THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



during the day. It is not a good plan to merely dig out a hole and place 

 a shovelful or two of manure in each hole, giving nothing to the rest of 

 the ground. The better plan is to broadcast, and plow or spade it in; 

 this gives more vigorous plants. The finest flavored melon we have grown 

 is Mrs. H. H. Rogers; other good sorts are Early Christiana, Honey Drop, 

 and Emerald Gem. Rockyford is a great cropper, but we have found the 

 skin rots rather badly just before ripening. The same applies to the big 

 handsome Montreal Market. Sandy soil suits melons particularly well. 



Watermelons do well in warm summers ; they should not be sown before 

 June I, and one or two plants only should be left to a hill. Cole's Early, 

 Early Fordhook, Halbert Honey, and Kleckley Sweet all do well in Massa- 

 chusetts. Many persons cannot tell when watermelons are ripe. One 

 sign is that the little tendril where the stem of the fruit is attached to the 

 vine withers; green fruits sound solid, ripe ones more hollow; the fruit 

 will also "give" a little when firmly pressed, if it is approaching ripeness. 



Celery is a very important vegetable for fall and winter use. It will 

 grow well on level ground, and is thus planted by market growers; but in 

 trenches it makes its finest possible growth. Advantages of trench culture 

 are that water is more easily applied, the plants are more readily hilled 

 up and the trenches give shade to the plants in hot weather. An abun- 

 dance of well rotted manure should be placed in the trenches, as celery 

 is a gross feeder. Golden Self Blanching is the finest early variety; 

 Golden Rose is also good; White Plume is handsome, but of coarse tex- 

 ture. Good winter sorts are White Queen, Giant Pascal, and Boston 

 Market. The richest and most mellow soils should be used for celery 

 culture. Early varieties may be bleached by means of boards, but the 

 later sorts must be hilled up by degrees, and housed in a cool, frost-proof 

 cellar before weather becomes too severe. It must also be aired on all 

 favorable occasions. For celery blight, pick off the worst leaves and 

 spray with Bordeaux mixture. Hollow stalk is caused by an insufficiency 

 of moisture at the roots during the growing season. In lifting celery 

 the earth should be moist; if not, apply some water after planting in the 

 frame or cellar, and always take a nice ball of earth with each plant. 



Onions are one of the most popular vegetables, and it is not difficult for 

 the small grower to produce an all-the-year-round supply on a small piece 

 of ground. The ground can hardly be made too rich ; cow manure, with 

 some soot added, is extra good as a fertilizer. The ground must be pre- 

 pared and the seed planted just as soon as possible after the frost has left 

 the ground, and it has sufficiently dried out. For the earliest crop plant 

 small sets; we prefer the yellow ones, four inches apart in the rows. 

 Very small sets are the best; those from one third of an inch in diameter 

 upwards will largely run to seed. We like to roll or tramp the onion 

 ground before drawing the drills, which can be twelve inches apart, giving 

 another tramp after covering the drills. Just as soon as the seed is sown 

 start cultivating, and keep at it constantly, until the tops are so much 

 grown as to prevent it; also weed the rows carefully, especially after a 



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