THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 343 



a medium to late variety, the Dalmeny Challenge, a Scotch variety, 

 is being used quite extensively on the western slope of Colorado. For 

 later varieties, the White Pearl and Rural New York No. 2 are more 

 extensively used at Greeley, in the San Luis Valley, and in the Un- 

 compahgre Valley ; and the Perfect Peachblow is the favorite in the 

 upper Grand Valley. 



PUMPKIN. 



The true pumpkin is hardly to be considered as a garden crop, 

 and, as a rule, should be planted among the field corn. Plant where 

 the hills of corn are missing and cultivate with the corn. However, 

 some of the better sorts of pie pumpkins should be grown in the gar- 

 den for cooking purposes, because they are productive and much su- 

 perior in quality to the common field pumpkins. (F. B. 255: Mich 

 E. S. 20, 190.) 



RADISH. ML \ 



The radish is quite hardy and mw be grown throughout the 

 winter in hotbeds at the North, in cold frames in the latitudes of 

 Washington, and in the open ground in the South. For the home 

 garden the seed should be sown in the open ground as soon as the soil 

 is moderately warm. Plant in drills 12 to 18 inches apart, and as 

 soon as the plants are up thin .them slightly to prevent crowding. 

 Radishes require to be grown on a quick, rich soil, and some of the 

 earlier sorts can be matured in two to three weeks- after planting. If 

 the radishes grow slowly they will have a pungent flavor and will 

 not be fit for table use. For a constant supply successive plantings 

 should be made every two weeks, as the roots lose their crispness and 

 delicate flavor if allowed to remain long in the <open ground. As a 

 rule a large percentage of radish seed will grow, and it is often pos- 

 sible by careful sowing to avoid the necessisity of thinning, the first 

 radishes being pulled as soon as they are of sufficient size for table 

 use, thus making room for those that are a little later. Radishes will 

 not endure hot weather and are suited to early spring and late 

 autumn planting. There are a number of varieties of winter rad- 

 ishes, the seed of which may be planted the latter part of summer 

 and the roots pulled and stored for winter use. These roots should 

 remain in the ground as long as possible without frosting and should 

 then be dug and stored the same as turnips. This type of radish will 

 not compare with the earlier summer varieties, which may be easily 

 grown in a hotbed or cold frame during the winter. One ounce of 

 radish seed is sufficient to plant 100 feet of row, and when grown on 

 a large scale 10 to 12 pounds of seed will be required to the acre. 

 (F. B. 255, 295; U. Id.. E. S. v 10; Mich. E. S. 20; N. Car. E. S. 132.) 

 RHUBARB (PIE PLANT). 



The soil for rhubarb should be deep, and there is little danger 

 of having it too rich. Like asparagus the seedling plants of rhubarb 

 can be grown and transplanted. Ten to twelve good hills are suffi- 

 cient to produce all the rhubarb required by the average family, and 

 these are most easily established by planting pieces of roots taken 

 from another bed. Good roots may be secured from dealers and 

 seedsmen at about $1.50 a dozen. The old hills may be divided in 



