EDITOR'S TABLE. 



Correspondents and exchanges will oblige the Editor by directing everything intended for 

 him to Germantown, Pennsylvania. 



Answers to Corkespoxdents : — Cumberland, Makylakd, 



Dear Sir : I have various books and papers on gardening, &c., but I see but little said 

 about the following named common " greens," than that nothing can be more wholesome or 

 cheaper: 1. Sorrel. 2. Cowslip. 3. Deerweed. 4. Shepherd Sprouts. 5. Dandelion. G. 

 (Narrow) Dock. 



I may be thought very " green" to say anything about these, but I have an idea of estab- 

 lishing a bed of them if I can get hardy sorts, and such as will hold themselves in the ground 

 — iveeds like dandelion, &c. — and which are good, and cheap, and wholesome, but beneath 

 the dignity of most writers of books on gardening. Can you furnish me any information 

 about such things ? Respectfully, E. S. Zevelt. 



(1.) The large leaved French Sorrel is in common use. It grows well in stony ground 

 made very rich by barnyard manure. It does not do well on limestone soils. 



(2.) We have no knowledge of the Cowslip being applied to culinary uses, except that, 

 in some parts of Europe, the peasantry make puddings of the flowers. Unlike the last, it 

 is at home in limestone soils. 



(3.) Local names are a nuisance. "What is " Deerweed ?" 



(4.) " " " " By " Shepherd's Sprouts" do you mean the CapseUa 



Bursa pastoris of botanists, which is generally known as "Shepherd's Purse?" If so, we 

 are not aware of its uses. As a weed, it thrives in the richest kinds of garden soil, and we 

 should imagine, to get anything from it as a vegetable, it should be sown in the fall, about 

 the same time as spinach. 



(5.) This makes an excellent salad. Take roots as perfect as possible, lay them in boxes 

 of rich soil, about three inches apart, water well, and leave in the open air for two or three 

 weeks ; then put the box in a dark i^lace, with the temperature about 55°, and it will grow 

 and blanch finely. Or, get a one-light frame, and, in the fall, place it on a bed of leaves 

 three or four feet thick ; plant the roots as in the box ; then line the frame with leaves or 

 hot dung, and cover the box with a shutter. This is an excellent plan. 



(6.) A variety called the "Patience Dock," should be in every garden. It will come in 

 use before even spinach, and, to many tastes, is superior. It requires only a deep, rich 

 loam, and is very readily propagated from seeds. Once formed, a bed will last for years, if 

 the flower stalks are kept down. We refer you to a late vol-ume for an account of the weed 

 chickory as a winter salad. 



(D. S. Place, Greencastle.) Your plant is Viola palmata. It is rather common, in damp 

 soils, in the Eastern States, though seldom seen in cultivation. 



Kingston, Ulster Co., N. Y. 

 Editor of Horticulturist. — Dear Sir : I send you, this morning, per American Express 

 Company, a sample of an apple cultivated a little in this vicinity, and less known in other 

 places. It is called Philip Rick, from the fanner on whose land the original tree grew. It 

 has been introduced by name to one or more nurserymen, and it now figures in several 

 catalogues as Philip Rick, King Philip, and Jonathan, from Jonathan Hasbrouck, of Kingston 

 (the name of its introducer to the late Judge Bird). It ripens about Christmas, and 

 deserves a more extended reputation and cultivation. I regret that the samples sent 

 were not more perfect, as they should have been, notwithstanding the imperfection of our 

 apples this season. Yours, &c., H. H. Reynolds. 



[This variety has been much esteemed wherever known. Downing described it 

 Fruit, of medium size, regularly formed, roundish, ovate, or tapering to the eye. 



