TRANSACTIONS OF HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ILL. 289 



distribution and division of labor, lies one of the principal secrets of his 

 success. In addition to all this, the rapid gathering, bunching, proper 

 washing, also a proper attendance to and pushing of sales, will depend 

 upon the gardener's ability, and upon which will depend largely his 

 success. 



As I am compelled to be brief, I will now for a moment turn to the 

 consideration of the home garden, where a somewhat different condition 

 of things prevails. Here the object is to suit one's own taste rather than 

 that of the "dear public," therefore less difficulty occurs, and as but a 

 limited amount can be grown, but small expenditure is required, and 

 that principally for seed. The plants, that is for early, the planter must 

 purchase, as in such small operations it will not pay him to make a hot- 

 bed ; therefore he must depend upon the commercial growers for this 

 part of his supply, but beyond this his operations can all be conducted 

 by himself. 



His first business, therefore, will be to secure a supply of seed, such 

 as he may think he will need; this, of course, it is best to obtain from 

 some responsible grower — and there are many such, some of them almost 

 at our doors. I often see individuals buying their pockets full of seeds 

 at the "store." I cannot help extending to them mentally my com- 

 miseration and my desire to say to them don't, and feel like adding 

 another prayer to the (garden) Litany in this wise: From all temptingly 

 displayed and wonderfully illuminated papers of ''store seed,'^ good Lord ^ 

 deliver us. 



Let the planter remember always that to grow fat vegetables it 

 requires fat land, and also, if the garden is naturally flat, then it would 

 be advisable to lay out beds for small-seed plantings, digging alleys along 

 their borders to the depth of from three to six inches, the soil of whicli 

 is to be thrown upon the beds laid out, which should, at the time of seed 

 planting, be left a little crowning in the center. If the ground be light 

 and sandy, use cow manure as the principal fertilizer; if clayey or cold 

 and sodden, use horse manure or wood ashes, or what is still better, plow 

 or spade in sods, grass, weeds and coarse litter the fall previous. 



The planter should aim to produce for the use of his table the 

 greatest variety, and in succession, only planting of each kind sufficient 

 to last through the season of its best condition, and by continuous 

 plantings to keep up this season of best condition, and results will follow 

 of a much more satisfactory character than if one single planting of eacli 

 kind had taken place. 



The vegetable list for the past year requires'but little revising from 

 the older lists that have been in vogue for some years past ; a few, how- 

 ever, of the newer varieties are calling loudly for recognition, and un- 

 doubtedly many of them deservingly so ; of these, which have been 

 quite thoroughly tested, Henderson's Summer cabbage is a variety that 

 has given more satisfaction than any other which I have ever grown ; 

 although not the earliest, yet it comes along, flush, with the second early 

 sorts, and, while it is a large cabbage of excellent quality, it possesses the 

 peculiar trait of not bursting, as most cabbages do, as soon as the head 



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