QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 13 



colored foliage, as such are the hardiest. Among them may be named. 

 Select Early Jersey Wakefield, Early Market, Bloomsdale Early Dwarf 

 Flat Dutch. The success attained depends however much upon the 

 period of sowing the seed, the time of setting out, the condition 

 of the plants as set out, and the condition of the Winter, as some- 

 times the influence of fluctuations in temperatures develop an abnormal 

 tendency in plants to shoot to seed. It is a safe plan to sow seed and to 

 set out plants at difierent periods. 



60. Q. Why do not cabbage head ? Cabbage 

 A. Any passably fair stock of cabbage will always head if grown under ^^^^^^S' 



proper conditions as respects period of planting, period of setting out, fer- 

 tility of soil, and culture. The stock may be of many varieties, early and 

 late, flat and round, smooth and savoyed, but they will all form some sort 

 of heads if given time, provided they be not checked by some soil condi- 

 tion. Collards or kale will not head, nor hybrids of the same, nor mongrel 

 stocks of cabbage. 



61. Q. How should peas be sown ? Peas. 

 A. Peas are among the first seeds that may be sown at close of Winter, 



frequently being planted before sharp frosts are fully over. The drilling 

 of peas may be safely commenced when the peach is in bloom and con- 

 tinued at intervals up to within sixty days of frost for the early kinds, or 

 seventy days for the intermediate varieties, or eighty days for the later 

 sorts. Late sown peas are never as productive as those sown in the Spring, 

 and often are found to be subject to mildew. Landreths' Extra Early will 

 be found to be the best for August and September sowings, because of its 

 early ripening habit and its ability to resist mildew. The dwarf varieties 

 may be drilled at two feet if cultivated by horse power, or fifteen inches 

 if to be hoed by hand. The varieties of medium length should be drilled 

 not closer than three feet, and the tall-growing sorts at five feet apart. 

 The number of peas in a row may vary from ten to the foot in the case of 

 the very dwarf kinds, to eight to the foot of the medium tall varieties, and 

 six to the foot of the very tall kinds. Yield 100 to 300 bushels. At Phil- 

 adelphia the highest average price paid by commission merchants for 

 early peas is from $3.00 to $4.00 per bushel, and the highest price paid for 

 late varieties is $1.50 to $3.00 per bushel, while the price sometimes is as 

 low as fifty to thirty cents per bushel. Early peas are not grown profit- 

 ably at less than fifty cents per bushel, nor late peas at less than forty 

 cents per bushel. The pea thrives best in light, loamy soil ; the early and 

 dwarf sorts demand rich ground. 



63. Q. Does the boring of peas and beans by the weevil affect the ger- Pea WeeviL 

 mination of the seed? 



A. There will be a failure to sprout if the grub of the weevil devours the 

 germ, but if the germ, is not eaten the seed will sprout. 



Under favorable conditions of soil, moisture and heat, bug-eaten peas 

 and beans, when the germ is not destroyed, will do about as well as un- 

 injured seed, but under unfavorable conditions, when the young plant 



