THB CANADIAN fiORTICULTtJRiS'T. 



2S 



Ans. — A French lady from the place 

 where I came from, near Strasburg, 

 brought me some seed. Strasburg is 

 in Germany now; but I do not care. 

 This is my country. 



Ques. — And you sowed* the seed and 

 found it good 1 



Arts. — Yes. 



Ques. — Why is it so good 1 



Ans. — Because it is. 



Qices. — I mean, why is it better than 

 other Lettuce? 



Ans. — It is sweet and tender, and 

 always makes a head even on poor soil. 

 But the richer the soil the better, and 

 you do not sow it too thick, and you 

 should sow it early. 



" Yes," said the daughter, " last year 

 mother was cleaning the seed in the 

 water and threw the chaff on the snow, 

 and in the spring when the snow went 

 off the Lettuce plants came up." 



Ques. — Cannot you tell me some- 

 thing more about it ? Did the French 

 lady tell you its name 1 



Ans. — No. I have told you all there 

 is to tell about it. 



Ques. — You have grown this same 

 Lettuce ever since the French lady 

 gave it you forty years ago. How did 

 you manage to keep it] 



A71S. — (Smiling at my simplicity.) I 

 raised seed myself. I left some of the 

 very best heads every year for seed. 

 And the people in Irondequoit wanted 

 us to try some other kind. I saved the 

 seed in another part of the garden. 

 You know Lettuce will mix. I never 

 found any other Lettuce as good as 

 mine, and I always grow the seed apart 

 by itself. 



Ques. — How do you manage to gi'ow 

 Llic seed ] I can't make it go to seed. 

 ns. — Some seasons you can't get 

 seed. But it will keep for many 



^rs, and the old seed is just as good. 

 168. — Do you do anything to make 

 to seed] 



Ans. — Nothing, except to select the 

 best heads, and then break off the lower 

 leaves and open out the head. 



I imagine that this last suggestion is 

 valuable for general adoption. 



1st. — It seems clear that this so- 

 called " Deacon Lettuce " was a good 

 variety to start with, or the French 

 lady would not have thought it worth 

 while to have brought it to this country. 



2nd. — That Mrs. Miiller by keeping 

 it firm and by continuing selecting the 

 best heads has made it what it is. 



3rd. — It is not any better than it 

 should be. It is good, or as " Elm " 

 says, "the finest heading variety we 

 have grown," because nearly all our 

 Lettuces are so poor. I have often 

 said that they are a disgrace to seed 

 growers and seed sellers. And they 

 will continue to be so till we adopt 

 Mrs. Miiller's method of selecting the 

 best heads for seed. 



THE RICHMOND PEACH. 



Of several varieties of peaches which 

 we put out six years since, this variety 

 proves the hardiest and most enduring 

 tree. 



The Crawford, Honest John, and 

 several others standing near, have lost 

 from one-half to all their trees, when 

 the Richmond row is full of thrifty, 

 healthy trees. 



We think that Dr. Sylvester never 

 received the credit due him for its in- 

 troduction. 



TJie fruit is full as large as Craw- 

 ford's, and perhaps not behind it in any 

 feature except for yellowness of flesh, 

 which with some is not considered any 

 advantage, while the tree is much the 

 hardiest. 



It seems as though the hopes of 

 peach growers might be quickened in 

 view of the general good appearance of 

 all peach trees this year, promising a 

 peach season in the near future — per- 

 next year. — Fruit Notes. 



