50 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 
more or less nearly every year, in my selection of seeds 
and plants. Of course Iam anxious to grow the best of 
every thing in my line, and if there is something new and 
better than what I already have, I want it, and am willing 
to pay an extra price for it; but to pay an extra price for 
some so-called new variety of fruit or vegetable, and then 
to find it sometimes only an old variety, picked up and 
sold under a new name, and not equal to those I now have, 
is not conducive to any great peace of mind or body. 
Hence I will only say further on this point, that the great- 
est care should be taken to select good and reliable men to 
deal with, and then exercise the greatest care and good 
judgment in selecting your seeds and plants, or you will be 
sadly disappointed in the result of your year’slabors. Then 
comes knowing how to plant, how to cultivate, how to sell, 
when, where and to whom, and at what prices. Some of the 
perishable crops, such as berries, lettuce, radishes, etc., must 
be sold at the time they are best fitted for the market, and 
must be so grown, and put upon the market in such a con- 
dition, as to be attractive and equal to the best, or loss in- 
stead of profit will be the almost inevitable result. The 
season of the year devoted to gathering and marketing 
perishable crops, is to the wide-awake and truly successful 
market gardener, one of ceaseless toil, almost day and 
night. 
Please allow me to give you just a momentary glance at 
my own garden in this busiest season of the year. It con- 
tains 40 acres, and has three railroad depots and two steam- 
boat docks within about one and one-half miles of its pack- 
ing-house. The day laborers are supposed to put in ten 
hours per day, but to some others on and around the place, 
the time is quite differently arranged. The past season, one 
express train left for the north at 2 o’clock a. m., and some of 
our customers wished their berries and other things shipped 
on that train. In order to have them reach their destination 
in first-rate condition, they were left in our cooling house 
until one o’clock a. m., and then taken direct to the train, 
