70 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



throw the earth to them with plow, and so continue until your patch is 

 ridged up to resemble sweet potato ridges. Between these ridges the 

 water can be flowed, or for that matter it will not hurt the crop to let the 

 water stand there, provided it is not higher than the roots of the plants. 



Celery I have to depend upon other growers for, as it does not pay 

 me for time and trouble. 



Cucumbers. — The past season has not been a successful one, so far 

 as the cucurbitacce family is concerned. The alternating cold and hot 

 davs, with excessive moisture, seemed to so debilitate them, that they 

 succumbed readily to rust and mildew, which attacked them, and which 

 it seemed there was no remedy for, and so most of them gave up the 

 ghost. I have but little trouble with the striped beetle, as I keep the 

 vines thoroughly dusted with land plaster, from the first appearance of 

 the seed leaf until the fruit has well commenced to form. The Early 

 White Spine cucumber is best for forcing and garden, and the Improved 

 Long Green for late pickles. 



Stveet Corti. — Early Minnesota, followed by Moore's Concord, give 

 me more satisfaction than any I have ever tried for early. While the 

 old Stowell's Evergreen as yet I think has never been excelled as a variety 

 to close up the season with. 



Egg Plants. — New York Improved, for market purposes, is best of 

 all, on account of size and productiveness; but if one wishes something 

 a little nicer, then plant Black Pekin. 



Lettuce. — For hot-beds White-Seeded Tennis Ball is best, yet Han- 

 son is good ; but for out-doors Hanson stands at the head ; while for 

 summer Brown India will stand heat of sun longest, without running to 

 seed. 



Melons for garden culture, for market, don't pay, but for field 

 culture and for farms they are a profitable crop. Would recommend 

 Alton Nutmeg, Improved Cantelope, and Green Citron ; and for Water- 

 Melons, Early Phinney, Mountain Sweet, and Mountain Sprout, for 

 market, and Improved Orange for family use, and Citron-Melon for 

 preserves. 



Okra, or Gwtibo. — If you want something nice for soups, plant the 

 Dwarf Green Okra. It hardly pays North, for market, as but few know 

 its use, therefore there is but little sale for it. 



Onions. — Growing this esculent from seed, for marketing the same 

 year, I leave for other cultivators. I only market them bunched in a 

 green state, the sets for which I grow in the following manner : Early in 

 spring I scatter the seed of Yellow Danvers and White Portugal very 

 thickly in shallow drills, covering lightly with finely pulverized soil, roll- 

 ing it down hard. They soon come up and begin to crowd each other. 

 As soon as they are about an eighth of an inch in diameter they are 

 raked out upon the surface of the ground and allowed to dry out. They 

 are then spread evenly and thinly upon a barn or loft floor, to cure. 

 After which they are stored away for next spring's planting. In plant- 

 ing they are set in drills about eight inches apart, and two inches apart 

 in the row. When they soon are large enough to bunch for market. 



