QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 



Bermuda 



Grass. 



RntaBaga. 516. Q. Why don't I have better success with ruta baga in Georgia? 



A. Because you sow it in July — so early that the plants get necky, 

 badly shaped and tough. In Virginia we have grown healthy, sweet ruta 

 bagas sown as late as August 25th. 

 Canteioupes. 517, Q. After the first picking of our crop of canteloupes, which maybe 

 fair, we seldom get any others not injured by the worm. Is there a 

 remedy ? 



A. No ; no remedy that is satisfactory. 



518. Q. I have never been able to get seed of the Bermuda grass that 

 will germinate, though I have bought it from the most reliable seedsmen. 

 Please explain the cause of failure to germinate. 



A. We have never had any seed that would germinate over ten per 

 cent. It cannot be saved in a mature stage, as it drops as soon as ripe, 

 and must therefore be cut green, hence the want of vitality. Setting out 

 the roots is the only royal road to success with this grass. 



519. Q. Is there such a variety as White asparagus ? If so, is it any 

 more desirable than the Green-top or Purple ? 



A. Yes ; there is a variety, of fixed habit, producing white shoots. It 

 has the appearance of having been bleached and, consequently, is quite 

 salable. 



530. Q. Are large canteloupes as sweet as small ones ? 



A. Yes. There is no sweeter melon than the Large Montreal, which 

 all travelers to Canada never cease to dwell upon. The sweetness de- 

 pends more upon soil, long hours of daylight, atmospheric conditions and 

 variety than upon size. 



521. Q. What causes stiff-necked onions? 

 A. If the entire crop is stiff-necked it may be attributed to a want of 



such fertilizer, natural or artificial, as is desirable to stimulate quick devel- 

 opment of crop, or it may be imported seed. If only a per cent, is stiff- 

 necked it may be attributed to thick seeding, or to a mixed lot of seed. 



522. Q. My asparagus bed is now seven years old and gooci as ever ; 

 how long may I expect it to continue productive ? 



A. If the bed is properly plowed and cleaned, and top-fertilized every 

 autumn, it should last for five or six years more. Salt at the rate of five 

 bushels to the acre is good for asparagus, it stimulates the asparagus, a 

 salt plant, and retards weeds. 



523. Q. How many times will wheat start and stop, and start and stop, 

 and start again ? 



A. Five or six times — seemingly a provision of nature to fit the most 

 important cereal for growth under adverse circumstances. No other 

 seed has this quality to so notable a degree. Oats, rye and barley possess 

 it to a less extent. 



524. Q. How can I distinguish the True Top onion from the False sort ? 

 A. By cutting the sets transversely — that is, across or between crown 



and bottom. If the True Top set, only one heart will be seen ; but if the 

 False set, often three or four hearts will be seen, and when such a set is 

 planted each heart makes a set. 



Asparagus. 



Canteloupes. 



Onions. 



Asparagus. 



Wbeat. 



Top OnioB. 



