SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 475 



son as possible, or just as soon as the ground can be properly prepared, and 

 if large roots are desired, the soil cannot be made too rich and deep. In 

 planting, always use sets. These are the rootlets or branches of the main 

 root, which are too small for table use. They are cut into pieces about four 

 or five inches in length, and in such a manner that there will be no danger 

 of setting the roots upside down. Sets planted upside down will never make 

 good roots. 



Some persons always insist on planting the crowns of horse radish instead 

 of sets ; but I would not advise any one to do this, as it not only destroys the 

 most valuable part of the roots, but the crowns produce only a mass of root- 

 lets that are only fit for use as sets for another season's planting. 



Horse radish should be dug out in the fall, and on no account should it be 

 left over for another season. If this is done, the main root will become 

 partially rotten, and assume such a woody texture as to render it entirely 

 unfit for use. 



Celeraic. — E. S. Goff writes: Why is not the celeraic more esteemed? 

 I regard it as one of the best vegetables we have for late winter and spring 

 use. The flavor is more marked and delicate than that of celery, and it lacks 

 the stringiness that the latter vegetable has when cooked Packed in sand 

 during the winter, the roots remain plump, and the flavor becomes more 

 delicate the longer they are kept. It may be grown without hilling up, and 

 is as easily kept as beets or parsnips. 



When Melons are Ripe. — Many people are puzzled to know just when the 

 melon is ripe enough to eat, and Mr. Thomas D. Baird enumerates the symp- 

 toms of maturity as follows in the American Garden: The rinds of melons 

 when left on the vines to mature, generally become hard and the pulp brittle, 

 and when, under pressure, you hear the inside crack or give way, it may be 

 regarded as a sure sign that the melon is ripe, and has matured well on the 

 vine. If a melon remains on the vine until properly matured, the side that 

 lies on the ground will be found to have changed from white to a pale yellow, 

 and, upon close examination, numerous small pimples will be noticed on the 

 surface, particularly on the outer edge. These pimples never appear on those 

 that are not ripe or have been prematurely pulled. Sometimes the desirable 

 pale yellow color is produced prematurely by turning this part of the melon to 

 the sun for a day or two, but the yellow thus produced is of much deeper shade. 

 This, in connection with the absence of pimples, will readily tell the experi- 

 enced eye how the color was produced. If the skin will readily peel, leaving 

 a hard, shelly appearance, it is a good indication that a melon is ripe; and 

 also if it has a dull brown appearance. All these signs are rarely seen at the 

 same time, but the presence of any one is sufficient to indicate the ripeness of a 

 melon. 



Quality First. — The Garden (London) says: One cause that has helped to 

 bring about the prevailing rage for mere bulk and shape has been the way in 

 which prizes have often been and still are awarded to vegetables at exhibitions. 

 How frequently does it happen that the collections in which potatoes, smooth 

 and handsome, but waxy; big-podded, flavorless peas; beans with immense 

 pods, yet tasteless, and others to match, are placed before collections competing 

 in which the things shown are much better to eat, although less taking to the eye. 



