181)1.] ESSAYS. ■ 125 



vines have fewer enemies than cucumbers and squashes. By 

 using the unripe ones in the fall for sweet pickle — and they 

 make the best — are as profitable as any vegetable grown. It is 

 a good plan to plant the seed early in hot beds, in an inverted 

 turf: latter, remove turf and plants to the garden. The Emerald 

 Gem and Christiana arc the best salmon-fleshed, and Burpee's 

 Nettled Gem and the New Surprise are the best green-fleshed 

 Cantaloupes. 



The Surprise is the cream of yellow-fleshed melons, when it 

 does well, but not so sure as the others. 



I. have often wondered why our Horticultural Society did 

 not offer more and better premiums for Cantaloupe melons. 

 They are universally used for several months, and they are the 

 cream of the garden vegetables. 



Watermelons are not as desirable for our climate, though 

 they can be grown with a little trouble. The Hungarian Honey 

 an<l Phinney's Early are the best. 



Okra or Gumbo is a vegetable not much grown or used, but 

 is a desirable addition to our collection^ and should be set out 

 and grown the same as pejjpers. 



Okra is a valuable vegetable, either green or dried for winter 

 use. 



We must try to grow Egg Plant, shall probably fail, but 

 have got used to that by this time. 



Never mind, we have a garden vegetable saved for the last, that 

 is universally grown and eaten. Of course anybody can grow 

 it, and it will be good every time, for its name is Potato. Its 

 pedigree dates back so far that for want of a better Christian 

 name, it was called Irish to distinguish it from the sweet or 

 southern potato. It belongs to one of the largest families of 

 any of our vegetal)le friends, and is both lowly and aristocratic 

 in its connections. I know of no other vegetable so plenty, 

 and so universally poor, as the potato. A large part of the 

 potatoes eaten in our city are brought from a long distance, 

 many of them across the ocean. There is no vegetable that 

 changes quicker from good to medium, or poor. As a proof, 

 expose a few nice potatoes to the ligJit for two or three days, 

 11 



