HOETICULTUKE. 861 



is used. The seed is sown at the rate of 56 lbs. per acre. The average crop is about 

 112 bu. Ill pickhng the onions about 44 lbs. of salt is used to 330 lbs. of onions. 

 Gherkins yield about 280 bu. per acre. Two crops of cauliflower are grown each 

 season. From 4,. 500 to 5,000 plants are set per acre. 



Vegetables containing' iron, H. KtJHL {Pharm. Ztg., 4^ {1901), p. 60S; ahs. in 

 Ztschr. Uidersuch. Xalir. u. Genussmtl., 5 {1902), No. 2S,p. 1155). — Spinach was grown 

 in soil treated with freshly precipitated iron hj'droxid. The crop was freed from soil 

 by washing and dried, yielding 30 gm. of dry matter containing 0.372 gni. iron in 

 the ash. 



Tests of table beets and mangel-wurzels, E. S. Brown {Amer. Ganl., ^4 {190o), 

 Xd. 4,.'i;, pi>. lis, 110). — An account of a test of varieties of table beets and mangel- 

 wurzels, with descriptive notes on 7 of the former and 2 of the latter. 



An experiment in ginseng culture, G. C. Butz {Pennsijlrania Sta. Bui. 62, pp. 

 14, pis. 2). — In 1897 the author secured 138 2-year-old cultivated ginseng roots, 100 

 native plants, and 300 seeds. These were planted and the data obtained for the 5 

 years up to 1902 are recorded. The native roots planted were small, of many shapes, 

 and varied from 3 to 15 years of age, as shown by wrinkles on the roots. The 2-year- 

 old cultivated roots were obtained from a dealer in ginseng roots. They were slen- 

 der and plump, resembling young parsnips, and measured from 4 to 7 in. in length. 

 Having been taken from cultivated soil, they had preserved in a large part all of 

 their rootlets and thus differed from the native roots, which had been broken to a 

 considerable extent in digging. 



A ginseng bed was prepared by adding about 3 in. of woods earth to a clay soil and 

 spading thoroughly 10 in. deep. The roots were planted 8 in. apart each way, using' 

 a planter's dibble 10 in. long for the purpose. The top of the root was placed 2 in. 

 lielow the surface of the soil. The seeds used were planted in shallow drills 1 in. 

 ai)art and covered with an inch of fine soil. Artificial shade was afforded the jilants 

 1 >y a lath screen nailed to a framework 6 ft. high. 



The after care of the jilants consisted in mulching the beds with forest leaves and 

 brush upon the approach of winter and removing this in springtime. The soil was 

 kept loose during the summer and weeds were removed by two or three hoeings. 

 As the seed ripened it was harvested and stratified. All the roots were harvested in 

 October, 1902. At that time it was found that there had been a loss during the 5 

 years of 14 per cent of the cultivated plants, 48 per cent of the native plants, and 91 

 per cent of the seedling plants. During the last 4 years of the experiment there had 

 ))een harvested 11,447 seeds from the cultivated plants, 1,223 seeds from the native 

 I)laiits, and 989 seeds from the see<llings sown. "The number of seeds per seed- 

 bearing plant in 1902 averaged 55 on the cultivated plants, 17 on native i^lants, and 

 30 on seedling plants." 



The total yield of roots as dug was 14.8 lbs. of cultivated roots, 3.2 lbs. of native 

 roots, and 1.8 lbs. of roots from the seedlings. The roots were then trimmed and 

 washed and all the rootlets under the thickness of a slate pencil which would have 

 dried into mere brittle hairs were removed. The total weights were then reduced 

 to 12.6 lbs. of cultivated roots, 2.5 lbs. of native roots, and 1.3 IVjs. of seedling roots. 

 The ropts were then dried by subjecting them to an artificial temperature of 100 to 

 120° F. using the heat from a steam radiator. It required 19 days to dry the roots 

 ill good shape. It is stated that the usual way of drying the roots is to spread them on 

 trays or tables in the sun. This requires from 6 to 8 weeks. The cultivated roots as 

 dried weighed 4.66 lbs. or 37.1 per cent of their original weight; the native roots 

 weighed 0.84 lb. or 34.62 per cent of their original weight. The cultivated roots 

 brought $8.50 per pound or a total of .$43.03. The native roots sold for $6 per pound 

 and brought $4.87. 



Using the data obtained in this experiment, with the 138 cultivated plants grown 



