THE VEGETABLE GARDEN IN JULY AND AUGUST. 265 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN IN JULY AND AUGUST. 



H. J. BALDWIN, NORTHFIELD. 



Inasmuch as there is no other paper on the vegetable products to 

 be given, a few words may be said about the best selection of seeds. 

 This I believe to be true : that no single firm has the best seeds of 

 all varieties. Some make a specialty of a few things and get the 

 very best, while others have another line of seeds that are best. Al- 

 ways beware of the firm who boast of the "best in the world." 



One ought to be acquainted with the longevity of seeds and buy 

 freely, using the two-year-old seed a part of which you have tested 

 the first year, thereby insuring against a failure on account of poor 

 strains of seeds. I might have saved at least $25.00 worth of celery 

 if I had done this this year, for while I bought what I supposed 

 to be the same seed as I had before and from the same firm it proved 

 to be an inferior strain. Radish seed often fail us and grow soft, 

 spongy things, when if tried the first year and proven good it could 

 be relied on for the next year. 



Special kinds and strains of seeds, even of the same family, need 

 different care, time of planting and room in the rows. Every gar- 

 dener has his special varieties that he likes best. I would not advise 

 one to avoid all novelties but to depend more on standard varieties. 

 I will give later in the paper my own idea of special varieties to^ use. 



The asparagus bed you have done cutting, but don't neglect the 

 bed, as your next crop depends on the healthy growth you succeed 

 in getting during these months. Asparagus rust is our great enemy, 

 and I am convinced that we do well to cut the bed clean until at 

 least the middle or last of June. I had a new bed I wanted to nurse 

 along, so cut but little, while near by I had another lot that was 

 cut hard and late. The former was nearly killed by rust, while the 

 latter was green at frost time. So this year I cut the new bied 

 close and late, and it came out all right. 



Plant a new lot of wax beans for fall use. A few pole wax beans 

 are best for summer use. Try the Kentucky Wonder pole wax beans. 

 These should be planted in the spring and will bear all summer. 

 Nothing better than the old Bush Cranberry beans for succotash and 

 dry winter use. 



Beets for winter use sowed late, about the last of June, should 

 be well thinned out, with rows not over sixteen inches apart to keep 

 from growing too large. 



The Silver beets, or Swiss chard, should be in fine shape for 

 greens all summer. When full grown mow ofif to within three 



