164 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. [Jan. 



most land it may be grown by the use of commercial 

 fertilizers entirely ; the seed should be selected with care, as 

 it deteriorates readily by mixing, and cures so slowly and 

 imperfectly that it does not always germinate well . 



About potatoes and roots as market crops, I will only say 

 that the smoothest and finest are invariably raised by appli- 

 cation of well-rotted manure or special fertilizer. 



Our onion beds are heavily dressed with manure in the 

 fall, and receive a top-dressing of ashes or chemicals in the 

 spring. After thoroughly pulverizing the land the seed is 

 sown and the bed rolled. Clean culture follows. Danvers 

 is the variety we mostly raise, allowing from four to six 

 pounds of seed per acre. From four hundred to six hun- 

 dred bushels per acre is a common yield, though some 

 growers claim much larger amounts. 



We raise strawberries in limited amount, chiefly of the 

 Crescent, Green Prolific and Sharpless varieties. They have 

 sold well the past season, and one large grower prophesies a 

 boom all along the line of small fruits. We set our plants 

 on land well fertilized for other crops, sometimes setting be- 

 fore the crop is removed. 



For our cabbage crop we seek land not used for cabbage 

 for several seasons, and manure as generously as for tobacco. 

 For the main crop we set about July first, or at any rate 

 early in that month, in rows three feet skpart, with the plants 

 from twenty-seven to thirty-six inches in the row. At the 

 former distance about sixty-five hundred can be grown on an 

 acre, while at the latter only about five thousand. 



If not sold in the fall we store them in cellars and pits for 

 a winter market, usually, however, sufiering some loss from 

 decay. 



Celery, lettuce, cauliflower, and kindred crops must be 

 well grown to command good prices ; for, unless of good 

 quality, they can scarcely be sold at any price. 



In conclusion, one sentence. A market gardener's success 

 depends on his ability to supply the market's demands for 

 the choicest varieties of vegetables in the neatest packages ; 

 requiring in their production, of course, suitable soil and 

 abundant fertility, added to intelligent and persevering labor. 



Mr. Stratter. How can a man keep his cabbage crop 

 the year round ? 



