REPORT OF TEE HORTICULTURIST. 125 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



a mulch to prevent evaporation as early in the spring as the condition of the land will 

 allow. 



The advantages, then, of a cover crop are, first, that the mass of foliage and stems 

 which it produces helps to prevent the frost from going deep into the soil, and also 

 prevents, to a large extent, that thawing and freezing of the soil in the spring which 

 is so harmful to the roots of trees. 



2nd. The cover crop helps to prevent the snow from blowing away, and thus a 

 thicker covering is formed for the protection of the roots of the trees. 



3rd. Humus is added to the soil by ploughing it under, thus increasing its water- 

 holding capacity and fertility. 



4th. Nitrogen is added to the soil without other expense than the price of the 

 seed. 



5th. A cover crop growing in the orchard in autumn will utilize plant food, which 

 has been made available during the summer, and thus pi'event it from leaching away. 

 It thus becomes a * catch crop ' as well. 



LIST OF BEST VEGETABLES FOR FARMEES. 



* 

 As all the experiments which are conducted with vegetables cannot be published 

 every year on accovmt of want of space, a list of the varieties of all the principal kinds 

 which have proved the most satisfactory after several years' tests was published in the 

 report for 1899 under the heading ' List of best Vegetables for Farmers.' This gave 

 in a concise form much valuable information as to the best varieties to plant and 

 mtist have proved very helpful to those who studied it. As the annual reports are 

 very liable to be mislaid during the year, and as one is apt to forget the name of a 

 variety, it has been thought advisable to again publish this list with what changes 

 another year's experience warrants making. 



Asparagus. — Con-nover's Colossal is the best all-round variety. 



Beans. — Golden Wax or "Wardwell's Kidney Wax, for early crop ; Early Refugee, 

 for modixmi; and Refugee or 1,000 to 1, for late crop, are the most satisfactory dwarf 

 varieties. Southern Crease-back and Asparagus (early) and Golden Andalusia (late) 

 are the best pole varieties. 



Beets. — Egyptian Turnip, Eclipse and Bastian's Blood Turnip are three of the 

 best varieties. 



Borecole or Kale. — Dwarf Green Curled Scotch is the best. 



Broccoli. — White Cape. 



Brussels Sprouts. — Improved Dwarf is the most satisfactory. 



Callage. — Early Jersey Wakefield (early), Succession (medium); Late Flat 

 Dutch, Drunihead Savoy (late). Red Dutch (red), is a select list of the best varieties 

 of cabbage. 



Cauliflowers. — Extra Early 'Dwarf Erfurt and Early Snowball (early); Kronk's 

 Perfection (medium) and Large Late Algiers are among the best. 



Carrots. — Chantenay and Guerande or Oxheart are two of the best carrots, but if 

 a good extra early sort is required, the Early Scarlet Horn can be planted with advan- 

 tage. It is a small variety. 



