QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 105 



hard as iron during Winter. In the open garden old seed beds arc often 

 nurseries of disease. 



646. Q. In growing onions here in Florida for the Northern market I Onions. 

 have found difficulty in the fact they sometimes grow so large before the 



tops die down that they are not readily salable. Is there any "way that I 

 can cause the tops to die off when they are at the most desirable size ? 



A. Two courses are open to the experimenter : one to cut under the 

 roots with a flat hoe or wide, flat plowshare, to arrest too great vitality ; 

 the other to break down the tops, pressing them flat with the hand or 

 with some instrument wrapped in cloth or bagging, so as to be soft. 



647. Q. What is a parasitic plant ? Parasitic 

 A. An order of plant which strikes roots into the substance of other ^i****^. 



plantsandfeedson their juices. Molds and blights are examples of lowest 

 organization of vegetable parasites. The mistletoe is of a higher order, 

 forming large bunches often several feet in diameter. 



648. Q. What is the cause of hollow stem in celery ? Celery. 



A. A bad stock. Years ago, before the selection of quality was so in- 

 tense as now, a considerable percentage of every patch was always hol- 

 low, but now seldom 3 per cent, in the good varieties is found hollow. 



But some Italian celeries are entirely hollow. 



649. Q. Which is the best method for a market gardener to follow: Sell- Selling 

 ing his products through a commission merchant or direct sales to con- vegetables. 

 sumers ? 



A. If he is a large operator it would be impossible for him to sell to the 

 consumers. A small operator can of course get better prices by taking to 

 himself the profits of the middle men. 



650. Q. What are cryptogamic germs ? Cryptogamic 

 A. The reproductive organs of flowerless plants. Some such plants Germs. 



become trees, but those injurious to cultivated garden vegetables are 

 always microscopic in size and are known as garden fungi. They have 

 neither leaves nor stems, their reproductive organs are situated in a mass 

 of cellular substance. 



651. Q. What sorts of vegetables best resist drought? Drought. 

 A. Drought-sustaining vegetables might be divided into two classes : 



first, those which develop deep roots, as carrots and parsnips, which are 

 able to draw moisture from considerable depth, and secondly, those of 

 thick, succulent leaves. An example of how thick-leaved plants can 

 sustain drought while only surface-rooted is seen in the ordinary house 

 leek and in common sand cactus. 



652. Q. Will a crop of potatoes take more fertility out of a field than a Soil 



crop of tomatoes ? Kxhaustion. 



A. Yes ; potatoes may average 200 bushels to the acre of solid, starchy 

 tubers, while the tomatoes, if they do average 400 bushels, are 95 per 

 cent, water. 



653. Q. How long will fungus germs remain in the soil after a dis- Fungus 

 eased crop has been removed ? Germs. 



