390 TEANSACTIONS OF THE KANKAKEE 



The President — T wish Mr. Dickinson was here, so we could 

 hear something more about his mode of planting a garden and 

 his manner of working it. As far as my exjierience goes, the earlier 

 seeds can be got in, the better, the condition of the ground and 

 weather being favorable. Late planting of onions is pretty sure to 

 result in failure. 



0. W. Barnard — It has been my custom to commence planting 

 early and keep on until June, and I generally have an abundance of 

 garden '' sass." 



Mr, Mortimer — I would like to ask Mr. Barnard if he ever 

 had a good late crop of peas? Late planted peas are very apt to 

 mildew. 



Mr. Knox — I planted two rows of Canada green peas in June; 

 had no trouble with mildew and had excellent peas. 



Mrs. Walwork — Planted peas in June and later, and had peas 

 until the frost killed the vines. 



Some further discussion was had upon the subject of plantings 

 but nothing of general interest. Some talk was had about seeds. 



Mr. Mortimer — I think the Shaker garden seeds, raised by the 

 Shakers at Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., are excellent. I think Mr. Gregory, 

 of Marblehead, Mass., and J. C. Vaughan, of Chicago, very reliable 

 seedsmen, and probably there are others. There is undoubtedly some 

 good seed sold out of the stores, but there is much that is bad. 



Mr. Cooper — I believe in planting the best of all kinds of seed 

 that I can procure. 



Mr. Mortimer inquired about raising watermelons on our black 

 prairie soil. No one seemed to have succeeded very well. 



Mr. Cooper — Melons do not do as well as when the country was 

 new; then it was no trouble to raise melons, but now it is a different 

 story. Melons are scarce among farmers. 



Mr. Mortimer — I will give my method by which I have raised 

 raised some very fine melons. I plant in rows any desired distance 

 apart, and four feet apart in the row. I remove about half a bushel 

 of the soil and fill the hole with equal parts of sand and fine manure^ 



