March ^, 1S(18 



11 irr 1 C U LTUKE 



•.".' 1 



Vegetable Culture 



Questions l).v our reaik-rs iu line with any of the topics preseuted 

 on tliis p:is;o will lie eoi'ilially received anil promptly answered 

 liv Mr. Johnson. Snch eoninninications should invariably be ad- 

 dressed to the office of HORTICULTL'KE. 



Early Peas 



This excellent vegetable never comes to tlie talile too 

 early iu the season. As an article of food peas possess 

 exceptional merit, being delicioiisly \vholesouie and high- 

 ly nutritious. It sliould, therefore, be the aim of every 

 gardener to do wiiat lie can to p.rolong tlie season of 

 production. This is witliiii the power nf cultivators 

 with even a limited amount of glass, and to tiiis end a 

 few seeds should now be staited. The surest and sim- 

 [ilest method is to first provide a stock of lioxes four 

 inches square at the ends, i. c, 4 inches wide and 4 

 inches dee]) and of a length convenient for handling, 

 say about 3 feet. The bottom slat is left loose, being 

 licld in position by merely binding a strand of wire 

 around each end of the bo^. 'J'his detachable liottom 

 is readily removed and thns greatly facilitates the work 

 of later transplanting. Peas of the dwarf kind are gen- 

 erally-more amenable and to be preferred for this 

 method of cultivation. In this class we now have the 

 wrinkled as well as the round-seeded varieties from 

 which to select for the earliest crops. Sow the seed 

 rather thickly and place the boxes in the coolest section 

 of the greenhouse rememliering that a sliort sturdy plant 

 is wanted. Water sparingly at first and at all times 

 judiciously, air freely, and protect from vermin. .\ 

 dusting of dry lime or soot may be occasionally given 

 to render the plants unpalatable to vermin and insect 

 pests, but not sntficiently heavy to injure tlie young 

 leaves. Another method is to sow the seed in four incli 

 pots and later with the aid of a trowel transplant the 

 peas from these jjots in clusters a foot apart in the row. 

 Avoi<l breaking tlie ball of earth attached to the roots. 

 and stick the rows immediately after planting to pro- 

 vide support and shelter for the plants. If there is a 

 secret in thus growing peas to ])erfection, it lies in the 

 avoidance of "forcing" at any stage of growth and un- 

 less the grower wishes to have the proverbial "^More haste 

 less speed" definitely oxeni[dificd. be will bear this in 

 mind. 



Celery 



'I'iie jiiesent is a siiitaljlc time 

 main early supply even tlioiigii 

 sown duriii<r February. The dwarf varieties are best 

 for this early sowing; we know of none better than the 

 Oolden Self Rlancliiinr. If .sown too early celery often 

 give-' tionble by "boltiu/" prematurely, in wliich ca<i' 



to .sow ce!eiy for the 

 a iiincli of seed was 



tlie fault more often lies with tiie cultivator than with 

 citiier tile .seed or the weather. Early celery in par- 

 ticiibii-. w ben once started, should be kept growing free- 

 ly until finally transplanted into permanent quarters. 

 Casual observance teaches that a clieck to growth witl 

 liasten the flowering of almost any kind of plant and it 

 is not unusual for celery to suffer starvation and crowd- 

 ing when started too early in the season. It should then 

 be understood that early .sowing necessitates early plant- 

 in<r, and if the plants cannot be given generous treat- 

 ment from the beginning it is better to defer sowings 

 until siieb provision can be made. 



Onions 



(liiKJiis intended for exhiliition pur[ioses require very 

 careful management from the start. A temperature of 

 '>') degrees to 60 degrees by night is necessary to pro- 

 mote uninterrupted growth. It is a matter of consid- 

 erable importance to give extra ea.re in transplanting 

 seedlings whether from the seed pan into small pots or 

 into "flats." The primary root of the onion descends 

 to a greater depth than the top growth woidd suggest 

 and as this root is the sole support of the young plant 

 it is obviously important to keep it intact during the 

 process of pricking off. Select only the stroi>gest seed- 

 lings. Lightly spray the young plants with water early 

 on bright days, admit air when weather permits, but 

 s.void cold draughts, ilaintain a buoyant atmosphere, 

 keep the plants near the glass and free from crowding 

 one another. Leeks intended for a like jiurpose should 

 lie given similar treatment. 



Brussels Sprouts 



■fbest' rank as the finest autumiuil green vegetables, 

 and details of culture deservedly command the atterdion 

 of all who would grow them well. That this truly ex- 

 cellent \('getable cannot be said to eoni])ete with the 

 cabliage iu public demand, is due to the fact that it is 

 seldom well grown. One of the main reasons for this 

 is that many growers either fail to appreciate or else 

 (111 not recognize the ini]iortance of a long growing sea- 

 son. 'J'o get the best out of this crop .sow early, the 

 earlier in March the better. Keep the plants stocky 

 by cool treatment and frequent shifts before the final 

 idaiiting. Mere length of stem is not desirable in the 

 early stage of growth, therefore, avoid crow'ding these 

 |p!:int>. 



PUBLICATION RECEIVED. 



illlMI-; Vll.l'l AMr,l:s AM) SMAM, F1!I [|.s. 



Their Ccltihi-: .v.vii Puk.sekv.\tio.n, By 

 Frances Duncan. — Last season we had 

 the pleasure of calling the attention 

 of our readers to a very meritorious 

 and timely volume. "The Joyous Art 

 of Gardening." The new book now re- 

 viewed is by the same author and its 

 chapters are characterized by the same 

 ardent enthusiasm, completeness of 

 detail and wealth of practical instruc- 

 tion which emphasized the earlier 



volume and makes this latest addition 

 Id our popular garden literature es- 

 pecially valuable at the present time. 

 The author l.'elieves that while doubt- 

 less much of the prevalent epidemic 

 of garden thrift is ephemeral, yet it 

 is destined to leave its mark perma- 

 nently on our gardening tastes and 

 methods. Gardening in America has 

 definitely and seriously turned over a 

 new leaf, thrift has unexpectedly be- 

 come popular with all classes and the 

 enthusiasm now well started has come 

 to stay. 



This is a book which every seed 

 house especially should have on sale 

 as providing a full and lucid reply to 

 one and all of the myriad queries prO' 

 pounded "ever and anon" to the over: 

 worked salesman by the customers at 

 a season when his moments are most 

 precious. There are seventeen general 

 chapters, illustrated by thirty-six cuts 

 and exhaustively indexed. It Is pub- 

 lished by Charles Scribner's Sons at 

 $1.40 net. Copies can be supplied by 

 HoiiTirci.TCRK Publishing Company at 

 publishers" price. 



