56 



QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 



321. Q. "Why did my second sowing of turnip seed utterly fail to come 

 up when my first sowing from the same bag did perfectly well 1 



A. Possibly the second sowing was eaten off by the turnip fly when it 

 was only one-twentieth (^^) of an inch out of the ground, and was killed 

 before you were aware it had sprouted. 



322. Q. Are there two kinds of top onions? 



A. Yes ; those with single eyes producing one large onion and those 

 with several eyes splitting up into a number of small bulbs. Conse- 

 quently inferior to the larger single type variety. 



323. Q. Have pole beans any advantage over bush beans? 



A. It is more expensive to prepare to grow pole beans, as the poles are 

 costly and the vines need to be tied up three or four times ; but the pro- 

 duct is larger, consequently the general results are in favor of the pole 

 varieties, especially as the pole sorts, with two or three exceptions, con- 

 tinue to bear till killed by frost, while the bush beans produce their 

 entire crop in a very limited period. 



324. Q. Have vine crops different degrees of power of resistance to the 

 burning effect of Paris green ? 



A. Yes ; cantaloupes the least — next watermelons, followed by pump- 

 kins — the hardiest being squash. 



325. Q. What is best remedy for bugs on melons ? 



A. This is a difficult question. Lots of preparations will kill bugs dead 

 as Cfesar, but if put on strong enough to finish the insects they either kill 

 the plants or burn them. It is difficult to strike the happy medium. 



Paris green is as good as any bug poison, but it should be mixed with 

 something as a dilutant, as land plaster — say one part of Paris green to 

 100 of plaster or flour — anything stronger will burn the leaves of the 

 plants. Applications may be made at intervals of four days. For the 

 melon louse use kerosene emulsion or whale oil soap. 



326. Q. How can I test the vitality of seeds ? 



A. Many ways ; but none altogether satisfactory, for results to-day may 

 be positively changed next week or next month, so much depending upon 

 the peculiar conditions of moisture and heat, or the fluctuations of the 

 same. Again, seeds have their periods of sprouting — sometimes those 

 which fail in January will do well in April. Tests of vitality can be 

 made by counting out 100 seeds just as they run, good and bad, and test- 

 ing them to develop the percentage of seeds which will sprout. This 

 can be done between solidified bats of cotton kept damp in a saucer 

 partly filled with water — or on seed-testing trays manufactured for the 

 purpose, or in pots filled with earth and kept in proper temperature or on 

 the earth benches of a greenhouse. Vitality tests out of doors are very 

 unsatisfactory, as dashing rains are apt to defeat all calculations. 



327. Q. For small vegetable gardens do you advise the use of s>,able 

 manure or commercial fertilizer? 



A. Stable manure every time, as it comprehends all the necessary fer- 



