul- 
 ture. It is one of the leading and most profitable 
 early crops grown by market-gardeners near large 
 cities. AVlieii the ground has been well prepared 
 and the seed fresh, the crop seldom fails. 
 
 The varieties most generally 
 cultivated, either for market or 
 home use, are the following, 
 named in the order of their 
 value for market : 
 
 Early Blood-Turnip. — This 
 is the most popular early variety 
 now cultivated by gardeners. It 
 growls rapidly, and, when of full 
 size, is tender and of good qual- 
 ity. 
 
 Dark Red Egyptian Tur- 
 nip Beet — This is a new variety, 
 that is highly spoken of by those 
 w^ho grew it last year. It is said 
 to be ten or twelve days earlier 
 than the Blood Turnip, and, in 
 quality, fully equal to that va- 
 riety. 
 
 Early Flat Bassano.— This is an excellent Beet, 
 a little coarser in texture than the Blood Turnip. It 
 does not sell as well in market, owing to the rings in 
 the flesh of the Beet being alternately white and red. 
 
 E. B. T, 
 
60 
 
 BEETS. 
 
 This is not pleasing to the eye, and therefore injures it 
 for a market variety. The Bassano is a favorite in the 
 kitchen-garden for home con- 
 sumption, and is very early. 
 Long Smooth Blood Beet, 
 — This is without doul)t the 
 most popular Long Beet, 
 either for market or family 
 use. When grown on strong 
 ground, the roots are long, 
 smooth, free from rootlets, 
 and of line quality. 
 
 The AVhite Sugar and 
 Mangel AVuetzel are grown 
 as a field-crop in dairy dis- 
 tricts, and they deserve a 
 passing word in that con- 
 nection. 
 
 AYlien Beets are grown for market, the ground is 
 heavily manured early in the Spring, using lifty to 
 seventy tons of yard-manure to the acre. This ma- 
 nure is ploughed under, the surface levelled, and 
 then the ground marked out, the rows fifteen to 
 eighteen inches apart, with a garden-marker. The 
 seed is put in with a seed-drill, using four to six 
 pounds of fresh seed to an acre. Four pounds would 
 be quite enough, provided all the seed would germi- 
 nate and come up. But it is always better to ha\e 
 garden-seeds come up too thick than too tliin / es- 
 pecially is it so with Beets, for, when young, they 
 will sell readily l)y the barrel for greens. Gardeners 
 sometimes sell from thirty to forty dollars worth 
 
 DARK RED EGYPTIAN BEET. 
 
BEETS. 
 
 61 
 
 from an acre of Beets when thinning them ont. In 
 case the seed-drill does not cover the seed sufhcient- 
 ly, passing along the rows and draw- 
 ing the earth by the feet over the 
 seeds will secure a full covering. 
 
 It is a good plan to sow some 
 Turni}) or long scarlet Eadish-seed 
 in the drill at the same time. The 
 Eadishes mature, they are pnlled 
 and marketed before the Beets are 
 of any size. 
 
 Those sown early will be ready 
 for market in June, and the crop 
 all off by the 15tli of July. When 
 pnlled, the Beets mnst be trimmed, 
 removing all the decayed leaves 
 and the rootlets, then washed and 
 bunched, pntting four or five beets 
 to each bunch. This is consider- 
 able tremble, but they nsually bring 
 from seventy-five cents to one dol- 
 lar per dozen bunches, and, with a 
 good crop, they will yield abont 
 two hundred and fifty dollars an 
 acre profit. In S(^)me fa\'orable lo- 
 calities the profits will average high- 
 er, but in (nu- garden the sum named 
 is the amount generally realized. 
 During the growing-season the 
 gronnd must be kept loose, aud free 
 from weeds. The vouiig Beets must 
 
 1 . 1 . T i. + Vl 4^ ,,>. ;, LO^'G SMOOTH BEET. 
 
 be thinned out to tln-ee or tour in- 
 
 * 
 
62 BEETS. 
 
 dies apart in the row when the plants are about three 
 inches high. 
 
 The Blood Turnip will mature sooner than the 
 Long Smooth Blood, and a larger space is devoted to 
 its culture by practical gardeners, who soav it in tlie 
 Spring for market. For Winter use, the seed may 
 be sown as late as the 15th of June ; in fact, tlie 
 Beets from seed sown at that time will be found 
 more tender in the Winter than those from seed 
 sown earlier. The same is true of the Long Blood 
 Beet. The latter is more popidar for market, as 
 well as for table use, during the Winter and Spring 
 months. 
 
 The White Sugar and Mangel Wurtzel are gener- 
 ally cultivated as field-crops for feeding stock in the 
 Winter. When grown for this purpose, the distance 
 between the rows should be from two to two and a 
 half feet, so that the cultivation can be done with 
 horse-tools, instead of with hand-hoes. 
 
 Ground that is in good heart, and well worked 
 by ploughing, harrowing, &c., &c., will yield from 
 twenty to twent^^-five tons of Beet-root to the acre, 
 with an application of fifteen or twenty two-horse 
 loads of yard-manure. 
 
 When everything is ready, the surface should be 
 raised into narrow ridges ; that is, with a one-horse 
 plough, commencing at one side of the field, two 
 furrows should be thrown together. A continuous 
 system of back-furrowing is what is wanted. The 
 tops of these ridges are then raked off with an iron 
 rake or hoe, removing any stones, lumps, &c., tfec. 
 
 The seed may be sown from the 1st to the 15th 
 
BEETS. 
 
 63 
 
 of May witli a seed-drill, iising^ five or six pounds of 
 seed for an acre. As soon as the plants are well np, 
 a horse-tool should be passed l)etween the rows, dis- 
 turbing the surface, so that the weeds may gain no 
 headway while the plants are small. By sowing the 
 seed on these ridges, instead of on the level, the cul- 
 tivator may begin at once without injury to the 
 
 ROOT CLEANER OR CARROT WEEDER. 
 
 young plants. The soil loosened by the culti\ator 
 will fall to the centre of the furrow between the 
 ridges, and not on the young beets. 
 
 By running the root-cleaner between the rows 
 once every two Aveeks, the weeds may be kept down 
 without troulde and at a trifling cost. 
 
 When three inches high, they should be thin- 
 ned out to five inches apart in the rows. Later 
 in t^.ie season the Beet-tops give so nuich shade, that 
 little culture will be recpiired to keep tlie field per- 
 fectly free from weeds. The important point is 
 to gain time early in the season ; for. if the weeds 
 
64: BORECOLE. 
 
 once get ahead, it is hard work to get the best of 
 them. 
 
 The culture of the different kinds of roots for 
 stock-feeding is destined, before long, to form a large 
 branch of farm-industry, and they can be grown at 
 a moderate expense when lal)or-saying implements 
 are introduced in their cultivation. 
 
 Hoots grown for market or for cattle can be kept 
 all Winter in root-cellars, or in pits out of doors. 
 Full directions for making and covering such pits 
 will be found under the head of Carrots, in another 
 part of this book. 
 
 BORECOLE. 
 
 Brassica oleracea acephalo. 
 
 We have of Borecole, as well as of many other 
 kinds of vegetables, a long list of varieties, but com- 
 paratively few of them are cultivated either in pri 
 vate gardens or for market. Among those that are 
 grown to some extent are the following : 
 
 Brussels Sprouts. — This variety is generally cul- 
 tivated in private gardens. It grows from two to 
 four feet high, and produces miniature Cabbages 
 from one to two inches in diameter all around the 
 stem. These small compact heads are the parts pre- 
 ferred for cooking. The top of the plant resembles 
 a half-grown liead of Savoy. These top leaves are 
 sometimes used as greens in Winter ; they become 
 quite tender when touched by the frost. 
 
 The seed of the Brussels Sprouts may be sown in 
 April in the open ground, and the plants put out in 
 the garden in June, two and a half feet apart eack 
 
BORECOLE. 
 
 65 
 
 way. They should be cultivated iu tlie same man- 
 ner as late Cabbages. If transplanted in June, they 
 will be fit for use in September, and will continue 
 to ])roduce until cliecked by frost. If some of the 
 late plantiuo' ai'e " lifted " before the cold weather 
 sets in, and '" heeled in," covering the roots and part 
 
 BRUSSELS SPROUTS. 
 
 of the stem with earth, in a cellar, they can be 
 used during the Winter months ; they will be found 
 delicate in tiavor, and tender. 
 
 This variety should be planted in a deep, rich 
 
6^ 
 
 BOKECOLE. 
 
 soil, and kept carefully cultivated while growing. 
 When seed is wanted, select the best specimens late 
 in the Fall, and give them the same care recom- 
 mended for wintering seed Cabbages. Fifty plants 
 will be enough to supply a medium-sized family 
 with these miniature Cabbages. 
 
 Dwarf German Greens. — This hardy variety is 
 well known to market-gardeners near l^ew York, 
 
 GERMAN GREENS. 
 
 and is more generally grown than any other kind of 
 greens. It is called ^' Sprouts," and cultivated ex- 
 tensively on Long Island and in New Jersey for the 
 
BORECOLE. 67 
 
 Kew York market. It will grow and winter better 
 on a rich, sandy loam, than when raised on a hea\'y 
 soil. The seed should be sown in September, using 
 two pounds of seed to an acre, on ground well ma- 
 nured and w^orked, in rows, from twelve to tifteen 
 inches apart. When the plants are two inches high, 
 let them be carefully hoed, thinning them out where 
 they are too thick. Some gardeners put on a mulch 
 of salt marsh-hay in December, removing it in April. 
 When the Sprouts have made a fair growth in the 
 Fall, mulching is not necessary. AVhen Spinach is 
 scarce, this kind of greens sells freely in large qnan- 
 tities and at very profitable rates. Where it does 
 well, gardeners realize from tw^o to three hundred 
 dollars per acre profit. Prices often fall very low. 
 I have known liundreds of barrels of Sprouts to be 
 sold at fifty cents, and even less, per barrel, while 
 other seasons they will range from two to four dol- 
 lars per barrel. Two ounces of seed will yield 
 enough for garden-culture for home use. The seed 
 can be sown early in April, and tender greens can 
 be had in this way in June. AVhen grown on rich 
 soil it is very tender. It is a favorite variety among 
 the Germans for Spring greens. 
 
 Green Curled Scotch. — This is another good 
 variety, but not grown so extensively as the German 
 Greens. The seed of the Scotch should be sown in 
 April and transplanted in June, the same distance 
 apart, and treated the same as in the cultivation of 
 Late Cabbages. 
 
 The ground should be kept well hoed or culti- 
 vated during the early part of the growth, because^ 
 
68 BORECOLE. 
 
 later in the season, the leaves spread so as to prevent 
 culture. The Green Curled Scotcli Borecole is hardy, 
 and improves in (piality for table use when tuucdied 
 by frost. It will grow two feet high and two or 
 three feet in diameter, when planted on good soil 
 and carefully cultivated. It is grown in small lots 
 for market, and is much liked by tliose who know 
 anything about it. It is very desirable as a Winter 
 vegetable. 
 
 Purple Fringed. — This variety so nearly resem- 
 bles the Scotch, except in its color, that there is 
 nothing gained by cidtivating the two in the same 
 garden. In size, habits, and (piality, they are simi- 
 lar, requiring the same kind of ground and treat- 
 ment to bring them to maturity. One ounce of 
 Borecole-seed will produce over four thousand plants. 
 A small paper of the seed Avill give plants enough 
 for the kitchen-garden. 
 
 BROCCOLI. 
 
 Brassica oleracea hotrytis. 
 
 There are a number of kinds of the Broccoli, all 
 of them resembling the Cauliflower in form and 
 growth, as well as in appearance and flavor of the 
 edible part. As yet, the Broccoli is grown to a ^ery 
 limited extent in this country ; this may be atti-ib- 
 uted to tlie uncertainty of tlie crop. In Eughnid, 
 where the climate is more moist, it is a profltable 
 crop among market-gardeners near London or other 
 large cities. But, with us, practical gardeners are 
 very cautious about risking too mucli in a single sea- 
 son, knowing from experience that a drought of 
 
BEOCCOLI. 69 
 
 tliree or four weeks' duration may destroy the whole 
 crop. I have occasionally succeeded with Broccoli one 
 season ; then, being encouraged to plant on a larger 
 scale, I have failed the following threCj losing more 
 than 1 made the one successful year. 
 
 When the crop does succeed, it pays a handsome 
 profit. Well-formed heads seldom bring less than 
 from twelve to fifteen dollars per hundred, or from 
 one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty 
 dollars per thousand, and always in brisk demand. 
 The market is never over-stocked with Cauliflower or 
 Broccoli. 
 
 For early Summer use the seed of the Broccoli 
 may be sown in the open ground about the 1st to 
 the 10th of Septeml)er, and pricked out into cold 
 frames in the latter part of October. Before cold 
 w^eather these frames should be covered with sash, 
 and the young plants receive the same treatment as 
 that rec^ommended for Early Cabbages. Early in 
 April they may be transplanted into the open 
 ground. They require a ^ery rich, deep, and rather 
 heavy soil. They should be set out in rows two feet 
 and a half apart, and the plants two feet apart in 
 the rows. The ground should be frecpiently hoed, 
 preventing the appearance of Aveeds and grass. By 
 the middle of June the heads will begin to form. 
 If the Aveather is very warm, the heads sometimes 
 " button," or run to seed. By bending some of 
 the large leaves over the young heads, to shade 
 them from the hot sun, the buttoning may be pre- 
 vented. 
 
 For a Fall crop the seed should be sown about 
 4* 
 
TO BROCCOLI. 
 
 the 1st of May, and transplanted into the garden or 
 field early in July, setting them the same distance 
 apart, and cultivating them in the same way as the 
 Spring crop. With moist, cool weather in Septem- 
 ber and October, the Broccoli will head when planted 
 on good soil. Besides the regular quantity of barn- 
 yard manure, an application, at the first hoeing, of 
 three or four hundred pounds to the acre of Peru- 
 vian guano, will be found a good investment in grow- 
 ing Broccoli for profit. 
 
 There are only two varieties that are grown for 
 market to any extent : 
 
 WnrrE Cape. — This is the most popular kind of 
 Broccoli, and looks very much like Cauliflower, the 
 only difference being that the heads are a creamy 
 instead of a pure white. 
 
 Purple Cape differs only in color from the White 
 Cape. In other respects it is very similar ; and when 
 the plants are strong and healthy, they are of first 
 quality, fully equal to any other sort that I have 
 grown. 
 
 The seed of the Broccoli and Cauliflower is im- 
 ported from England and France, as that grown in 
 this country is not reliable. The young plants in 
 the seed-bed are subject to the annoyance of the 
 Cabbage-flea {Ilaltiea striolata)^ which very often 
 destroys all the plants in a few days. A recipe to 
 j)revent tlie fleas destroying the plants will be found 
 under the head of Cabbage ; as also some specifics 
 for the prevention of " club-i'oot," which affects Broc- 
 coli and Cauliflower as well as Cal)bage. 
 
 One hundred plants, of either the White or Pur- 
 
BEOCOOLI. 71 
 
 l^le Cape Broccoli, will be enough for a supply for 
 the kitchen-garden. 
 
 In the Southern States the seed of the Broccoli 
 should be sown late in May and transplanted in Sep- 
 tember. They will continue to grow and form heads 
 all Winter, and, with quick transportation, it would 
 pay to send them to Northern markets early in the 
 Spring. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 CABBAGE. 
 
 Brassica oleracea capitata. 
 
 This popular vegetable might, with a consider- 
 able degree of propriety, be included among the 
 staples, for it is in almost as general use as the Po- 
 tato, especially among the working classes. Every 
 working-man who owns or tills a piece of ground, 
 no matter how small, will devote part of it to a Cab- 
 bage-patch. In fact, no kitchen-garden is complete 
 without its well-tended square of Cabbages, both for 
 Summer and AYinter use. 
 
 The culture of Cabbages for market has been 
 steadily on the increase in localities contiguous to 
 large cities. At the present time single growers in 
 our neighborhood will plant more Cabbages for mar- 
 ket than were planted in the whole township fifteen 
 or twenty years ago. Yet, e'sery carefid cultivator 
 finds an ecpially ready sale for his crop at paying 
 prices. It is no longer a rare sight to see, in the 
 vicinity of large cities, manufacturing towns, and 
 mining districts, fields of five, eight, or ten acres 
 exclusively devoted to Cabbages. Where there is a 
 good market near by, the cultivation of Cabbages 
 generally proves a profitable part of the gardener's 
 business. But to make it so, requires certain con- 
 
CABBAGES. 73 
 
 ditions to be fulfilled on liis part ; if these are neg- 
 lected, it would be much wiser for him to let Cab- 
 bage-culture alone. 
 
 To insure success with Cabbages as a field-crop, 
 the soil must be stirred deeply, well manured, and 
 thoroughly pulverized before planting. On thin, 
 shallow soil, no matter how much manure is used, 
 the "^ run " of Cabbages will be from medium to 
 small, with very few large, solid heads. Large, fine 
 Cabbages are always in demand, even when small 
 ones are a druo^ in the market. The Cabbao^e is a 
 rank feeder, and requires a deep, rich soil to bring 
 it to the highest point of profit. 
 
 The market-gardener usually confines his efforts 
 to the cultivation of the early varieties. This crop 
 is without doubt the more important to him, espe- 
 cially if he is so situated that he can always rely on 
 a plentiful supply of barn-yard manure at a low 
 price ; for, unless the early Cabbage ground is deeply 
 worked and heavily manured, the crop will fail to 
 yield any profit. From ground rich enough for 
 Cabbages, a crop of Lettuce and one of Celery can be 
 taken in addition to the crop of Cabbages, the same 
 year ; these three crops, when they all succeed, will 
 give a handsome profit on the amount of capital in- 
 vested. 
 
 A sandy loam that is thoroughly drained, either 
 naturally or by artificial means, w411 be found the 
 best for this crop, other things being equal. Earli- 
 ness and large, uniform-sized heads are the import- 
 ant points to be gained by the gardener in its suc« 
 ';essful cultivation. 
 
74: CABBAGES, 
 
 The seed for early Cabbages should be sown in 
 the Fall, in the latitude of New York, between the 
 1st and 15th of September, in the open ground. 
 About the middle of October they will be large 
 enough to prick in cold frames, putting from five to 
 eight hundred to a sash of 3x6. The plants should 
 be set deeply, covering nearly all the stem. When 
 cold weather sets in the sashes must be put on, and 
 
 GARDEN MARKER. 
 
 the only care necessary during the Winter w^ill be 
 to give them air. In mild weather, and on the ap- 
 proach of Spring, remove the sashes from the frames, 
 so as to " harden off " the plants before setting them 
 in the field. 
 
 Early varieties can also be grown in hot-beds ; 
 started in February, and the young plants trans- 
 
CABBAGES. 
 
 75 
 
 planted into other beds in Marcli. They will be 
 large enough to set out in the garden in April. 
 
 More explicit directions will be found on this 
 subject in the chapter on " Hot-beds." 
 
 Market-gardeners prefer cold fi-anie plants for 
 their main crop of early Cabbages. As early in 
 April as the ground is in condition to be worked, 
 the yard-manure is hauled on 
 the field, using from sixty to 
 seventy-five two-horse loads to 
 the acre. This is spread broad- 
 cast, and ploughed under. The 
 surface is then levelled by turn- 
 ing a harrow upside down and 
 dragging it over tlie ground, so 
 as not to displace tlie manure. 
 The space is then marked out, 
 the rows two feet apart. The 
 plants are then set in the rows, 
 eighteen inches apart, with the 
 ordinary dibble. This can be 
 done very rapidly by persons 
 familiar with the work. A smart 
 workman will transplant seven 
 thousand in ten hours. Lettuce 
 may then be planted between 
 the rows of Cabbages, one foot 
 apart in the rows. With this 
 method all the work of cultivation has to be done 
 with hand-hoes ; and with Cabbage, as with all 
 garden-crops, clean culture must be the rule. 
 
 Farther south, where land is cheaper — as, for 
 
 DIBBLEr 
 
76 CABBAGES. 
 
 instance, around Norfolk — a wider distance between 
 the Cabbages, so as to use horse-tools, inaj be found 
 advisable. 
 
 The Lettuce is cut and marketed in May, before 
 the Cabbages need the room. They are ready for 
 market early in July, and the whole is disposed of 
 before the 20th, leaving full time for Celery. Be- 
 sides the regular quantity of barn-yard manure, an 
 application of three or four hundred pounds to the 
 acre of Peruvian guano, finely-ground bone, or super- 
 phosphate of lime, scattered broadcast before plant- 
 ing, will be found of material use in perfecting the 
 growth of the crop. 
 
 When planted at the distances named, there are 
 usually about twelve thousand marketable heads. 
 Of late years the average price has been sixty dol- 
 lars per thousand, or seven hundred and twenty dol- 
 lars per acre, from early Cal)bages. 
 
 Practical gardeners calculate that the Lettuce 
 and Celery will cover all the expenses, leaving the 
 amount realized from the Cabbages as profit. Of 
 course, the cost of yard-manure will affect the net 
 proceeds. At Newark, N. J., or New York, a two- 
 horse load of horse-manure, free from straw, costs 
 only a dollar and a quarter or a dollar and a lialf. 
 The same kind, at Philadelphia, will cost three tiuies 
 that amount. So that, as before stated, the profits 
 will depend on the cost of manure, and the distance 
 the same has to be carted, which will make a de- 
 cided difference in the net result. There are a few 
 Bpecial localities, near large cities, where manure can 
 be had iu abundance at low prices ; in these places 
 
CABBAGES. 
 
 77 
 
 gardening can be carried on witli more success and 
 iiigher rates of profit tlian where manure is scarce and 
 liio-h, and produce has to be transported long distances. 
 
 There are only a few early varieties much culti- 
 vated l)y gardeners. The most popular of those now 
 grown for the New York market is the 
 
 Jersey Wakefield.— The heads of this variety 
 are large and solid, conical in form, and of a fine 
 texture. With the same treatment, it will produce 
 
 JERSEY WAKEFIELD. 
 
 more marketable heads to the acre than any other 
 early variety. 
 
 OxHEAKT. — This variety is still grown extensively 
 for market, l)ut it is not so reliable, nor so large, as 
 the Jersey Wakefield. For the kitchen-garden, 
 however, it is always a favorite and excellent kind. 
 
 Large York is grown to some extent, l)ut it is 
 every way inferior to the Wakefield and the Oxlieart 
 for market. 
 
78 CABBAGES. 
 
 Early York. — This popular variety, "better known 
 and more generally cultivated than any other early 
 Cabbage, has a small, compact head. Its earliness 
 and delicate flavor have always made it a desirable 
 sort for the kitchen-garden, but it is too small to be 
 grown now by market-gardeners for profit. 
 
 Early Flat Dutch comes into market just at the 
 close of the season of the early varieties, and usually 
 sells for high prices. Our crop of this kind last year 
 sold from twelve to fourteen dollars per hundred, 
 with a brisk demand. The early Flat Dutch requires 
 more room than the other varieties — at least two 
 feet apart each way. We usually get about seven to 
 eight thousand marketable heads from an acre. 
 
 Early Winnigstadt. — This kind is not as early 
 on our farm as the early Flat Dutch, when planted 
 on the same ground. Owing to its lateness in head- 
 ing, it is not much grown for market by those who 
 have cultivated the earlier sorts. But if a succes- 
 sion of varieties is wanted, it will serve to fill up a 
 gap. It is of good quality, and boils tender. 
 
 Late Cabbages are grown in many localities on 
 a very extensive scale, and the demand for large, 
 solid heads is generally good, with prices high 
 enough to leave a handsome margin for profit, when 
 the expenses are deducted. 
 
 For the past ten years we have grown on our 
 farm, near Kewark, N. J., from seventy-five to one 
 hundred and fifty thousand Fall Cabbages annually, 
 and we find less trouble now in selling one hundred 
 rnousand heads than we did twenty years ago in dis- 
 posing of one-fifth of that number. With a single 
 
CABBAGES. 
 
 79 
 
 exception, Avell-grown Fall or Winter Cabbages have 
 not sold for less than sixty dollars per thousand since 
 1860. Frequently during that time they have sold 
 freely at one hundred dollars per thousand, and even 
 at higher prices. We have sold our crop the present 
 
 LARGE FLAT DUTCH. 
 
 Winter at one hundred dollars per thousand. But 
 few varieties of Fall Cabbages are grown for profit 
 by farmers or gardeners near New York. Among 
 the best may be named the 
 
 Large Flat Dltcil — This variety has a lai-ge. 
 
80 CABBAGES. 
 
 solid head, nearly flat on top, stem sliort, color pale 
 green. It is the most profitable variety that we cul- 
 tivate for Fall or Winter use. As it has hut few 
 outside leaves when the head is ripe, it does not win- 
 ter as w^ell as the Bergen with some growers. 
 
 Large Late Bergen. — The Bergen forms a large, 
 rather round head, and very solid. It needs richer 
 ground and more room than the Flat Dutch, as the 
 leaves, when half -grown, are large and spreading. 
 This variety should not be planted closer than two 
 feet and a half each way ; while the Flat Dutch may 
 be the same distance between the rows, and oidy two 
 feet apart in the row. Both kinds are of good quality. 
 
 Stone-Mason. — The Stone-Mason has a small, firm 
 head, of good quality. In Northern localities it is 
 not in any way superior to the early Flat Dutch, and 
 it is too small to be grown for market. 
 
 Drumhead Savoy. — This variety is decidedly the 
 best of the Savoys, either for market or the kitchen- 
 garden. The head is large, solid, and the quality 
 good. It is preferred by many to any other kind of 
 Cabbage for Winter use. In phmting, our custom is 
 to plant one-eighth of the whole Savoys, and seven- 
 eighths Flat Dutch. 
 
 Green Globe. — This is a small variety, only 
 grown in the kitchen-garden. The head is small, 
 the leaves quite Avrinkled, and the color green. 
 
 Bed Dutch. — The demand for this variety is 
 limited, as it is only used for pickling. It should be 
 planted early in June, as it grows slowly, requires a 
 long season to mature, and richer ground than tlie 
 other Fall kinds. 
 
CABBAGES. 
 
 81 
 
 The culture of late varieties of Cabbage is quite 
 different from the method described for the early 
 kinds. Late Cabbages can be grown as a second 
 crop, following early Potatoes, Peas, &c., &c., and 
 the greater part of the cultivation can be done with 
 horse instead of with hand-tools. 
 
 Sowing Seed. — Eight or ten years ago our rule 
 was to sow the seed about the 10th of May, and 
 
 DRUMHEAD SAVOY. 
 
 finish planting l)efore the 20th of July. But, for the 
 last three or four years, late planting has not given 
 satisfaction ; a very large proportion of the plants 
 set out after the 10th of July failed to make solid 
 heads, being only fit for cow-feed in the Fall. 
 
 It is very important to the Cabbage-grower to 
 have fresh seed, true to name ; and every man who 
 raises Cabbages as a field-crop should select, each 
 
82 CABBAGES. 
 
 year, from his growing crop, some of the best-formed 
 heads to preserve for seed. The disappointment and 
 loss from sowing impnre seed are vexations, and can 
 only be avoided by following the above method. Be- 
 fore sowing, the seed-bed shonld be well pulverized 
 and made rich by adding plenty of well-rotted ma- 
 nure, and forking it under, or by applying a liberal 
 dose of finely-ground bone or superphosphate. The 
 surface should then be raked level and smooth, re- 
 moving any stones or hard lumps of soil. Then 
 make shallow trenches, about one inch deep and one 
 foot apart. The seed may be sown by hand in these 
 trenches, endeavoring to sow evenly, l^y taking a 
 small quantity of seed in the right hand and allow- 
 ing it to pass into the trench between the thumb and 
 fingers. Cover the seed by raking the surface of the 
 bed lightly w^ith a wooden rake, drawling the rake 
 straight with the lines of the trenches. 
 
 When the seed is fresh and the weather favor- 
 able, it will come up in ten days from the time of 
 sowing. At this stage of growth the young plants 
 require close attention. If the w^eather is dry, the 
 plants are frequently attacked by a small black in- 
 sect {Haltica striolata) resembling a flea in appear- 
 ance and deportment. I have known this little pest 
 destroy one hundred thousand young plants in three 
 or four days. In fact, if some measures are not in- 
 stantly taken to stop his career, there will be but 
 few plants left, no matter how much seed has been 
 sown. Dusting the plants, when tliey first come 
 through the surface, with flour of l)one, and repeat- 
 ing it after each rain, will often keep them ofl^. 
 
CABBAGES. 83 
 
 Another excellent remedy is to steep, at the time of 
 sowing the seed, ten or twelve pounds of tobacco- 
 stems in a large tub, adding three or four quarts of 
 soft-soap and some urine. When the plants are up 
 and any signs of the " fleas " appear, the bed may 
 be syringed with this tobacco solution, and the plants 
 dusted w^ith some air-slacked lime. This should be 
 done early in the morning, while the dew is on the 
 plants. Two applications of this solution, followed 
 by the lime, I have never known to fail in driving 
 off these insects from the seed-bed. 
 
 During the early stages of growth, the spaces 
 l)etween the rows should be stirred frequently to 
 keep down the w^eeds. The plants will do best on 
 loose, mellow, fresh ground. One pound of fresh 
 seed will give thirty to forty thousand plants, with 
 careful treatment. Seed sown in good soil by the 
 1st of May will produce plants large enough to trans- 
 plant into the field l>y the IDth of June. 
 
 Sowing a few seeds in the place where the Cab- 
 bages are to be grown, may do in the garden, but 
 not in field-culture. 
 
 Late Cabl)ages, like the early varieties, require a 
 deep, rich, and well-disturbed soil, free from stag- 
 nant water. A heavy clay loam, well fertilized, will 
 bring a good crop of Fall Cabbages. On stubble- 
 ground, intended for Cabbages the following year, 
 we Fall-plough, throw^ing the ground into ten-feet 
 ridges. This space is manured in the Spring and 
 planted wdth Potatoes. Sometimes we adopt another 
 method. In the latter part of April the ground is 
 ploughed deeply, and during the month of May, 
 
84: cabbIges. 
 
 when other important work is not pressing, we haul 
 out, for Cabbages, from tliirty to forty two-horse 
 loads of compost or well-rotted barn-yard manure to 
 the acre, according to the quality of the land. This 
 is thrown in convenient-sized heaps, usually mak- 
 ing four of a wagon-load, in regular lines and dis- 
 tances through the field. It is then spread broad- 
 cast, and ploughed under immediately. 
 
 Under ordinary circumstances, the soil, by this 
 time, Avill l)e loose and mellow, and in fine condition 
 for planting. Unless the ground is very rich, I gen- 
 erally apply a top-dressing, l)efore harrowing the last 
 time, of some special compost or concentrated ma- 
 nure, such as superphosphate, finely -ground l)one, or 
 fish guano, at the rate of from five hundred to one 
 thousand pounds to the acre. In any case, the 
 special manures are previously mixed with twice 
 their own bulk of soil before applicaticjn. 
 
 Cabbages will always do l)etter, other conditions 
 being equal, on a clover-sod, tlian ou ground that 
 has been previously croj^ped. On sod it is lietter to 
 apply the long manure on the surface, and turn it 
 under. Then top-dress the surface with enough of 
 concentrated manure or compost, to gi\e the plants 
 a good start. The ground is marked both Avays be- 
 fore planting, making the rows two feet and a half 
 apart one way and two feet the other. This can be 
 rapidly done with an instrument known to gardeners 
 as a " marker." It is made of a piece of joist ten or 
 twelve feet long, having holes bored every three 
 inches, and a handle al)out six feet long mortised in 
 the centre of the head, and braced froui either side. 
 
CABBAGES. 85 
 
 When completed, it looks like a hand hay-rake on a 
 large scale. 
 
 A horse or mule can be attached to tliis marker, 
 where there is a large field to be laid out. By mark- 
 ing the ground both ways, the labor of cultivation is 
 much lessened ; for the horse-cultivator can be run 
 both ways, leaving very little to be done by hand. 
 
 Tnuixplanting. — For Fall or AV inter use, we be- 
 gin planting in the field about the middle of June, 
 and expect to finish by the first week in July. 
 
 Moist or damp weather is desirable for trans- 
 planting. The plants are first pulled from the seed- 
 bed, and at once placed carefully in large baskets or 
 boxes. The long tap-roots are shortened to about 
 three inches. Each person is then furnished with a 
 "dibble," which is made, by cutting off the upper 
 end of a connnon digging-fork handle, leaving a 
 shank about four inches long. This shank is made 
 smooth and round, and slightly pointed on the lower 
 end. Expert gardeners have a round iron shoe to 
 slip over this shank, so that, while planting, the earth 
 will not adhere to the dibble. 
 
 The baskets of plants are placed at regular dis^ 
 tances across the field, so that a handful of plants 
 taken from basket No. 1 will plant the row as far as 
 basket Xo. 2, and so on. The operator holds the 
 dibble in his right hand and a bundle of plants in 
 the left ; a hole is made at each intersection, and the 
 root of a plant placed in it, when, by another move- 
 ment of the dibble, the plant is fastened and the soil 
 made level around the stem — only requiring three 
 movements of the dibble to fasten a jjlant. 
 5 
 
86 CABBAGES. 
 
 The rule among gardeners is, that the plant 
 should be fastened so firmly, that, when the edo-e of 
 one of the leaves is taken hold of bj the thumb and 
 
 CABBAGE PLANT, 
 
CABBAGES. 87 
 
 finger, the piece of leaf would be torn off before the 
 plant could be pulled out of place. In setting plants 
 in dry weather, we sometimes dip the roots in a so- 
 lution made of cow-manure and water, thick enough 
 so that a portion of it adheres to the roots of the 
 plants. 
 
 SCAKIFIEK. 
 
 On our farm a day's work for a man is six thou- 
 sand five hundred plants, set in the way above di- 
 rected. When hurried, we frequently transplant 
 seven thousand plants in ten hours. So that, when 
 there are three or four men planting at that rate, they 
 will very soon put out one hundred thousand plants. 
 
 For a week or so from the time of planting, 
 unless the weather is very moist, the plants will wilt 
 some during the middle of the day. But just as 
 .soon as they fairly hold up their heads, a cultivator 
 should be run between the rows, to disturb the sur- 
 face and prevent the weeds from starting. 
 
 At first, running the cultivator one way will be 
 enough. AYhen the plants have made a good start 
 and the leaves are larger, then the root-cleaner or 
 Carrot-weeder can be run through the rows cross- 
 wise. This, when carefully done, will leave little or 
 nothing to be done with the hand-hoe. The Carrot- 
 weeder, Perry's scarifier, and Mapes' one-horse lift- 
 
88 
 
 CABBAGES. 
 
 ing sub-soil plough, are the ouly tools that we use in 
 cultivating Cabliages. Heavy rains sometimes harden 
 the surface ; then the sub-soil is run once in each 
 row, three or four inches deep, to break up the crust. 
 The Carrot- weeder and scarifier (taking off the ploughs 
 of the latter) are kept constantly going during the 
 early part of the growing season — in fact, until the 
 size of the leaves fills up the space between the rows. 
 
 ONE HORSE SUB-SOIL PLOUGH. 
 
 The object is not to run deep, but simply keep' 
 the surface loose and free from weeds. Unfavor- 
 able or wet weather often prevents the use of these 
 horse-tools until the weeds have gained some head- 
 way. Over this no cultivator has any control ; he 
 can oi:^ly make the best use of the means at hand, 
 and adapt his work to circumstances ; for every dol- 
 lar saved in culti^-ating is a dollar earned. The 
 desideratiiiii being the production, on an acre, of 
 the greatest number of large-sized heads of Cabbage 
 
CA^BAGliS. 89 
 
 at tlie least possible expense, at the same time keep- 
 ing the soil in good heart. 
 
 If the plants are set two bv two and a half feet 
 apart, there will be eight thousand nine hundred on 
 an acre. When there are no losses from diseases or 
 insects, growers calculate that there will be six thou- 
 sand ^ve hundred to seven thousand marketable 
 heads. At fifty dollars per thousand, this would 
 give about three hundred and fifty dollars ; then, 
 deducting one hundred dollars for expenses, there 
 will be left two hundred and fifty dollars profit on 
 an acre. Taking one year with another, these fig- 
 ures will be found nearly correct. We have, the 
 present season, received over six hundred dollars 
 from an acre of Fall Cabbages ; but prices averaged 
 higher than usual. 
 
 Those who grow late Cabbages for market, always 
 bury them in the field until such time as they are 
 wanted — in mid-winter or "towards Spring. We usu- 
 ally bury from twenty to fifty thousand heads every 
 year, and seldom lose, by rotting, anything worth 
 mentioning. We begin to bury Cabbages for Win- 
 ter use from the 15th to the 25tli of November, 
 always, however, being guided by the weather. In 
 case the weather is warm and pleasant along toward 
 the middle of the month, then the work is put off 
 until a later day ; while, on the contrary, with cold, 
 frosty nights, and no growth, the work of pulling 
 the Cabbages and placing them in " beds " is pushed 
 forward with all possible haste. White frost seldom 
 does any injury to Winter Cabbages ; but if the 
 heads are left exposed to two or three successive 
 
90 CABBAGES. 
 
 nights of hard, black frost, the Cabbages will not 
 keep well, and will probal)ly rot badly before 
 Spring. Therefore it is better, in the latitude of 
 New York, to pull and bury the Cabbages on or be- 
 fore the 25th of November, to be sure tliat the out- 
 side leaves are not injured by frost. 
 
 At the time of pulling, each man is provided 
 with a stick about three feet long- and one and a 
 quarter inches in diameter. This stick is carried in 
 the right hand, to be used as a pry while pulling the 
 Cabbage, and, when the head is turned upside down, 
 for knocking the earth from the roots. Beginning 
 at one side of the field, every man takes two rows 
 of Cabbages, and, as he pulls, sorts them into two 
 sizes. The large, solid heads are thrown into one 
 line, while the second size, or small, hard heads, are 
 put by themselves into another. This plan we find 
 to work better than huddling the heads all together, 
 large and small. It sometimes happens, in the Win- 
 ter, that a customer wants a load all of one kind, 
 either large or small ; and when they are in separate 
 beds, there is no trouble in getting out, at the time, 
 just what is wanted. 
 
 When the Cabbages are all pidled, a suitable spot, 
 or ridge, is chosen to make the bed ; or a continuous 
 line of beds across or the length of the patch. A 
 narrow strip, eight feet wide, of ground that is a 
 little higher than the adjoining surface, is preferable 
 for the purpose. The Cabbages from either side, for 
 a distance of ten or twelve feet, are carried to tliis 
 chosen line, and one man places them close together, 
 heads down and roots up. We make these beds 
 
CABBAGES. Ol 
 
 eight feet wide, and of sncli length as to save time 
 bv not caiTving tlie Cabbages nnneeessaiy distances. 
 Sometimes a bed is forty feet long ; then a vacant 
 space of the same length, then another bed of 
 twenty-five or thirty feet, and so on from one end 
 of the lot to the other. The principal object is to 
 have the ontside lines of the rows of beds straight, 
 as it will make much easier work in putting on the 
 covering of eartli. The second-sized heads may be 
 placed in the same row, but in separate beds. AVhen 
 Cabbages have done well, there will not be more 
 than a fifth of the crop that will come under the 
 second size ; but it often happens that one-half, or a 
 third, are small, and, of course, the beds of large and 
 small will be alternate. Three active men Mdll puU 
 and place properly in beds twelve thousand Cabbages 
 in a working-day of nine hours ; and with a pair of 
 horses and a plough the same number of men will 
 cover twenty thousand in a day. 
 
 When pulled and placed hi beds, heads down, 
 they may be left without covering with earth for 
 two or three weeks, suffering no injury, proAaded the 
 weather is warm and mild. In fact, under such cir- 
 cumstances it is better to leave them uncovered until 
 steady cold weather begins. 
 
 When the beds are all laid, then, with a plough 
 and two horses, three furrows are turned towards 
 the hue of l,eds on either side. The first furrow- 
 slice is turned close to the Cabbages, covering them, 
 if possible. By means of shovels", the loose earth on 
 each side is thrown o^er the Cabbages, coverincr all 
 the heads and an inch or so of the stocks. When 
 
92 CABBAGES. 
 
 the bed is finished, there should he nothing yisible 
 except the roots and part of the stocks. The less 
 quantity of soil that is used to do this, the better ; 
 for Cabbages will keep longer and in finer condition 
 with two than with four inches of soil as a coverinsr. 
 The greater the depth of soil put on, beyond the 
 amount necessary to cover the leaves, the more difii- 
 cult it will be, in the Winter, to take them out as 
 they are wanted. 
 
 Many Cabbage-growers still practise placmg the 
 Cabbages close together, in single rows, heads down, 
 and then turning a furrow from either side toward 
 the Cabbages. When the plough fails to cover all 
 the heads, the work is finished with hand-hoes. 
 
 The curled leaved varieties of Savoy will do bet- 
 ter if " heeled in," with the heads up, in the way 
 described for keeping seed Cabbages. They will boil 
 more tender when kept in this way than with the 
 heads buried, although they will keep well when 
 protected the same as other Winter varieties of Cab- 
 bage. 
 
 Those who are fond of Cabbage-greens, in the 
 Spring, can have plenty of them by saving the 
 stocks and heeling them in after the Ciibbages liave 
 been cut off during the Fall. Eai-ly in the S]3ring 
 these stocks are taken from their Winter quarters 
 and planted out in some nook or corner of the gar- 
 den. Yery soon the young Cabbage-sprouts may be 
 gathered in abundance, before Spring ^'egetables are 
 ripe. German gardeners adopt this plan of saving 
 the stocks and transplanting them into the field in 
 the Spring, to raise the sprouts for market. 
 
CABBAGES. 93 
 
 Insects. — The most formidable insect with which 
 the Cabbage-grower has to contend with is the Antho- 
 myia hrassicce. It canses what is commonly kno^vn 
 as " clnb-root." This disease is not confined to the 
 Cabbage ; the whole Brassica tribe suffers more or 
 less from it. 
 
 On our place we cannot grow Cabl)ages two years 
 in succession, on the same ground, without losing the 
 whole crop by the " club-root ; " and even every al- 
 ternate year is not safe for late Cabbages. 
 
 The Anthomyia hrassicce is, in appearance, like 
 the house-fiy, only smaller. The eggs are deposited 
 in the root of the Cabbage just below the surface. 
 In ten or twelve days they hatch, and the small mag- 
 gots begin at once to feed on the root, thus produc- 
 ing the well-known disease. The root becomes en- 
 larged, and the leaves wilt badly under a hot sun, 
 and the plant will not increase in size. 
 
 Last year I offered a premium of one hundred 
 dollars for a remedy, and received a large number 
 of communications in reply. Fourteen of them 
 recommended the application of lime in almost as 
 many different ways. Our soil is a heavy clay, the 
 debris of red sandstone, and sprinkling lime broad- 
 cast did not check nor prevent the insects from in- 
 juring the plants. On a piece of ground where Cab- 
 bages had been grown the year before, we applied a 
 dressing of lime at the rate of two hundred bushels 
 to the acre, and again planted it with Cabbages. 
 They were badly affected with club-root. One cor- 
 respondent said that caustic shell-lime should be 
 applied, using about a teaspoonful to each plant, by 
 5* 
 
94 
 
 CABBAGES. 
 
 CLUB-ROOT CABBAGE. 
 
CABBAGES. 95 
 
 remo^-ing a little earth from around the stem, put- 
 tmg on the lime, and then replacing the soil. This 
 method, with dusting the roots of the Cabbage plants 
 with tine bone-flour before setting them in place, has 
 given me the best results. I will try them sepa- 
 rately and in connection next year, and will then be 
 a better judge as to which to give the credit. 
 
 Tliere is no doubt in my mind but that lime does 
 check the insect ; for I have known many instances 
 where Cabbages have been grown ten or twelve years 
 in succession on lime-soils, and not a case of club- 
 root has occurred. 
 
 Pieris m^<^.— Cabbage Worm. This insect, in- 
 troduced from Europe into Canada in 1857, made its 
 first appearance in New Jersey, and others of the 
 Middle States, as well as in some of the Southern 
 States, last year. But already its ravages on the 
 Cabbage and Turnip crops have caused serious alarm 
 among those who cultivate these vegetables to any 
 extent. 
 
 The worm is of a light-green color, large body, 
 and, when full-grown, three-fourths of an inch in 
 length. It eats the Cabbage-leaves with an astound- 
 ing rapidity. Mr. Sprague, of Boston, has described, 
 in the American EntOTnologist^ Yol. II., page 370, 
 a small beetle, which is probably parasitic on the 
 Anthomyia hrasslcce. 
 
 These worms made their first appearance on our 
 Cabbage-field about the 27th of July. They ap- 
 peared so suddenly and in such numbers as to ren- 
 der it impossible to remove them by hand. One 
 woman in our neighborhood attempted it with her 
 
96 
 
 CABBAGES. 
 
 patch ; slie picked off two pailsfiil, in three days, 
 from three hundred heads of Cabbage ; and while 
 she was doing so, the green parts of the Cabbages 
 were nearly all demolished. Where there w^ere iifty 
 thousand Cabbages in a piece, this way of removal 
 was not practiciible. 
 
 We immediately set to work and sprinkled the 
 Cabbages with lime, hoping this would drive them 
 off ; but it had not the slightest effect in arresting 
 their d.epredations. At this time a friend broke off 
 a Cabbage-leaf with one of these worms upon it, and 
 dusted the surface of the leaf and the body of the 
 worm with lime, so that he might closely watch the 
 result. While in this condition it ate a scpiare inch 
 of the leaf in forty -two minutes. This was a satis- 
 factory evidence that the lime would not stop nor at 
 all inconvenience the worms while destroying the 
 Cabbage-leaves. 
 
 WORM AND MOTH (Pleris Tapce). 
 
 We then applied hue salt, carbolic powder, and a 
 dozen otlier specifics, but without any success. At 
 last we mixed with twenty parts of superphosphate 
 of lime, one part of carbolic powder, and three parts 
 of fresh air-slacked lime. These were thoroughly 
 
CARROTS. 97 
 
 mixed, and a small quantity of the compound thrown 
 by hand into each head of Cabbage. This was re- 
 peated three times, with the most satisfactory re- 
 sults. In some localities it may be found necessary 
 to apply the remedy oftener. Our crop was not 
 injured five per cent. The heads damaged most 
 were in sheltered places near the fences. Many of 
 these moths may be caught with a net, by boys, 
 where they do not appear in too large numbers. 
 
 There were three distinct broods of these worms, 
 hatched and fed on the Cabbages, from the time they 
 appeared in July until cold weather. The last lot 
 was not so destructive as the first or second. In 
 some localities the early Cabbages are attacked and 
 injured badly by a small maggot, similar in appear- 
 ance to the Onion-maggot {Antliomyia ceparuir)i). 
 Caustic lime, or fine flour of bone, applied in the 
 way recommended for " club-root," is the best rem- 
 edy that we have tried to check this pest. 
 
 CARROT. 
 
 DauGics carota. 
 
 Many intelligent agricnltnral writers have for 
 years persistently advocated the more general culti- 
 vation of the Carrot, not only for table use, but also 
 on account of its high value for feeding-purposes. 
 These views have been very slowly adopted by farm- 
 ers, not because they in any way doubted the state- 
 ments of these writers, or had any misgivings about 
 the value of the Carrot for feeding stock, but they 
 believed the cultivation of it w^as too expensive, often 
 
98 CARROTS. 
 
 costing more than the worth of the crop. I know 
 many instances w^here attempts have been made by 
 good farmers to grow Carrots, but just at the time 
 when the young plants were fairly above ground 
 and needed immediate attention, the farmer was in 
 the midst of harvesting his hay and grain. These 
 had to be got through with, and the Carrots were left 
 untouched for two or three weeks. By this time the 
 weeds had gained such headway, that to attempt to 
 clean the piece appeared like an endless job. The 
 result was, that Carrots, weeds, and grass were 
 ploughed under after all the trouble and expense of 
 preparing the ground, cost of seed, sowing it, &g. 
 With Potatoes, Cabbages, or Corn, a week or ten days 
 will make but little difference in the time of the 
 first hoeing, provided the ground is in good heart. 
 But with Carrots this loss of time is irreparable, for, 
 unless the ground betw^een the rows is disturbed just 
 when the Carrots are coming up, the weeds will get 
 ahead, and it will require a season's labor to make 
 up the loss sustained by a few days' neglect at the 
 commencement. It should be distinctly borne in 
 mind by those who intend to grow Carrots for profit, 
 that " a stitch in time saves nine," and that early and 
 frequent disturbance of the ground materially lessens 
 the expense of cultivating Carrots. 
 
 Soil. — The Carrot will do w^ell on any character 
 of soil that is deep, free from stones, and well ma- 
 nured. A sandy loam is frequently recommended 
 for it ; but, from my experience, I am in favor of a 
 heavier soil, that has been thoroughly pulverized and 
 made fine by two or three ploughings before sowing 
 
CARROTS. 99 
 
 the seed. Our method is, to Fall-plough, and then 
 give two ploughings and harrowings in the Spring. 
 This will leave the ground in fine tilth. The ma- 
 nure is spread broadcast on the surface before the 
 last ploughing, and covered. Before harrowing the 
 last time, the surface should l)e top-dressed with 
 some special manure or compost, to insure a vigorous 
 start for the voung Carrots. 
 
 On heavy soil, it is best to make drills, or ridges, 
 instead of sowing the seed on the flat. This plan 
 enables one to pass a Carrot horse- weeder l)etween 
 the rows early, without injuring the young and deli- 
 cate plants as they are coming through the surface. 
 These ridges are made with one horse and a small 
 plough, commencing on one side of the field and 
 throwing two furrows together, forming ridges, the 
 tops of which should be five or six inches above the 
 level of the surface, and from twenty-four to twenty- 
 seven inches apart. This space is wide enough to 
 admit a horse or mule in cultivatinflf. 
 
 holbrook'b regulator seed-drill. 
 
 Sowing the Seed. — The tops of these ridges are 
 then made Gn^ )>y drawing a wooden rake or prong- 
 
100 CABEOTS. 
 
 hoe over each one, in the line of the ridges, care- 
 fullj removing any hard himps of clay, stones, &c., 
 to the furrows between. The seed is sown by a 
 machine, nsing four to live pounds of fresh seed to 
 an acre. Carrot-seed can only be relied upon with 
 certainty for one year. With seed two years old, I 
 would increase the quantity to five or six pounds to 
 the acre. It is an excellent plan to sow sparsely 
 some white Spanish Radish-seed, or, in fact, any 
 kind of Radish, in the drills at the time of sowing 
 the Carrots. The Radishes wnll germinate much 
 sooner than the Carrots, showing distinctly, in ten 
 or twelve days, the lines of the rows, and thus en- 
 able the grower to cultivate much earlier than he 
 otherwise could. When the Carrot-tops are three 
 or four inches high, the Radishes may be pulled out, 
 having fulfilled their mission. Market-gardeners turn 
 these Radishes to account by preparing them for 
 market. 
 
 For a Fall crop, the seed should be sown from 
 the 20th of May to the 1st of June. A few days 
 earlier or later than these dates will not make much 
 difference, although it is better, in my estimation, to 
 have the seed in the ground on or before the 1st of 
 June. Holbrook's seed-drill is simple in construc- 
 tion — the best that I have tested for sowing garden- 
 seeds. 
 
 Cultivating. — This, above all, is the most im- 
 portant point in growing Carrots profitably in the 
 field. The moment that the Radishes are fairly 
 above ground, and before the weeds have started, 
 the spaces between the rows should be distm'bed by 
 
CAEKOTS. ' 101 
 
 a tool drawn by a horse or mule. This should be 
 repeated within a week, and often enough afterward 
 to keep down effectually the grass and weeds. 
 
 For many years I have used for this purpose two 
 implements which I consider more simple and more 
 effective than any others that have come under my 
 notice— the Carrot-weeder, which does the work with 
 light draft, and very thoroughly ; and Mapes' one- 
 horse lifting sub-soil plough. In case the ground 
 between the rows becomes hard from heavy rains, a 
 mule is attached to the '' lifter,'- which is run once 
 in each space between the rows, and three or four 
 inches deep, lifting and loosening the soil without 
 disturbing the roots. These are the only tools I use 
 in the culture of Carrots, and I have no hesitation in 
 stating that they are the best I have seen, simple in 
 construction, and easily managed. With a few days' 
 practice and a steady animal, a man or boy will run 
 the Carrot-weeder as close to the rows of Carrots, 
 without injury, as the common hand-hoe, and, of 
 course, doing it thirty times as fast. 
 
 When this plan is carried out, the only hand- 
 labor necessary is to remove what weeds may come 
 up directly in the rows, and thin the Carrots at a 
 later date. 
 
 About four weeks from the time of sowing the 
 seed, the weeds and some of the Eadishes should be 
 pulled out by hand. The season, and other circum- 
 stances, will often vary this ; it is not, however, wise 
 to put off too long the first hand-weeding. Two or 
 three weeks later, by the middle of July, the Carrots 
 should be carefully thinned by hand, leaving them 
 
102 CAEEOTS. 
 
 about four inches apart in the rows, at the same time 
 removing any weeds that may have made their ap- 
 pearance since tlie last weeding. AYith an ordinary 
 season, and the horse-tools kept actively going dur- 
 ing the early part of it, the total expense for hand- 
 labor, in weeding and thinning an acre of Carrots, 
 w^ill not exceed twenty-five dollars. The total cost 
 of producing an acre of Carrots should not exceed 
 sixty-five dollars. 
 
 An acre, under good cultivation, will yield from 
 five to seven hundred bushels of Carrots, worth usu- 
 ally fifty cents jjer bushel. For the last five years I 
 have sold all our crop for horse-feed at seventy-five 
 cents per bushel, and never have any difficulty in 
 finding purchasers, at this price by the quantity. 
 The Carrot will, without doubt, become more popu- 
 lar from year to 3^ear with those who keep horses 
 the greater part of the year on grain, especially for 
 hard-worked draft-horses. This I know to be the 
 case^ from my experience in raising Carrots for mar- 
 ket. Livery-stable keepers and express companies, 
 who, ten or twelve ^^ears ago, would only order fif- 
 teen or twenty bushels of Carrots at a time, now buy 
 them by the one hundred bushels during the AVin- 
 ter. 
 
 Harvesting Carrots. — In the latitude of Nev/ 
 York, Carrots wanted for Winter use should be dug 
 and pitted early in November. Two men will ac- 
 complish more work in gathering, topping, and stor- 
 ing Turnips, Carrots, or Beets, while the weather 
 is mild, than four will do when cold weather has 
 set in. Topping Turnips or Carrots in an open fieldj 
 
CARROTS. 103 
 
 on a frosty morning, is anything but pleasant ; and 
 it is as expensive to the owner as it is disagreeable 
 to the operator. On some farms it is customary to 
 cart all the roots, as soon as pulled, into the barn. 
 This adds expense and considerable extra labor to 
 the har\'esting of the crop — loading in the field and 
 unloading at the barn. The time this requires may 
 all be set down as unnecessary expense. Every 
 hundred bushels of roots pulled and topped in the 
 field, Avdiile the weather is pleasant and warm 
 enough to make working out of doors comfortable, 
 is a saving in expense of at least fifty per cent. 
 This we have tested over and over again, and always 
 with the same result. 
 
 Those who have grown Carrots as a field-crop, 
 know how tedious a job it is to dig them in the Fall. 
 It is not only tedious, but if the Carrots have grown 
 full-size, unless taken out by careful workmen, there 
 Avill be half a dozen fork or spade-handles broken in 
 getting out an acre or tAvo of Carrots. 
 
 We grow on our farm from eight hundred to one 
 thousand bushels of Carrots every year for market, 
 and we have many years since given up the use of 
 the spade and digging-fork in taking out the crop. 
 We do it with much less manual labor and less ex- 
 pense, l>y applying horse-power instead of man- 
 power. The rows of Carrots are about two feet 
 apart — wide enough for a horse or a mule to walk 
 between. When the proper time arrives, and other 
 things l)elng in readiness, two horses are hitched to 
 a lifting sub-soil plough, whi(;h is run alongside of 
 each row of Carrots, deep enough to lift and loosen 
 
l04: CARROTS. 
 
 both earth and Carrots along the line of the row. 
 This operation leaves every root so that it can be 
 pulled readily by hand, having to use no more 
 strength than would l^e rec^uired in pulling Strap- 
 leaved Eed-top Turnips. 
 
 Plough on one side of the piece, running the 
 " lifter " alongside of the right-hand row of Carrots, 
 and returning on the left. Tliis will bring the two 
 cuts of the sub-soil between two rows, leaving the 
 outside of these rows for the horses to walk on and 
 have firm footing. With a pair of steady work- 
 horses, a sub-soil plough, three men, and a boy to 
 drive the horses, we have frequently loosened and 
 p)ulled an ac^re of Carrots in a day. Occasionally, 
 if the ground is stony, the plough will miss loosen- 
 ing a Carrot ; but this will not cause a detention of 
 any account to those pullirig the roots. When pulled, 
 the Carrots are thrown into small heaps ; or, bet- 
 ter still, three or four rows are thrown into a con- 
 tinuous row, with the roots all in one direction. 
 This arrangement will facilitate the topping, which 
 is the slowest part of the Avork of gathering the 
 crop. 
 
 ]^y the use of this plough, we have taken out 
 and topped an ac^re of Carrots, that yielded five 
 hundred bushels, at a total cost of nine dollars and 
 fifty cents, or rather less than two cents a bushel. 
 To dig and top the same number of bushels in the 
 old-fashioned way, would cost, at the lowest estimate, 
 three times as much. Six cents a bushel is usually 
 estimated as the cost of digging and topping a bushel 
 of Carrots. I mention all the particulars in this 
 
CARROTS. 105 
 
 case, to show the advantages of a more general use 
 of improved labor-saving implements, in " trucking " 
 as well as in more extended farming. Until such 
 tools are more generally used, the lowest cost of pro- 
 ducino- a bushel of Potatoes or Carrots cannot be 
 known. The sub-soil plough, used in getting out 
 these Carrots, we have had on the farm ten years, 
 and have used it more or less every year since. The 
 first cost of the plough was thirteen dollars, and in 
 a half-day's work loosening Carrots, the amount 
 saved was more than had been paid for the plough 
 ten years ago. 
 
 Wintering. — Like most other kinds of roots, Car- 
 rots will keep very well when put into pits out of doors. 
 If one has abundance of cellar-room, it is better to 
 store them there until wanted ; but when cellar-room, 
 is scarce, then, with care and a little more expense, 
 they can be kept safely out of doors until iVpril. In 
 choosing a situation for a pit, a sloping surface is 
 always preferable — a spot where there is a good 
 natural fall for water. The surface of such a slop- 
 ing piece of ground is simply levelled off six or 
 seven feet wide, and as long as is required. The 
 Carrots are then made into a long pile six feet wide, 
 sloping gradually on either side, and coming to a 
 point about three and a half to four feet high. Five 
 or six hundred bushels may be piled together in this 
 way, if, wiieii putting on the coverina: of soil, means 
 of ventilation are provided at points ten or fifteen 
 feet apart along the top of the pile. This is done 
 "by placing a piece of tin or eai'then pipe, with one 
 
106 CARROTS. 
 
 end resting on the Carrots, the other projecting a 
 couple of inches above the covering of earth. To 
 prevent the frost from injuring the roots through the 
 pipes, they may be stuffed with hay before Winter 
 sets in. Formerly, the practice among gardeners 
 was to put a covering of hay or straw over the roots 
 before putting on the earth. This, of late years, has 
 been given up as useless ; in fact, it is found, by 
 experience, that all kinds of roots will keep better, 
 with less risk of rotting, when earth is the only cov- 
 ering used. Under ordinary circumstances, two feet 
 in thickness of covering is quite enough to protect 
 the roots from frost. It is not a good plan to put on 
 this depth at once ; eight inches will be sufficient 
 when first pitted, and until the weather grows colder. 
 All kinds of roots should be covered as soon as pos- 
 sible after being topped. If left exposed a day or 
 two, either in small heaps in the field, or in a large 
 pile, the shrinking from evaporation amounts to con- 
 siderable — enough, at least, to call the attention of 
 growers to the fact. 
 
 It is well, perhaps, to state, in this connection, 
 that those who grow Carrots as a field or garden- 
 crop should not neglect to save, at the time of gath- 
 ering the crop, some of the l^est-formed and largest- 
 sized roots for seed. Fresh Carrot-seed, true to name, 
 is all-important for those who grow Carrots either 
 for pleasure or profit. 
 
 In topping seed Carrots, it is not well to cut as 
 close to the crown of the Carrot as is customary with 
 the main crop. 
 
CARROTS. 107 
 
 The directions given for keeping Carrots out of 
 doors are equally applicable to Beets, Turnips, and 
 Parsnips. 
 
 AVith the last-mentioned, when intended for 
 market, the pile sIkjuM be made smaller — not 
 more than five feet wide and three feet high. Par- 
 snips, put together for A\^inter use in larger heaps, 
 change color, becoming a straw-yellow. This will 
 injure the sale sometimes, making a difference of 
 from fifty cents to one dollar a barrel. In fact, yel- 
 low Parsnips find no purchasers as long as there are 
 any white ones in market. 
 
 In garden-culture, Carrots may be planted closer 
 together, fifteen to eighteen inches between the rows, 
 and thinned out to three or four inches apart in the 
 row. If wanted for Summer use, they must be sown 
 early in April. Two ounces of seed will be enough 
 to sow for family use. 
 
 Varieties. — There are but few varieties worthy 
 of cultivation, either for home consumption or mar- 
 ket use. 
 
 Early Horn is a variety sometimes grown by 
 market-gardeners, to sell by the bunch in July. The 
 root never attains much size, and is therefore only 
 used for this purpose. 
 
 Long Orange is the best variety for the main 
 crop, both for field and garden-culture. When 
 planted on good soil, it has a long, smooth root, 
 Orange color, and of good cpiality. The roots will 
 average twelve to fifteen inches in length. 
 
 Bliss' Improved Long Orange resembles the 
 above. The only difference is, that the color U 
 
108 
 
 CARDOON. 
 
 darker and the roots are soiiiewliat 
 smoother and longer than the Long 
 Orange. 
 
 White Belgium grows out of 
 the ground like a long Beet. It is 
 nearly Avhite, and yields more to 
 the acre than any other kind of 
 Carrot we have grown ; but it does 
 not sell readily in market. 
 
 CARDOON. 
 
 Cynara cardunculus. 
 This vegetable, in appearance, 
 resembles the Globe Artichoke, 
 but, with good treatment, it will 
 grow taller than the Artichoke. It 
 is seldom found in the kitchen-o^ar- 
 dens of tliis country, although, 
 when carefully grown and blanch- 
 ed, the stocks make pleasant sal- 
 ads. They are also used in soups 
 and stews ; but, for either purpose, 
 the Cardoon is very much inferior 
 to Celery. 
 
 The seeds should be sown in 
 May, in drills an inch deep and 
 three feet apart. When the plants are well above 
 ground, they should be thinned out to twenty inches 
 apart in the row, and the soil kept loose and free 
 from weeds. In October, the leaves should be drawn 
 together and fastened by hay-bands, and the plants 
 earthed up the same as Celery. The Cardoon can 
 
 LONG OKANGE. 
 
CAtTLlFLOWER. 109 
 
 be kept in the same way as Celery through the Win- 
 ter. One ounce of seed will give five to six hundred 
 plants. 
 
 CAULIFLOWER. 
 
 JBrassica oleracea hotrytis. 
 
 The Cauliflower is so closely allied to the Broc- 
 coli, that tlie culture recommended for the one will 
 answer in every respect for the other. We usually 
 grow the Cauliflower as a Spring crop, and the Broc- 
 coli for a Fall crop. AVhen the Cauliflower succeeds, 
 it is one of the most profitable crops grown by the 
 market-gardener ; and the private gardener, who is 
 successful with it, gives unusual satisfaction to his 
 employer. Cauliflowers rarely sell for less than 
 fifteen dollars per liundred, and, very often, welh 
 formed heads sell freely at eighteen or twenty dol- 
 lars per hundred by the quantity. 
 
 Our method is, to sow the seed about the 10th of 
 September (one ounce will give three thousand five 
 hundred plants), and in four or five weeks prick the 
 plants into cold frames, five or six hundred to a sash. 
 These frames are covered with sashes durino- the 
 Winter, which are opened on mild days to give air, 
 and removed as the weather grows warm towards 
 Spring. The seed may also be sown, in February, 
 in a hot-bed, and transplanted once or twice before 
 the final planting in the field. AYe have always suc- 
 ceeded better with cold-frame plants for Cauliflower. 
 
 There is no use in attempting to grow Cauli- 
 flower, witli any hope of success, either in the gar- 
 den or field, on a poorly- worked or poorly-manured 
 
110 CAULIFLOWER. 
 
 ground. There should be plenty of well-rotted horse- 
 manure ploughed under, at least eighty two-horse 
 loads to the acre, and then a slight top-dressing, two 
 or three hundred pounds of Peruvian guano or finely- 
 ground bone spread broadcast before planting, or at 
 the first hoeing around the plants. 
 
 When the plants are wintered in a cold frame, 
 they may be set in the open ground early in April, 
 and the heads will be well formed before the hot 
 weather in July. With late Spring planting it is 
 almost impossible to get Cauliflowers to form any 
 heads. The flowers will " button," and, in eight 
 cases out of ten, the crop will not cover expenses. 
 Two years ago we planted twelve hundred in a piece 
 of rich ground on -the 15th of May ; they were a 
 total failure, not producing ten good heads. 
 
 For a Fall crop, the seed may be sown at the 
 same time as for Winter Cabbage, and planted in 
 the field at tlie same distance apart, about the mid- 
 dle of July. 
 
 The early kinds may be set closer together, two 
 feet apart each way. When a crop succeeds, it will 
 bring from seven hundred to one thousand dollars on 
 an acre. 
 
 The number of varieties cultivated is quite lim- 
 ited. If the private gardener will select, for plant- 
 ing in the kitchen-garden, such kinds as are popular 
 with market-gardeners, he will be sure to make no 
 mistake 
 
 Early Paris is one of the reliable varieties, and 
 a favorite Avith cultivators. Under good treatment, 
 it forms solid heads, that are, when cooked, tender 
 
CELERY. Ill 
 
 and delicate in quality. A\nien grown on a rich soil, 
 the leaves spread more than some of the other kinds. 
 
 Eakly Ekfurt is an earlier variety, ripening a 
 few days in advance of the Early Paris. It does 
 not require so much room, as it is of dwarfish habits, 
 but it forms a solid white head of first-rate quality. 
 
 Half-Early Paris is a popular kind, maturing 
 later than either of the above. We have grown it 
 as a late variety, with good success, both in the gar- 
 den and field. 
 
 Waxcuerex is better suited for late than for 
 early planting. The heads are generally uniform in 
 size and compactness, and of very good quality. 
 
 The same kinds of insects that injure Cabbage 
 also damage Cauliflower. Last season this crop suf- 
 fered more from the ravages of the Pieris rapce 
 than the late Cabbages. I have seen thousands of 
 half-grown Cauliflowers rendered worthless from 
 duh-root. The cut-worm Agrotis devastator de- 
 stroys the Cauliflower as well as Cabbage-plants. 
 The best remedy is, to search for them and kill them 
 with the thumb and finger. We sa\'ed twenty thou- 
 sand Cabbages one season by this method. 
 
 When Cauliflowers are planted in the open field 
 in April, the crop will mature in time to plant Celery 
 in July or Spinach in September. 
 
 CELERY. 
 
 Apium graveolens. 
 
 Market-gardeners in the vicinity of New York 
 always plant Celery as a second crop, following Early 
 
112 CELERY. 
 
 Cabbages, Onions, Beets, or Potatoes. The ground 
 is heavily manured in the Spring for these crops, 
 and, as soon as they are removed and marketed in 
 July, it is ploughed and ])ut in order for Celeiy. 
 The surface is made line and mellow by the harrow. 
 In case the soil turns up rough, owing to heavy rains 
 or continued dry weather, a light roller run over the 
 surface will facilitate the work and lessen the ex- 
 pense of crushing the lumps, leaving the ground 
 level and smooth, ready for planting. In the small 
 kitchen-garden, the same conditions of depth and 
 tilth must be brought about by the use of the dig- 
 ging-fork, spade, and hand-rake. If the ground in- 
 tended for Celery was not liberally manured in the 
 Spring, and doubts are entertained as to the fertil- 
 ity of the soil, it is well to add a heavy dressing of 
 well-rotted barn-yard manure, spread broadcast, and 
 plough or fork it under before planting. It is a 
 waste of time and money to attempt to grow Celery 
 on poor soil. 
 
 The old-fashioned system of inaking deep trench- 
 es with the spade, in which to plant Celery, practised 
 so extensively twelve or iifteen years ago, has been 
 abandoned, of late, by the progressive market-gar- 
 dener as a useless expense, w^ithout a single redeem- 
 ing feature. It has been found, by experience, that 
 Celery will do very much better planted on the sur- 
 face of the same quality of soil, making much 
 quicker and larger growth, and thus saving all that 
 unnecessary labor and expense of digging trenches. 
 This was an important move in the right direction, 
 increasing the products of the soil by a system which 
 
CELERY. 113 
 
 tasks the brain of the gardener as well as his mnscle ; 
 or, in other words, we see physical strength, in a 
 properly-managed market-garden, becoming subser- 
 vient to systematic and maturely developed plans. 
 
 The time of planting Celery varies according to 
 the disposition to be made of the crop, from the 
 20th of June to the 15th of August. Planted in 
 rich ground before the 20th of July, it will, under 
 favoral)le circumstances, be large enough to be 
 banked, bleached, and sold by the latter part of 
 October and through the month of November. 
 
 Celery will succeed best when planted in a deep, 
 rich loam, which has been well pulverized previously. 
 
 Sowing tue Seed.— The seed of Celery should 
 be sown in the open ground, in a sheltered border, 
 as early in April as the soil is dry enough to be 
 worked. Before sowing, the seed-bed should have 
 a heavy dressing of well-rotted barn-yard manure, 
 scattered evenly over the surface and forked under ; 
 then raked, removing any hard lumps of soil, stones, 
 (fee, c%c., leaving the ground loose and finely pulver- 
 ized. Open shallow drills with the marker one foot 
 apart ; sow the seed thinly in the drills by hand, and 
 cover the seed by raking the surface with a wooden 
 rake, drawing it in the line of the drills. We sow 
 some Radish seed sparsely in the drills at the time 
 of sowing the Celery-seed. The Radish Avill germi- 
 nate in a few days, showing the line of the rows, 
 when a scuffle-hoe can be used between them, before 
 the weeds start to grow. If the weeds get ahead, 
 the labor will be increased tenfold. When the plants 
 are three or four inches high, cut off the tops ; this 
 
114 CELERY. 
 
 can be repeated a second time to advantage. It will 
 encourage a stocky growth of plants, that will be 
 more uniform in size. Market-gardeners who grow 
 Celery in a large way should, every Fall, at the time 
 of digging, select some of the best specimen stalks 
 from which to raise seed. By following this plan, 
 the size and rpiality are improved each year, and 
 there is no disappointment about poor seed not com- 
 ing up. 
 
 On sandy soil it is often advisable to run a light 
 roller over tlie seed-bed soon after the seed is sown. 
 
 Planting. — When everything is m readiness for 
 planting, the garden -line is sketched on one side of 
 the piece, and then, with the " markei- " — the teeth 
 set at three feet apart for the dwarf kinds, or four 
 for the larger growing sorts — the lines are marked 
 out straight. There is nothing that gives a more 
 careless appearance to a vegetable- garden than crook- 
 ed rows of Celery. 
 
 It is Avell, just before planting, to sprinkle along 
 the lines of the intended rows some wood-ashes, tine 
 bone-dust, or superphosphate ; either of which should 
 be mixed with twice its own bulk of soil before ap- 
 plication. When applied in this way, the young 
 plants get a good start early in the season — a point 
 of the highest importance in growing Celery for 
 market. 
 
 It is better, under all circumstances, to select 
 damp or wet weather for ti-ansplanting. In pulling 
 the plants from the seed-bed, get them of uniform 
 size, so that the growth in the garden or field, under 
 good treatment, may be about the same. Both roots 
 
CELERY. 115 
 
 and leaves of Celery plants should be trimmed be- 
 fore setting out; that is, the plants are taken in 
 handfuls, and, Avith a sharp case-knife, a portion of 
 the roots is cut off, leaving about two inches and a 
 half, and all the outside leaves are cut off e\'en with 
 the top of the heart. Tliey are then set firmly in 
 rows, with the dibble, from five to six inches apart, 
 and never any deeper than they were in the seed- 
 bed. The earth on either side of the plants should 
 be pressed with the feet ; this will, in a measure, 
 prevent its drying out. If the weather should set in 
 very dry and hot immediately after planting, nail 
 two boards together, the end-view of which w^ould 
 resemble the letter A, and place this structure over 
 the i^lants in the row. It will keep the ground moist 
 enough to start them growing in a few days. 
 
 There will be no occasion for this co\'ering if the 
 ground is moist at the time of planting, "or the 
 weather keeps cloudy for a short time. This pre- 
 caution is oidy put in practice in case of continued 
 dry weather, which ahvays more or less injures Cel- 
 ery when recently trans])lanted. 
 
 During the early stages of growth, the only thing 
 to be done is to keep the spaces between the rows 
 disturbed fi-equently. In field-culture this can be 
 done at a much less expense by horse than by man- 
 power. In garden culture, the hand-hoe and rake 
 are the only tools required for a month or six weeks 
 after planting. AVhen the Celery is twelve or fif- 
 teen inches long, the earth on either side of the row 
 should be loosened two or three inches deep with a 
 cultivator, sub-soil plough, or hand-hoe. It is then 
 
116 CELERY. 
 
 ready for " handling," which should be done with 
 care. 
 
 This operation is simple, but requires some prac- 
 tice before much headway can he made. The oper- 
 ator gets down on his knees, gathers all the leaves 
 of each stalk up, and, while holding them in posi- 
 tion with one hand, presses the loosened earth against 
 the stalk with the other ; then vice-versd, going in 
 this way the length of the row, and each row in 
 turn. AVhen this is finished, the earth is thrown 
 toward the Celery from both sides with a one-horse 
 plough. A man usually follows with a hand-hoe and 
 draws the earth still closer to the Celery, where the 
 plough missed or failed to do the work well. In the 
 garden, the hoe is made use of instead of the plougli. 
 As fast as the Celery grows, the earth is drawn up 
 by men with hoes, until the time for banking, in 
 order to make the hearts white ; or " bleaching," as 
 it is usually termed by gardeners. 
 
 This part of the work is more tedious, and, to do 
 it well, calls for a person who knows how to handle 
 the spade. A man stands on either side of the same 
 row, and, commencing about ten or twelve inches 
 from the Celery, raises a straight l)ank of earth, 
 covering all the Celery except three or four inches 
 of the ends of the longest leaves. Each man en- 
 deavors to build his side firmly, and straight up and 
 down. It is usually a matter of considerable pride 
 among practical gardeners, their ability to bank Cel- 
 ery well. 
 
 This walling up the Celery begins about the mid- 
 dle of September, and, when it is grown on a large 
 
CELERY 117 
 
 scale, as it is in the vicinity of New York, this bank- 
 ing continnes nntil cold weather — especially for all 
 that is intended for sale dnring the Fall or early 
 Winter. The poi'tion reserved for sale after the 
 holidays is not generally banked in tlie way de- 
 scribed, l)nt is pnt hito Winter cpiarters, Avhere the 
 same resnlts are bronght abont. The only difference 
 is in the length of time reqnired. In this respect 
 the Fall l)anking has the advantage. In drawing 
 earth toward the Celery, and in banking with the 
 spade, it is very important that the hearts shonld be 
 kept stiaiglit, not broken, nor in any way injnred by 
 carelessness. 
 
 To Keep Celery in Winter. — Formerly there 
 was a very large percentage of loss in trying to keep 
 Celery during the Winter. The hearts are very ten- 
 der, and rot easily when bnried in the old-fashioned 
 style. Of late, gardeners in this neighborhood have 
 hit upon a much better and more simple method, 
 of which the [private gardener or farmer may avail 
 himself as readily as the professional market-gar- 
 dener. 
 
 In the Middle States, Celery is usually taken up 
 fi-om the 1st to the 20th of November. To facilitate 
 the removal of the earth from the rows, we make 
 use of a krge-sized single plough, and then, by fol- 
 lowing with a lifting sub-soil, the stalks are all 
 loosened without the aid of the spade. The stalks 
 are then pulled up, some of the earth shaken from 
 the roots, and left in heaps along the row. In the 
 meantime a trench is opened in some convenient 
 spot, ten inches wide, the depth to correspond with 
 6* 
 
118 CELERY. 
 
 the length of the Celery. Some loose earth is left 
 on the bottom of the trench, which it is always bet- 
 ter to make Avhere there is a natural fall for the 
 water to run off, especially on clay ground. The 
 Celery is carried to the edge of the trench, and, be- 
 ginning at the upper or higher end, is placed in an 
 upright position, closely packed together, until the 
 whole trench is tilled. As the weather grows colder 
 the earth is drawn from either side toward the Cel- 
 ery, and when the covering is entirely finished, it 
 looks like a single row of Celery banked up. 
 
 The Celery-tops should be dry when packed away 
 in trenches, otherwise it may rot badly. The bleach- 
 ing process will be hastened by pressing some fine 
 earth in along side of the stalks at the time of stow- 
 ing the crop away. The tops are preserved by cov- 
 ering them with long manure, salt hay, or any other 
 litter, provided it is put on in sufficient quantity. 
 
 The boards recommended as a protection for the 
 young plants from the sun can be made use of for 
 this purpose ; they will be found serviceable. The 
 front of such a pit or trench can at all times be 
 opened with but little trouble, even in very cold or 
 inclement weather. 
 
 This is by far the best method for keeping Celery 
 during the Winter with which I am familiar, and 
 market-gardeners near New York have very gen- 
 erally ado])ted it. In case the bleaching goes on too 
 slowly in cold weather, it may l)e quickened by re- 
 moving the top covering and ])Ouring a stream of 
 tepid water into the trench, to moisten the roots. 
 The hay, manure, or boards, should then be imme- 
 
CELERY. 119 
 
 diately replaced, to prevent the frost from injuring 
 the leaves of the Celery. 
 
 To Prepare Celery for Market. — It is a fact 
 well known to market-gardeners, that each kind of 
 vegetable, in order to connnand the highest price, 
 must be prepared in a certain way ; and if this 
 arbitrary rule is not strictly adhered to, the produce 
 will not bring half of what it otherwise would. 
 There appears to be no obvious reason why nine 
 long Eadishes tied in a round bunch are not as good 
 as the same nine tied in a flat one ; nor why three 
 or four stalks of Celery made up into a round bunch 
 are not as j^alatable and in every way as good as 
 when made into a flat bunch. Still, in the one case, 
 they will find ])lenty of customers at the best market 
 rates ; while, in the otlier, there is no demand, and 
 they would not bring enough to pay expenses. 
 
 The methods in general use for preparing certain 
 kinds of vegetables for market, are expensive and 
 laborious to the producer. Talking on this subject, 
 a few days ago, with a market-gardener, he remarked 
 that it was more trouble to prepare and market some 
 kinds of " truck " than it was to grow them, and he 
 named Celery as an example. The bulk of this crop 
 is sold during the AVinter months, and nearly all the 
 time from the middle of December to the middle 
 of March is spent in preparing it for market. The 
 stalks are first taken from the trench to the market- 
 house. This building is provided with a stove, boil- 
 ers for heating water, a large wash-tub, and two 
 tables, arranged one on each side of the tub. The 
 stalks are then trimmed by taking off some of the 
 
120 CELERY. 
 
 outside leaves, so as to expose the heart : the root is 
 shaved with a long-bladed knife, leaving four flat 
 sides, tapering a little toward the end ; and the oper- 
 ator cuts a narrow circular groove in about the same 
 position on each root, to facilitate tying. 
 
 The stalks, having been sorted at the time of 
 trimming, are now placed in the wash-tub, and, with 
 plenty of warm water and a scrubbing-brush, the 
 Celery is thoroughly cleansed and put out on the 
 tables for bunching. This last operation requires 
 the most skill and practice. A gardener wlio is ex- 
 pert at bunching Celery can always command higher 
 wages on that account. 
 
 The bass matting, or twine, is cut the proper 
 lengths and fastened in a convenient place near the 
 person bunching, who stands in front of the table. 
 Three or four stalks are selected for each bunch, 
 according to the size of the Celery. These stalks 
 are arranged to the best advantage, and the roots 
 are tied closely together Ijy making a single knot 
 around each one, except the last, which has a double 
 or fastening-knot ; care being taken to have the out- 
 side stalks trimmed nearly alike, so as to make the 
 bunch symmetrical. The tops and all the small 
 stocks are made into round bunches, and sold at a 
 low price for soup Celery. 
 
 A person who is expert in bunching will tie four 
 or five dozen an hour, day after day, for weeks at a 
 time, working day and night, I might say ; for the 
 market-gardener seldom gets through his work in 
 " Celery-time " before 9 or 10 o'clock at night. The 
 morning is usually devoted to getting in the Celery 
 
CELERY. 121 
 
 from the trendies, and the afternoon and evening to 
 trimming and bunching. 
 
 When the day's work is finished, the bnnclies are 
 counted and carefully placed in chests made express- 
 ly for the purpose, and forwarded to market. 
 
 Profits. — Under the former laborious and crude 
 method of cultivating Celery, there was but little 
 profit attached to the crop. It cost, then, from one 
 to one and a half cents a root to grow it ; this, with 
 the large percentage of loss from rotting during the 
 Winter, left but a small margin for profit. The plan 
 now in general use among gardeners in New Jersey 
 reduces the expense to a half or three-quarters of a 
 cent a root ; and in connection with this, by the im- 
 proved method for keeping it through the Winter, 
 the profits are decidedly increased. When Celery 
 is planted at the distances named, there can be grown 
 on an acre about twenty-six thousand roots. It rarely 
 happens that more than twenty thousand of these 
 are of full size, and worth two and a half cents a 
 root, which would give fi\e hundred dollars for the 
 acre. The balance of the small stocks, tied in round 
 bunches and sold at low prices, would add twenty or 
 thirty dollars to the al)Ove amount. 
 
 This looks like a large sum — and it would be, if 
 there were no losses nor heavy expenses in produc- 
 ing the crop ; but it nuist be marked down as one 
 of the most expensive and troublesome with which 
 the market-gardener has to deal. 
 
 Varieties. — Among the many changes that have 
 been introduced in the culture of Celery for market, 
 there is none more apparent than the sudden somer- 
 
122 
 
 CELERY. 
 
 saiilt made bj gardeners in giving up the cultivation 
 of the tall growing kinds for the dwarf varieties. 
 The latter have rapidly increased in favor, not only 
 
 WHITE SOLID. 
 
 with growers, hut also with consumers. The reasons 
 for making this change are clearly practical, and no 
 
CELEEY. 123 
 
 wide-awake gardener will overlook them. The dwarf 
 sorts can be planted more closely together, giving 
 several thousands more roots to the acre than the 
 taller kinds ; besides, there is a lai-ger proportion of 
 " heart " to every stock, and the (piality is equally 
 good. 
 
 There are not many vai-ieties of Celery worthy 
 of cultivation, either for market or for family use 
 Of the best, may be named : 
 
 WmTE Solid. — This has long been held as a Li 
 vorite tall-growing kind. The hearts, Avhen bleachci 
 are white and crisp, and very delicate in flavor. 
 
 Seymouk's Superb groAvs larger than the Whiti*: 
 Solid. It is esteemed among gardeners as the mosi 
 profitable, for market, of any of the tall varieties. 
 The hearts are large, round, and solid. 
 
 Incomparable Dwarf. — This is in all respects 
 the best dwarf variety for field or garden-culture. 
 The stalks grow on an average from twenty inches 
 to two feet in leno^th. 
 
 "When bleached, the hearts are of a dull white, 
 crisp, very solid, and of excellent quality. 
 
 Boston Market is more extensively grown around 
 Boston than in the vicinity of New York. It is a 
 dwarf variety, producing a large proportion of 
 " heart " to every stock, of \evy superior quality, 
 and of mild flavor. It is not, in my estimation, in 
 any way superior, as a market variety, to the Incom- 
 parable Dwarf. 
 
 There are several sorts cf Itcd Celery, but there 
 is so little demand for them in market, it hardly pays 
 to trouble one's self with theuL In the kitchen- 
 
124 
 
 CELERY. 
 
 INCOMPARABLE DWARF. 
 
CELERIAC. 125 
 
 garden, where a variety may be wanted, plant a few 
 of the 
 
 DwAKF Crimson. — In habits of growth it is very 
 similar to the other dwarf kinds, only differing in 
 color. The hearts are crisp, solid, and of a dark 
 crimson color. 
 
 For family nse, one thonsand plants will keep 
 the table well snj)})lied dnring the Fall and Winter. 
 No garden shonld be considered complete without 
 a supply of Celery. One ounce of fresh seed will 
 give five to six thousand plants. A couple of small 
 packages of seed, costing twelve cents, Avill furnish 
 plants enough — if they are taken care of — to stock 
 the kitchen-garden. 
 
 Growing the plants for sale is a large branch of 
 business in some sections^ They are usually worth 
 from three to five dollars per thousand in lots of 
 from five to ten thousand. 
 
 Celekiac. — -Celeriac, or Turnip-rooted Celery, is 
 now cuUivated to a considerable extent by some 
 market-gardeners. It is used principally by Ger- 
 mans, wlio boil and slice the root and then make it 
 into a Salad. 
 
 The seed should be sown at the same time and 
 be treated in the same manner as Celery-seed. When 
 transpUinted into the open ground, the rows may be 
 marked two feet apart, and the plants set six inches 
 apart in the row. It recpiires no earthing-up, and on 
 this account, if there was sufficient demand for it, 
 Celeriac would be more profitable to grow than 
 Celery, as it usually brings the same price in mar- 
 ket. 
 
m 
 
 CELERIAC. 
 
 It is stored for Winter in trenches, the same as 
 Celery. 
 
 CELERIAC. 
 
CORN SALAD. 127 
 
 T \dei'ia n a locusta. 
 
 The Corn Sabd, familiarly known in some sec- 
 tions nnder the name of P'etticus, or Lamb's Qnarter, 
 is used for a Salad in early Spring, and is cultivated 
 in every respect like Spinach. 
 
 The seed should be sown early in September, in 
 drills, one foot apart and half an inch deep. The 
 spaces between the rows should be lioed once during 
 the Fall, and, as far north as New York, nnilched 
 with salt hay or straw during the Winter. In the 
 Spring the mulch is taken off, and the Corn Salad 
 will be ready for use in April and May. The seed 
 may be sown in the Spring, but when grown in hot 
 weather the quality is inferior. Two ounces of seed 
 will be enough for family use, and for an acre it 
 will require six pounds. 
 
 The plants left uncut will run up to seed in the 
 Sunnner, and any one desirous can easily obtain pure 
 seed in this way. 
 
 Lepidium sati'mmi. 
 
 Cress, or Peppergrass, is a hardy annual, used as 
 a Salad in this counti-y. Owing to its well-known 
 tendency to run to seed, two or three successive sow- 
 ings should be made, two weeks apart. The first 
 seed may be sown as early in April as the ground 
 can be worked. 
 
 Make drills one foot apart, and cover lightly. 
 
128 WATEK CRESS. 
 
 One ounce of seed will be sufficient for three sepa- 
 rate sowings. The last one should be made in some 
 shaded spot in the garden ; as it will do better, shel- 
 tered from the direct rays of the sun in Summer. 
 
 The leaves should be cut for a Salad when young, 
 before they become rough. 
 
 There are many varieties, but the Curi-ed Cress 
 will be found best for cultivation. 
 
 WATER-CRESS. 
 
 Sisyinbriu7n nastwrtiiim, 
 
 Water-Cress is a very common aquatic, creeping 
 plant, found in abundance along the edges of streams, 
 stagnant ponds, and old water-ditches in this coun- 
 try. Quiet, shallow water supplied from springs 
 affords the right conditions for its growth. A few 
 years ago I was in possession of four or live acres 
 of a fresh-water swamp, and at least one quarter of 
 the surface was covered with Water-Cress. It will 
 succeed best, however, when the roots are planted 
 along the edge of a shallow running stream, with a 
 sandy bottom. On a heavy clay bottom, it runs the 
 risk of being more or less injured in Winter. 
 
 As it is a hardy perennial, when the roots are 
 once started along the nooks and corners of such a 
 stream, there can be a constant supply gathered from 
 year to year, for home or market, according to the 
 extent of the surface. 
 
 There is a brisk demand in market for Water- 
 Cress ; and when it first comes, early in the Spring, 
 the prices range from fifty cents to one dollar per 
 
CHIVES. 129 
 
 basket holding only three quarts. It would be diffi- 
 (iult, indeed, to estimate the value of an acre, even 
 at twenty cents a quart. 
 
 Wliat reaches the market now is principally gath- 
 ered from many sources by Germans, who, even col- 
 lecting it in this way, in small lots, find it a profit- 
 able business. 
 
 Water-Cress comes into full bearing the second 
 year from the time of setting out the roots. It can 
 be propagated and a l)ed started by sowing the seed 
 where it is wanted to grow permanently. But this 
 method is not as reliable as growing the plants in a 
 seed-bed, and then transplanting them along the edge 
 of the water-course, about ten or twelve inches apart. 
 Koots may be taken up from some stream or pond, 
 when found growing, to form a new bed. In gath- 
 ering it for table use or market, it should always be 
 cut, and not pulled; the latter way disturbs and 
 injures the roots. Two ounces of seed will give 
 enough plants to suppy a large family. 
 
 There are three well-known varieties, but the 
 L.VRGE Brown-leaved is the best for this climate. 
 
 Water-Cress is frequently served as a breakfast 
 Salad. It is very popular, having a peculiar pun- 
 gent taste, that most people are fond of in a Salad. 
 
 CHIVES, OR GIVES. 
 
 Allium schoenoj)rasum. 
 
 This is a hardy perennial bulb— a species of 
 Onion. Permanent beds of Chives are usually 
 found in well-stocked kitchen-gardens. They grow 
 
130 CKEVKIL. 
 
 in tufts, the leaves reseml3ling fine rushes. Tlie top« 
 are cut off when green, to flavor soups and Salads, 
 and also to be eaten in the raw state, the same as 
 young Onions. In taste they are similar to the 
 Onion and Leek. 
 
 Chives are propagated by dividing the roots and 
 planting them ten or twelve inches apart each way, 
 in April. The tops will soon begin to grow, and 
 they should be cut off three or four times during the 
 season. A bed well cared for w^ill continue to pro- 
 duce for at least a dozen years. 
 
 CHEVKIL. 
 
 Scandix cerifolium. 
 
 There are two varieties of Chevril cultivated : 
 the Parsley and the Fern-leaved. While the leaves 
 are young, they are used in soups and Salads, to 
 which they impart a pleasant, aromatic flavor. In 
 appearance they resemble the Curled Parsley. 
 
 Chevril is a hardy annual, propagated from seed, 
 and succeeds best w^hen sown on a deep, light, rich 
 soil. The drills should be made one foot apart and 
 half an inch deep. The seed, after being distributed 
 in these drills, should be covered by rakmg the bed 
 with a wooden rake, drawn in the line of the bed. 
 It is only good while young ; so that, to keep a sup- 
 ply, it will be necessary to have a succession of sow- 
 ings once every two or three weeks, from the middle 
 of April until the 1st of August. 
 
 The seed is small ; one ounce will be enough to 
 sow for family use. 
 
CHEVRIL. 131 
 
 CHEVRIL, TURNIP-ROOTED. 
 
 ChcBrophyllum hulhosiim. 
 
 This is a comparatively new vegetable, and in its 
 habits is similar to the common Parsnip. Dnring 
 the excitement abont the Potato-rot in Europe, it 
 was recommended as a substitute for the Potato, and 
 as being fully equal to it in quality. In shape it 
 resembles the Parsnip. When boiled, it is dry, 
 white, and farinaceous, but it tastes more like boiled 
 Chestnuts than Potatoes. 
 
 The seed may be sown in drills in April, and cul- 
 tivated like Parsnips or Carrots. On well-manured 
 ground it will yield five or six tons to the acre. The 
 roots may l^e left in the ground during Winter, or 
 harvested and kept in pits, or in a root-cellar, until 
 the following Spring. 
 
 CORN. 
 
 Zea mays. 
 
 Sweet Com is generally cultivated as a garden 
 vegetable ; but in some districts, where land is not 
 very expensive, it is grown on a large scale for mar- 
 ket. New Jersey and Long Island farmers raise 
 annually hundreds of acres for the New York mar- 
 ket ; and, taking one yeaT with another. Sweet Corn 
 will pay from seventy-five to one hundred dollars 
 per acre. The profits fi'om this crop are not large, 
 but the demand is usually good, and it will pay the 
 grower about double what common field Corn will, 
 with the same labor and expense for manure. 
 
132 CORN. 
 
 By proper management in the times of planting, 
 a constant supply can easily be had from July until 
 frost. For home use, by planting four different 
 times, three Aveeks apart, commencing on the 1st of 
 May, fresh Green Corn, for boiling, can be furnished 
 daily from the garden. 
 
 In growing Sweet Corn for market, farmers 
 usually make two plantings ; the first one, for the 
 early crop, which should be planted four feet apart 
 each way, about the 1st of May, in case the weather 
 is settled. A well-worked sandy loam is preferal^le 
 for the first crop, because such kind of soil can be 
 planted earlier, and, consecpiently, the corn will be 
 ready for market sooner. Earliness is very import- 
 ant to those who grow corn for market. When it 
 first comes, it will bring two to three dollars per 
 hundred ears. As the season advances and the sup- 
 ply is greater, prices fall to from seventy -hve cents 
 to one dollar per hundred ears. 
 
 Before planting, the ground should l:>e ploughed 
 and harrowed once or twice, marked out 4x4, and 
 some well-rotted manure or other compost applied in 
 the hill, at the rate of ten or twelve two-horse loads 
 to the acre. 
 
 The corn is then dropped and covered, putting 
 five kernels to each hill. At the first hoeing, only 
 three stocks should be left growing in a hill. The 
 culture between the rows is done with a horse-culti- 
 vator, running often enough to keep down the weeds 
 and to loosen the surface. When the Corn is planted 
 early in May, the crop will be marketed by the mid- 
 dle of August, in time to sow Yellow Stone or Strap- 
 
CORN. 
 
 133 
 
 leaved Eed-top Turnip. An application of three or 
 four hundred pounds to the acre of fine bone-dust or 
 superphosphate, at the first hoeing, will forward the 
 date of ripening. 
 
 The second croi), intended for a late market, may 
 be planted any time from the middle of June to the 
 1st of July, according to the locality. 
 
 Green Corn always rises in price again towards 
 the close of the season. Growers know this fact, and 
 try to avail themselves of it by planting late ; but 
 sometimes an early frost interferes with their plans. 
 
 nOWE'S HORSE -IIOE. 
 
 The kinds generally grown are the following : 
 Darling's Extra Early is a popular, early mar- 
 ket variety. The ears are not large, but close, well- 
 formed, and very sweet. 
 
 Early Dwarf Sugar is a good variety for the 
 garden. The stock is small, not moi-e than three feet 
 high, the ears medium-sized, and the kernels very 
 sweet. It may be planted closer than the taller kinds ; 
 3x3 will be far enough apart. 
 T 
 
134 
 
 CORN. 
 
 Mammoth Sweet is a large late variety, white 
 cob, and large, well-formed ears, sixteen rows. 
 
 Farmers' Club Sweet is a good variety for either 
 
 BOLL WORM. 
 
 garden-culture or market. It 
 matures in about seventy days 
 from the time of planting. The 
 quality is good. It has eight 
 rows, large kernels, and boils 
 tender. 
 
 Stowell's Evergreen is 
 without doubt the hest late va- 
 riety on the list. The stocks 
 will produce from three to five 
 ears each. The ears are of a 
 large size, the kernels deep, fre- 
 quently irregular, and very ten- 
 der and sweet wdien boiled. 
 This variety will remain in a 
 green state longer than any 
 
 other kind of Sweet Corn that we have grown. 
 
 The Evergreen is so liable to mix with other 
 
 varieties of Corn, that it is difiicult to keep it pure. 
 
 MAMMOTH SWEET. 
 
CUCUMBEES. 135 
 
 One quart of seed — of two or more of the kinds 
 enumerated — planted in equal parts at different times, 
 will be sufficient for a laro-e family. 
 
 The late crop of Sweet Corn last year was seri- 
 ously injured by the Southern " Boll Worm " {Helio- 
 this armigera). It infested almost every ear, eating 
 the ends, or one or two rows of kernels. When full- 
 grown, this worm is about an inch in length, of a 
 dark-brown color, with a light yellow stripe the 
 length of the body on either side. The only remedy 
 that we know of, is to make small fires near the corn- 
 patch, in the evening, to attract the moths, and in 
 this way destroy them before laying their eggs. 
 
 CUCUMBER. 
 
 Cucumis sativus. 
 
 The Cucumber is a tender annual. It is very 
 extensively cultivated. Early in the season it is cut 
 into slices for a Salad, and later it is made into 
 Pickles ; in both ways it is very popular among all 
 classes. When cut into quarters lengthwise, and tied 
 in bunches and boiled, they make a good substitute 
 for Asparagus. 
 
 Market-gardeners grow the Cucumber on a large 
 scale, both under glass and in the open field. When 
 properly managed, it will usually pay a handsome 
 profit. Early in the season the demand is good and 
 prices high ; but, as with most other vegetables culti- 
 vated for market, earliness is all-important. Later 
 in the Summer the demand falls off, the supply is 
 large, and the prices are very low, 
 
136 
 
 CUCUMBERS. 
 
 The Cucumber canuot be planted out of doors 
 with any safety until May, when the weather is set- 
 tled and the ground is warm. To gain time, garden- 
 ers sow the seed in moderate hot-beds, from the 1st to 
 the 10th of April, either in rows three inches apart, 
 or in thumb-pots, putting three or four seeds to each 
 pot. The seed will sprout in a week from the time 
 of planting, and then the plants shoidd be aired 
 freely every day, to prevent them from growing too 
 spindling. Early in May the ground should be pre 
 pared in the usual way. The more thoroughly pul- 
 verized the soil, the better will the result be in the 
 crop of Cucumbers. The ground should be marked 
 out five feet each way, and at each intersection a hole 
 made with a spade. Into each of these 
 holes a forkful of well-rotted manure 
 should be put, and then fine soil drawn 
 over this manure, forming a hill two 
 or three inches above the level of the sm*- 
 face, and ten or twelve inches in diam- 
 eter. 
 
 The plants in the frames by this time 
 will have three or four rough leaves, and 
 will be fully ready to transplant to the 
 hills. This should be done in cloudy or 
 damp weather, and always in the after- 
 noon. The plants should be taken up with 
 considerable care, so as not to disturb the 
 roots, and three of them set in each hill. 
 This will take a few more than five tliou- 
 sand plants to the acre, and they can be 
 grown in twelve or fifteen sashes of 3x6. 
 
CTJCtJMBEB. 187 
 
 For garden-culture, the seed is usually sown in 
 the hills early in May, putting eight or ten seeds in 
 each hill. The " striped bug " {Coreits tristis) often 
 destroys the young plants just as they appear above 
 the ground. To get rid of these very troublesome 
 little pests, we sprinkle the surface of the hills and 
 the leaves of the plants with tine flour of bone once 
 every two days. If this does not drive the bugs off 
 we water the vines with the solution of tobacco, &c. 
 (recommended for Cabbage plants), early in the 
 morning, and then, innuediately after, dust the plants 
 with the bone or superphosphate. 
 
 As fast as the young vines grow, the earth should 
 be drawn around the stems, for the bugs will destroy 
 these by perforating them. 
 
 When the Cucumbers are started in a hot-bed, 
 the vines are strong enough, when ti'ansplanted to 
 the open field, to resist the attack of the bugs. 
 When the vines begin to run, by pinching off the 
 ends at the third joint, they will branch nearer the 
 hill, forming blossoms and Cucumbers earlier than 
 they otherwise would. If there are no drawbacks, 
 an acre of Cucumbers — the plants started under 
 glass — will yield fi-om three hundred to three hun- 
 dred and fifty dollars an acre. Before Cucumbers 
 were grown so extensively at Charleston and Nor- 
 folk, the profits were nnich larger than they are now. 
 On Long Island, and in some parts of Xew Jersey 
 and of Westchester County, N. Y., Cucumbers are 
 grown in large quantities for pickling. For this pur- 
 pose the culture is somewhat different ; the ground 
 is ploughed once or tmce in the Spring, and any 
 
1^8 CtJCUMSER. 
 
 time from tlie middle of June to tlie 10th of July 
 the field is furrowed out five feet apart. The ma- 
 nm-e is strewn along these f urro^^'s, and then two fur- 
 rows from either side are thrown together. The top 
 of the ridge is levelled at intervals, four or five feet 
 apart, and then the seed is put in. A cultivator is 
 run frequently between the rows, but the work 
 around the hills requires the hand-hoe. By pinching 
 
 III the vines at the third joint, as mentioned 
 above, the crop will be increased. The 
 Cucumbers are gathered every day and sent 
 to market. A large grower on Long Island 
 informed me that his profits average fi'om 
 one hundred and twenty -five to one hun- 
 dred and fifty dollars per acre ; when 
 grown by contract, at one dollar and seven- 
 ty-five cents per thousand. 
 
 Since the close of the war, the Cucum- 
 ber is extensively grown for Northern mar- 
 kets around Norfolk, Va., and Charleston, 
 I S. C. The difference in climate affords 
 \[ special advantages for the cultivation of 
 "sT j\ this crop, for profit, at the South. But at 
 — Charleston, what is gained by the climate is 
 
 thrown away by the careless manner m 
 which most of the Cucumbers coming from that point 
 are gathered and packed. On reaching New York, 
 they are too large, over-ripe, and yellow, and they 
 have to be sold at very low prices. 
 
 If the Southern gardeners would adopt the same 
 method — starting the young plants under glass, or 
 have small wooden boxes, with covers of glass, to 
 
CTjcmrBER. 139 
 
 protect against late frosts — that the Northern garden- 
 ers do, Cucumbers would be a protitable crop, very 
 much more so than it is at present. 
 
 Charleston Cucumbers, that reach New York in 
 good order in May, bring from seven to eight dollars 
 per crate, holding about one hundred Cucumbers. 
 In June the price falls to seventy -live cents or one 
 dollar a box of the same (piantity ; and still later 
 there is no demand at all for Southern Cucumbers. 
 Growers near Charleston do not realize nov/, in a 
 favorable season, more than two to three hundred 
 dollars per acre, of which about one-lialf is profit. 
 I know, however, of one instance when sixteen hun- 
 dred dollars was made from a single acre of Cucum- 
 bers grown in the neighborhood of Charleston and 
 sold in New York. 
 
 Late fi-osts frequently injure the young vines. In 
 1868 some friends in James' Island had two-thirds of 
 their vines killed by a frost on the 3d of April, but, 
 with the small boxes spoken of, the vines would have 
 been saved. In field-culture the spaces between the 
 rows should be thoroughly cultivated before the vines 
 begin to run, and no weeds nor grass allowed to get 
 possession of tlie ground. 
 
 A dozen and a half of hills, well-managed in the 
 garden, will keep the family table well supplied dur- 
 ing the season. An ounce of seed will plant that 
 number of hills. It is better to plant plenty of seed, 
 for the ''striped hug^^ may destroy some; and when 
 the vines begin to run, all but three plants to a. hill 
 may be pulled up. 
 
140 
 
 CirCUMBEE. 
 
 The most reliable and popular yarieties for field 
 or garden-culture are the followinij^ : 
 
 Early Russian. — This is one of the earliest for 
 the garden. The Cucumbers are small, but tender, 
 and of good cpiality. 
 
 Early Frame is one of the standard, well-known 
 varieties, grown widely for home use, and also for 
 market. It is larger and smoother than the Early 
 Russian, and a few days later. 
 
 White Spine is the most popular kind among 
 gardeners, either for forcing or out of door culture. 
 It grows larger than the Frame, uniformly straight, 
 
 WHITE spine, • 
 
 with more white spines. The flavor is good, flesh 
 crisp, and it will keep better than any other variety 
 grown for market. 
 
 Long Green Prickly is one of the long-growing 
 sorts. When full-grown, it will average twehe inch- 
 es in length. The flesh is firm and brittle. It is 
 only grown for home use or for pickles. 
 
 LONG GREBTN PRICKLY. 
 
 Kone of the long-growing kinds of Cucumbers 
 
CUCtJMBER. 14:1 
 
 are favorites in market, although many of them are 
 of fine quality. 
 
 Gherkin, or A¥est Indian, is a small, oval- 
 shaped, prickly Cucumber, used exclusively for 
 pickles. It is a late variety. It does not grow long- 
 er than two or three inches. It is full of seeds. The 
 vines are rank growers, and need plenty of room. 
 
 Full directions for forcing Cucumbers under glass 
 will be found under the headings '' Hot-Beds " and 
 " Forcing-Houses," in another part of this work. 
 Also detailed accounts about the expense of con- 
 structing such houses as are now being built by gar- 
 deners near New York, and other large Northern 
 cities. 
 
 7* 
 
CHAPTEK YI. 
 
 EGG PLANT. 
 
 Solanuni melongena. 
 
 This plant is a native of Africa and Tropical 
 America. In some sections it is known as Quince 
 Squash. It is very generally cultivated in this coun- 
 try, and highly esteemed for culinary purposes. 
 
 Egg Plants are not grown in large quantities by 
 our market-gardeners, but they usually pay hand- 
 somely to the extent that it is safe to grow them for 
 market. Those wlio are engaged largely in this 
 branch of industry, and favorably situated, seldom 
 plant more than an acre of Egg Plants ; it would be 
 considered a large piece of ground to devote to this 
 vegetable. 
 
 The Egg Plant is a tender annual, more difficult 
 to start in the Spring than any other kind of vege- 
 table we grow. It requires more bottom-heat, and 
 for a lono^er time, than the other kinds of seeds that 
 are started in hot-beds. 
 
 We sow the seed in drills, three inches apart, in 
 hot-beds, from the 16th to the 20th of March, and, 
 when the plants are two inches high, transplant them 
 into another bed, two inches apart each way. Both 
 in the seed-bed and transplanting-bed the sashes 
 
TEGG PLANTS. 
 
 143 
 
 should be protected with straw mats at night, until 
 the weather is settled and warm. 
 
 While the plants are young, the sashes should not 
 be opened to admit air until an hour or two after the 
 removal of the mats ; if this is neglected, the plants 
 will " damp off," and very often all the fii'st sowing 
 is lost in this way. 
 
 IMPROVED NEW YORK EGG PLANT. 
 
 The seed should be of the previous year's growth, 
 although seed two years old will germinate ; fresli 
 seed is better. One ounce of seed will give at least 
 one thousand plants, and a small package will be 
 enough for family use. (For more detailed direc- 
 tions for forcing Egg Plants, see chapter on Hot- 
 Beds.) 
 
144 EGG 1»LANT6. 
 
 When the plants have been treated as directed 
 (for the latitude of Kew York), thej may be trans- 
 planted into the open ground by the 20th of May. 
 They require a deep, rich soil, well worked. We set 
 the plants three feet apart each way, and sprinkle 
 some superphospliate or some finely-ground bone im- 
 mediately around the roots at the time of planting. 
 Each plant is taken from the bed with a square of 
 earth around the roots. The afternoon before trans- 
 planting, the plants are copiously watered, so that the 
 soil will adhere to the roots. Then, with a long- 
 bladed knife to cut through on either side, each 
 plant is removed without disturbing the roots. The 
 plants are placed on a wheel-barrow, and taken 
 where they are to be set out. 
 
 It is important to use all this care, for, unless all 
 the conditions are just riglit. Egg Plants are very tar- 
 dy in starting, and with the market-gardener this is a 
 matter of dollars and cents. When they first come 
 into market they usually l)ring two dollars per dozen ; 
 later, the price goes down to seventy -five cents or one 
 dollar a dozen. 
 
 The ground should be hoed frequently, kept loose 
 and free from weeds. Plants that grow to full size 
 will average from seven to nine eggs to a plant, of 
 the " New York Improved." Two or three dozen 
 plants will give an abundance of eggs for a family 
 of six or eight persons. 
 
 Varieties. — There are four or five kinds of Egg 
 Plants, but only one or two are worthy of cultivation 
 for market. 
 
 Kew York Improved. — With an experience in 
 
EGG PLANTS. 145 
 
 growing Egg Plants for market for fifteen years, this 
 variety is the most reliable and productive of any 
 that we have cultivated. The plants are vigorous in 
 their habits of growth, seldom, if ever, failing to 
 produce a crop of fruit, of a deep purple color, uni- 
 formly large, and, when cooked, of good quality. 
 
 Black Pekin is a new variety. The plant grows 
 more erect than the " Improved." The foliage and 
 branches are of a rich purple color, making an orna- 
 mental plant, and, at the same time, producing abun- 
 dant fruit. The eggs are a very dark purple, nearly 
 black, of large size and good quality. This variety 
 is worthy of trial for market as well as for the kitch- 
 en-garden. 
 
 AVhite Egg Plant is grown principally for orna- 
 mental purposes. The fruit, when full-grown, is 
 long, egg-shaped, and of a pure white color. 
 
 Long Purple w^as at one time grown for market, 
 but compared with the "^ew York Improved,'' it 
 has not with us given anything like the same number 
 of eggs to the plant. The fruit is long, purple in 
 color, and of fair quality. 
 
 HOW TO SAVE EGG PLANT SEED. 
 
 The market-gardener will always make it a rule 
 to select from his crop a few specimens, the best of 
 their kind for his seed, the following year. When 
 this plan is faithfully carried out, there is no fear that 
 this home-saved seed will not come up, under ordinary 
 circumstances ; and when it does come up, the variety 
 is sure to be true to name, which is not always the 
 case when the seeds are bought fi-om venders or from 
 
146 EGG PLANTS. 
 
 irresponsible seedsmen. There is nothing more vexa- 
 tious in the gardener's legitimate routine of business, 
 than to make all the necessary preparations for seed — 
 preparing the ground with care, manuring, &c., &c., — 
 and then to find out, after it is too late to make a 
 second attempt, that the seed is old and it will not 
 germinate, or that instead of Cauliflower, the plants 
 are mixed varieties of Cabbage. 
 
 The largest and best formed eggs should be re- 
 served for seed and to separate the seed from the flesh 
 requires some skill and care. For doing this work, 
 choose a bright, clear day, and begin the work early 
 in the morning, so that the seeds can be separated 
 and partly dried before the sun goes down. If not, 
 the whole lot may be rendered worthless by sprouting 
 during the night. 
 
 Although so hard to start in the hot-bed, when 
 first w^ashed out from the eggs it sprouts more easily 
 than any other kind of garden-seed. We have had 
 large quantities, at different times, spoiled in this way, 
 in a single night. 
 
 The eggs should first be peeled, and then the part 
 of the stem end that contains no seeds cut off. The 
 balance is cut into small pieces and thrown into a tub 
 or pail of water. Each of these pieces is then taken 
 in the hand and tightly squeezed ; this displaces the 
 seed from the flesh, and when all the seed is separated 
 in this way, the pulp is thrown away. The good seed 
 will settle at the bottom of the vessel, and by slowly 
 pouring the water from one tub to another, all the 
 extraneous matter can easily be removed, leaving the 
 eeed clean, Before passing the water from tub to 
 
EGG PLANTS. 147 
 
 tub, it may sometimes be found necessary to rub be- 
 tween the hands those portions of the pulp, to which 
 some of the seeds may still adhere. This may be sep- 
 arated from the seed by pouring the contents of the 
 vessel through a sieve, with a mesh large enough for 
 the seed to pass out, while it retains a large part of 
 the pulp. 
 
 When the seed is freed from the pulp it should 
 at once be placed on a fine sieve, or on a boaixl, with 
 a smooth surface, spread out thinly and set in the sun 
 to dry. It should be stirred frequently during the 
 day, say every half hour, so that the surface of the 
 seed will be hardened enough not to sprout during 
 the night. It will require a couple of days' exposure 
 to dry the seed, and when sufficiently dry it should 
 be put into a bag and hung up in a garret or seed- 
 room until wanted. 
 
 Keeping Egg Plants. — When the fruit is wanted 
 for winter use the eggs should be taken from the 
 vines in November, or earlier, that is, before being 
 touched by the frost. For a few weeks, until the 
 weather grows colder, they will keep on a barn floor, 
 or under a shed, where they are sheltered. Later in 
 the season, when severe cold weather sets in, the sound 
 specimens should be placed on shelves in a dry, cool, 
 cellar. With this treatment Egg Plants can be kept 
 in good condition for the table until the first of 
 January. 
 
 Market gardeners, who have plenty of frames, 
 often start Egg Plants under glass, early in the sea- 
 son, and force the plants so as to have the fruit early. 
 Two plants to a sash, either in a forcing-pit or spent 
 
148 ENDIVE. 
 
 hot-bed, will be enough, and the fruit may be ready 
 for market a month earlier. The}^ bring from four 
 to five dollars per dozen Avhen grown in this way. 
 
 The demand is, of course, limited. Early Egg 
 Plants, grown at Norfolk and Charleston, and shipped 
 north would pay very well to a limited extent. 
 
 Endive. 
 Cichorimn endivia. 
 
 Endive is but little used in this country except 
 by Germans and French, who consume it freely in 
 the Fall and early Winter in flavoring soups and mak- 
 ing salads. It is a hardy annual ; the seed may be 
 sown in the open ground any time from Aj)ril until 
 the first of August. The crop will mature in about 
 ninety days from the time of sowing. For the Fall 
 crop the seed sliould be sown in drills, twelve inches 
 apart and a quarter of an incli deep, early in July. 
 When the plants are up a scuffle-hoe sliould be run 
 between the rows occasionally, to keep down the 
 weeds. By the middle of August the first planting 
 may be made, setting the plants one foot apart each 
 way, on any kind of ground that is loose and rich. 
 The cultivation needed is to keep the spaces clean 
 between the plants with the common garden hoe. 
 
 When the plants attain their full size the leaves 
 are long and spreading. This vegetable is only in 
 demand when the " hearts " are bleached. To do this 
 the outside leaves are gathered up in a bunch and 
 fastened in this way, with a small quantity of straw, 
 hay, or bass matting. By thus excluding the light, 
 
ENDIYE. 14-9 
 
 the inside leaves will change color to a yellowish 
 white. It will take from foniteen to sixteen days for 
 this change to take place in mild weather ; a few 
 da^'s longer will bereqnired later in the season, when 
 the weather is colder. A smart workman will tie np 
 six hnndred or seven hnndred heads in a day. 
 
 Any means by which the light can be excluded 
 will bring about the same i-esult, and if old shingles 
 are abundant, a few laid on top of each head will 
 answer the purpose. English gardeners sometimes 
 draw the soil around Endive in the same way as for 
 bleaching Celery ; this, however, is tedious and much 
 more expensive. 
 
 A small paper of seed will be enough to sow for 
 family use. 
 
 When seed is wanted the sowing should be made 
 early in April and the transplanting a month or so 
 later, lea^•ing more space between the rows. \Ylien 
 the seed stock starts to grow it should be tied to a 
 stake driven along side. The seed shoidd be gath- 
 ered as fast as it ripens ; it does not all ripen at the 
 same time. Three or four strong plants will yield an 
 abundant supplv. 
 
 Yarieties.— Of these there are three or four 
 known to gardeners. The best, either for the main 
 crop for market or for home use, is the 
 
 Green Curled.— It is decidedly the best variety 
 for cultivation, being less affected by sudden changes 
 of the weather than the other kinds.' When bleached, 
 it is quite an ornamental plant, and the most popular 
 with consumers, as it is very tender and crisp. 
 
 Broad-lea^'ed Batavia grows larger, requiring 
 
 ^* * fi:. c 
 
 ^^-i-ETc^ 
 
150 GAULIC. 
 
 more room than the Curled. It is only used in stews 
 and soups, being also very much inferior in quality. 
 
 French Moss is a very fine curled variety. When 
 more generally known, it will be a favorite on ac- 
 count of its appearance, texture, and quality. 
 
 When Endi^•e is well bleached in the Fall, we 
 usually get from seventy-five cents to one dollar per 
 dozen heads from German grocers, who always keep 
 a supply on hand. The demand, however, is limited. 
 
 Garlic. 
 A-Uium sativum. 
 
 The Garlic came originally from Sicily. The 
 kind cultivated in the gardens of this country is a 
 hardy perennial. It is grown somewhat extensively ; 
 but it is used principally by French and Germans 
 for fiavoring soTips, stews, and salads. It imparts a 
 strong, and to most Americans, an unpleasant taste ; 
 and eaten in a concentrated form, taints the breath 
 of the person who uses it. Two varieties are grown, 
 the large and the small. The bulb, which is enclosed 
 in a thin, white skin, divides into parts or cloves. 
 These divisions are planted in the Spring in drills, 
 one foot apart, and the cloves t^vo inches deep and 
 six inches a])art in the rows. 
 
 When planted in April, the crop can be gathered 
 about the middle of August and stored like Onions. 
 The demand in market is not large, but Garlic will 
 pay about as well as Onions to the extent that there 
 is a call for it. 
 
 One quart of the " sets " will yield an abundant 
 
HOESE-RADISH. 
 
 151 
 
 supply for family use. They will make the largest 
 bulbs when planted on a light, rich loam, and kept 
 well cultivated while ffi-owino*. 
 
 HORSE-RADISH. 
 
 Cochlearia arrnoracia. 
 
 Horse-Radish is an important crop with market- 
 gardeners near large cities, and when grown on rich 
 deep ground is profitable. 
 In Essex and Hudson coun- 
 ties, Kew Jersey, and in 
 Kings and Queens coun- 
 ties. New York, Horse- 
 Hadish is extensively cul- 
 tivated for New York mar- 
 kets. It is always planted 
 by these growers as a sec- 
 ond crop, following Early 
 Cabbages or Beets. When 
 planted between these, the 
 '' sets " are put out, two 
 feet one way and eio-hteen 
 inches the other. At these 
 distances it will take aljout 
 fifteen thousand roots to 
 plant an acre. 
 
 The Cabbages and 
 Beets are planted early in 
 April, just as soon as the 
 ground is dry enough to 
 be worked. The Horse- 
 Badish "sets" are planted 
 
 HORSE-KADISH ROOT 
 
152 HOKSE-KADISH. 
 
 a month latei', in the following manner. One man is 
 j^rovided with a light crowbar, with which he makes 
 a hole al )out ten or eleven inches deep lietween every 
 two Cabbages all along the line. Another man follows 
 with a bundle of the roots, drops one in each hole and 
 fills in the earth around it, wdth a " dibble," having 
 the top of the set about tw^o inches below the surface. 
 
 When preparing these sets in the Fall, — leaving 
 them six or seven inches long — the tops should be cut 
 oft" square and the lower end of the root slanting, so 
 that when planting, in the Spring, no mistake will be 
 made, putting them in upside down. 
 
 By the time the Beets, Cauliflowers or Cabbages 
 are marketed, the Horse-Badish will be well above 
 ground. In case the roots start quickly, making too 
 much growth before the first crops have been taken 
 from the ground, we chop off the tops with the hoe, 
 without injuring the after growth, in the least. As 
 soon as the early crop is removed, the ground is well 
 cultivated, keeping the surface loose and free from 
 weeds through August, September and October, for 
 this crop will make all its growth in these three months. 
 Tlie tops are so large and spreading that there is very 
 little trouble in cultivating Horse-Badish, as it is now 
 grown by market-gardeners near New York and other 
 large Northern cities. The old-fashioned method of 
 allowing the roots to remain in the ground two years, 
 has been abandoned by the modern gardener as use- 
 less and unnecessary : for when planted in the way 
 described, in rich soil, the roots will attain full size in 
 a single year. 
 
 This is but one of the many improvements in- 
 
HORSE-EADISH. 153 
 
 trodiiced by the modern market-gardener, in cnlti- 
 vating vegetables for profit, o\er the old style private 
 gardeners, who liave always been opposed to such 
 innovation,^. 
 
 In the latter part of No^•embel', the roots Avill 
 have attained their full growth and they can then be 
 dug and stored for Winter use. At the time of dig- 
 ging, it is not unusual to have many of the roots 
 weigh two pounds a piece. Before pitting, the tops 
 are cut off and all the straggling small roots are 
 trinnned off. These small roots are carefully pre- 
 served for " sets " for the next vear's plantino;. The 
 large roots that are intended for market, are then 
 put into pits. A spot is selected u^here there is a 
 natural descent for the water, three feet wide and 
 as long as may be required. First, a layer of the 
 roots is put down, then a thin layer of earth, and so 
 alternate layers are added, until the pit is three or 
 four feet higli. Then the whole is covered with 
 earth, eight or ten inches deep. The roots of Horse- 
 Eadish are not injured by frost. The alternate layers 
 of earth will keep the roots from heating and in such 
 a position that they can be taken out at any time 
 during the Winter, when the demand and prices 
 satisfy the grower. 
 
 The small roots, intended for next year's use, 
 may be put into narrow trenches, as described for 
 Celery, until wanted in the Spring, when they are 
 cut the i)roper length for planting. 
 
 The price of IIorse-Eadish varies from ^^ear to 
 year. In the Fall of 1869 it was only worth seven 
 cents per pound, while in the following February, 
 
154: HOESE-RADISH. 
 
 the same quality of roots sold for eighteen cents per 
 pound. At present, large, Avell-grovvn roots are 
 worth from ten to twelve dollars per hundred pounds. 
 On very rich ground and under the most faA^orable 
 circumstances, from fom- to ti\'e tons of Horse-Eadish 
 are produced on an acre. But the average yield, 
 obtained by most growers, does not eepial this amount. 
 Three or four tons to the acre may be considered a 
 fair crop, and when sold at from one hundred to one 
 hundred and thirty dollars per ton, it would pay a 
 handsome profit, fi'om the fact of its easy culture. 
 
 The method of preparing Horse-Radish for mar- 
 ket, is simple and rapid. The roots are taken from 
 the pit to tlie market-house — the toi)s and small roots 
 having been trimmed off in the Fall — thrown into a 
 large wash-tub and witli the aid of a scrubbing-brush 
 thoroughly cleaned. In this state the roots are sent to 
 market. For the kitchen -garden, it is well to adopt 
 the same method of cultixation. Twenty sets planted 
 every Spring will yield enough to supply a family. 
 
 As soon as the crop of Horse-Radish is taken out 
 of the ground in the Fall, the ])ed or field should be 
 ploughed. This will displace and expose to view near- 
 ly all of the smaller roots that were left in the ground 
 at the time of digging. It is well to have a boy fol- 
 low the plough and gather all of these roots, for if left 
 Tindisturbed for a single season, it will he found a 
 troublesome task to get rid of the Horse-Radish. By 
 following this plan, very few of these small roots 
 will be left in the ground, and any that still remain 
 can be taken out when the ground is again ploughed 
 in the Spring, before planting with another crop. 
 
KOHL-RABI. 
 
 155 
 
 KOHL-EABI. 
 
 Brassica caulo-rapa. 
 
 The Ivohl-Eabi or Turnip-rooted Cabbage is not 
 generally known or cultivated in this country. It is 
 evidently a hybrid between the Cabbage and Turnip, 
 and to some extent partakes of the characteristics of 
 both. 
 
 For early use, we sow the seed in a hot-bed about 
 
 KOHL-RABr. 
 
 the middle of March, transplant once, into another 
 bed in April and plant in the open ground early in 
 May. When the Kohl-Eabi is two-thirds grown, if 
 boiled and sliced, it will be found tender, more deli- 
 cate in flavor, than either Cabbage or Turnip and not 
 unlike Cauliflower. 
 
156 KOHL-RABI. 
 
 There is a limited demand in market, for those 
 grown early, by the Germans and French, who prize 
 them highly. In preparing them for market, the 
 stems are cnt off close to the bnlb and three of them 
 tied by the leaves in a bnnch. They bring from 
 seventy-live cents to one dollar per dozen bnnches, 
 and to the extent of the demand for them, pay very 
 well at these prices. As a late crop or for a succes- 
 sion, the seed is sown in the open ground in the same 
 way as Cabbage-seed — about the 10th of May, and a 
 second sowing may be made a month later. 
 
 When the plants are three or four inches high, 
 they are transplanted ; two feet between the rows 
 and one foot apart in the row. Like all the Cabbage 
 tribe, the}^ will grow best on deep, ri('h soil. It is 
 stated by some that the Ivohl-Ral)i is difficult to 
 transplant, we have grown it for many years, and 
 never found this to be the case, no more difficult 
 than Cabbage plants. 
 
 The ground l)etween the rows should be kept 
 constantly stirred while the plants are growing and 
 no weeds suffered to remain. A small paper of seed 
 will give enough plants to stock the kitchen-garden. 
 In order to have them young and tender for the 
 table, two or three plantings should be niade during 
 the season. For cooking, they should not be allowed 
 to grow full size, if they do, the outside skin be- 
 comes hard and tough. 
 
 Sooner or later, the Kohl-Rabi will be culti\ated 
 on a large scale, in the stock-growing districts of 
 this country for feeding cattle during tlie winter. 
 In field culture they are more easily grown than the 
 
K02L-RABI. 157 
 
 Ruta Baga and they yield a larger weiglit of roots 
 to the acre than Turnips. The ground should be 
 prepared and ridged, as directed for Carrots, and the 
 seed sown on these drills, using one and a half pounds 
 of fresh seed to the acre. They should be treated in 
 every way like Turnips, the only difference being, 
 that they should not be left standing quite as thick 
 in the rows. Eight or ten inches apart will be found 
 close enough. Tlie lea-e>-; of the Kolil-Rabi are 
 equally valuable for feeding purposes as the roots. 
 One bushel of these roots is worth nearly two bush- 
 els of the common White Turnip, for cattle, and 
 they are fully equal, if not superior, to the best Ruta 
 Baga. The seed should be so\vn in July, and the 
 roots can ])e pitted in the Fall in the same way as 
 Turnips, Carrots, or Beets. 
 
 Or, the seed can be mwm in a seed-bed and 
 transplanted if more convenient. Although for field- 
 culture we prefer sowing the seed in place, and 
 thinning out the plants to the proper distance apart. 
 
 Varieties. — There are only two kinds of Kohl- 
 Rabi, that are grown to any extent. 
 
 Early White. — This is the best variety, both for 
 the kitchen-garden and market. It is of a glossy 
 white color, flesh tender while young, and good for 
 the table when the bvdl)s are three or four inches in 
 diameter. 
 
 Early Purple — This variety is in every way 
 similar to the White except in color, which the name 
 designates. For table use, it is just as good, but it 
 does not sell as well in market, on account of the 
 color. 
 
 8 
 
158 KOHL-RABI. 
 
 The Green and Large Purple varieties are coarser 
 in flesh, they are only grown for cattle feeding. 
 The bulbs attain a larger size than the first two sorts 
 named. 
 
CHAPTER YII. 
 
 Lettuce. 
 
 Lactuca sativa. 
 
 The Lettuce is a hardy annual and one of the 
 most generally cultiyated and popular yegetables in 
 the Catalogue. It is yery healthful as a Spring and 
 Sunnner salad ; for this purpose it is unequalled. 
 It may be divided into t^yo classes, the Cabbage or 
 Head Lettuce, and the upright growing sorts from 
 the Island of Cos, known as the Cos Lettuce. To 
 haye the latter kind in perfection, the leaves should 
 be tied up as recommended for Endive, and blanched. 
 AYlien treated in this way, the leaves are tender, 
 crisp and delicate. 
 
 The Cabbage, or Head sorts, are now extensively 
 cultivated, both for family use and by the market- 
 gardener, who looks upon this crop as easily culti- 
 yated, and profitable. This is especially so if the 
 location of his garden is within easy distance from a 
 large market, so as to deliver the Lettuce with his 
 own wagon to the huckster or grocer. 
 
 The Lettuce is o^rown on a laro^e scale for market, 
 in the open field, planted usually between rows of 
 Early Cabl)ages, putting the Lettuce plants from 
 fifteen to eighteen inches apart in the row, and al- 
 temate with the rows of Cabbao:es, which leayes the 
 
160 LETTUCE. 
 
 distance between the rows two feet. This arrange- 
 ment will give from fifteen thousand to seventeen 
 thousand heads of Lettuce to an acre. The Lettuce 
 crop will be read}- for market and sold before the 
 Cabbages require all the room. AVhen there are 
 fifteen thousand planted on good ground, twelve 
 thousand of them will be marketable and they will 
 bring from seven dollars and fifty cents to ten dollars 
 per thousand heads. 
 
 The seed for this early crop is sown in tlie Fall, 
 fi'om the 5th to the 10th of September, in the open 
 ground. About the middle of October, we trans- 
 plant into cold frames, putting six or eight hundred 
 plants to a sash of 3x6. The winter treatment is 
 similar to that recommended for keej^ng Cabbage 
 plants. During cold weather, the beds are covered 
 with sashes, giving air in ^ery mil I or Avarm weather. 
 
 For family use, a small quantity of seed may be 
 sown at the same date. A rough structure of boards 
 may be fixed for protecting the plants during the 
 Winter ; or if the seed is sown in a sheltered spot in 
 tlio garden and mulched before cold weather sets in, 
 with salt hay or other litter, the plants Avill keep 
 fresh until Spring, wlien they can be transplanted. 
 
 Again, for the kitchen-garden, a small paper of 
 seed, sown in a hot-bed, about the first of March, 
 will give plants large enough to set out in the open 
 ground in the latter part of April. To have a suc- 
 cession of plantings, more seed can be sown in the 
 open ground in April and transplanted to the gar- 
 den ; the Lettuce will come to maturity in six weeks 
 from the tune of planting. 
 
LETTUCE. 161 
 
 When Lettuce is set out in a bed by itself, the 
 plants may be put fifteen inches apart each way. 
 Like most other garden products, it needs, in order to 
 insure success, a deep, rich soil that is kept well cuh 
 tivated. 
 
 Growing Lettuce in Winter, by bottom-heat, l)oth 
 in hot-beds and in forcing-pits, is a large and lucra- 
 tive branch of the market-gardener's business, when 
 situated near large cities. Formerly a large part of 
 the frame Lettuce was grown in cold-beds ; planted 
 in November (fifty plants to a sash), the crop would 
 be ready for market early in May. This system 
 has given v/ay, in turn, to hot-beds and, more recent- 
 ly, to forcing-houses, put up expressly for growing 
 vegetables (especially Lettuce) during the Winter 
 months. There have been a dozen or more of this 
 kind of house put up in the vicinity of Newark, N. 
 J., last year, and as many more will be built the 
 present season. Considering the economy of time 
 in managing these forcing-houses, they will, without 
 doubt, entirely supersede the old style hot-bed sys- 
 tem. 
 
 Under the headings "Hot-Beds" and "Forcing- 
 Houses," there will be found fuller directions about 
 their care, construction, &c., &c. 
 
 Although there is a long list of varieties of Let- 
 tuce given in seedsmen's catalogues, only a few of 
 them will pay to grow either for family use or mar- 
 ket. Among the best for either purpose may be 
 named 
 
 Early Curled Simpson.— This is one of the best 
 cm-led varieties now cultivated. It is superior to the 
 
162 LETTTJCEo 
 
 Curled Silesia and more reliable for field-culture. 
 It has been grown extensively in cold frames, but it 
 is not a good variety for forcing with bottom-heat. 
 It is grown, in preference to any other, by market- 
 gardeners, for a Spring crop among Cabbages and 
 Cauliflowers. It is an excellent kind for Spring 
 planting in the kitchen-garden. 
 
 Tennis Ball. — This \ariety forms a small, solid 
 head, and is a very superior kind for forcing-pur- 
 poses, for wliich it is extensively used. The leaves 
 are nearly smooth, and, when full grown, the head 
 is tender, juicy, and crisp. 
 
 Boston Head Lettuce. — The variety known to 
 gardeners by this name is a Avhite-seeded butter. 
 The leaves are smooth. It forms a head one quar- 
 ter larger than the Tennis Ball, and is a reliable 
 kind for forcing. It is popular in market on account 
 of its size and quality. 
 
 Black Seeded Butter forms a large head when 
 planted in the open ground in Spring ; it will not 
 stand bottom-heat, and it is, therefore of very little 
 use for forcing. But it is extensively grown in the 
 garden and field, and is one of the most profitable 
 for this purpose. 
 
 Brown Dutch is a hardy sort, that will stand the 
 Winter better than other kinds that we grow. 
 
 Large Indian grows large in the open ground, 
 and stands the Summer heat better than any other 
 of the good varieties. It has a curled leaf, lighter 
 in color than the Silesia, and is a popular Summer 
 kind. 
 
 Paris Green Cos. — This variety of the Cos is 
 
LEEK. 163 
 
 the best for culture in this country. It has an up- 
 right growth, with long, narrow leaves. These 
 should be fastened up with a little straw, for ten or 
 twelve days before cutting, to blanch. AYith this 
 treatment, the Cos will be found of superior quality 
 for salads. 
 
 Gardeners should not overlook the importance of 
 selecting the best specimens of their kinds of Let- 
 tuce, to grow for seed. To plant seeds not true to 
 name is an unprofitable business. 
 
 A hundred plants planted CNery month in the 
 Spring will afford enough for family use. A small 
 paper each of two varieties will, when sown in a 
 sheltered spot in the garden, give that number of 
 plants. 
 
 LEEK. 
 
 Allium porri(m. 
 
 The Leek is a hardy biemiial, that will stand the 
 severity of our Winters with but slight protection. 
 It attains its full size the first year, but does not pro- 
 duce seed until the second. The Leek is similar in 
 quality to the Onion ; by many persons it is pre- 
 ferred on account of its milder flavor. It is used in 
 soups and salads; sometimes it is boiled alone and 
 served like Asparagus or Onions. 
 
 With the market-gardener, tlie Leek is always 
 grown as a second crop ; it should be cultivated in 
 the same way by the private gardener. 
 
 The seed should be sown in a well-prepared bed, 
 about the middle of April, in rows one foot apart. 
 
164 
 
 LEEK. 
 
 Wlien the plants are up, tlie spaces between the 
 rows should be frequently disturbed, to prevent the 
 
 LONDON FLAG. 
 
LEEK. 165 
 
 weeds getting any headway. By the middle of July 
 to the first of August, when Early Potatoes, Peas, 
 and Cabbages are removed, the ground is prepared 
 for the Leeks. 
 
 When everything is in order and the weather 
 favorable, the young plants are pulled and trans- 
 planted in rows one foot apart, and six inches apart 
 in the row. Tlie roots and leaves may be trimmed off 
 a little at the time of transplanting. The only care 
 necessary, from the time of setting out the plants until 
 the Fall, is to keep the soil loose and free from weeds. 
 
 In November the Leeks may be dug up and 
 stored, until wanted for use, in trenches similar to 
 those described for Celery, which can be opened at 
 all times, Avithout much trouble. 
 
 The principal demand for Leeks, in market, is 
 during the Winter and Spring. They usually sell 
 freely, giving a profit of two hundred and fifty dol- 
 lars to tln*ee hundred dollars per acre. 
 
 In preparing them for market, nearly all the roots 
 and part of the tops are cut off, tlien washed and 
 tied in bunches — about six large roots to a bunch. 
 
 Tliere are only two varieties grown to any extent 
 in this country : The London Flag and Muslenbukgh 
 They are l^oth good, very little if any preference can 
 be given to either. For seed, some of the best roots 
 should be kept and set out the following Spring. 
 
 Those who do not want the trouble of transplant- 
 ing, can sow the seed in a permanent bed and then 
 thin out the plants in the rows to the distance named. 
 By this method, however, the Leeks will not attain 
 as large a size as Avhen transplanted, 
 8* 
 
166 MARTYNIA. 
 
 Leek-seed can only be relied on for two years ; 
 older than this it is uncertain. An ounce of seed will 
 be an abundance for the garden ; if fresh, it will give 
 from tw^o thousand to three thousand plants. 
 
 MAETYNIA. 
 
 Martynia proboscidecb. 
 
 The Martynia is not generally cultivated by 
 American gardeners. It is an annual. The pods 
 are used principally for pickling. 
 
 MARTYNIA. 
 
 The plant is spreading in its habits ; it should not 
 be planted closer than two and a half feet apart eacli 
 way. The seeds may be sown in a bed in April and 
 transplanted in place the latter part of May or early 
 in June ; or they may be sown in a permanent place 
 and thinned out when the plants are three or four 
 inches high. 
 
 The pods are produced in great abimdance ; they 
 should be used while young and tender, 
 
CHAPTER Vm. 
 
 MELONS. 
 
 Cucujnis melo. 
 
 The Musk Melon is well known and is in ver}^ 
 (■'jneral cnltivalion in all the thickly settled parts of 
 onr C(^nntiy. Wherever the best varieties are grown 
 a more extended culture of them is sure to follow. 
 With a climate and soil so well adapted to the growth 
 t>f Melons of a fine quality, it is an easy matter, for 
 any one who owns or cultivates a piece of ground, to 
 have, in their season, an abundant supply of this 
 fruit. 
 
 There is a good demand for Melons in all large 
 towns or cities, and hundreds of acres of the light 
 soils of New Jersey and Long Island are devoted to 
 the growth of this crop for New York markets. 
 
 When grown as a field crop, Melons seldom pay 
 a profit of more than from seventy-five to one hundred 
 dollars per acre. But the expense of growing is much 
 less than that of other garden crops, and as they carry • 
 \\'ell long distan('es, tliey are usually grown on land too 
 ])o;)r f( )r legitimate market gardening. Within the j)ast 
 few years, gardeners or farmers aroimd Norfolk, Va., 
 and in the State of Delaware, have grown Melons on 
 a large scale and shipped them to Northern markets, 
 
168 MELONS. 
 
 witli profits ranging from fifty to one hundred dollars 
 an acre. 
 
 In cultivating Melons, either in the kitchen-gar- 
 den or for market, earliness in maturing is desirable, 
 and any practicable means that may be available to 
 hurry forward the ripening of the fruit, is worthy of 
 attention. The vines while young, are in danger of 
 being destroyed hy the well-known striped hug. 
 The best plan is to start the seeds in a moderate hot- 
 bed, at the same date and treat them in the same 
 way as directed for Cucumbers. When transplanted 
 in place, if attacked by the bugs, a23[)ly the same 
 remedies. 
 
 The Melon will thrive best on a deep, sandy loam, 
 thoroughly worked. Before making the hills, the 
 ground should be Avorked over twice, if in the field, 
 with the plow^, if in the garden, with the digging-foi'k. 
 
 The piece of ground should then be marked out, 
 five feet apart each way. A hole is made at each 
 intersection, with a spade, a forkful of well-rotted 
 manure is thrown into each hole, and a hill made 
 over this manure of the fine surface soil. The hill 
 should l)e two inches higher than the surrounding 
 surface and twelve or fifteen inches in diameter. A 
 dozen seeds are then planted in a circle on each hill, 
 and covered about a quarter of an inch. When the 
 plants have formed two rough leaves, thin out, leav- 
 ing only three plants to a hill. When these begin to 
 run, pinch them back twice, to the third joint. 
 
 When the plants are started in a hot-bed, they 
 slioidd be lifted and set out in the same way as Cu- 
 cumbers. 
 
MELOKS. 
 
 169 
 
 Tweiitj-fi\e liills will yield an abund- 
 ance of Melons for family nse. One 
 ounce of seed will be enough to plant 
 this number of hills. 
 
 The m-ound nnist be well cultivated 
 both ways with a cultivator, and around 
 the plants, hoed two or three times with 
 a hand-hoe. At the first hoeing, draw 
 some earth ai-o^md the stems, to support 
 them against strong winds. 
 
 When the seed is sown in the hill, 
 a conical wooden box, open at the top 
 or covered with a light of glass, will be 
 found a protection against the bugs, as 
 well as a means of hastening the growth. 
 
 By making a square hole for the 
 manure, twenty inches deep, then put- 
 ting on top of it two or three inches 
 of soil, which will leave the seeds when 
 planted three inches below the level of 
 the sin-face— and placing over the t()p^'AKi^EN spade. 
 of this square opening a light of glass, a forcing' 
 bed is formed in the garden, which will be at oncb 
 simple and effective as well as useful to keep off the 
 bugs. 
 
 It is not easy for the pri\ate gardener to keep 
 Melon-seed pure. It is so liable to sport with Cu- 
 cumbers or other varieties of the same family when 
 growing in the same garden. 
 
 The best kinds for garden or field-culture are as 
 follows : 
 
 Green Citeon. — I'ruit medium size, nearly round 
 
170 MELON, WATI^R. 
 
 Fksh green, tliick and of good quality. The surface 
 IB roughly netted, when pure. It is a popular market 
 variety. 
 
 Nutmeg is an old and favorite variety. It grows 
 larger than the Citron, but is not quite so produetiA'e. 
 The skin is dark green and netted ; shape globular, 
 flesh a light green, juicy and meltixg. 
 
 Skillman's Fine-netted is an early small-sized 
 variety. The skin is roughly netted, the flesh green 
 and of excellent quality. 
 
 WnrrE Japan. — This variety, a native of Japan, 
 is early, thin skinned, deeply ribbed, and of a light 
 color. The flesh is thick, melting and fine flavored. 
 
 MELON, WATER. 
 
 Cucurhita citndlus. 
 
 The culture of the Water Melon is essentially the 
 same as that of the Musk Melon ; the only difference 
 being, that the AVater Melon should be planted at a 
 distance of eight feet apart each way, and in making 
 the hills twice the quantit}^ of manure recommended 
 for the Musk Melon should be })ut to each hill. 
 
 The Water Melon will do best on new ground, 
 where the brush has just been removed and the sui*- 
 face grubbed or plowed. Then l)y making holes, 
 eight feet apart each way, putting in a couple of 
 shovelfuls of compost — made of yard-manure and 
 leaf -mould — in each hole, then making a hill over the 
 manure and planting six or seven seeds to a hill, the 
 yield will be satisfactory. 
 
 When the plants are fairly above the surface 
 
MELON, WATER. 171 
 
 thej require close watcliiiig. The " striped bug " 
 makes short work of a field of Melons, if not checked 
 in time. 
 
 A supply of finely -ground flour of bone should be 
 kept on hand, the surface of the hills dusted with it 
 before the plants come through and afterward, at 
 shoii^ intervals, until such time as the plants are past 
 danger. 
 
 Not more than tln-ee vines should be allowed to 
 a hill. Water Melon growers in New Jersey calcu- 
 late on a profit of about one hundred dollars or one 
 hundred and fifty dollars per acre — for a successful 
 year. Like the Musk Melon, they will flourish best 
 on soil of a light character, when well manured in 
 the hill. 
 
 Two ounces of seed will be enough to plant for 
 family use, and if convenient, it is best to start the 
 seeds in a hot-bed. The best kinds to grow are — 
 
 Mountain Sweet. — It is one of the best for gen- 
 eral culture. Large size, dark green color, thin rind 
 and flesh delicious. 
 
 Mountain Spkout is another good variety — exten- 
 sively cultivated in Xew Jersey for market. It is a 
 long Melon, striped lengthw^ise, flesh bright scarlet 
 and of good quality. 
 
 Orange. — When the rind is removed from this 
 Melon, it divides easily in sections like an Orange. It 
 grows only medium size, oval shaped, flesh red and 
 not first quality. 
 
 Persian is a new variety, lately introduced. The 
 form globular ; color, pale green with dark stripes ; 
 flesh crimson and of good quality. It is but little 
 
172 MUSTAED. IVrtlSHROOMg. 
 
 known as yet, but it will be of value on accoiuit of 
 its good keeping qualities. 
 
 CiTKON. — This variety is gro^vn exclusively foi* 
 preserves. It is round, skin smooth and striped ; 
 flesh light-colored and solid. 
 
 MUSTARD. 
 
 Sinajyis alha. Sinajns nigra: 
 
 There are two varieties usually grown ; the Wliite 
 Mustard cultivated for salads, and the common 
 Brown, that is cultivated for the seed which is ground 
 for table Mustard. 
 
 Wlien groAvn in the garden, the seed may be 
 sown thickly, in the open ground, eai'ly in April, in 
 rows one foot apart, in loose, mellow ground. To 
 have a succession, the sowings may be made every 
 two or three weeks until September. Mustard must 
 be cut for use while young, for Avhen the leaves are 
 full-grown, the strong flavor is unpleasant. 
 
 The Brown Mustard is grown as a field crop for 
 the seed, for grinding. The seed may be sown in 
 drills or broadcast, in the latter part of April or 
 early in May, using from four to six quarts of seed 
 to an acre. In August the crop Avill be ready for 
 cutting, when it is dried and thrashed out. 
 
 When once sown in this way on a piece of ground, 
 it is difficult to get rid of the Mustard ; it is quite an 
 annoyance, on this account. 
 
 MUSHROOMS. 
 
 Agariciis campestris. 
 The consumption of Musln-ooms in this country 
 has very materially increased within the past dozen 
 
MUSHROOMS. lYS 
 
 years, and it will probably continue to do so steadily 
 from year to year. The t^upply of fresh Mushrooms 
 has always fallen short of the demand, and yet there 
 have been very few attempts made, so far, by men 
 of capital to erect suitable structures for their culti- 
 vation. 
 
 The few Mushrooms that reach the markets at 
 present are gathered in small lots in pasture fields. 
 Occasionally, an energetic gardener, who has some 
 unoccupied space near his boilers either in forcing 
 or green-houses, puts up a rough contrivance for a 
 Mushroom-bed. If successful, they are sent to mar- 
 ket, sure to command a good price ; but very often 
 the experiment fails, and nothing more is heard of 
 tlie undertaking. AVhen a proper building can be 
 had, and an even temperature kept up. Mushrooms 
 may be grown for family use or for market without 
 much trouble, provided proper care is observed in the 
 selection and preparation of the manure used, which 
 is the important point. 
 
 Some few years ago we constructed tv.-o caves, 
 each five huudred feet long, for growing Mushrooms. 
 They were fourteen feet wide, fi^e feet deep, and 
 covered with a board roof, forming a right angle 
 with the two sides. The roof, made of joist for raft- 
 ers and hemlock boards, Avas covered with earth to 
 the depth of twenty inches and then thatched with 
 straw. In these structures an even temperature 
 was maintained without fire, and while the roofing 
 lasted, the growth of Mushrooms pro red a success. 
 When the beds came into full bearing they pre- 
 sented an interesting: sio:ht — the entire iiurtaco of ttiQ 
 
174 Mushrooms. 
 
 beds dotted with the white Mushrooms that had 
 sprung from beneath the light covering of soil in a 
 single night. When these were gathered others were 
 ready to take their place ; and tlie next morning 
 there would be the same profuse display, which was 
 continued from week to week. 
 
 The conditions brought about by covering hem- 
 lock boards with earth soon rotted the rafters, and 
 the roof began to fall in, which forced us to abandon 
 the project. 
 
 There was no difficulty in finding a market for 
 large quantities ; at times in the Winter we frequent- 
 ly sold them at one dollar a quart to iiotels and 
 first-class eating-houses. 
 
 In preparing these caves, the object was to get 
 all that Avas required for the best growth of the 
 Mushroom- -namely, darkness, ai'id a moderate but 
 even temperature of from forty-five to sixty degrees. 
 It is not necessary to construct a cave for this pur- 
 pose ; if these conditions can be had in a house, cel- 
 lar, or part of a green-house. Mushrooms can be pro- 
 duced in abundance, by following the directions 
 about collecting and preparing the manure. 
 
 Pkeparing Manure. — The l)est manure is horse- 
 droppings, gathered from stables where straw is used 
 for bedding, but free from long straw. Sawdust, 
 salt, hay, and rags are unfriendl}^ to the growth of 
 Mushrooms. As fast as these droppings are collected, 
 they should be put in a heap four feet wide, four feet 
 high,. and as long as required. This lieap should be 
 made under cover. In a few days the manure will 
 begin to heat ; this should be allowed to go on until 
 
MUSHROOMS. 
 
 175 
 
 it reaches one hundred and ten degrees to one hun- 
 dred and fifteen degrees, as indicated by a thermo- 
 meter when the bulb is placed six or eight inches 
 below the surface. Then tramp the manure down 
 firmly which will always reduce the temperature. 
 Wlien cooled by this compression down to eighty 
 degrees, the heap should be turned over with forks, 
 putting the bottom and sides of the heap well into 
 the centre, forming a heap of the same size. In 
 case the mamire looks dry, it may be wet some with 
 a watering-pot at the time of turning. The heat in 
 
 MUSHROOM-BED. 
 
 this heap will soon inc^rease again to one hundred and 
 ten degrees, when it should be once more tramped 
 and turned over, forming a new heap. This may be 
 permitted to remain without tramping until the tem- 
 perature conies down to ninety degrees ; if it d(^es 
 not in two days from the time of the last turning it 
 must be again treated as above ; when at ninety 
 degrees it is ready to be |)ut in place. 
 
 Making the Bed. — The beds should be three 
 feet wide at the bottom and two feet and a half high, 
 
176 MtT^HROOMS. 
 
 cone-shaped. The iiiannre is taken np in large hand- 
 fnls and pressed into masses of fonr or live inches in 
 diameter; these are put in phiee and pressed firmly 
 against each other until the l)ed is formed — the in- 
 crease is by the addition of separate tiers. The sides 
 of the bed are then beaten slightly with the back of 
 a common spade, leaving the surface smooth and 
 compact. In a day or two the manure will take heat ; 
 if it goes above ninety degrees before putting in the 
 seed it should be allowed to cool off, wdiich it will in 
 a few days. 
 
 A light coating of fine garden soil is then put 
 over the whole bed, about half an inch in thickness. 
 The earth should be passed through a sieve before 
 using, so as to remove lumps, stones, roots, &c., &c., 
 and then patted down with a spade to make the sur- 
 face smooth. 
 
 Spawn. — Mushroom spawn can be bought at most 
 horticultural stores. It usually comes in pieces of 
 the shape and size of an ordinary brick. These 
 bricks should be broken into pieces the size of wal- 
 nuts. By means of a garden " dibble" holes are 
 made on either side of the bed every six inches, in 
 the direction of the length, connnencing eight inches 
 from the floor. A piece of the spawn is put into 
 each of these holes, coming in close contact with the 
 manure, and covered over with earth, or it may be 
 put in before the earth is put on. Tm^o other lines 
 of holes are made at corresponding distances above 
 the first row, and spawned in the same way. It will 
 take three or four weeks l)efore the spawn Avill have 
 traveled over the entire bed, presenting the aj^pear- 
 
MUSHROOMS. 177 
 
 ance of a fine gauze network through the manure, 
 and sometimes visible on the surface. Five or six 
 weeks from the time of making the bed small button 
 Mushrooms will appear, if all the points have been 
 carefully attended to. When the beds begin to Ijear 
 the temperature of the cave, or building, should l)e 
 kept steady at fifty-fiv^e degrees. A small amount of 
 water is needed ; it may be supplied occasionally 
 with a watering-pot having a line rose. The water 
 used should be a few degrees above the cave, say 
 sixty to sixty-three degrees. 
 
 A bed prepared in the way described will produce 
 Mushrooms for six months. At the end of this time 
 the beds should be renewed, and a steady supply can 
 be had through the wdiole year. It is not absolutely 
 necessary that the beds should be the shape named. 
 If circumstances do not admit of it they may be 
 made wider, but not less than two feet in thickness. 
 As stated before, the important point is the careful 
 preparation of the manure. 
 
 Gatuering. — In gathering the left hand should be 
 placed on the bed along side of the Mushroom, then 
 with the right hand it is turned and pulled at the 
 same time. In this way less injury is done to the run- 
 ning spawn, and the bed will produce more than if the 
 Mushrooms are jerked out without tliis precaution. 
 
 In our caves the yield was one quart to every ten 
 feet daily. These sold readily at from seventy-hve 
 cents to one dollar per quart. Even at lower figures 
 Mushrooms would pay a handsome profit. 
 
 Light should be excluded from the caves at all 
 times, but ventilation must be had by means of valves 
 
178 NASTTJETITIM, OB INDIAN CRESS. 
 
 on tap. Candles or lamps should be used to give 
 light for Avorking. 
 
 Whatever method may be adopted for growing 
 Mushrooms — and there are many in common prac- 
 tice — constant attention is recpiired at all times to be 
 successful in this branch of gardening. 
 
 NASTURTIUM, OR INDIAN CRESS. 
 
 Tropceohim inajus. 
 
 The Nasturtium is a hardy aimual, a native of 
 Peru. It is grown in gardens as an ornamental plant, 
 while at the same time the leaves and flowers are used 
 for salads, and garnishing. The seed-vessels, or ber- 
 ries, when gathered young, on a dry da^^, and put 
 into vinegar, make a pickle, preferred by many per- 
 sons to Capers. 
 
 The Xasturtium-seed should be planted two 
 inches deep, in rows, along side of a trellis, or other 
 support, in April or the beginning of May. An 
 ounce of seed will be enough for twenty-five or thirty 
 feet of row. 
 
 For covering trellis-work, unsightly fences, &c., 
 &c., the '"tall" variety should be sown ; for forming 
 borders the " dwarf" Nasturtium is the best. Some- 
 times the latter requires staking. 
 
 Although an annual when grown in the open air, 
 the Nasturtium is a perennial when grown in the 
 green-house. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ONION. 
 
 Allium cejpa. 
 
 The Onion is well known, and highly prized as a 
 garden vegetable, and, as a field-crop, is extensively 
 cultivated in many sections of the country. 
 
 AVethersfield, Conn., Narraganset Sliores, R. I., 
 and Chester Meadows, New York, are a few of the 
 districts where large tracts of land are annually de- 
 voted to the cultivation of the Onion. 
 
 It is also grown largely by market-gardeners, and 
 is one of the most profitable crops, when the " sets " 
 are planted on rich ground. 
 
 There is also a large and lucrative business car- 
 ried on near Philadelpliia in growing Onion " sets " 
 for market. Tliere is usually a good demand for 
 them at prices ranging from five to ten dollars per 
 bushel in the Spring of the year. 
 
 These three different branches of the Onion busi- 
 ness need, to some extent, different methods of cul- 
 ture. It will be necessary, therefore, to treat them 
 separately. 
 
 Wlien growTi as a field-crop, the land should be 
 le\'el, com])arati^'ely free from stones, or other ob- 
 structions, deep and mellow. The Onion wn"ll grow 
 best on such a soil when well drained^ either natur 
 
180 ONIONS. 
 
 ally or by artificial means. Fall ploughing, throwing 
 the land into twelve-feet ridges is advisable. In the 
 Spring an application of twenty to thirty two-horse 
 loads of well-rotted yard or hog-pen manure, are 
 spread broadcast and ploughed under. The ground is 
 then ploughed, harrowed, and sometimes levelled with 
 a wooden roller before sowing the seed. An applica- 
 tion of two or tliree hundred pounds of ground bones 
 to the acre will benefit the crop. 
 
 The seed is sown in drills, one foot apart, either 
 for field or garden, by a machine, using four pounds 
 of fresh seed to an acre. To insure the seed being 
 well covered, a light roller is drawn by hand over 
 the ground, in the direction of the r(nvs. By mark- 
 ing the piece with the garden-marker and then sow- 
 ing with llolbrook's seed-drill, there will be enough 
 covering Avithout any rolling. 
 
 The early running of tlie hand-hoes between the 
 ro\A's, is the only way to do in gi'owing Onions for 
 profit. If the weeds gain headway, the cultivation 
 will cost ten times what it otherwise would. As soon 
 as the rows are designated by the young plants, keep 
 the scufiie and Onion-hoes active until the tops are 
 large enough to give shade. Weeds appearing in the 
 lines of the rows nnist be removed, before they at- 
 tain any size, by hand — the boy carrying a knife with 
 a curved point, made for the purpose. The seed 
 sown early in April, the crop will be ready to harvest 
 in the latter part of August or the beginning of Sep- 
 tember. The Onions are pulled out by hand, throw- 
 ing three or four rows together and leavmg them in 
 this way for a few weeks, until they are dry enough 
 
ONIONS. 181 
 
 to be stored — wlien they are gathered, carted and 
 placed on a barn flour or loft until marketed. If 
 kept over Winter, they should l)e })rotected l)y a cov- 
 erinof of straw or salt hay, before c(>ld weatlier sets 
 in. Onions keep l)etter with the tops left on, there- 
 fore they are not trinnned till a few days before sejid- 
 ing them to market. 
 
 On land mamu-ed and well-worked. Onions will 
 give a yield of Ave hundred l)ushels to the acre, and 
 they will bring from iifty cents to seventy-five cents 
 per bushel. For the last few years prices have a\'er 
 aged higher. They are worth four dollars a barrel, 
 by the quantity, at present. As a rule, the Onion is 
 grown on the same ground every year and it does 
 better than by changing. It is important, therefore, 
 to prevent any weeds from seeding. 
 
 In growing " set " Onions, the ground should be 
 of a light character, not over rich, and thoroughly 
 pulverized. The object is to get a large yield of 
 very small Onions ; the smaller the better, for if they 
 grow much larger than a hickory nut, they are liable 
 to run to seed instead of forming a bulb. 
 
 When the ground is made ready, early in April, 
 by ploughing, harrowing, and levelling with rakes — a 
 line is stretched, and the ])iece marked out with a 
 garden-marker in rows nine inches or a foot apart. 
 The seed is then put in by a seed-drill, using thirty- 
 six to forty pounds of seed to an acre. Tlie cultiva- 
 tion is all done with hand-tools in the same way as 
 recommended above for growing Onions as a field- 
 crop. IS^o weeds sliould l)e permitted to grow either 
 between or in the rows. On heavy ground, seed, 
 
1 82 ONious 
 
 when sown thickly, is liable to " damp off " before 
 coming through the surface, and great losses are some- 
 times sustained from this cause. To make it nK^re 
 convenient for working, eveiy eighth row is left 
 blank ; this will leave the young " sets " in narrow 
 beds, turning the l)lank row into a walk. 
 
 These sets will be ripe in August ; they are taken 
 out of the ground and left on the rows to dry. They 
 are then placed upon a loft, not more than eight or 
 ten inches in thickness. They should be examined 
 and turned occasionally, for if the weather is warm 
 and damp, they may suffer some injury from rotting. 
 When cold weather sets in, we put on a light cover- 
 ing of salt hay as a protection from the frost. A 
 pound of seed when sown thickly, will give three or 
 four bushels of " Set " Onions. 
 
 The market-gardener plants "sets" instead of sow- 
 ing seed, on ground rich enough to produce early 
 Cabbages, using from fifty to seventy two-horse loads 
 of manure to the acre, turning it under and then mak- 
 ing the surface level. The rows are marked out one 
 foot apart, the " sets " distributed along each row 
 three inches apart, and firmly pressed in place by hand, 
 roots downward. This done, the earth is dra^Ti over 
 the rows by the feet. To give more ease in cultiva- 
 ting, every eighth row is left blank, for a passage-way. 
 
 The Onions soon start a vigorous growth, and the 
 gardener is just as vigorous in his efforts to keep 
 ahead of the weeds, by disturbing the whole surface 
 before the weeds appear, and often enough to keep 
 the ground loose and clean. 
 
 It will take from eight to ten bushels of "sets" to 
 
ONIONS. 183 
 
 plant an acre. One quart will be sufficient for the 
 kitchen-garden. 
 
 The gardener usually sells his crop in the green 
 state ; it will be ready for market al)()ut the middle 
 of June. The Onions are pulled, carried to the mar- 
 ket-house, Avashed, and then bunched — in different 
 sized bunches, if intended for different markets. For 
 Xew York, from six to eight Onions are tied in one 
 bunch : while for Newark, N. J., only three, and 
 these bring from one dollar and lifty cents to two 
 dollars per hundred bunches. 
 
 Onions, Avlien grown in this way, are taken off in 
 time to plant Celery or Spinach in the same ground. 
 They will pay a profit of two to three hundred dollars 
 an acre. They are a very sure crop, seldom failing 
 when the ground is rich and the " sets " small at the 
 time of planting. They can be grown from " sets " 
 for Winter use, and kept the same as when produced 
 from seed. Many of the most successful gardeners 
 always select the best shaped Onion bulbs, to save for 
 seed ; by following this plan, there are no disappoint- 
 ments about seed not coming up well, and no getting 
 a variety not true to name. 
 
 Seed Onions are kept through the Winter in the 
 same way as recommended for market Onions. 
 
 Early in the Spring, the Onions for seed are set 
 out in a piece of rich gnnmd ; two feet between the 
 rows, two inches deep and six inches apart in the row. 
 When the seed-stalks blossom, they sometimes need 
 to be supported, to prevent them from falling over. 
 The seed will be ripe in July, when the "heads" are 
 cut off, placed on a tight floor, and when dry, thrashed 
 out. 
 
184 
 
 ONIONS. 
 
 Insects. — Occasionally, Onion growers snffer seri- 
 ous loss from the effects of the Onion Maggot 
 {Anthomyia ceparttm)^ a small fly that deposits an 
 egg in the Onion near the ground. These eggs hatch 
 in a short time, giving the maggot and then the 
 change to the pupa state, from which comes the fly 
 again. Dusting with fresh wood-ashes is said by 
 many growers to be a preventive ; or burning the 
 surface over with old straw before sowing the seed, 
 
 EARLY RED. 
 
 and scattering powdered charcoal with a dressing of 
 five bushels of salt to the acre. 
 
 Although we have grown Onions in a large way 
 for many years, the maggot has never made its ap- 
 pearance with us. I am inclined to think the insect 
 is a near relation of the Anthomyia hrassicce^ and 
 that dusting the plants with fresh air-slacked lime 
 would be found of sei-vice ; or sowing some fine fiour 
 of bone in the rows, still better. 
 
 Varieties. — There is a long list of Aarieties, but 
 
ONIONS. 
 
 185 
 
 practical Onion-growers confine themselves to a few 
 kinds for their main crop. 
 
 Early Red. — A medium-sized Onion, very early, 
 lighter in color than the Large Red, close flesh and a 
 good keeper. 
 
 AYethersfield Large Red is grown as a field- 
 crop, extensively in the Eastern States, especially in 
 Coimecticut. It attains a large size — color dark red, 
 rounding in shape, and has good keeping qualities. 
 
 WETHERSFIELP LARGE RED. 
 
 Yellow Danvers is a good variety for market- 
 gardeners to grow from '' sets," being sujjerior in 
 many respects to the kind commonly grown in that 
 wa}^, and known as the Yellow Dutch. It is straw- 
 color, flesh close, and keeps as well in Winter as any 
 other variety, besides being more productive than the 
 Dutch. 
 
186 
 
 ONIONS. 
 
 YELLOW DANVERS. 
 
 White Portugal. — This is a very mild and plea- 
 santly flavored white variety, and on this account is 
 grown generally for home use. It is more tender 
 
 WHITE PORTUGAL. 
 
 than the others named, and it does not keep as well 
 during the AVinter. 
 
 Potato Onion is a popular variety for early 
 
OKRA, OR GUMBO. 187 
 
 Spring planting in private gardens. It increases 
 from the single bulb planted, forming a number of 
 small ones. When set out in the Spring, in rows 
 one foot apart and three inches apart in the row, 
 they give a supply for table use early in the season. 
 For the quantity of Onion-seed to sow in the kitchen- 
 garden, see " List of Seeds for the Garden." 
 
 OKRA, OR GUMBO. 
 
 Hibiscus esGulentus. 
 
 The Okra is a native of the West Indies, where 
 it has long been used for making Gumbo soup. 
 
 It is grown to some extent in private gardens in 
 
 OKRA. 
 
 the Northern States, but it is more generally culti- 
 vated farther south. The seed-pods, when green, 
 are used in stews, soups, &c., &c. For this purpose. 
 
188 OKEAj OR GTJTVIBO. 
 
 they should be gathered while young and tender; 
 for when the pods grow older and harder, they are 
 tongh and tasteless. 
 
 We have been successful in grooving the " dwarf " 
 Okra in New Jersey, and we consider it the best mi- 
 riety to plant. 
 
 The seed should be sown in May, in rows two and 
 a half feet between and one foot apart in the row. 
 When the plants are well above the ground, lioe care- 
 fully, drawing the earth towards the plants, as with 
 Lima Beans. Okra will do best in mellow, rich 
 ground. The pods can be kept for Winter use, by 
 slicing them and tying them up like dried apples. 
 One ounce will be enough for family use. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 PARSLEY. 
 
 Ajpium ^etroselhiur/i. 
 
 The garden Parsley, a native of Srirdhiia, is a 
 hardy biennial and is in general use in this country 
 for garnishing, flavoring soups, stews, etc., (fee. The 
 peculiar smell of Parsley will neutralize the odor 
 given to the breatli by eating Onions. 
 
 It is grown to a limited extent by market-garden- 
 ers, either in frames or in the open ground, and when 
 there is a demand, it pays a handsome profit — but as 
 the demand is uncertain, gardeners seldom give a 
 large space to its culture. 
 
 Parsley will do best in a deep, rich loam, thor- 
 oughly pulverized before sowing the seed. This 
 should be done in April, in drills one foot apart, 
 strewing the seed thickly, and covering by raking the 
 surface with wooden rakes in the lines of the rows. 
 The seed is slow to germinate, requiring two or three 
 weeks before sprouting. A few Radish-seeds, sown 
 in the rows at the time of sowing the Parsley-seed, 
 will mark the lines so that a scuffle-hoe can be run 
 through before the weeds start. Later in the season, 
 the tops give an abundance of shade, and the weeds 
 can be kept under with but little troul)le. The tops 
 are cut off in June, and again in August or Septem- 
 
190 
 
 PAKSLEV. 
 
 ber, when a new growth will start up. During Ko^ 
 vember the Parsley is dug. It is sometimes " heeled 
 in " in frames, under glass, thickly ; or it is stowed 
 away in trenches like Celery. A still more rapid 
 and equally good method is to " pit " it in the way 
 described for IIorse-Kadish, raising the pit only two 
 feet high and keeping the tops on the outside. 
 
 DWARF CURLED PARSLEY. 
 
 When sown in frames, the seed is put in during 
 the early part of April in rows between the Lettuce, 
 running from front to rear. The tops will be ready 
 for cutting in June, when they are tied in small bun- 
 ules and sent to market. They are cut again later in 
 
PARSLEY. 191 
 
 the season, in September, and then the crop is dug up 
 and stored before cold weather sets in. 
 
 One ounce of fresli seed will Ije enough for home 
 use. This will sow about one hundred feet of row. 
 \Vlien sown in frames, it will pay about two dollars 
 per sash and to the extent that it can be grown in 
 the open ground, from eight hundred dollars to one 
 thousand dollars an acre. Last Winter one of my 
 neighbors sold one hundred dollars' w^orth from the 
 twelfth of an acre. 
 
 In preparing Parsley for market, it is washed 
 and then tied in bunches, four or live stalks in each, 
 
 SCUFFLE-HOE. 
 
 leaving all the roots on. The Dwarf Curled is the 
 best kind for the garden. 
 
 A few of the best specimens should always be 
 ^:ept to grow seed from the following season. Fresh 
 r^eed should invariably be used, as old seed is not to 
 1 e relied on. 
 
 Hamburg Parsley.— This variety is plain-leaved, 
 with more vigorous habits than the Dwarf Curled ; 
 it is cultivated for the roots, which frequently grow 
 on rich ground to the size of medium Parsnips. They 
 are boiled and served in the same manner as Parsnips. 
 The seeds should be sown in drills eighteen inches 
 apart, and when the plants are two inches high, they 
 must be thinned out to three inches apart in the row. 
 
192 PARSNIP. 
 
 PARSNIP. 
 
 Pastinaca sativa. 
 
 The culture of this vahiable root is principally 
 confined to the kitchen and market-gardens. It is 
 seldom groAvn in this country as a farm-crop for 
 feeding stock, although it is one of the best on the 
 list for this purpose. On soil free from stones and 
 in good heart, Parsnips will yield from six to 
 eight hundred bushels to the acre, at no greater ex- 
 pense for cultivation than is required for a crop of 
 Ruta Bagas, only they need the wliole season for 
 maturing. The roots are perfectly hardy ; they can 
 be left in the ground all winter, then dug and fed to 
 cattle in the Spring. Or a portion of the crop can 
 be taken out and pitted, for Winter use, the same as 
 Carrots (which see). 
 
 When Parsnips are fed to milch cows, the cpiality 
 of the milk' is improved, the cream is much richer, 
 and the butter of finer fiavor. Young stock are fond 
 of them, and they will be found superior to any other 
 root for fattening both neat-cattle and hogs. 
 
 When fresh seed is sown, the plants, while grow- 
 ing, need less attention than Carrots, owing to the 
 leaves being long and spreading, giving shade which 
 checks to some extent the rapid growth of weeds. 
 
 Soil. — The Parsnip will give the largest yield on 
 a deep, rich, sandy or clay loam. For this crop, we 
 plough the ground in ridges, in the Fall ; apply from 
 fifteen to twenty-five two-horse loads of well-rotted 
 manure in the Spring and plough it under. For 
 field-cidture, the treatment is, in every part, similar 
 
PARSNIP. 
 
 193 
 
 to that described for (ViiTots, with the single excep- 
 tion, that tlie seed is sown in April, or as early in 
 the Spring as tlie gi-ound is dry 
 enough to l)e worked. 
 
 A few Eadisli-seeds sown at the 
 same time, will mark tlie lines, so 
 that a cultivator can he run throuo-h 
 befoi-e the weeds start. AVhen the 
 plants are two or three indies high, 
 they should be thinned out by liand, 
 leaving them three inches apart in 
 the row. The cultivation we d(^ witli 
 a mule and a Carrot-weeder, keep- 
 ing the surface loose and free from 
 weeds, with very small outlay. 
 
 We use four to live pounds of 
 fresh seed to an acre, and sow it by 
 machine. Parsnip seed more than 
 one year old cannot be trusted ; seed 
 from the previous year should always 
 be sown. On our farm, the average 
 yield is from six hundred to eight 
 hundred bushels to an acre, and they 
 are usually worth fifty cents a bushel, 
 in market, when trinnned and 
 washed. At times, during the win- 
 ter, when the supply has l)een short, 
 we have sold at prices ranging from 
 two dollars to four dollars [)er bar- 
 rel, holding two and a half bushels. 
 
 In garden-culture, the rows may 
 be left nearer together, eighteen inches will give 
 
 LONG SMOOTH 
 PARSNIP. 
 
194: PEAS. 
 
 enough space. Two ounces of seed will furnish an 
 abundance for family use. Owing to the uncer- 
 tainty of the seed germinating, it is better to sow 
 thickly and thin out the young plants to three inches 
 apart. 
 
 Wlien digging the crop, in the Fall, careful 
 gardeners select a few of the finest specimens, from 
 which to grow seed the follov>ang year. These roots 
 are transplanted into good ground in the Spring, and 
 by July the seed will mature. In field-culture, when 
 ready to harvest, by miming a large-sized lifting 
 sub-soil plough alongside of each row, the expense 
 of getting out the crop will l)e lessened at least one 
 half. 
 
 For many years we have grown the Long Smooth, 
 or " Hollow Crowned," and consider it by far the 
 best variety either for the kitchen-garden, market, 
 or as a field-crop for cattle. When labor-saving im- 
 plements are used, Parsnips can be grown at an ex- 
 pense not to exceed seventy dollars an acre. 
 
 PEA. 
 
 Pismn sativum. 
 
 The Pea is one of the favorite vegetables culti- 
 vated in the kitchen-garden as well as for market, in 
 almost every section of this country. Green Peas, 
 half-grown, when properly served, are a much- 
 esteemed dish with most persons. 
 
 New Jersey and Long Island have long been 
 noted for producing early Peas for the Xew York 
 
PEAS. 195 
 
 and Philadelphia markets, and on the kinds of soil 
 where they were grown, they were a profitable farm 
 crop. Of late years, since the close of the war, a 
 large share of this business lias been ti-ansferred from 
 its original quarters to Virginia and South Carolina, 
 where it is now carried on extensively by Southern 
 gardeners, who ship the wIkjIc of their crop to 
 Northern markets. These southern-grown Peas from 
 Charleston reach New York in April and May, and 
 they are closely followed by the crop from Nor- 
 folk, Ya. These early arrivals have " cut " into 
 the old business sadly, and have forced many grow- 
 ers in New Jersey to abandon Pea-growing, for 
 profit. 
 
 The Pea flourishes best on light soil ; it can be 
 grown with less manure than most garden crops. 
 In the vicinity of Charleston, S. C, fine crops of 
 Early Peas have been produced on light, sandy soil? 
 with an application, in the drill, of three hundred 
 pounds of superphosphate of lime to the acre. 
 
 With better facilities for transportation from 
 Charleston, the culture of the Pea could be made a 
 profitable business, provided growers would realize 
 the importance of careful picking and packing, 
 which part of the work, so far, has been sadly 
 neglected by many gardeners. " What is worth 
 doing, is worth doing Avell." Of this, many shippers 
 of S\)uthern vegetables seem to be totally ignorant, 
 and they reap the reward of low prices. 
 
 In the kitchen garden, Peas are usually " brushed " 
 to keep the vines off the ground, Init in field-culture 
 the vines are permitted to fall down after the last 
 
196 PEAS. 
 
 ploughing, wliicli tliroAvs a shallow furrow from either 
 side, towards the rows of vines. In the field, the 
 rows are marked out, with a one-horse plough, three 
 feet apart, the manure applied in the furrow, then 
 the seed distributed thiidy, and covered l)y hand- 
 hoes. The cultivation is done by horse tools, going 
 through, may be, once with the hand-hoes to take 
 out any weeds that may show themselves in the rows. 
 One bushel and a quarter of seed is enough for an 
 acre. The average return is from one hundred to 
 one hundred and twenty-five l)usliels per acre, and 
 gives a profit of from one hundred to one hundred 
 and fifty dollars. 
 
 In o-arden-culture, to save time in " lu'ushino^," 
 Peas are sown in double rows, that is, two rows are 
 put in, only eight inches apart, and then a space of 
 two feet is left for a passage-way — one line of brush 
 will support the two rows. 
 
 For an early crop, they should be sown as soon as 
 the ground can be worked. A slight frost does not 
 injure the vines. We have frequently had young 
 vines covered with snow^, early in A]u-il, without 
 suffering any harm. 
 
 To keep the table well supplied, a sowing should 
 be made every two or three weeks, until the first of 
 July. 
 
 When planted in April, the early or main crop 
 will be ready for market or home use in July, in 
 time to make a second planting. 
 
 Of course, the times of sowing will depend on 
 the locality. In South Carolina, Peas are sown in 
 December and January, while in New Jersey they 
 
PEAS. 197 
 
 ai-e seldom planted before the first of April, and 
 some seasons as late as the middle of the month. A 
 few years ago my brothers shipped, from Charles- 
 ton, Peas on the fourteenth of April, and they 
 reached ^^c^7 York when we were sowing our early 
 cr6p. 
 
 AVitli Peas, the list of varieties is a long one — 
 but tliere are a few welbknown kinds that are gen- 
 eral favorites. 
 
 PiiiLADELPuiA Extra Early is tlie best early 
 variety that we have tested, both for garden and field- 
 culture. It is more productive, of better quality, 
 and several days earlier than the Daniel O'Rourke, 
 when phuited along side, and with the same treat- 
 ment. 
 
 Daniel O'Eourke. — The vines of this kind will 
 not average more tliau two feet high. It has been a 
 favorite market variety, because all the pods fill out 
 about the same time, enabling the gardener to gather 
 the crop in two or three pickings. 
 
 Tom TiirMB is grown in private gardens on 
 account of its requiring no " brushing." The vines 
 only grow about eight or ten inches high. The 
 yield is lai-ge, but the Peas are of medium quality. 
 A¥e sow this kind late, and it does equally well as 
 when sown early. 
 
 McLean's Little Gem is in habits similar to the 
 Tom Thumb, but in quality far superior. 
 
 Bishop's Long Pod is a favorite sort in many 
 sections for family use. The pods are large and 
 abundant. The vines are not inclined to grow very 
 tall. It is a good variety to follow the early kinds. 
 
198 PEPPERS. 
 
 Champion of England, an old and well-known 
 Pea, is without doubt the best late variety gro^\^l. 
 The vines grow horn three to four feet high, and 
 require " brushing," to keep them from the ground. 
 
 Black and White Marrowfats are also tall- 
 growing sorts. They are still planted extensively 
 for late market varieties, and for this purpose are 
 highly esteemed. 
 
 Blue Imperial is a first quality, late variety, and 
 has a delicate flavor when gathered before the Peas 
 have grown full size. This remark can be applied 
 to every variety of Pea cultivated. 
 
 A couple or three quarts of as many of the vari- 
 eties, sown in succession, will keep the table abund- 
 antly supplied with this delicious vegetable. 
 
 PEPPER. 
 
 Capsicum. 
 
 The Pep]ier is cultivated to some extent in private 
 gardens and quite extensively as a market crop, very 
 frequently by contract for pickle factories. Altlujugh 
 prices are generally low when contracted for, the 
 yield is so large, when the crop does well, that a 
 large profit is often realized from the sale of Pep- 
 pers. 
 
 The seed should be sown in a hot-bed in March, 
 giving the plants the same treatment as Egg Plants, 
 with this exception, they need not be transplanted, 
 but they may be left in the seed-bed until they are 
 removed to the open ground in June. 
 
 There is little or no deniand for Peppers in mar- 
 
PEPPERS. 199 
 
 ket until late in the Fall, so there is nothing gained 
 by having them before October. They will grow 
 best on a rich, moist loam, inclining to lightness, al- 
 though they will yield bountifully on any w^ell-pre- 
 pared soil. 
 
 In the garden or field, they may be set out with 
 the " dibble," in the same way as Cabbage plants, 
 about the middle of June, leaving two feet between 
 the rows, and the plants eigliteen inches apart in the 
 row. The ground should be kept loose and clean 
 by frerpient disturbances of the soil. 
 
 A dozen plants will be enough in a garden for 
 family use. These can be bought from some gar- 
 dener, near by, cheaper than they can be raised. 
 
 Unless for pickle factories, the demand in market 
 is limited ; but to the extent that they are wanted, 
 it is profitable t(^ grow them. They will usually sell 
 from seventy-five cents to one dollar per liundred ; 
 this would be at the rate of four to five hundred 
 dollars per acre. 
 
 Yarieties. — There are only a few kinds grown in 
 this country. 
 
 Sweet Mountain is of large size, similar in shape 
 to the Bell, but milder. It is used for making man- 
 goes. 
 
 BuLL-XosE, OR Bell, is large, slightly tapering, 
 rather mild, and desirable for pickling. It matures 
 early and bears abundantly. 
 
 Squash. — This variety is different in shape from 
 the above. It is more and deepl}^ ribbed, stronger 
 to the taste than the other twx), and used extensively 
 for pickling. 
 
200 POTATOES. 
 
 Cayenne. — This is a small variety, the fruit long 
 and tapering, bright red when ripe, and very strong. 
 It does, when ground furnish the pepper of com- 
 merce. 
 
 POTATO. 
 
 Solammi tuberosum. 
 
 From each successive year's experience, the 
 shrewd farmer draws a pi-actical lesson, wliich, if 
 properly applied, will materially assist in making liis 
 special calling a success. Tliere is very little to be 
 made in farming or gardening by the game of chance, 
 or, as it is sometimes called, "good luck," but in- 
 dustry well directed, will eventually be rewarded, 
 while carelessness and mismanagement are just as 
 certain to reap their reward. 
 
 Every branch of industry has, from various 
 causes, to battle against a "Idue" season, and farm- 
 ing or gardening forms no exception to the rule. At 
 present, farm wages are high, with no indications of 
 any change for the better. My neighbor asks, " IIow^, 
 under existing (urcumstances, are farmers to make 
 ends meet ? " My reply is, substitute horse for hand- 
 labor, adopt better methods of culture, concentrate 
 the work and manure on fewer acres, so as to pro- 
 duce maximum crops, and by these means lessen the 
 cost per bushel of producing. The expense of (titi- 
 vating is the same, whether the yield is one hundred 
 or three hundred bushels of Potatoes to the acre. 
 
 The Potato crop is an impoi-tant one in every 
 State and Territory in this country. Two hundred 
 
I>OTATOES. 201 
 
 bushels to the acre is not a large return from well- 
 fertilized and properly tilled ground ; still we find 
 that the average crop of the country is not quite one 
 hundred, even in favorable seasons. Taking the 
 price of Potatoes at seventy-five cents per bushel, by 
 adopting better methods of culture, the increased 
 value in the United States of this crop alone would 
 amount to over seventy-five millions of dollars a year. 
 
 Although the price of Potatoes has only advanced 
 a trifie within the past ten years, and farm wages 
 and other farm expenses have nearly doubled, yet I 
 feel confident tliat I can make as much per acre now, 
 cultivating Potatoes, as in ISGO ; simply by making 
 use of the metliods named, and planting varieties of 
 Potatoes that are more productive than the Mercer 
 or Prince Albert. There is no system of farming so 
 perfect as not to be susceptible of improvement: and 
 the intelligent farmer is always ready to make a 
 change or follow a new method of culture, when it 
 is e\ ident that, by so doing, he will increase the pro- 
 duct per acre or lessen the expense of producing. 
 
 Our method of cultivating Potatoes, which has 
 given entii-e satisfaction for the last three years, is 
 substantially as follows. The ground, which is a 
 heavy clay, and naturally very poor, is Fall-ploughed, 
 throwing it into " lands " about twenty feet wide, and 
 left in this state until Spring. When the soil is dry 
 enough to be worked, in April, it has a second plough- 
 ing, crosswise — never turning the soil less than ten 
 inches deep. The manure is then spread broadcast on 
 the surface, the quality of the soil regulating the quan- 
 tity. Iiowe\er, we seldom use less than twenty two- 
 
202 l»OTATOfiS. 
 
 horse loads of barn-j^ard manure or compost to each 
 acre. When fish guano is used, it is mixed with soil 
 for a week or two before planting-time, and then 
 spread over the surface at the rate of from three- 
 quarters to a ton to the acre. AVhen- barn-yard man- 
 ure is used, the ground is harrowed before spreading 
 the manure and with special fertilizers, such as phos- 
 phate, bone-dust, or guano ; the harrowing is done after 
 applying the manure, giving the ground only one 
 " scrape," to level the surface. We change the seed 
 every two years. For seed, I prefer large-sized Po- 
 tatoes, cut into two, three, and four pieces, a fort- 
 night at least before planting, and then dusted with 
 wood-ashes. This I have done in wet or inclement 
 weather during the month of March, when the men 
 cannot work to advantage out of doors. With every- 
 thing in readiness for planting, the seed Potatoes are 
 put into barrels, carted to the field and placed at 
 convenient distances across the lot, so that the per- 
 sons " dropping " will lose no time and waste no 
 strength in carrying the Potatoes from one end of the 
 field to the other. This may appear trifling, but I 
 find, w^hen this plan is carried out, the work goes on 
 more rapidly, and two persons will drop as much as 
 three, when no system is practised. From the effects 
 of the Fall ploughing, the alternate freezing and thaw- 
 ing during AYinter, and with a ploughing in Spring, the 
 ground will turn up kind and mellow, just in the 
 right tilth for planting. The Potatoes are put in at 
 the third ploughing, in the following manner. Com- 
 mencing at one side of the field, twenty oi thirty 
 feet from the fence, the ploughman with his horses 
 
POTATOES. 203 
 
 strikes a straight fnrro^v and returns with a back fur- 
 row. On the second time around, the droppers follow 
 the plough, placing the Potatoes from fifteen to eigh- 
 teen inches apart in the loose ground just turned 
 over, and in a position so that the next furrow-slice 
 will cover the seed about four inches deep. The fur- 
 row-slices will average from ten to twelve inches in 
 width, and the seed is planted in every third furrow 
 on either side of the starting-point ; this will leave 
 the rows of Potatoes about three feet apart. This is 
 w^ide enough to admit a horse-hoe for cultivating 
 during the early stages of growth. By the system 
 of back-furrowing there is no time wasted, either by 
 the persons dropping or the man with the plough. We 
 employ two German women, who drop as fast as the 
 two horses will plough the ground and cover the Pota- 
 toes. Oil loose, mellow soil, this force will plant, on 
 an average, two acres a day, working ten hours. In 
 this way, the soil is left in better condition to facili- 
 tate the growth of the young Potatoes than by any of 
 the nietliods in general use, that 1 have heretofore 
 practised in growing Potatoes for market. The seed 
 is placed in the side of the furrow-slice, and is not 
 displaced by the horse that walks in the furrow. Oc- 
 casionally the i)lough is thrown out by the point strik- 
 ing a stone, and one or two of the seed left without 
 covering, but in the next time around, this can be re- 
 paired and the seed properly covered. 
 
 With a very little })ractice, the ploughman will run 
 each furrow as straight as a " bee-line." I never 
 have had roAvs of Potatoes come up more evenly than 
 for the past three years, when planted in this way. 
 
204 POTATOES. 
 
 Another method is, Avhen the ground is ready to 
 open the furrow with a one-horse })lough, spreading 
 the manure in the furrow ; then the Potatoes are 
 dropped in place along the bottom of the furrow, 
 and, by means of the plough again, are covered about 
 three inches deep. When the young stocks are just 
 coming through the surface, the field is harrowed, 
 running the harrow in the line of the rows. We use 
 for this purpose a blunt-toothed harrow, which levels 
 the surface, destroys the first crop of young weeds, 
 and as far as I am capable of observing, does no in- 
 jury to the Potatoes. I am aware that many Po- 
 tato-growers condemn the harrow for this purpose, as 
 doing more liarm than good. When I am convinced 
 that this is the fact, I Avill at once abandon its use 
 and adopt some other improved implement to do the 
 same kind of work. 
 
 When the young plants are well above the sur- 
 face, I run Howe's horse-hoe or Perry's Scarifier 
 between the rows, going twice in each space, and as 
 close to the stocks as it is possible, without cutting 
 them. This operation is repeated once at least every 
 two weeks, until the Potatoes come into blossom, 
 when the cultivation is stopped. Sometimes a few 
 heavy showers of rain will compact and harden the 
 surface ; in such a case, we use Mapes' one-horse 
 lifting sub-soil plough to run once in the middle, be- 
 tween the rows, and loosen the soil three or four 
 inches deep. Our plan is to prepare the soil thor- 
 oughly before planting, and then, daring the grow- 
 ing season, to keep merely two or three inches of the 
 surface loose and free. There is little or no hard 
 
I'OTATOES 205 
 
 labor required by following this system of culture, 
 lu an ordinary season, the horse-tools will do all the 
 work necessary to keep the surface loose and free 
 from weeds. I make it a rule, however, to go 
 through the field once with the hand-hoes, cutting 
 out any weeds that may be growing in the inies of 
 the rows where the horse-tools cannot reach. Under 
 good management, Potatoes should be kept free from 
 weeds and grass, until they are in full blossom. 
 After this date, cultivation may be suspended, for 
 any Aveeds that may then come up, do little or no 
 injury to the crop. The stalks shade the ground so 
 tliat the growth of weeds is sparse ; although it is 
 often advisable to have some scattering tall weeds 
 pulled by hand, before the Potatoes are dug. 
 
 In cultivating early varieties of Potatoes on strong 
 ground, they can be harvested in time to get a crop 
 of Turnips off the same i>:round, which mav Drove as 
 profitable as the crop of Potatoes. 
 
 We grow on our farm from one thousand to one 
 thousand five hundred bushels of Potatoes a year 
 for market. During the past ten years we have sold 
 none less than seventy-five cents per bushel, by the 
 quantity, and a large proportion of them would 
 average one dollar a bushel. 
 
 On ground well manured and tilled, two hundred 
 bushels of marketaljle Potatoes to the acre is about 
 an average crop in our section ; these are worth one 
 hundred and seventy-five dollars. Deducting the 
 expense, there is left from one hundred to one 
 hundred and twenty-five dollars. With early Po- 
 tatoes, harvested in time to sow a Fall crop of Yel- 
 10 
 
206 POTATOES. 
 
 low Stone Turnips, which often yield as much as the 
 Potatoes, there will be a net from both crops of 
 about two hundred dollars an acre. Last Summer 
 we dug fi'om an acre of Early Rose, one hundred 
 and ten barrels, and sold them at three dollars and 
 twenty-five cents per barrel, for table use. 
 
 Harvesting. — Although we have tested numer- 
 ous Potato-digging machines, there is none that has 
 given us satisfaction. We still hold to the old 
 method of removing the stalks, then, with a plough, 
 throwing a furrow away from either side of the row, 
 and turning out the Potatoes with the digging-fork. 
 By this method a man can easily get out thirty 
 bushels a day, at an expense of from five to six cents 
 a bushel. 
 
 Storing Potatoes. — Potatoes for table use should 
 be stored in a cool, dry, dark cellar. They will 
 keep better if a small quantity of soil is mixed in 
 with them at the time of putting them away. When 
 Potatoes are left exposed to the sunlight, they soon 
 turn green, a bitter principle is evolved, and when 
 cooked, they have a nauseating and unpleasant taste. 
 Every observing farmer knows that it often happens, 
 either fi'om the washing away of the earth, or from 
 careless hoeing, that a portion of the Potatoes in a 
 " hill " is left exposed to the light. These Potatoes 
 soon change color, and are worthless for table use. 
 This kind of exposure also hastens decay, no matter 
 where the Potatoes are kept. Even Avhen purchased 
 for family use, in small quantities, say a barrel or a 
 bushel at a time, they should be kept in a dark 
 corner of the cellar. 
 
poTAToi:s. 207 
 
 TARiEtrRS. — There is a long catalogue of varie- 
 ties of Potatoes, many of which have only a local 
 reputation. The old favorite Mercer is no longer 
 
 EARLY ROSE. 
 
 cultivated to any extent. The Carter, too, has passed 
 away, with twenty other kinds that once were popu^ 
 
208 
 
 POTATOES. 
 
 lar. The seedlings of the late Professor Goodrich 
 are quietly dropped from the approved lists for gen- 
 eral culture, and their places filled by other and more 
 promising sorts. How long these varieties will hold 
 their place in public estimation experience only can 
 tell. 
 
 We give six illustrations of Potatoes, the repre- 
 sentative sorts for the different seasons, and good 
 types of their kinds. 
 
 DYKEMAN. 
 
 Among the most popular early varieties may be 
 named the 
 
 Early Pose, a seedling introduced by Mr. 
 Breese, of Yermont. With three years' trial it has 
 attained a national reputation. It is well worthy of 
 it, for it is the best early vaiiety that we have at ])res- 
 ent, either for family use or for market. 
 
 The Pose is a large-sized Potato, smooth skin, few 
 eyes^ ileali white, and steams or boils mealy. 
 
POTATOES. 
 
 209 
 
 Dykeman is an old standard, cultivated by Long 
 Island gardeners extensively for the New York 
 market. 
 
 PEERLESS. 
 
 Peerless is more productive and larger than the 
 Early Kose, equal to it in quality, and is, for a late 
 variety, what the Hose is for the early. 
 
210 POTATOES. 
 
 Peach Blow has always been a favorite, and a 
 standard of excellence in qnalitj. It is a large, 
 ronnd potato, takes the whole season to mature, and 
 is difficult to boil evenly on account of its shape. It 
 is also subject to the rot. 
 
 PEACH BLOW. 
 
 Gleason is a seedling of the Garnet-Chili. It 
 grows large, roundish, and has a peculiar roughness 
 of skin, by which it can always be distinguished. It 
 is a late variety and of good quality. 
 
 Kidney. — Medium size, productive, of fine qual 
 
POTATOES. " 211 
 
 ity for home use. It keeps well, retaining its good 
 quality through the Winter. 
 
 Jackson White is cultivated extensively, as a late 
 variety, for market. It is long, the eyes deeply set, 
 quality good when grown on dry ground. 
 
 GLEASON. 
 
 Early Mohawk is an early variety, recently in- 
 troduced, very productive, but inferior in quality — 
 about equal to the Harrison for cooking. 
 
 Insects. — The Potato is liable to the attacks of 
 various insects, both in the foliage as well as the 
 
^12 
 
 POTATOES. 
 
 tubers. For a number of years 2>ast the English 
 wire- worm has seriously injured the Potatoes in Xew 
 Jersey. The grub feeds upon the young tubers, dis- 
 
 KIDNEY. 
 
 figuring them so much as to make theui imsalable. 
 The grub of the Elaters, that injures the Potato, is 
 long and slender, having a hard, smooth skin, of a 
 
rr;TATOES. 
 
 213 
 
 brownish yellow color, and, according to Harris, lives 
 in its feeding state live years. 
 
 An application of ashes has been recommended 
 as a remedy ; bnt we have not fonnd it to be of any 
 service. Eape cake, broken into small pieces and 
 scattered in different places through the field, attracts 
 
 COLORADO POTATO BUG. 
 
 the grubs ; they collect to feed upon it, and large 
 numbers may be destroyed. 
 
 The Colorado l*otato bug {Boryphora decein- 
 lineata)^ has been doing mischief in the West, but it 
 has not reached Xew Jersey or any of the Eastern 
 States. These bugs appear in great numbers, destroy- 
 ing all the foliage and injuring the crop very serious- 
 10^ 
 
214: JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE. 
 
 ly. Dusting with powdered White Hellebore is said 
 to check them. A. D. Compton recommends a sohi- 
 tion, made of one part salt, ten of soap, and twenty 
 of water, for syringing the vines and effectually 
 checking the biigs. 
 
 A correspondent of the Farmers' Club recom- 
 mends one j^art of Paris green and twenty parts of 
 flour of bone, mixed and sifted on the vines, an ex- 
 cellent remedy. One pound of the green will be 
 enough for an acre. 
 
 The directions given for the field management of 
 Potatoes can easily be adopted in garden-culture. 
 
 One bushel of seed will yield about twenty bush- 
 els of Potatoes, if planted on good ground and well 
 tended. 
 
 JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE. 
 
 Helianthus tuherosits. 
 
 The Jerusalem Artichoke, or the tuber-bearing 
 Sunflower, as it is sometimes called, is a hardy 
 perennial, a native of Brazil, the roots of which, in 
 this country, are principally used for pickling. 
 
 A7hen once this plant takes possession in the 
 garden or field, it is almost impossible to eradicate it. 
 It continues to grow from year to year in the same 
 spot ; no matter with what care the tubers have been 
 taken out, there will be enough left to produce a 
 crop the following year. 
 
 On this account it is an unpopular plant for 
 garden-culture, for in a few years it would over-run 
 everything else. 
 
 It will grow on very poor soil, and could with 
 
PUMPKINS. 
 
 215 
 
 advantage be planted in waste ground ; along the 
 fences (instead of briars) ; in the orchard ; and in the 
 Fall the pigs will feed and thrive upon the tuber. 
 Even on thin light soil the Jerusalem Artichoke will 
 yield from two hundred to three hundred bushels to 
 the acre, and can be grown with profit, for feeding 
 hogs and cattle. The tubers are not injured by 
 freezing, and are quite as nutritive as the Potato. It 
 is propagated by planting, in rows two and a half 
 feet apart, and two feet in the row, medium-sized 
 tubers, and covering them with three or four inches 
 of soil. 
 
 In the Fall, the tubers that are wanted for 
 Winter use may be dug up and kept during the 
 "Winter in a cellar, covered with sand. 
 
 Two quarts of tubers planted in some convenient 
 spot outside of the garden, w411 give enough for 
 family use. 
 
 PUMPKIN. 
 
 Ciocurhita ];)epo. 
 
 There are innumeral)le variet}^ of Pumpkins, but 
 only a few of them are worthy of cultivation. None 
 of them should ever be planted in the garden. By 
 the traN'el of the farina fecunda of the Pumpkin, 
 Melons, Cucumbers and Squashes will be hybridized 
 and spoiled after the first year. 
 
 Tlie Pumpkin rightly belongs in the field, and 
 under o^ood care bears abundantlv, and furnishes a 
 large amount of palatable food for cows, pigs, cfec, 
 (fee. 
 
216 PUMPKINS. 
 
 Thej are used more extensively for pies. Grocers 
 usually lay in a large stock of the Cheese Pumpkin 
 in the Fall, to supply their customers with Country 
 Pumpkins during the Winter. 
 
 They may l)e grown on waste land when manured 
 in the hill (for they are rank feeders), planted eight 
 feet apart each way any time in May. They are 
 generally planted among Corn. The Cheese Pump- 
 kin is the best for this purpose. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 RADISHES. 
 
 Mhaphanus sativus. 
 
 The Radish is a general favorite with all classes. 
 it is found in all well-managed private gardens, and 
 early in the Spring it is grown extensively by market- 
 gardeners in the vicinity of large cities. For the 
 first Radishes that reach market, the seed is sown in 
 hot-beds in January or February, and they are ready 
 for use early in March. Gardeners who have put 
 up " forcing-houses " within the last two years near 
 ISTew York, devote a portion of the tables to forcing 
 Radishes, and find them to be as profitable, to the 
 extent of the demand, as Lettuce. They give a 
 profit of about one dollar and twenty-five cents a sash, 
 3x6, for each crop, and occupy the space only six 
 or seven weeks, while it takes nine weeks for a crop 
 of Lettuce. 
 
 Early Radishes are shipped from Norfolk to New 
 York ; they usually bring high prices — four to six 
 dollars per hundred bunches, or from eight to ten 
 dollars per barrel. 
 
 The Radish, like most of the vegetables, will 
 grow best on a deep, rich, sandy loam. It must have 
 a rapid growth to be of fine quality. 
 
 There are several methods practised by garden- 
 
218 RADISHES. 
 
 ers in growing Eadishes. We always sow the seed 
 thinly in the rows with early Beets and Carrots. The 
 Radishes are pulled and sold before the Beets or Car- 
 rots need the room, and at tlie same time it gives us 
 a chance to cultivate these crops earlier than we 
 otherwise could. This plan can be just as well fol- 
 lowed in the private garden ; and by sowing a few 
 Radish-seeds in the rows with each " row-crop " 
 planted, the table can be kept supplied with young 
 Radishes during the season. 
 
 On Long Island, the}^ frequently devote the whole 
 field to Radishes, sowing the seed broadcast and har- 
 rowing it in, or in rows one foot apart, using about 
 five pounds of seed to the acre. This crop is taken 
 off in full time to prepare the ground for a crop of 
 late Cabbages. 
 
 Of late years, the profits from growing Radishes 
 have not been large. It is considerable trouble to 
 prepare them for market, especially the long Scarlet, 
 making the flat bunches, washing, &c., &c. AVith a 
 good crop, Radishes seldom pay more than one hun- 
 dred to one hundred and fifty dollars an acre. We 
 have known many and many an acre tliat did not 
 yield fifty dollars. 
 
 When they first come into market from the open 
 ground, near New York, they bring two dollars per 
 hundred bunches ; they fall very soon, as the supply 
 increases, to one dollar or fifty cents a hundred, and 
 are often dull at these prices. 
 
 The Radish is frequently retarded, and, in fact, 
 the crop destroyed by a grub, Anthomyia raphani. 
 This little insect deposits an ^gg in the root of the 
 
RADISHES. 
 
 219 
 
 Radish just under the surfa(*e, and in a short time ap- 
 pears the maggot, which feeds upon the young Radish. 
 The best remedy that Ave know for this destructive 
 insect is to apply a dressing of common salt (lialf a 
 bushel on a rod of ground) to the surface in the Fall, 
 and in the Spring when the ground is ready for plant- 
 ing, give a top-dressing of fresh air-slacked lime — or 
 sprinkle some in the row, before sowing the seed — or 
 in addition to the top-dressing of lime, apply fine 
 bone-meal in the drill with the seed. I have tested 
 the salt and bone, and always with good results, even 
 on ground where, previous to this treatment. Radishes 
 could not be grown. 
 
 There are only a few varieties of Radishes that aa^e 
 grown to any extent, either in the kitchen-garden or 
 for market. 
 
 Early Scarlet Turnip grows rapidly, medium 
 size, shape round, when young delicate in flavor and 
 very popular. 
 
 Early Short-top Long Scarlet 
 is well known as the standard variety, 
 both for home use and the early 
 Spring crop for market. When cul- 
 tivated on a rich, sandy loam, the roots 
 are long, smooth, and the quality first- 
 rate wdiile young. 
 
 AVhite Spanish is a Summer va- 
 riety, popular among Germans for 
 making salads, and cultivated to some 
 extent for that purpose. It is oblong, 
 similar m shape to the Black Spanish, 
 strong and biting, and seldom used by Americans. 
 
 EARLY SCARLET 
 TURNIP. 
 
220 
 
 EADISHEg. 
 
 Black Spanish is a black Radish of laro^e size, 
 grown for Winter nse. The seed should be sown in 
 
 BLACK SPANISH. 
 
 July, and the roots pitted in the 
 Fall, like Turnips or Carrots. It 
 is used principally by the Ger- 
 mans and French. 
 
 Olive-shaped is a small va- 
 EARLY SHORT-TOP nety, obloH^:, color similar to the 
 
 LONG SCARLET. /' i p 
 
 early fecarlet, or good quality and 
 a favorite for home use. 
 
 Four ounces of seed, of the different varieties 
 named, sown at different times, will keep the table 
 well supplied with young Radishes. 
 
RHUBARB. 
 
 221 
 
 RHUBARB. 
 
 Rheum hyhridum. 
 
 The Khubarb is a hardy perennial, cultivated in 
 this country exchisively for the leaf-stocks. There 
 is a large demand for it during April, May and June 
 for making pies, tarts, &c., &c. It sells well until 
 green gooseberries, currants, and early apples come 
 into market, when its season is over. 
 
 To show how the demand for Ehubarb has in- 
 creased — fifteen years ago, with all our efforts, we 
 could, on a regular market-day in Newark, dispose 
 of no more than one hundred and fifty bunches. 
 Now, we often put one thousand bunches on the 
 wagon at one time, and, in the same market, find 
 less trouble to sell them than we did the smaller 
 number at first. 
 
 When grown for market, the profit depends on 
 the earliness. This is obtained by planting in a 
 favorable locality and heavy manuring. We usually 
 send the first Rhubarb to market from the open 
 ground about the twenty-fifth of April. It is always 
 tied in bunches of from five to eight stocks of the 
 early sorts, and from three to five of the later ones. 
 At first, it sells freely at from fourteen dollars to six- 
 teen dollars per hundred bunches ; as the season ad- 
 vances the supply increases, and the prices fall grad- 
 ually to six dollars or four dollars per hundred. 
 
 Our bed has been producing for the last seven- 
 teen years; it has paid at the rate of from three 
 hundred dollars to five hundred dollars an acre. 
 When once planted, Rhubarb gives less trouble than 
 
222 KHUBARB. 
 
 any other vegetable. We give our patch a hea\^' 
 dressing of manure every Spring, and fork it under ; 
 two hoeings through the season will keep down the 
 weeds. The cost of keeping an acre in good order 
 will average about sixty dollars a year. Before plant- 
 ing, the ground should be ploughed and sub-soiled 
 thoroughly, and, if necessary, drained. Then plenty 
 of well-rotted manure should be turned under — sixty 
 to seventy two-horse loads to the acre : the greater 
 the quantity of manure used, the larger and finer 
 will the Khubarb grow\ 
 
 The roots should be set four feet apart each way, 
 using a spade and line, so as to make the rows 
 straight and at regular distances. The plants should 
 be divisions of old roots of the different kinds want- 
 ed. Gaboon's Seedling is the only kind that we 
 know that will produce itself from seeds ; the other 
 well-known sorts will give a dozen varieties, and 
 therefore they cannot be relied upon. 
 
 It makes little or no difference whetlier the roots 
 are set out in the Spring or Fall — the condition of 
 the ground is more important than the time of plant- 
 ing. It is w^ell, however, when the roots have been 
 in place for eight or nine years to take them up and 
 divide them ; this can be done in August. If the 
 roots are carefully separated, part of a crop can be 
 gathered the follo^ving year, and a full one the sec- 
 ond year. 
 
 By placing a bottomless barrel over a crown in 
 March, and putting some long manure on the out- 
 side, Rhubarb can be brought forward. Gardeners 
 often force it by placing the roots under the tables in 
 
RHUBAKB. 223 
 
 green and forcing-houses, or by means of an ordinary 
 hot -bed. Prices are high and the demand good for 
 this early Rhubarb, and it pays very well for the 
 trouble. Twehe roots planted in rich soil in the gar- 
 den will give an abundance for family use. 
 
 There are only a few varieties cultivated to any 
 extent in this country. 
 
 Myatt's Linn.eus is the best early variety. It is 
 crown extensively in private gardens and for the 
 early crop for market. It is the best flavored kind 
 with which we are familiar. 
 
 Victoria is later, but it has a much larger and 
 longer leaf -stock than the Linnaeus, and on this ac- 
 count it is cultivated by gardeners for the main crop 
 late in the season. 
 
 Cahoon's Seedling is also a late variety. It 
 grows even a larger stock than the Yictoria, but it is 
 stringy when the leaf -stocks attain full size, though 
 very juicy. 
 
 This is the kind that has been sold by unprin- 
 cipled men as the " Wine Plant " — one of the most 
 flagrant swindles ever practised on the farming and 
 gardening community. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 r, OR VEGETABLE ( 
 
 Tragopogon porrifoliiis. 
 
 The Salsify is a hardy biennial. It is cultivated 
 for its roots, which seldom grow larger than small- 
 sized Carrots or Parsnips. 
 
 It will succeed best on a deep, sandy loam, and 
 treated in every way like Carrots. The seeds, which 
 resemble an inferior quality of Oats, should be sown 
 in drills, in April, and thinned out to two inches 
 apart w^hen the plants are well above ground. The 
 roots are hardy ; they may be left in the ground during 
 the Winter, without injury. As they are used for 
 culinary purposes during the Winter and early Spring, 
 we dig them up in the Fall, and store them in trenches, 
 like Celery, where they keep in good condition until 
 wanted. 
 
 Salsify is grown to a limited extent for market. 
 In preparing it for this purpose the fibrous roots and 
 dead leaves are removed ; it is then washed and tied 
 in bunches about the size of Asparagus bunches. 
 They usually bring one dollar and fifty cents a dozen 
 bunches. 
 
 The Salsify is a favorite in the kitchen-garden, 
 and it is becoming more so every year. It is easily 
 grown. 
 
SCORZONEKA. SEA KALE. 
 
 Two ounces of seed will be sufficient 
 for home use. 
 
 Some of the plants may be left in the 
 ground all AYinter for the seed. Kabbits 
 are fond of the young tops in the Spring ; 
 we have fi'equently been annoyed by 
 their eating the tops so closely that we 
 have not been able to get any seed the 
 second season. 
 
 225 
 
 SCORZONEKA. 
 
 Scorzonera hisjpanica. 
 
 The Scorzonera is a native of Spain. 
 It is very similar to Salsify, and needs the 
 same kind of culture. The seed should 
 be sown early in April, as it requires a 
 long season to mature. 
 
 It is used in soups, or boiled, and 
 served as Salsify, it makes a pleasant dish. 
 Before cooking, the outside skin should 
 be taken off. 
 
 ^^-: 
 
 SEA KALE. 
 
 Crambe maritima. 
 The Sea Kale is a hardy perennial, a 
 native of the sea coast of Europe, where 
 it grows abundantly. In its wild state, 
 w^hen blanched, gathered, and served as 
 Asparagus, it is a delicious vegetable. 
 Although extensiA^ely cultivated and very 
 popular in Europe, it is grown to a very 
 limited extent in this country in private 
 gardens. 
 
 SALSIFY. 
 
226 SEA KALE. 
 
 It may be propagated from roots or seeds, and it 
 does best when planted on a deep, sandy loam. The 
 least expensive way to start a bed, is to sow the seed 
 in hills, two feet apart each way, early in April, and 
 Avhen the plants come up, thin out leaving only two 
 to each place. Before sowing the seed, however, the 
 bed should be thoroughly prepared, for on this will 
 depend the success of the crop. Tlie ground should 
 be hoed frequently the first year, and no weeds al 
 lowed to appear. In tlie Fall, a nudch of long ma- 
 nure, three or four inches in thickness, should be put 
 on the bed to protect against the cold weather. 
 
 Two ounces of seed will furnish enough plants 
 for family use. 
 
 When propagated by roots, a few old ones may 
 be lifted in the Fall, divided and kept buried in 
 damp sand until the follow^ing Spring, when they 
 may be set in place, covering the " crowns " four 
 inches. Or the roots can be started in hot-beds in 
 March and transplanted in place in April. 
 
 AVith this treatment, stocks for table use can be 
 cut the first season. In the Spring of the second 
 year, the bed should be forked over, turning in some 
 of the mulch. The lighter part of it should l)e gath- 
 ered in heaps, mixed with some leaf-mold, and, be- 
 fore the plants start to grow, placed on the " crowns," 
 to blanch them. This Spring mulch should be eight 
 or ten inches in thickness. 
 
 Large flower-pots covering the "' crowns " will 
 answer the same purpose, the object being to exclude 
 the light. A slight dressing of common salt, every 
 Spring, will be found beneficial. All the cutting of 
 
epiNACH. 227 
 
 the Sea Kale is made at one time ; while young the 
 cutting should not be too close, for it would weaken 
 the roots. When the flower heads appear, the mulch 
 should be removed, and then tlie growth is not un- 
 like that of Broccoli ; it can be used in the same way. 
 Sea Kale, served the same as Asparagus, is by many 
 persons preferred to it. 
 
 SPINACH. 
 
 Spinacea oleracea. 
 
 The Spinach is well and favoral^ly known in 
 every section of this country. It is cultivated very 
 generally for Winter and Spring " greens " in all 
 well-managed kitchen-gardens, and it is also a profita- 
 ble crop for market. 
 
 It needs a deep, rich soil to produce maximum 
 crops, for it can only be grown with profit on land 
 that is well drained and highly manured. For a 
 succession, the seed may be sown early in April and 
 again in May — for the principal crop, from the first 
 to the tenth of September, on ground from which a 
 Summer crop has been taken. 
 
 Before sowing, the ground should l^e well-ma- 
 nured, thoroughly pulverized, and the surface levelled. 
 The rows are then marked out, one foot apart, with 
 the garden '' marker." The seed can be sown in the 
 garden by hand, and in the field with a machine, 
 using five or six pounds to the acre. A quarter of 
 a pound of seed will sow enough for home use. 
 
 During October, it is well to give the Spinach a 
 hoeing, and thin it out in places where it is too thick. 
 
228 SPINACH. 
 
 What is wanted for home use in mid- Winter shonld 
 be mulched lightly with salt hay ; this will protect 
 the leaves from injury by frost. Or if the Spinach 
 has grown full size in the Fall, it may be kept very 
 well by cutting it then, placing it three or four 
 inches thick in a frame, and covering it with a sash 
 and a little rubbish. Gardeners sometimes get eight 
 and ten dollars a barrel in mid-Winter for Spinach 
 kept in this way. 
 
 The main crop is cut and marketed during April 
 and May, at prices ranging from one to five dollars 
 per barrel, according to the supply, &c. When the 
 ground is rich and tlie seed fresh, one hundred 
 barrels to the acre is a large yield ; although we 
 have cut a barrel of Spinach from a square rod of 
 ground. 
 
 When the Spinach is taken off, Tomatoes, Egg 
 Plants, or Cabbages can be planted on the same 
 ground. With a favorable season, an acre of Spin- 
 ach will give from one hundred and fifty to two 
 hundred dollars profit. 
 
 The varieties cultivated are but few in number. 
 
 Round Spinach is the most popular kind for 
 home use or market. The seed is smooth, the leaves 
 large and slightly crimped. It will stand the Win- 
 ter without protection. 
 
 Prickly, or Fall. — This variety is said to be 
 more hardy than the Round, but we have never 
 found it to be so. Although recommended for Fall 
 planting, it will grow just as well when sown in the 
 Spring. The Prickly is not quite as productive as 
 the Round Leaf, but fully equals it in quality. 
 
NEW ZEALAND SPINACH. SHALLOTS. 229 
 
 NEW ZEALAND SPINACH. 
 
 Tetragonia expansa. 
 This plant is a native of New Zealand, and in its 
 habits is directly the opposite of the common Spin- 
 ach. It stands the heat better than the cold ; when 
 the seeds are sown in a bed in April and transplanted 
 in rows in May — three feet apart, and two feet apart 
 in the row— it will give an abnndance of greens dnr- 
 ino: hot weather. These are cooked and served in 
 the same manner as Spinach. 
 
 SHALLOTS. 
 
 Allmm ascalonicum. 
 
 The Shallot, sometimes called '- Scallion," has a 
 stronger taste than the Onion, but it does not leave 
 the peculiar odor in the breath that the Onion does. 
 It is used in this country, early in Spring, in its green 
 state, to flavor soups, stews, &c., efec. It is generally 
 found in private gardens and is also grown by market- 
 gardeners as a source of profit. 
 
 The "sets" are planted in September, in rich 
 ground, in rows, one foot apart, and three or four 
 inches apart in the row. The smallest " sets " are the 
 best for this purpose ; they do not mould, and they are 
 seldom injured by frost. These are ready for use in 
 April ; if not pulled then, they may be left in the 
 ground until ripe. This is indicated by the leaves 
 dying. By this time the bulljs will have increased in 
 size very much, and they can easily be divided for 
 planting again in the Fall. 
 
 A quart of these " offsets " will be enough for 
 family use. 
 
 11 
 
230 SORREL. SQUASH. 
 
 SORREL. 
 
 Rumex acetosa. 
 
 The Sorrel is a perennial — seldom cnltivated 6y 
 American gardeners. 
 
 It is a popular vegetal)le with the French, who 
 use it in various ways — for making salads, flavoring 
 soups and stews, and sometimes they serve it plain 
 as Spinach. 
 
 We have tried several times to eat Sorrel, served 
 in Frencli style, l)ut we had to give it up. It is said 
 to be a very healthful vegetal)le. 
 
 Sorrel is very easily cultivated. Tlie seed may be 
 sown in drills one foot apart, in April, and in ninety 
 days there will be an abundant crop of large, succu- 
 lent leaves. 
 
 SQUASH. 
 
 Oucnrhita Species. 
 
 The Squash is extensively cultivated in the kitchen- 
 garden and also as a profitable market crop. There 
 is a long list of varieties, all of them of tropical ori- 
 gin, and consequently tender. As the young plants 
 are so sensitive to cold, we seldom put in the seed be- 
 fore the middle of May, when the ground is warm 
 and the weather settled. The Squash will do well on 
 any properly prepared soil, but a sandy loam is bet- 
 ter adapted to this vegetable than soil of a heavier 
 character. 
 
 For the Early Bush sorts we make hills the same 
 as for Cucumbers and Melons, four feet between the 
 rows and tiiree feet in the rows, using about the same 
 
SQTTASH. ^ 231 
 
 quantity of well-rotted manure. Six or eight seeds 
 are planted in each liill. When three rough leaves 
 are formed, all l)ut three plants to a liill should be 
 puHed out. 
 
 As the young })lants are lial)le to the attacks of 
 the " Striped Biuj^^ the remedy recommended for 
 Cucumbers should be applied to the Squash vines. 
 
 The later varieties are cultivated in the same 
 manner, only making the hills eight feet a})art each 
 way. The space between the lulls can be planted 
 with Lettuce, or Kohl-Rabi, foi- an early Crop, where 
 economy of ground is essential. No weeds should be 
 allowed to appear among the vines. 
 
 On Long Island and in some parts of New Jersey 
 the early kinds are grown as field-crops ; ])ut the sale 
 of them is very uncertain. We have seen growers 
 who, one year, were forced to consign a large part of 
 their c^rop to the hog-pen; the next season the same 
 S})ace devoted to Squash gave a profit of one hundred 
 and twenty-five dollars. 
 
 The Early Bush varieties are grown largely 
 around Norfolk and Charleston, but even when 
 brought from so far South, the profits are not high, 
 seldom being more than one hundred and twenty-five 
 dollars an acre. When the expenses are deducted 
 from this amount, the profit is still less. 
 
 The varieties of Squash are numerous, but those 
 generally grown are but few. 
 
 Early White Bush is one of the earliest and 
 best kinds for market or home use. 
 
 Early Yellow Bush. — Similar to the above, 
 only differing in color. Plant four l)y three. 
 
232 SQUASH. 
 
 Early Bush Summer Crookneck is an old favor- 
 ite varietv for summer nse. The vines are compact 
 and bear abundantly. The fruit is yellow, covered 
 thickly with warty excrescences, and grows eight or 
 nine inches long. Plant four by three. 
 
 EARLY WHITE BUSH SQUASH. 
 
 Boston Marrow is a popular \'ariety for Fall and 
 Winter use. With careful treatment it can be kept 
 until the first of January. 
 
 The color of the flesh is orange, it is of a fine 
 
 SUMMER BUSH CROOKNECK. 
 
 grain, and cooks as dry as a Potato. Plant eight by 
 eight. 
 
 Hubbard. — This is a Fall and Winter variety, 
 equal, if not superior, in quality to the Boston Mar- 
 row. The skin being very hard, it keeps better ; 
 with care it can be kept until May. It is a good 
 
SWEET POTATOES. 233 
 
 variety for garden or field-culture. Plant eight by 
 eight. 
 
 YoKOHOMA. — This variety is from Japan, sent 
 here by Mr. Thomas Hogg^ and, after a ten years' 
 trial, proves to be a valuable acquisition. It is of a 
 pale green color, changing later in the season to a 
 dull orange. The surface is ribbed and warted. 
 The flesh is solid, orange color, fine grained, and 
 
 BOSTON MARROW 
 
 cooks dry, with a high flavor of excellent quality. 
 Can be kept until March. 
 
 Winter Crookneck is popular in New England 
 for Winter use. The Wnes grow luxuriantly and bear 
 a Squash with a long, solid neck ; cohjr pale yellow, 
 flesh tender, and g(;od for pies. 
 
 Three or four ounces of Squash-seed, of the dif- 
 ferent kinds, when properly cultivated, will give an 
 abundance for Sunnner and Winter use. 
 
 SWEET POTATO. 
 
 Ijpomoea hatatas. 
 Within the last ten years, tlie culture of the Sweet 
 Potato has increased very materially, in some of the 
 
234 SWEET POTATOES. 
 
 Middle States. Formerly the supply for the North- 
 ern markets came from Virginia and the Carolinas, 
 but now farmers in Xew Jersey and other States as 
 far north, having light sandy soil, are turning their 
 attention more and more every year to the culti\a- 
 tion of it as a profitable market crop. 
 
 It is useless to attempt growing the Sweet Pota- 
 toes, with any hopes of success, on a heavy clay soil. 
 They will only reach their full size on a light, warm, 
 sandy soil. In the Northern or Middle States the 
 plants should be started under glass, and transplanted 
 to the open air in June. 
 
 About the first of April a moderate hot-bed is 
 made, putting on top of the manure, when the frame 
 is in place, two inches of good garden-soil. The Po- 
 tatoes selected for seed, should l)e fine specimens. 
 These should be cut lengthwise in two, then placed 
 close to each other, flat side down, in the frame, and 
 covered at once with about three inches of garden- 
 mould, putting on the sashes immediately. In fifteen 
 da3'S from the time of planting, tlie young sprouts 
 will be well above ground ; then they should have an 
 abundance of air daily, or else they will grow too 
 long and spindling. They may be grown in hills, 
 three feet apart each way — either in the open field 
 or garden. A shovelful of well-rotted manure is 
 thrown on the spot and well mixed with the soil, 
 forming a raised mound like a Cucumber hill, only 
 larger. The plants may be separated from the Pota- 
 to by pressing them off with the thumb and finger. 
 They should be at once planted in the hill ; this must 
 be done early in June, on a damp or cloudy day. 
 
SWEET POTATOES. 235 
 
 Tli€ ground should be kept free from weeds, by fre- 
 quent stirrings with a cultivator or hand-hoe. When 
 the vines begin to run, they should be lifted carefully, 
 by hand, and their positions clianged, so that they 
 may not take root early in the season. If allowed to 
 do so, the Potatoes, even with a strong growth of vine, 
 will not be as large as they otherwise would. 
 
 The Sweet Potato is the only vegetable with 
 which I am familiar that will do better on shallow 
 than on deep-ploughed land. When the ground is 
 worked deep the roots grow long and very slender. 
 In garden-culture, we frequently tramp the spot hard 
 before putting on the manure and making the hill, 
 and find it works well. If the plants are taken off 
 carefully, a second crop of plants will soon come up 
 thickly, and grow full size, in time to set out in the 
 open field. Between three and four thousand plants 
 can be grown under a sash 3x6. 
 
 "VVlien tlie soil is light and warm, suited to the 
 growth of the Sweet Potato, it is a more profitable 
 crop to raise than the common Potato. From one 
 to two hundred dollars can be made from an acre. 
 Twelve or fifteen hills should yield a bushel of Pota- 
 toes. 
 
 There are only two or three kinds that are culti- 
 vated. 
 
 Nansemond is the best and earliest variety o-rown 
 in the Middle States. The roots are short but thick, 
 flesh yellow, dry, and of a fine flavor. 
 
 Yellow Skin is grown chiefly in the Carolinas, 
 where it is highly valued for its fine quality for the 
 table. It grows large, twelve inches long, swollen 
 
S36 SWEET POTATOES. 
 
 in the middle, three inches in diameter ; flesh yellow 
 and fine grained. 
 
 Red Skin. — The roots of this variety grow long 
 and thin. It is not desirable where the other kinds 
 are cultivated. 
 
CHAPTER Xin. 
 
 TOMATO. 
 
 Lycopersicum esculentum. 
 
 The Tomato is very extensively grown in many 
 sections of the country. When properly managed, 
 it usually pays a handsome profit on the capital in- 
 vested. 
 
 In common with many others, who have been for 
 some years practically engaged in h(^rticultural pur- 
 suits, we are frequently questioned by beginners 
 about the cultivation of the Tomato as a source of 
 profit : How much will an acre yield under ordinary 
 treatment, and the sum total that can be relied on 
 with any degree of certainty ? It is not an easy mat- 
 ter to answer such queries satisfactorily to the person 
 propounding them, from the fact that so much de- 
 pends on circumstances, such as proximity to a good 
 market, earliness, and the character of the soil on 
 which they are grown. Even with professional 
 gardeners, the Tomato is a precarious crop. It is ex- 
 ceedingly perishable ; three or four days' rain, or 
 damp and muggy weather at the time of ripening, 
 often spoils a very considerable part of the crop ; or, 
 even when gathered and packed in good order for 
 market, rougli or careless handling will so injure the 
 appearance of Tomatoes, that they have to be sold for 
 11- 
 
238 TOMATOES. 
 
 a low figure, at a time when sound ones are bringing 
 high rates. Again, a great deal depends upon the 
 skill of the culti^•ator in preparing his ground and 
 managing his plants, so as to bring the crop forward 
 a week or ten days earlier than the main crop from 
 the same vicinity. We have known of numerous 
 instances where two gardeners in the same neigh- 
 borhood would grow a certain number of baskets of 
 Tomatoes every year ; one of them, by skill and 
 close application to his business, would make from 
 an acre, from five to seven hundred dollars, while 
 the other would not make more than two hundred 
 and fifty dollars. Every intelligent gardener knows 
 the importance, in Tomato culture, of having strong, 
 stout, and stocky plants when the time arri\'es for 
 transplanting into the open ground. In fact, where- 
 this part of the business is overlooked or neglected, 
 it would be wiser and in every way better for the 
 farmer or gardener to devote his land to Potatoes or 
 Corn, instead of Tomatoes. 
 
 The consumption of Tomatoes is, of course, im- 
 mense ; but it makes a very decided difference to 
 the grower whether he has a term oi one, two, or 
 three weeks in the Tomato season, when his fruit will 
 be in brisk demand at prices ranging from three 
 to four dollars per l^asket of twenty quarts ; or he is 
 compelled to commence selling at fifty cents per 
 basket, on a falling market, whicli will soon reach 
 ten cents. At these low rates, the demand is not as 
 good as when Tomatoes were bringing three dollars 
 a basket. 
 
 Twelve or fourteen days in the date of ripening, 
 
TOMAToi:s. 239 
 
 will often make a difference of two or three hundred 
 dollars on an acre. To gain this time, practical 
 gardeners make use of every means to hasten the 
 ripening. Transplanting the plants two or three 
 times before setting them in the field has a tendency 
 to bring about this result, and this system is general- 
 ly adopted by the best cultivators. 
 
 Within the last six or seven years. Tomatoes have 
 been grown in some of the Southern States, and 
 shipped North in such quantities, as to create, what 
 might be termed, a panic among Northern growers. 
 Those sent from points south of Virginia usually 
 arrive in damaeced condition, owino^ to the careless 
 jucking and packing of many of the Southern growl- 
 ers, and they have not, so far, conflicted with the in- 
 terests of Northern gardeners. But Norfolk, Va., 
 and Delaware Tonuitoes, are now sent into New 
 York and other Northern markets, almost as fresh as 
 those gi-own in New Jersey or on Long Island. 
 Large quantities coming from these sources, have re- 
 duced the profits of Northern growers. 
 
 In growing Tomatoes for market, the frames 
 form a very important but at the same time a very 
 expensive item. At least from six to eight thou- 
 sand plants can be grown in a seed-bed (full direc- 
 tions for which will be found under IIot-I3eds) ; these, 
 however, n^ust be transplanted into other frames, put- 
 ting only sixty plants t(^ a sash, and when they are 
 set in place in the field four by four, this would take 
 two thousand seven hundred and twenty-two plants 
 to an acre, and from forty to fifty sashes. 
 
 There are hundreds of acres of Tomatoes grown 
 
240 TOMATOES. 
 
 a;*^'iind I^ew York by contract for canning. For this 
 pr^rpose the matter of earliness is not so important, 
 and a couple of hundred plants may be put in a trans- 
 planting bed. The canning companies usually pay 
 from forty to fifty cents a bushel, and growers do 
 well at these prices. 
 
 Soil. — The Tomato is one of the few plants grown 
 by market-gardeners for profit that will pay better 
 when planted in a poor than in a rich soil. I do not 
 mean a barren soil, but such as a gardener would 
 look upon as poor. Before planting, the ground 
 should be thoroughly and deeply ploughed and mel- 
 lowed. Then the furrows should be marked out 
 with two horses and a plough four feet each way. At 
 each intersection throw a small handful of Peruvian 
 guano. Then carefully lift the plants from the 
 frames, each one having a ball or scpiare piec^ of 
 earth attached to the roots. For this purpose use a 
 long-bladed knife, making a cut on the four sides of 
 the plants, which are then placed in a barrow or 
 spring wagon and taken to the field. The plants 
 are set in place on top of the guano or other stimu- 
 lant, some soil is drawn around the ball of earth, 
 which is pressed firmly by the hands of the operator, 
 and so on until the field is finished. When the 
 plants have had plenty of room in the frames, then 
 lifted as described above, they are not checked by 
 transplanting in the open ground. The roots will 
 very soon come in contact with the guano ; this 
 will force the plants forward more rapidly than any 
 other treatment with which we have experimented. 
 When Tomatoes are planted in strong, rich ground, 
 
TOMATOES. 
 
 241 
 
 they run too much to vines ; and although, taking 
 the season through, there will be more fruit, it comes 
 too late in the season, when Tomatoes are plenty and 
 cheap. 
 
 In cultivating Tomatoes in a large way, the only 
 trouble is to grow^ the plants. When once in per- 
 manent place they require less care than Coru. All 
 that is necessary is to keep the ground well cultivated 
 with horse implements, hand-hoeing once or twice 
 during the season imuiediately aromid tlie plants. 
 
 Yield per Acre.— In 1864 we contracted with 
 parties to grow them ten thousand baskets of Toma- 
 toes. The Summer of that year was excessi vely warm 
 and dry, and from a want of experience in handling 
 and shipping so many, quite a large proportion of 
 them spoiled on the vines. Still, from the number 
 of acres planted, the average yield gathered was nine 
 hundred baskets to the acre. Since then a careful 
 and large grower has assured me that he has repeated- 
 ly gathered one thousand bushels from an acre, and 
 I ha\'e not the least doubt as to the correctness of the 
 estimate. Taking a small piece of ground, we have 
 frequently got a higher average than this, but when 
 grown by the acre, the calculations have to be made 
 accordingly. It will take about twenty-seven hun- 
 dred plants to an acre, and each ])lant should produce 
 one peck of marketal)le fruit, making about seven 
 hundred bushels. 
 
 This is a fair estimate of the yield of Tomatoes, 
 and it can be safely stated that the gardener or farm- 
 er, who starts out with a firm determination to cul- 
 tivate and manage his field with care and discretion 
 
242 TOMATOES. 
 
 may, in a favorable season, rely upon six or seven 
 hundred bushels of Tomatoes to the acre. 
 
 These figures are based entirely on good cultiva- 
 tion, for we have seen many an acre of Tomatoes that 
 did not yield two hundred bushels. 
 
 Varieties. — Tiiere is now a lono- cataloo-ue of 
 varieties of Tomatoes, many of them recently intro- 
 duced. Among these new kinds, some have special 
 merit for the kitchen-garden, but so far we have 
 grown no variety that will compare, in earliness, 
 quality, and productiveness for market, with the old 
 favorite. 
 
 Smooth Round Red. — It is early, smooth, solid, 
 medium and uniform in size, and ripens to the stem. 
 The best market variety. 
 
 Trophy. — This new variety was sent out last 
 Spring for the^first time by Col. George E. Waring, 
 of Newport, R. I. 
 
 We have cultivated a number of plants of the 
 " Trophy," and we feel satisfied that it is a valuable 
 acquisition to our list of Tomatoes. In quality, 
 quantity of crop, and size of fruit, it is all that 
 Colonel Waring claims for it ; in fact, for solidity 
 and quality it is superior to any variety with which 
 we are familiar. Until the time comes when Toma- 
 toes are sold by weight, and not by measure, the 
 Trophy will not l)e(^ome a })opular market variety ; 
 for the reason that a huckster cannot measure a 
 quart or two of Tomatoes so large as they are. For 
 home consumption, the Tro])liy cannot help becom- 
 ing a favorite, provided the variety is kept pure. 
 When it is more generally cultivated, this Avill ne a 
 
TOMATOES. 243 
 
 difficult task. The specimen Tomatoes from which 
 we procured seed were very large, smooth, and 
 round. At least one-lialf of the crop from this seed 
 was of a different shape, altliougli the whole crop of 
 fruit was of large size. It is not as early as the 
 Smooth Round Red. 
 
 TiLDEN. — This variety we have grown three years 
 in succession, then dropped it fi-om our list as un- 
 worthy of a plac^e. It is a liglit ]>earer, not early, 
 and more liable to rot than any of the other large 
 kinds. 
 
 Coock's Favorite. — This is a reliable variety, and 
 popular in some sections for market. The fruit is 
 round, smooth, solid, and abundant. It is not with 
 us as early as the Early Smooth Red. 
 
 Lester's Perfected is large, late ; color pinkish 
 red, smooth, and solid. Only fit for home use. 
 
 Large Yellow is a medium-sized Tonuito, of a 
 bright yellow color. Fruit round and solid. Only 
 grown in the kitchen-garden. 
 
 Pear-Suaped and Cuerry are grown exclusively 
 for pickling and preserving, for which they are very 
 popular. 
 
 Plants for family use (-an be started, in ])ots or 
 boxes in warm rooms in March, and l)y the middle 
 of May — the time to transplant them — they will be 
 strong and stocky. 
 
 Seed may be sown in a ]:)rotected border in April, 
 and transplanted in June for a late (trop, that will 
 yield until frost. The l)earing season of all the 
 varieties may be lengthened by training the vines to 
 a fi-ame-work. 
 
244 TUKNIPS. 
 
 From twenty-five to fifty plants will be enough 
 to stock the kitchen-garden, planted four feet apart 
 each way. 
 
 TURNIP. 
 
 Brassica rapa. 
 
 The Turnip crop is an important one to the 
 farmer as well as to the market-gardener. But, as 
 yet, its culture is nothing like as extensive as the 
 value of this root for feeding stock and for culinary 
 purposes would warrant. 
 
 In the milk and beef-producing districts of the 
 Middle States, Turnips can be grown with, profit for 
 Winter and Spring feeding of stock. Sheep will 
 thrive w^ell w^hen fed in part w^ith Turnips through 
 the cold weather. 
 
 We are ijiclined to believe that the time is not 
 far distant when the good huslmndman will be forced 
 to acce})t this ])roposition, and devote more acres to 
 the production of this root for stock-feeding. 
 
 Within the last dozen years the culture of Tur- 
 nips has very considerably increased in this country ; 
 it will, no doubt, go on steadily from year to year, 
 but more rapidly when farmei*s will make use of 
 some of the improved horse-tools. These, when 
 properly applied, w^ill reduce the expense of culti- 
 vation at least one-half. 
 
 The main crop of Turnips is grown in the Fall, 
 and very commonly as a second crop. Those Avho 
 grow Early Potatoes foa- market harvest them in 
 time to sow Turnip-seed, and, by this method, pro- 
 duce two crops from the same ground in one year. 
 
TURNIPS. 246 
 
 In locations where this plan can be carried out^ tlie 
 crop of Turnips will often give as much profit as 
 the crop of Potatoes. We have frequently grown a 
 crop of Strap-leaf Red-Top Turnips on the same 
 ground with Corn, l)y sowing the seed broadcast in 
 July, just before the Corn was cultivated the last 
 time. We have often had, in this way, three or four 
 hundred bushels of good-sized Turnips in November, 
 from sowing only one pound of seed to the acre. 
 
 Soil. — The Turnip will grow freely on any kind 
 of soil — from a light sandy loam, to a heavy clay — 
 provided the ground is mellow and fertile wlien tlie 
 seed is sown. This is the important point in grow- 
 ing Turnips. As a matter of course, those kinds 
 that have to be cultivated in rows can be OTown witli 
 much less expense on a free soil without stones,' than 
 on a heavy clay soil with stones. Nor does the soil 
 need to be very rich to produce a full crop. AYhen 
 sown on rich soil, tlie growth of tops will be too 
 large, without a corresponding growth of the roots. 
 
 On ground well manured in the Spring, for Early 
 Potatoes, and after these have been dug, in July, 
 ploughed and harrowed, a crop of Turnips can be 
 grown without any additional manure. But we 
 nsually, before harrowing, spread broadcast two or 
 three hundred pounds of sui)eri)hosphate to the acre. 
 In garden-culture, on ground where Potatoes, Peas, 
 Beans, etc., etc., have l)een taken off, some wood- 
 ashes, bone-flour, or sui)erph()S|)hate, may be applied 
 in the same way with advantage, before sowmg the 
 Turnip-seed. 
 
 Culture. — The 2:round should be well worked 
 
246 
 
 TUENIPS. 
 
 HEXAMER PBONG- 
 HOE. 
 
 before sowing the seed. When 
 a Summer crop of Potatoes has 
 been grown, one ploughing, in 
 most instances, will suffice ; but, 
 otherwise, two ploughings will 
 be found to give the most sat- 
 isfactory returns. The time of 
 sowing for the main crop will 
 depend on the location and the 
 kind to be grown. At our farm 
 in New Jersey, we sow the Kuta 
 Baga from the 20th of June un- 
 til the 15th of July, as the case 
 may be. 
 
 With the Yellow Stone, Aber- 
 deen, Long \Vliite Cow-Horn, and 
 Strap-leaf Red-Top, we sow them 
 in the order named ; in relation 
 to time, from the middle of July 
 to the 1st of September. The 
 last-named sort, which is very 
 extensively grown, will, on well- 
 prepared soil, attain full size in 
 much the shortest time. In 1866 
 we sowed a held of this kind be- 
 tween the 10th and 15th of Sep- 
 tember, and in ninety days we 
 gathered a fine crop of Turnips. 
 
 In growing Turnips for mar- 
 ket or for feeding-purposes, the 
 Ruta Baga is most highly valued. 
 This variety is always grown in 
 rows ; in field-culture they should 
 
TURNIPS. 24:7 
 
 be two feet apart, so as to admit of horse-tools in 
 cultivation. We ridge the ground before sowing the 
 seed, in the same wa}' and for the same reasons as 
 recommended for Carrots. The seed is sown with a 
 machine, using one and a half pounds to an acre. 
 If the seed is fresli and the weather favorable, in 
 twelve days from the date of sowing the plants will 
 be up; then a "root-cleaner" should be run be- 
 tween the rows at once, running twice in each space. 
 This should be repeated in ten or twelve days. 
 
 The cost of cultivation is trilling, if the ground 
 between the rows is disturbed often enough to pre- 
 vent the weeds from starting. " A stitch in time 
 sa\'es nine ; " for, if neglected at this stage of growth, 
 the expenses will amount to live times as much, and, 
 at the same time, the crop will be lessened. 
 
 When the plants are two or three inches high, 
 they may be thinned out to four inches apart in the 
 row. The thinning can be done more quickly by 
 one person gomg in advance of the others, with a 
 hoe four inches wide, and chopping out the young 
 Turnips, leaving three or four in a bunch every four 
 inches apart. These are removed by hand, allowing 
 only one to remain in a place. AVlien timely care is 
 taken with Ruta Bagas, this is the only hand-labor 
 called for during their growth. It is frequently 
 recommended to sow the Ruta Baga in seed-beds, 
 and then, at the proper time in favorable weather, 
 transplant into rows at the distances named. We 
 have tried this method time and again, and always 
 with the same result ; that is, an increased expense 
 in growing this crop, under our management. 
 
248 TUKNIPS. 
 
 The Yellow Stone and Aberdeen we sow two and 
 three weeks later, treating them in the same way as 
 Rnta Bagas. On very mellow ground we sometimes 
 sow the seed on the level, marking the rows three 
 inches wider, so as to give more room for the horse- 
 tools. 
 
 The Cow-IIorn and Strap-leaf will yield more to 
 the acre when sown in rows ; but, as a rule, farmers 
 sow these two kinds broadcast, because there is no 
 " bother " in cultivation. Last year a friend of the 
 w^riter raised eight hundred bushels of the Cow-IIorn 
 on an acre. The seed was sown broadcast duriui]: 
 the first week in August, using only three-quarters 
 of a pound of seed. When sown broadcast and scat- 
 tered evenly, three-quarters of a pound of fresh seed 
 will be found a full complement for an acre. 
 
 In garden-culture. Turnip-seed should always be 
 sown in row^s twelve or fifteen inches apart, and the 
 plants thinned to three or four inches apart in the 
 row. For table use, a medium-sized Turnip is pre- 
 ferable. 
 
 Two ounces of seed, comprising two or three 
 sorts, will give enough for family use during the 
 Fall, Winter, and Spring. 
 
 Harvesting. — In the latitude of New York, Tur- 
 nips are pulled in Xovember, by hand, throwing 
 three or four rows together, the roots all one way. 
 The tops are then cut off and the Turnips placed in 
 a root-cellar, or pitted, in the same way as Carrots 
 and Beets. If grown for stock-feeding, the white 
 kinds should be used first. The yellow sorts and 
 Ruta Bagas can be kept, if necessary, until Spring. 
 
TURNIPS. 
 
 249 
 
 All through 
 
 Profits. — These will depend on the locality and 
 the purposes for which Turnips are grown. Where 
 we are located, Ruta Bagas and Yellow Stones are 
 worth, by the quantity, fi'oni forty to sixty cents a 
 bushel, and sell readily at these prices, 
 the past Winter, Yellow 
 Stones sold for one dollar 
 and seventy-five cents per 
 barrel, and Ruta Bagas for 
 two dollars. At these rates 
 Turnips pay handsomely, 
 when grown as a second 
 crop, with a yield of from 
 four to six hundred bush- 
 els to the acre. 
 
 Varieties. — Of these 
 there can be found a long 
 list on seedsmen's cata- 
 logues, but, like most other 
 kinds of vegetables, only 
 a few kinds are grown by 
 those who have experience. 
 Among the best is the 
 
 American Improved 
 Ruta Baga. — This variety 
 is cultivated both for mar- 
 ket and stock, and is the 
 best on the list. 
 
 The flesh is solid, tender, and of delicate flavor 
 when cooked. 
 
 Laing's Improved is a more vigorous grower than 
 the foregoing, and, if on strong ground, the roots 
 
 AMERICAN IMPROVED 
 RUTA BAGA. 
 
250 
 
 TtJRNlPS. 
 
 Tliey are purple 
 The flesh is solid 
 
 will average a third larger in size, 
 above ground, and yellow below, 
 and yellow. 
 
 Yellow Stone is one of the most profitable and 
 popular varieties that we grow for market or for 
 table use. The root is nearly round, medium-sized, 
 color light yellow. The flesh is yellow and sweet. 
 
 Y E L L o AV Aberdeen 
 grows to a large size. It 
 is generally grown for feed- 
 ing cattle ; for this object 
 it is a valuable variety. 
 
 Cow- Horn. — This kind 
 grows rapidly, forming a 
 lono^ root, not unlike the 
 White Carrot. The Cow- 
 Horn is cultivated exclu- 
 sively for feeding stock, 
 and when sown in good 
 ground, the yield is very 
 laro-e — from eio:ht hun- 
 dred to one thousand bush- 
 els are frequently produced 
 from an acre. 
 
 Strap-leaf Hed-Top is 
 well and fa\'orably known in almost exery part of the 
 country. It is purple above and white below. The 
 flesh is white, and very tender when cooked (p. 252). 
 Flat Dutch, or Spring. — The Flat Dutch is 
 sown in the Spring, as an early variety for table use. 
 It is grown on a large scale, by gardeners, in the 
 vicinity of a market. 
 
 YELLOW STONE, 
 
TURNnS. 
 
 251 
 
 It is a white Turnip, and when of medium size 
 the quality is good. 
 
 Turnips are subject to the ravages of the same 
 kinds of insects that injure Cabbages. We have 
 known instances where the 
 wliole crop was badly injured 
 by club-root. The black flea 
 {Haltica striolat(() destroys the 
 young plants when they ap- 
 pear above the surface. 
 
 The same remedies recom- 
 mended for Cabbages will an- 
 swer for Turnips. 
 
 HERBS. 
 
 The vegetable garden is not 
 complete without its stock of 
 the sweet herbs. The treat- 
 ment of all that are commonly 
 grown is so nearly the same, 
 it is hardly necessary to give 
 separate directions for the va- 
 rious k'nds. 
 
 A seed -bed should l)e pre- 
 pared early in the Spring — 
 made rich, loose, and mellow, 
 raking the surface and remov- 
 ing all stones, lumps, etc., tfcc. cow-horn. 
 
 Then open shallow rows one 
 
 foot apart for the seed. A small package of each 
 kind, costing ten cents, will give an abundance for 
 
252 
 
 HEEBS. 
 
 family use. The seed is sown in these drills, each 
 kind by itself, and covered by raking the bed in 
 the direction of the rows. The seed-bed should be 
 kept free from weeds by frequent disturbance of 
 the soil. When the plants are an inch above the 
 surface, they may be thinned out to four inches 
 apart in the row. 
 
 STRAP-LEAP RED-TOP. 
 
 A larger yield will be obtained by transplanting 
 into another bed in June, setting the plants one foot 
 apart each way. The only care will be to prevent, 
 the weeds from gaining any lieadway. 
 
 In the Fall, the tops should be cut off, tied in 
 
HERBS. 253 
 
 small bunches, dried, and then carefully packed 
 away in boxes until wanted. 
 
 Among those in general use, may be named Ba- 
 sil, Caraway, Marjoram, Eose Mary, Sage, Summer 
 Savory, and Thyme. 
 
 12 
 
CHAPTEE XIY. 
 
 FORCING-HOUSES FOK VPXtETABLES. 
 
 The culture of special crops, on an extensive scale, 
 is now the policy of the most successful gardeners 
 around New York, and the tendency of the entire 
 trade is gradually working in the same direction. 
 
 For many years past there has been, in Xew 
 York and Boston, a large and growing demand, dur- 
 ing the Winter and Spring months, for what garden- 
 ers call, Frame Lettuce. As managed at present, 
 with bottom-lieat, growing this kind of Lettuce is a 
 large, and, wlien pro])erly understood, a lucrative 
 branch of garden hig. 
 
 Until recently, this Winter Lettuce was brought 
 forward in hot-beds, started in the Fall. If found 
 necessary, tlie manure was renewed during the Win- 
 ter, after the iirst or second crop had been sold, so 
 that three crops of Lettuce and one of Cucumbers 
 wei*e, with close attention, taken off from these heds 
 between the first of November and the fifteenth of 
 June. 
 
 Within the last three years a number of forcing- 
 houses, heated by hot water, have been built in the 
 vicinity of New York, by gardeners, for the purpose 
 of growing vegetables (Lettuce, Radishes, and Cu- 
 cumbers), during the Winter. Some of these houses 
 
FOECING-HOUSES FOR VEGETABLES. 
 
 255 
 
 in onr iieig'hborli; >;»("!, liavo now been 
 in operation two yeiirs. We have 
 watched their workings with a con- 
 siderable degree of interest, and we 
 have conchided that this style of 
 structure, for the purpose named, is 
 more economical, and for those who 
 can command the means requisite 
 for building, it will eventually su- 
 persede the old hot-bed system. With 
 one of these houses, a private family 
 
 RIDGE-POLE. 
 
 t 
 
 could have the table well supplied, \ 
 at a conn)aratively trifling cost, with ; 
 fresh vegetables through the wliole ; 
 AVinter ; besides such a l)uilding 
 could, at any time, be turned into a 
 green-house or conservatory. 
 
 With the commercial gardener, 
 this is a new l)ranch of the luisiness, 
 and many mistakes will prol)ably be 
 made at the outset, both in construc- 
 tion an 1 in nuxnagement, while the 
 crops are growing, by allowing the 
 temperature o be regulated by inex- 
 perienced persons. When f(U-cing Lettuce or Radishes, 
 the temperature, during the cold weather, should be 
 tlirough the night about forty-five degj^ees, and dur 
 
256 FORCING-HOUSES FOR VEGETABLES. 
 
 iiig the clay not above seventy degrees — ranging be- 
 tween these two figures. 
 
 These houses may be built any desired length 
 from one to three hundred feet and from two to eig-ht 
 in width, or connected, as shown in the end view, p. 255. 
 
 Each liouse is eleven feet wide, with a table on 
 either side and a passage-way twenty inches wide, the 
 floor of which should be six and a half feet clear 
 from the ridge-pole. 
 
 These buildiHgs are heated by hot water, a double 
 row of four-inch pipes, under each table, supported 
 every ten or twelve feet by brick pillars, eighteen 
 inches high, which will bring the pipes within fifteen 
 inches of the tables. 
 
 There are quite a number of these patent heating 
 apparatuses, now in general use, near New York. 
 As far as we have been able to examine them, there 
 is very little difference, either in the expense or in 
 the working of some of these A-arious patents. Of 
 those most popular among gardeners, are Ilichings 
 & Go's., C. R. Ellis's, and Weathered and Chesevoy's 
 any one of which will answer the purpose. 
 
 The outside walls should be put up as follows : a 
 post is set every four feet and weather-boarded, then 
 a space on the inside of two inches, and an eight- 
 inch brick wall, on which rests the outside gutter 
 plate. 
 
 The ridge-pole is five inches b}' two and a half, 
 cu>t in on either side three-quarters of an inch (as 
 seen on p. 255), to give a bearing for the upper end of 
 the sash to rest on. The gutter plates are twelve 
 inches wide, four inches thick, and supported by j^osts 
 
FORCING- HOUSES FOR VEGETABLES. 257 
 
 every ten or twelve feet. A narrow board is nailed 
 inside, on each side of the i)late, for the lower end 
 of the sash to rest on. Tlie sashes are 3 x (> and 
 made of glass S x 10, on ac-connt of giving more liglit. 
 Every alternate sash is permanently fastened by three 
 large screws on eitlier end. The others can be raised 
 np on top to admit air, when necessary. This is con- 
 veniently done ])y having a piece of flat iron fastened 
 to the sash, and three or four holes in the iron. The 
 sash is raised to the height rerpiired, by this piece of 
 iron and secured l)y a pin driven in the ridge-pole, 
 which holds the iron in place. 
 
 On the inside of the lower end of the frame of 
 each of the movable sashes, is screwed a piece of inch 
 stuff, three and a half feet long. Two inches of this 
 narrow strip of wood, on either side, will project 
 under the permanent sashes and thus prevent the 
 movable ones from beino^ lifted off bv a o^ale of wind. 
 All through the Winter, and more especially towards 
 Spring, a considerable amount of water is needed to 
 keep the plants in good condition. This water is 
 saved from the gutters of the houses, led by pipes 
 into a cistern, which runs across the houses. A neigh- 
 bor who has three houses, one hundred and twenty 
 feet long, each, has a cistern, twenty-seven feet long, 
 eight feet deep and seven feet wide, which holds a 
 sufficient sup])ly of water. Another grower, who 
 has five connected houses, each two hundred feet 
 long, has a different arrangement. At about one 
 hundred feet from either end of these houses, the 
 pitch of the roof is changed, running across from 
 east to west, the main houses run from north to 
 
258 
 
 FOKCING-HOUSES FOR VEGETABLES. 
 
 south. This is intended for economy in time, in 
 being able to go from one house to another, without 
 havino: to o-o to either end. At the west end of this 
 cross-pitcli is a one-quarter horse-power Ericsson's 
 caloric engine, attached to a small pump, throwing 
 an inch stream. Above this apparatus tliere is a tank, 
 made of two -inch chestnut and lined witli lead. 
 Around this tank, which holds four hundred gallons, 
 there is a brick wall, leaving a space of three or four 
 inches between the outside of the tank and the 
 bricks. 
 
 In less tlian two hours, and with an expense 
 
 of about eight or ten 
 pounds of coal, this 
 little engine fills the 
 tank with water. 
 
 The hose, one and 
 a quarter inches, for 
 watering, is attached 
 to the tank, and by 
 this means one man 
 or boy can water the 
 beds, instead of two, which the hand force-pump re- 
 quires. The total cost of this engine and pump is 
 two hundred and fifty dollars — it more than pays for 
 itself in a year. The caloric engine needs no en- 
 gineer to attend to it ; there is no danger of an ex- 
 plosion, and it does the Avork of pumping this daily 
 amount of water at very low cost. 
 
 At the southern end of these houses, every inch 
 of space is utilized, and economically laid out, by 
 continuing the glass roof around the end, lea\dng a 
 
 ERICSSON S CALORIC ENGINE AND 
 PUMP. 
 
FORCING-HOUSES FOR VEGETABLES. 259 
 
 passage-way inside connecting all the five houses, 
 with a forcing-table on either side of this passage. 
 
 A shed made of wood or l)rick is necessary at the 
 north end of the houses. This will serve a double 
 purpose — as a market-house for preimring the " stuff," 
 and it will prevent the snow from drifting into the 
 alleys. A board fence running along the Avest side, 
 will also be found of service for this purpose. 
 
 The tables should be three or four inches below 
 the lower edge of the gvtter plates, to prevent rot- 
 ting of the timbers. All the boards of the tables 
 shoTild 1)6 painted with tar. before putting them in 
 place. There is nothing gained l)y boarding up the 
 sides, along the passage-way — a single board five or 
 six inches wide, nailed along the outside edge to keep 
 the earth in its place, will be quite sufticient. 
 
 A rich soil, about six or seven inches deep, made 
 up of one-third well -rotted manure and two-thirds 
 garden soil is put on the tables. The first crop of 
 Lettuce, thirty-five plants to a sash is planted about 
 the 20th of October. Yery little heat is required 
 before December. This crop is ready for market 
 about Christmas. The soil is then worked over and 
 j^lanted again. Tliis crop will be ready in about nine 
 weeks more — then a third planting is set out, to be 
 followed by cucund)ers. 
 
 At first, gardeners depended on plants grown in 
 the Fall, for the several crops, but during last Winter, 
 a few, Avho fell short of old plants, so^^'ed seed in the 
 houses at the time of planting the Lettuce. 
 
 These plants were large enough for the next 
 crop, and did much better than the older ones. 
 
260 FORCING-HOUSES FOK YEGETABLE8. 
 
 It will take about four tons of coal to heat one 
 hundred feet of house, and one boiler will heat three 
 hundred feet with twelve tons. 
 
 The total expense of building this kind of house 
 will average from ten dollars to thirteen dollars a 
 foot, according to circumstances. This includes not 
 only the liouses, but all the forcing-pumps, &g., &c. 
 
 The gross receipts from the four crops, will 
 amount to about five dollars a sash ; from which two 
 dollars may be deducted for expenses, leaving a prof- 
 it of three dollars a sash. We have known fre- 
 quently of profits being double this amount, but 
 some instance shave also come under our notice 
 where they were not as large. 
 
 A crop of Radishes will pay about the same as 
 Lettuce, per sash — the only advantage is, that Rad- 
 ishes will be ready for market in six or seven weeks, 
 while Lettuce will take nine. 
 
 James Muir & Sons, who have seven hundred and 
 eighty feet of this class of forcing-houses, which cost 
 them for construction ten dollars a lineal foot, now, 
 after two years' experience, make the following ex- 
 hibit of one year's crops : 
 
 Gross receipts from four crops $2,562 41 
 
 Interest on $7,800, at 10 per cent $780 00 
 
 Coal 200 00 
 
 Labor 300 00 
 
 Manure 50 00 
 
 1,330 00 
 
 Net profits $1,232 41 
 
 Let no one flatter himself that this business is all 
 ' sunshine." There are serious obstacles constantly 
 
FORCING-HOUSES FOR VEGETABLES. 261 
 
 presenting themselves, very discouraging to those 
 who ha\e ah-eady built this kind of house for forcing 
 vegetables. Tlie greatest drawback is the damping 
 off of the plants in some parts of the l)eds. This oc- 
 curs at any stage of the growth, and without any ap- 
 parent cause. Sometimes when the Lettuce is half 
 or two-thirds grown, in certain spots, the plants look 
 wilted, the leaves droop, and they might just as well 
 be pulled out at once and thrown away, for they only 
 get worse the longer they remain. A friend, who is 
 largely engaged in this business, told me a short tiiK^ 
 ago, that in one of his houses at least a third of the 
 crop was worthless from this cause, while in the other 
 two houses along side, planted and cared for in tlie 
 same way, there was not an injured specimen to be 
 found. In some cases the roots are rotted off, in 
 others the outside coating of the root seems loose and 
 comes off very readily, no insect marks of any kind 
 being discernible in either instance. Again, the 
 roots may be sound, but the leaves lose vigor and 
 droop when the sun shines. I am in(dined to think 
 that this condition or disease is brought about by 
 keeping the temperature of the houses above fifty 
 decrees with fire-lieat. 
 
 The aphides, or " green fly," are very troublesome ; 
 if neglected they will soon get the better of the gar- 
 dener and destroy his crop of Lettuce in part or en- 
 tirely. They are very destructive, and multiply at an 
 enormous rate. To guard against these little pests the 
 houses must be fumigated with Tobacco stems twice a 
 week. For this purpose a number of sheet-iron fur- 
 naces, about fifteen iiu'heshigh and eight in diameter, 
 
262 FORcmG-HOTJSES Fl»k vegetables. 
 
 with a grate placed near the bottom, and an opening 
 below to give draft, are very serviceable. Some 
 shavings and Tobacco stems are put into the fur- 
 naces, which are placed in different parts of the 
 houses, then lighted, and the work is very soon ac- 
 complished. To prevent the Tobacco from burning 
 too fast a cover is placed (m each furnace ; this checks 
 the draft and increases the quantity of smoke. 
 
 As stated in the chapter on IIot-Beds, the curled 
 varieties of Lettuce will not answer for forcing. The 
 most reliable kinds for this purpose are the Tennis 
 Ball and Boston Head, or Wliite-seeded Butter 
 Lettuce. 
 
 In planting three or four houses with Lettuce it 
 is advisable not to plant the whole at the same time ; 
 it will be better to have some difference in the date 
 of ripening. 
 
 The space under the tables can be used in grow- 
 ing Rhubarb, for which there is a demand, early in 
 the season, at high prices. Chives can also be forced 
 in the same way, or, better still, they can be jnit into 
 thumb-pots and set on the ground under the tables. 
 
 Asparagus can be forced in these houses, with 
 more economy than in hot-beds, from roots fixe or six 
 years old. Also, Strawberries Avill do well, if plant- 
 ed on the tables, at any time during the Winter, 
 eight inches apart each way. In conclusion, any 
 kind of " stuff " that can be grown in a hot-bed or 
 green-house, can also be grown in these forcing 
 houses. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A LIST OF VEGETABLE SEEDS FOR THE KITCHEN-GARDKK 
 
 For those persons who are not familiar with the 
 best kinds and quantity of garden Seed necessary to 
 supply a family of eight or ten persons, I append the 
 f (flowing list, which may help beginners, or those 
 who may want to stock their gardens with an abund- 
 ant supply of the leading kinds of vegetables for 
 home use. With Radishes, Peas, and Bush Beans, 
 there should be a succession of plantings, say every 
 two or three weeks, from April until the middle of 
 July. This w411 give a supply of young Radishes, 
 Peas, and Bea^is until late in the Fall. 
 
 DWARF BEANS. 
 
 Early Valentine, Refugee or One Thousand to 
 One, and White Kidney ; two quarts of the three 
 sorts. 
 
 POLE BEANS. 
 
 Large White Lima, and Horticultural Cranberry ; 
 Dne pint each, Avill plant one hundred and fifty hills. 
 
 BEETS. 
 
 Early Blood Turnip, Bassano, and Long Smooth 
 Blood ; two ounces of each, 
 
264 A LIST OF SEEDS. 
 
 CABBAGE. 
 
 Jersey Wakefield for early, Large Flat Dutch and 
 Drumhead Savoy for late. A small package of each 
 kind, or one hundred plants of each sort, will be an 
 abundance. 
 
 SWEET CORN. 
 
 Two quarts of a couple or three varieties, planted 
 at different dates, will be enough. 
 
 CUCUMBER. 
 
 White Spine and Long Green ; one ounce of each 
 will be enough for early and late. 
 
 CARROT. 
 
 Long Orange, or Bliss' Improved Long Orange, 
 are the best varieties for the garden ; two ounces of 
 
 either will be enough. 
 
 CAULIFI.OAVER. 
 
 Half Early Paris, and Early Erfurt, are the most 
 reliable ; half an ounce of either Avill give plenty of 
 plant*. 
 
 CELERY. 
 
 White Solid, Dwarf Incomparable, or Boston 
 Market ; one ounce will give three thousand plants. 
 
 EGG PLANT. 
 
 The Improved New York is the best. A small 
 paper of seed will give enough of plants. When 
 
A LIST OF SEEDS. 265 
 
 they grow well, tlie^^ will produce from six to ten 
 eggs to a plant — twenty-live plants. 
 
 LETTUCE. 
 
 Simpson's Curled and Black Seeded Butter ; a 
 small 23aper of each. 
 
 MUSK MELON. 
 
 Skillman's Fine Ketted, and Nutmeg ; one ounce 
 will plant fifty hills. 
 
 WATER MELON. 
 
 Mountain Sweet and Mountain Sprout (and Cit- 
 ron for preserves) ; one ounce will plant thirty hills. 
 
 ONIONS. 
 
 Wethersfield Large Red, Yellow Dan vers, and 
 White Portugal ; four ounces of seed will produce 
 enough for table use. 
 
 PARSNIPS. 
 
 Long Smooth ; one ounce of fresh seed. 
 
 PEAS. 
 
 Philadelpliia Extra Early, Tom Thumb, Cham- 
 pion of England, White and Black Marrowfats ; one 
 pint of each, sowed in the order named. 
 
 PEPPERS. 
 
 Large Squash and Bull-Nose ; a small paper of 
 seed will give plants enough — twenty-five plants. 
 
666 A LIST OF SEEDS. 
 
 RADISH. 
 
 Early Turnip Scarlet, Short-Top Long Scarlet, 
 White Spanish, Black Spanish ; one ounce of each. 
 Sowed in the order named. 
 
 SPINACH. 
 
 Hound Smooth-leaved ; fou^r ounces sowed in Sep- 
 tember and two in April. 
 
 SALSIEY. 
 
 This vegetable should be included in every welb 
 stocked garden ; two ounces will be enough. 
 
 SQUASH. 
 
 White Bush, White Summer Crook Neck, Boston 
 Marrow, and Hubbard ; one ounce of the early 
 varieties will plant forty hills, and the same quantity 
 of seed will plant only twenty hills of the Boston 
 Marrow or Hubbard. 
 
 TOMATO. 
 
 Smooth Eound Eed and Trophy, a small paper 
 of each, or fifty plants, will give an abundant 
 supply. 
 
 TURNIPS. 
 
 White Dutch, (for early). Strap-leaf Eed-Top, 
 Yellow Stone, and Improved American Ruta Baga .* 
 one ounce of each. 
 
A LIST OF SHEDS. 
 
 267 
 
 THE QUANTITY OF SEED TO AN ACRE. 
 
 Beans (bush, 
 " Pole, . 
 
 Beets, 
 
 Carrots, 
 
 Cucumbers, 
 
 Corn (in hills). 
 
 Musk Melon, 
 
 Water " 
 
 Onions, 
 
 Pai'snips, 
 
 Peas (in drills), . 
 
 Eadishes, 
 
 Salsify, 
 
 Spinach, 
 
 Squash, 
 
 Turnips in drills, . 
 " broadcast. 
 The quantities gi 
 
 H bush. 
 12 qts. 
 5 lbs. 
 4 " 
 2 " 
 8 qts. 
 
 2 lbs. 
 
 3 to 4 lbs. 
 ^Jo5 " 
 
 4 " 
 1^ bush, 
 
 5 lbs. 
 
 5 " 
 
 6 " 
 3 " 
 
 1 " 
 en are often varied. In case 
 we have any doubts about the seed being fresh, the 
 quantity is increased, &c. &c. 
 
 VITALITY OF GARDEN SEED. 
 
 The vitality of many kinds of garden seeds will 
 depend on the temperature in which they are kept. 
 As fast as the different kinds of such are gatliered, 
 properly dried and cleaned in the Summer and Fall, 
 they should be put in cotton bags, and tied up to tlie 
 rafters in the seed-room or garret, wliere tlie dry air 
 can circulate about them freely. When stored in a 
 damp, close atmosphere, garden seeds will very soon 
 lose their germinating power. 
 
268 
 
 DISTANCE TABLE. 
 
 As a rule fi-esh seed are best, but there are a 
 number of kinds that are just as good at three or 
 four years old as they were at one. 
 
 Asparagus aud Beets are good at two years. 
 Carrot, Egg Plant, Parsnip, Salsify, Ouion, Peas and 
 Beans, should always be of the previous year's 
 growth. Cabbage-seed, is good for five years. 
 Celery, Parsley, Spinach, Turnip, Padishes, Cauli- 
 flower and Lettuce, are good for two years. Cu- 
 cumbers, Melons, Squash, and Pumpkins, are better 
 at six years than one. 
 
 DISTANCE TABLE. 
 
 The following table will be found useful in cal- 
 culating the number of plants that can be set on an 
 acre, also for the distribution of manure, laying out 
 beds, &c. &c. 
 
 There are forty -three thousand five hundred aud 
 sixty square feet in an acre of ground, and when set 
 at the respective distance apart, will coiitain th^ 
 numbers desimiated. 
 
 Distance. 
 1 ft. by 1 ft. 
 
 H 
 2 
 
 2^ 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 Number. 
 
 43,560 
 
 n 19,360 
 
 2 10,890 
 
 21 6,970 
 
 1 14,520 
 
 2 7,260 
 
 3 4,840 
 
 4 2,722 
 
 5 1,742 
 
 Distance. 
 
 Number. 
 
 
 6 ft. by 6 ft 1,210 
 
 9 
 12 
 15 
 18 
 20 
 25 
 30 
 40 
 
 12 
 15 
 18 
 20 
 25 
 80 
 40 
 
 537 
 302 
 194 
 134 
 103 
 70 
 
 i<^: 
 
 .w-.'t 
 
 tJ'' 
 
 
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 Greenhouse Management 
 
 By L. R. Taft. This book forms an almost indispensable 
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 Fungi and Fungicides 
 
 By Prof. Clarence M. Weed. A. practical manual con- 
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 Mushrooms. How to Grow Them 
 
 By William Falconer. This is the mos', p Actical work 
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Cabbage, Cauliflower and Allied Vegetables 
 
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 Asparagus 
 
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 The New Onion Culture 
 
 By T. Greiner. Rewritten, greatly enlarged and brought 
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 Thousands of farmers and gardeners and many experiment 
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 The New Rhubarb Culture 
 
 A complete guide to dark forcing and field culture. Part 
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The New Egg Farm 
 
 By H. H. Stoddard. A practicnl, reliable manual on 
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 Poultry Feeding and Fattening 
 
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 Poultry Architecture 
 
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 Poultry Appliances and Handicraft 
 
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 Turkeys and How to Grow Them 
 
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Farmer's Cyclopedia 
 of Agriculture ^ /^ 
 
 tA Compendium of Agricultural Science and Practice 
 on Farm, Orchard and Garden Crops, and the 
 Feeding and Diseases of Farm Animals ; ; : ; 
 
 'Bt; EARLEY VERNON WILCOX, Ph.D. 
 and CLARENCE BEAMAN SMITH, M.S. 
 
 Associate Editors in the Office of Experiment Stations, Untied States 
 Department of Agriculture 
 
 THIS is a new, practical, and complete pres- 
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 for the use of agriculturists who desire 
 up-to-date, reliable information on all 
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 Detailed directions for the culture of every 
 
 important field, orchard, and garden crop 
 
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 suggested for controlling them. 
 
 Every bit of this vast mass of new and useful 
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 and 7.000 topics covered in these references, and 
 it contains 700 royal 8vo pages and nearly 500 
 superb half-tone and other original illustrations, 
 making the most perfect Cyclopedia of Agricul- 
 ture ever attempted. 
 
 Handsomely bound in cloth, $3.50; half morocco 
 (Very sumptuous). $4.50. postpaid 
 
 ORANGE JUDD COMPANY.^?'''"''"?-''"'' ''^^^"'■■'' "■ 
 
 Marquette Building. Chicago, III.