iSgs- 



GARDENING. 



suitable for filling mixed vases of plants 

 for outdoor use in summer. Give it rich 

 earth, good drainage and plenty of water, 

 and it will luxuriate in summer. Rest it 

 in winter. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



MUSK AND WATER MELONS. 



A very interesting article on musk 

 melons 111 ( .,\i(iii;xiNO for March 1, leads 

 inc.- to '.iiiil \on tor trial some seed of a 

 vaiiLlN 1 li.i \ r -idwn for 3'ears called the 

 Cahlonua ciUuii. It is of fine quality, 

 uniformly large size and productive. The 

 flesh is salmon color. I have found that 

 it likes a good heavy soil. In growing 

 water melons on Long Island I find with 

 me the two best varieties are the white 

 seeded ice cream and the Phinney, both 

 being of uniformly good size and quality 

 combined with a greater number of 

 melons in a test of 20 varieties. In grow- 

 ing the Phinney in Virginia it is apt to 

 sun scald. In the south I found the 

 Dixie and Florida Favorite to give the 

 best of satisfaction. .\ choice water 

 melon of local reputation is the Muskill, 

 grown on the eastern shore of Virginia 

 claimed to be the finest in quality, but 

 not suitable for shipping. The seed of 

 this is scarce and high priced, and seldom 

 obtainable from the trade. Should any 

 of your correspondents favor you with a 

 little seed of the Muskill I warrant you 

 will look forward to the enjoyment of 

 water melons with more interest than 

 ever before. [Can any of our friends 

 kindly let us have a few seeds of the Mus- 

 kill water melon fortrial at Dosoris?-ED.] 



Long Island. Silas L. Albertson. 



VEGETABLES IN TflE SOUTfl. 



Here it is the 6th of February and not 

 a seed in the ground yet! We are a month 

 l)chind. Wemost always get our potatoes 

 jilanted early in January, and it is better 

 siill to do it in November. In the north 

 you sow and plant as early in the spring 

 as the ground will permit; with us it is 

 better to do this as late in the fall as the 

 ground will allow. Then the seeds will 

 lie dormant in the earth while the weather 

 is cool and start to grow with the com- 

 ing of spring. These late sowings should 

 consist of peas, carrots, parsnips, beets, 

 salsify and other hardy vegetables. But 

 if they haven't already been sown sow 

 them now as soon as possible. Onions 

 sown in the fall are now ready for trans- 

 planting, and should be attended to. If 

 you haven't raised an\- get some sets and 

 ])lant them. Cabbages and cauliflower 

 sown in fall should be planted out now. 



We make up hotbeds in December and 

 sow tomatoes, beets, snap beans, let- 

 tuces, etc., in them. Those who have 

 neglected to make a hotbed before this 

 should attend to it at once so as to give 

 these crops as early a start as possible, 

 and get them transplanted out of doors 

 while they have cool moist weather 

 enough to perfect themselves. Beets, 

 especially, should never be left to "bulb" 

 in the seed row; always transplant them. 



Memi)his, Tenn. Jamks Stewart. 



STORED VEGETABLES. 



Look over carrots, beets, turnips, sal- 

 sify, scorzonera, parsnips and horse rad- 

 ish and see that they arc keeping all right. 

 If any are rotting remove them; if any 

 are wet take them out from among the 

 others. If any of these roots are sprout- 



ing rub off the sprouts, for they rob the 

 roots of their good taste and tenderness. 

 The same with potatoes and Jerusalem 

 artichokes. 



About this time you will agree that 

 white hearted cabbage is a pretty taste- 

 less vegetable and wish for something 

 fresh and green. Now, if you had selected 

 undersized Savoy cabbage that weren't 

 old enough to have hard white hearts at 

 pitting time last November, and packed 

 them heads up and close togellRr, with 

 roots in the ground, in a cold frame or 

 pit, we believe you'd like them better. 

 This is what we are using. And heeled 

 in right up close together in a cold pit we 

 have lots of Brussels sprouts yet, and 

 have been using them all winter; that's 

 the dainty vegetable and it is always 

 green and tasty. You can grow it just 

 as well as cabbage, and have it good till 

 the first of .\pril. 



Celery in the pits and trenches outside 

 if it has been well covered over winter is 

 all right yet, but the sooner you dig it up 

 and examine it and clean it from all 

 decaying parts the better; then ])ack it 

 again in a cold pit, shed or cellar where 

 it can be kept cool and dry overhead. 

 Just as soon as pleasantly warm spring- 

 like weather sets in celery starts to grow 

 or to rot; in growing the stalks become 

 slender, brittle, watery and tasteless. 

 Keep it cool. In covered cold frames 

 spinach is in fine using condition. As it 

 is being cut out we use the frame for a 

 hotbed for lettuces. W'e have had fair 

 lettuces in the cold frames all winter but 

 now it is tough; hotbed lettuces, how- 

 ever, will soon be in to displace it. 



Miscellaneous. 



NOTES FROM CALIFORNIA. 



On this 11th day of February a gentle 

 rain is falling and the temperature is 

 close to 60°. For two weeks last past the 

 weather has been delightful with a trace 

 of frost every morning, but not enough to 

 kill any except the tenderest plants. 

 All through the month of December and 

 the greater part of January rain fell 

 almost contintially, and sometimes 

 heavily, so that the earth became satur- 

 ated, and it took the first week of our 

 late good weather to dry the ground so 

 we could plow and put it in condition to 

 plant. The balance of the time was 

 utilized in planting early potatoes, peas, 

 lettuces, carrots, beets, etc. .After the 

 present storm is over we will plant early 

 corn, beans, squashes, in fact everything 

 but the tenderest of plants. As a rule the 

 most of our garden vegetables are jilantcd 

 in February, but this season is late. 



Fruit trees are swelling their buds, 

 but except in a few of the warmest locali- 

 ties no blossoms have yet opened, though 

 not unfrequently the almond and Persian 

 prune iPrunus Pissardi), bloom in Janu- 

 ary. By the way, this latter tree is alto- 

 gether too much neglected. As an orna- 

 mental tree it is shapely and a robust 

 grower; the foliage being a purplish 

 brown is always attractive and the fruit 

 though rather small, isexcellent forcook- 

 ing or canning; being neither too sour, 

 like most plums, nor too sweet like most 

 prunes. 



Roses.— In the flower garden we have 

 still plenty of roses of the Tea, Hybrid 

 Tea, Bengal and Bourbon classes, though 

 the wet and chilly weather has to some 

 extent impaired their beauty. 



Daffodils are in their glory and jiaper 



white and Chinese narcissus beginning to 

 bloom profusely. 



Violets have been flowering to some 

 extent since December last ,but it will be 

 March before they are at their best. The 

 Czar or Russian is the leading commer- 

 cial sort, with Marie Louise a close 

 second, the fonncr a dark blue single 

 flower and the latter light blue and 

 double. Both are very sweet and ])retty, 

 but the Russian has the advantage of 

 being the better grower, and the flower 

 stems are longer. The new violet "Cali- 

 fornia" is just now creating a consider- 

 able sensation. It is perhaps too soon to 

 express a decided opinion as to its 

 merits farther than to say that the 

 flower is very large and borne on a stem 

 that may safely challenge comparison 

 with any of its kin. Should it prove as 

 prolific and of as easy culture as the Rus- 

 sian violet no doubt it will push it hard 

 for first place. H. O. Pratt. 



Fruitvale, Cal. 



We find the suggestions in Oarde.ni.no 

 most useful and practical. 

 Montana. Sister Rose Vincent. 



Seeds! Seeds! 



71st Annual Priced Cataloj;uc of 



Vegetable, Farm and Flower 

 Seeds -^^^ 



Is now ready, and mailed i-rkk to all applicants. 



ALFRED BRIDQEMAN, 



37 East iQth Street. NEW YORK CITY. 



FOR 



C ^ j-|(-v we will .send you 

 ^5.Ut» by Express 



12 Kent Cuniius. 



13 Best Ten Kuses for outdoors. 

 12 Best Chrysautlieiimins, new, 



4 Best Carnations, 

 1-4 Best Coleiis. 

 .•5 Best Flowerini; Begonias, 

 1 Best Fern lor liouse. 



PROBST BROS. FLORAL CO., 



1017 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo. 



Strawberry Plants, 



WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. 



including LAUY THOMPSON. 



Asparagus Roots, Fruits, Shade and 

 Ornamental Trees m 



A. J. McMATH, Onley, Va. 



Amateurs ^Private Gardeners 



should have our Nkw Catalogoi; of 

 NOVELTIES A^D SPECIALTIES FOR 1895. 

 containing the latest introductions, sent free to- 

 gether with our JS page Grnekai. Descrii'Tivk 

 Catalogue of NURSERY STOCK. 

 THE WM. H. MOON CO., 



KATE BROWN 



Earliest large white CHRYSANTHEHUn. 

 Hardy here. Its flowers were the first Chrys- 

 anthemums brought on the 31th St. New York 

 market last fall. Strong plants by mail pre- 

 paid, L'ic. each; "i for 81 OO. 



A. PELEV, Fort Lee, N. J. 



GRAPE CULTURE. 



12 fl rat-class vines— 4 each choice of NluKan 

 ucklington. Delaware or Brighton. Worden or 

 'llder. beet white, red and black varieties, with the 

 i»ok free. Or 20 Concords and the tjook. Now is 

 le time to order. 1 will mall the book at once; the 

 nes In early spnnR. postpaid. Sofe arrival In good 

 iintee<l. Vines for vineyard planting 



I s|>eclaJty. Pnc 



.1. II. 



>N, \Villuuehl>y, O. 



JAPAN PLUMS, 



STANDARD PEARS, 



and APPLE TREES, 



prowlDK on rented land ; lease expires, trees i 



Lh> sold. t1ne stock, lowest prices. List ma: 



WHITINQ NURSeRY CO., Roxbury. Mass. 



