VEGETABLES. 367 
I think the Early Ohio has stood the drouth the best in this sec- 
tion and would plant it in preference to any other variety with which 
Iam acquainted now, either for a wet or dry season, for early and 
Burbank for late. 
Produce has been shorter in supply than any other lines in the 
hands of commission men; the drouth cut down the receipts of 
home grown vegetables and lowered the grade. This had the effect 
ofincreasing the amount of vegetables shipped from other states 
and the shortage of potatoes have been fully made up by Sship- 
ments from the Western states, even Manitoba shipped to this 
market about three hundred carloads. When these potatoes were 
put on the market, home grown would not sell for hardly anything. 
The commission houses did a large and a profitable business,which 
is more than I can say for the gardeners and farmers. The drouth 
and heat had been so terrible that the average yield in this locality 
is not over thirty bushels per acre; many fields were not worth dig- 
ging. It isthe greatest failure known since the state was first settled. 
From July first to September first a walk in the early morning 
along the market streets of the twin cities revealed the fact that 
three-fourths or more of the wagons were loaded with Early Ohios 
all showing very plainly the marks of the drouth—only about five 
per cent were of fair size and quality. About September first it was 
noticed that some of the tubers had a black spot or streak in the cen- 
ter—those raised on a poor sandy soil being most effected. On rich 
loamy soil not over five per cent were affected, but that was enough 
to spoil the sale, for no family would buy any until they cut all the 
big nice ones in a bushel, and, if one black one was found,there was 
no sale. All the early varieties were more or less affected; late 
varieties were not affected at all, but were so small and inferior that 
they would not sell. I hope this black streak in the Early Ohio has 
not come to stay;if it has we will be obliged to discard the best 
real early potato I have ever known. I was very much surprised on 
entering the horticultural hall at our state fair to see such a fine ex- 
hibit of vegetables; in quality the display was creditable but not 
as complete asand in many respects not equal toformer years. The 
varieties coming nearest the usual standard of excellence were 
tomatoes, squashes, melons, pumpkins, rhubarb; potatoes, rutaba- 
gas, turnips, cabbages, beets, onions were rather inferior in growth 
and quality. Though grasses and other shallow-rooted vegeta- 
tion succumbed to such fierce conditions, the wonder was that any 
vegetation at all survived; but considerable of it did, and, though 
considerably stunted, the staple crops were not failures by any 
means; in fact, wheat was very generally up to the average. 
UNCOVERINC BULBS.—Remove the manure or leaf mulching 
from all bulb-beds, or better still remove the rougher part and let 
the finer portion remain. If the plants have been pushing -up 
through the mulching and their leaves have got bleached, to remove 
the mulching suddenly will be to detroy the whitened foliage; bet- 
ter remove the mulching and as you proceed scatter some straw 
thinly over the bleached plants, or tree branches will do.—Garden- 
ing. ; 
