MARKET GARDENING AROUND NEW YORK. 205 



to generate damp or fungus than any substance that I 

 know of. 



In this connection, I may state that the use of wintered 

 over Lettuce plants, for forcing in green-houses or hot- 

 houses, is here, to a great extent, being abandoned, and 

 that the plants used for that purpose are such as have 

 been sown five or six weeks only previous to planting, in 

 the manner described for Cabbage plants, sowings being 

 made for succession, as required. These young plants 

 are found to be far less liable to the Lettuce disease, 

 known as " rust " or " blight," which has created so much 

 havoc in forcing this vegetable in all quarters of the 

 country. I have been written to by hundreds in relation 

 to a remedy for this disease, but know of none, except 

 the use of young plants raised as above recommended, 

 using, wherever practicable, fresh soil each season. One 

 of my neighbors, who uses nearly 3,000 sashes in the 

 forcing of Lettuce, has adopted this plan for the past two 

 years, and has had no Lettuce disease. 



As I have before said, although there is but little in 

 general culture to tell, almost every year brings out some 

 improvement in varieties. Within the past dozen years 

 many important advances have been made in earliness 

 and in quality of vegetables. Among Beets, we have the 

 Egyptian, which matures at least five days before any 

 other variety, except the old Bassano, which was too light 

 in color to suit; in Cabbages, the Early Summer; in 

 Cauliflower, the Snowball; in Celery, the Golden Dwarf; 

 and a great improvement has been developed in the 

 White Walnut, a solid, stout kind, with a rich, walnut- 

 like flavor, and graceful, feather-like foliage ; while the 

 new "White Plume'' combines the rare qualities of a 

 rich, walnut-like flavor, self-blanching, and a beautiful, 

 plume-like foliage that gives it its name. See page 165. 



