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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



With some vegetables, however, it is possible to make 

 a fairly good Appraisal of their culinary fitness by their 

 outward appearance. In those cases, kohl-rabi for exam- 

 ple, where we know that the palatahilitv of the product is 

 dependent in the main on its ha\-ing been grown rapidly 

 and without a check. Here the practiced eye of the pro- 

 ficient gardener will be capable of more discernment than 

 that of any chef, however eminent he may be. In veg- 

 etables of this nature it may well be that the largest speci- 

 men is the best, for no one will question that a large kohl- 

 rabi (for example again) grown rapidly is better than a 

 medium sized or small one grown slowly, which in con- 

 sequence is wooden and stringy. 



With some vegetables it is possible for the judges to 

 make wise and just decisions by tasting the raw product. 

 We confess to a partiality for raw sweet corn and when 

 judging this delectable vegetable always make a practice 

 of tasting as well as appraising by the outward appear- 

 ance of the ear. Many sad experiences in New York 

 restaurants, when we have trustfully and hopefully sunk 

 out teeth into ears (of corn) of fair appearance and been 

 deceived by masquerading field corn, have made us wary 

 of judging this vegetable by its outward show. Similarly 

 with peas, carrots and the salad vegetables, the sense of 

 taste may be called in to assist the eye, but we cannot 

 imagine a judge, however valiant and conscientious, over- 

 coming his natural repugnance to eating raw such com- 

 estibles as aparagus, egg-plant and spinach or onion if he 

 were likely to be called upon to go into society imme- 

 diately afterwards. 



The perplexities of the judge are ofttimes increased, 

 when called upon to officiate at small shows, by the broad- 

 ness with which the various classes in the schedule may 

 be interpreted. For example, in a class calling for six 

 onions, in all probability many dififerent types will be rep- 

 resented. There will be small specimens of White Por- 

 tugal, somewhat larger Southport Globes and Yellow 

 Danvers, and specimens of .\ilsa Craig or Prizetaker 

 weighing anything from one to four pounds, all entered 

 in the one class. What is the judge to do in a situation 

 of this kind, supposing each variety of its class to be well 

 grown and free from blemish ? The small White Por- 

 tugals are ideal for table use in some respects — mild fla- 

 vored, suitable for cooking whole and of good appearance 

 when served with cream sauce — an onion that makes a hit 

 with the ladies. The Globe type onions also have their 

 good points — they are good keepers, of fine apjiearance — 

 utility onions of all round e.xcellence. Perhaps they are 

 rather more pungent than some, but this is an advantage 

 when they are to be used as a flavoring agent, rather than 

 as a vegetable. The Prizetaker type is admirable for eat- 

 ing from the hand (if there are any sufficiently barbarous 

 to do such a thing nowadays) and unexcelled for braising 

 or roasting. The problem is still further complicated by 

 the fact that, if he is himself a gardener, the judge feels 

 that he ought to take cognizance of the efifort expended 

 in the production of the larger bulbs. What would you 

 do under such circumstances? Our course of procedure 

 when in a quandary of this kind is to decide according 

 to our personal taste, and, if it involves withholding the 

 prize from the largest bulbs, get out of the town as 

 quickly as possible ! 



Carrots are also liable to present some perplexing prob- 

 lems when one has to decide between the claims of tap- 

 root, half-long, and Oxheart varieties. Judged entirely 

 by their fitness for table use the long carrots would prob- 

 ably be ruled out, but there is that lurking desire to rec- 

 ognize honest effort — to grow extra good carrots of the 

 long rooted type involves deep preparation of the soil. 

 The carrots that we personally consider fittest for table 

 purposes are seldom, if ever, seen upon the exhibition 



lioard. These are of the Chantenay type pulled when 

 they are mere babies. Specimens not more than three 

 inches long or three-fourths of an inch in diameter, and 

 grown quickly without any check are the kind to make 

 an epicure's mouth water. 



Just what constitutes an advance in vegetable pro- 

 duction? .Supposing there is no diminution in quality or 

 flavor of the product, is large size an advantage? Some 

 of the correspondents of The Garden seem to think it a 

 distinct disadvantage so far as fitness for the table is con- 

 cerned. L)ne lady makes the point that large vegetables 

 take more time and more fuel in order to cook them 

 properly. This might be answered by saying that there 

 is no reason why vegetables should be cooked whole — 

 they can be cut into pieces of suitable size and then the 

 small vegetable loses any advantage it may have in this 

 respect. But then we have to consider whether cutting 

 a vegetable previous to cooking impairs its value either 

 from the point of view of its appearance when served, its 

 flavor, its food value and vitamine content. In some 

 cases it does, in beets for example, and perhaps in pota- 

 toes — many cooks aver that the only correct way to cook 

 a potato is in its jacket. 



Some of The Garden's correspondents were inclined to 

 be facetious. One. for example, suggested that the judges 

 be accompanied on their rounds by "biochemist who 

 should take samples and submit them to analysis. Points 

 should be given for protein, and anti-scorbutic vitamines, 

 etc., while the important question of the calories should 

 not be forgotten." This is a phase of the subject that 

 might have been of prime importance during the war, 

 but now that more are engaged in the arts of production 

 and food is less scarce, it can probably be ignored. It 

 may w'ell be, however, that in the future, with great in- 

 creases in population, this may be the primary considera- 

 tion in growing and judging vegetables. 



It seems to us that a very important point that must be 

 taken into consideration in any discussion of standards of 

 value in vegetables is whether by the production of large 

 specimens it is nossible to obtain a large amount of food 

 from a given area. 



Wliilst there was great divergence of opinion as to what 

 constituted the ideal type and size in vegetables, the pro- 

 fessional gardener correspondents, as might be expected, 

 were a unit in declaring against the proposal to utilize 

 the services of eminent chefs in assisting to judge veg- 

 etables. Edwin I'eckett, who probably has more first 

 prizes for vegetables to his credit than any other gar- 

 dener, and is noted throughout the British Isles for the 

 excellence of his exhibits, suggests, in effect, that if chefs 

 are to judge vegetables it would be logical to ask them 

 to judge the fat beasts at a cattle show; and he wonders 

 what the farmers would say in such a contingency. W'e 

 wonder, too, but could give a pretty good guess. 



I once stood in a dome with different colored glass in 

 each window. Thus four men touching each other might 

 each see a different scene ; a red ocean, a green city, blue 

 fields, and yellow mountains. A rare man might climb to 

 the top of the dome and see the whole circle of the land- 

 scape under the white light of a pure atmosphere. But 

 most of us look through one window, each upon a differ- 

 ent world, each world colored by our own individuality. 



' —Robert S. Barrett. ' 



