THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



leaders ; for later sowings, May King, Deacon Black Seeded Tennis Ball, 

 and Sutton's Standwell are reliable. The Romaine or Cos Lettuce is popular 

 with many; Trianon is a good self-bleaching sort. Endive is an excellent 

 and handsome salad plant when well bleached ; the plants want more severe 

 thinning than lettuce, and to bleach them the outer leaves should be gath- 

 ered to a point and tied with raffia. Endive can be kept in the cellar, 

 packed in dry sand, through a good part of the winter. Green Curled 

 and Batavian are splendid sorts. 



Radishes are of easy culture; by having one or two spring sowings, and 

 then again in August and early September, the finest flavored roots can 

 be had. They are of little value in hot weather, as the roots get very 

 tough. Early Scarlet Globe and French Breakfast are popular sorts. 

 Of late years the winter varieties, like Black Spanish, have come to the 

 front ; these can be stored in sand and kept all winter ; they make very 

 large roots, and are of good flavor. 



Curled cress and white mustard are easily grown salad plants, which 

 can be grown in flats in the home, or in cold-frames. The seeds do not 

 require a covering, but should have an ample water supply. 



In miscellaneous vegetables there are leeks, which should be sown 

 early, and given rich culture, to secure big, handsome stalks; these keep 

 in fine condition until May in a cold cellar. Musselburgh is a standard 

 variety. A clump or two of chives takes up little space. For borderings, 

 nothing is more beautiful than parsley; the plants should be thinned out 

 six or eight inches apart. On well drained land, with a covering of leaves, 

 this will survive our New England winters. Bobbie's Selected and Cham- 

 pion Moss are beautiful curled types. White Velvet okra or gumbo is 

 valuable for soups. It succeeds best in a hot summer, and the seed should 

 not be sown before May lo in this latitude. A few roots of indispen- 

 sable rhubarb and one or two roots of horse radish should always be 

 included. In the way of sweet or pot herbs, fennel, dill, sweet marjoram, 

 sweet basil, sage, thyme, and summer savory are very useful. 



I have not mentioned mushrooms, which naturally should have a place 

 when possible in a cellar, stable, or shed. The temperature of 50 to 55 

 degrees suits them best; but they will produce if ten degrees colder. 

 Beds should never be made near a furnace or any drying heat, and the 

 best heat at which to spawn is 85 degrees. The home culture spawn pro- 

 duces very large mushrooms in a much shorter time than the English 

 Milltrack. I have had them appear within three weeks, but the average 

 would be nearer six weeks. If the manure should be rather cold, mush- 

 rooms may not appear for twelve weeks, and one year we had almost given 

 up all hopes of a bed, and it produced well at the end of seventeen weeks. 

 The beds should be darkened and all possible air excluded. Watering is 

 a necessary evil only; when applied, it should be of a temperature of 100 

 to 120 degrees. 



This paper has already exceeded the original intention of the writer, 

 who would say in conclusion, that he hopes more small growers will this 



62 



