1908 



VEGETABLE GARDENING 



regetable-growins, but 



full satisfactio 



wonders. Irii: 

 crisp and deli^' 

 in the Calif.ui 

 can hr- il.iTi.' ■' 



drier l,i:.'! ■ ■...: ...-■ :.■:! ;'■.' ' , '' • l.'/epmg 



tlielu«LT laii.l- A, 11 1. 1. >■,..! :n,-l .■i:i,n:,:,.,i ,,, prevent 

 evaporation until tlic ti-mlcr vegetables can lie trusted 

 in the open air, and continuing cultivation assiduously 

 afterwards so that moisture can be retained as long as 

 possible for them. That this is thoroughly practicable 

 is seen in the fact that the large Lima bean product is 

 grown almost entirely without irrigation from plantings 

 made as late as May and the whole growth of the plant 

 is achieved witliout a drop of water except that stored 

 in the soil. Tin nnir i tnir. of the corn crop: perfect 



corn can be iri" ' > 'tr"p of rain or irrigation 



from planting' i i i ^iich cases, however, the 



winter rains :n I i ;;!. i m i hr soil by cultivation. If 

 winter growth iv ui:il. i.\ i:iiiifall, summer growth can 

 be had on the saTiie land liy irrigation. In this way irri- 

 gation becomes eminently desirable in securing all-the- 

 year growth, which cannot be had by rainfall. With 

 good soil and abundant irrigation it is possible to secure 

 four crops in rotation during the year— the hardy plants 

 in the fall and winter months ; the tender plants in the 

 spring and summer. Of course the adjustment of all 

 these means to desired ends requires good perception 

 and prompt action, and explains why those who have 

 been accustomed to plant at a fixed date and do 

 little but cut weeds afterwards may find it hard to get 

 the best results in California. And yet the Californian 

 grower has great advantages in his deep, rich soil, in 

 freedom from diseases which thrive in a humid atmos- 

 phere and in an exceedingly long growing season. 



Local adaptations for different vegetables are some- 

 times quite sharply drawn and selection of lands for 

 large specialty crops must be made with reference to 

 them. The result is that the earliest vegetables come 

 from a practically frostless valley near Los Angeles; 

 almost all the Lima beans are grown on a coast plain in 

 Ventura and Santa Barbara counties; the celery for 

 eastern shipment is nearly all grown on the peat lands 

 of Orange county; the cabbage conies largely from San 

 Mateo county; asparagus and tomatoes from Alameda 

 county and river islands of Sacramento and San Joa- 

 quin counties, etc. Smaller areas of these products and 

 others not mentioned are more widely scattered, but 

 everywhere the local soil, exposure and climate are 

 chief considerations. 



enter largely into ocean traffic with distant Pacific ports 

 Interstate trade is constantly increasing and cannec 

 vegetables are contracted in advance to European dis 

 tributors as well as to dealers in all the Americas. 



E. J. WiCKSON. 



VEGETABLE MAEHOW. See page 1713. 



VEGETABLE ORANGE is Cw;,mis M.ta. var. Chilo 

 V. Oyster. Ht;e Salsidj. Vegetable Pomegranate is ('« 

 ciimis Jlelo. var. fU-j-uvsiis. Vegetable Sponge. Sec 



VfilTCHIA (James Veitch, of Chelsea, famous Eng- 

 lish nurseryman). Palmdcew. About 4 species of pin- 

 nate palms native to the Pi.ii Islands and New Hebrides. 

 The genus belongs to that portion of the Areca tribe 

 characterized by a parietal ovule which is more or less 

 pendulous and fls. spirallv disposed in the branches of 

 the spadix, and is distinginslicd from Hclysripe and 

 allied genera h\ ili^ P. >Mi i'.\ Ii.- .■)i;ir:h-i i f- : -, |.;ils of the 

 male fls. chart :i' i ii ■., . ; , '-.much 

 larger than 1 1 n i i I i ' i ' ' ■ ■my spe- 

 cies is now in .im i ,, . ii. I ./ , 1 1 .'. . i!c!l.. was 



wide and rather shallow notch at tin n|.. \ or are ob- 

 liquely truncate. The sheath priiolr. m,,] r,i. his are a 

 dark blood color and covered winii \otni:r \^ ith a gray 

 tomentum interspersed with lanceolate, tliiij, dark red 



VENIDIUM 



can hesaid at present of A,,o„, 1 „„ U,,„il,-,. 



VELTHfilMIA (after the Count of Veltheim, 1741- 

 1801. Hanoverian promoter of botany). LiUAceie. Three 

 specie.s of tender autumn-blooming bulbs from South 

 Africa with dense clusters of pendulous, tubular flow- 

 ers VA in. long, resembling those of the Poker Plant 

 (Kniphofia), though not in color. The plants grow 

 about IK ft. high and blo<ini toward tlie enil of October. 

 Two species are oit-t-.d l-y I'lttrh hnih lohw rr'>. They 

 are not showy btit ;(;.■..] ,,, \ .-iltur-, '[i,, ^ .ni prac- 

 tically unknown ill \li|. ri.M lot , ho :m1. I - : |,i-ri- 



tunicated bulb 2-3 in. thick. The genus is monographed 

 in Flora Capensis, vol. 6. For culture, see Bulbs. 

 A. Lvs. green, 2-S in. broad. 



viridifdlia, Jacq. Lvs. oblong-Iorate, wavy -margined, 

 finally 1 ft. long: scape mottled with purple : raceme 

 very dense, 3-fi in. lonir, 2.i-30-fld.: fls. V4-li4 in. long, 

 yellow or reddish, with greenish tips. L.B.C. 13:1245. 

 B.M. 501 {Aletris Capensis). 



AA. Lvs. glaucous, IM in. broad. 



gladca, Jacq. Lvs. oblanceolate-Iorate, acute, glau- 

 cous: scape less stout: fls. "yellow or bright red." ac- 

 cording to Baker. B.M. 1091 (fls. white, dotted red to- 

 ward the tips); 3456 (fls. reddish purple, dotted yellow 

 above). w. M. 



•diUs. 



VELVET PLANT. Gi/nura auraniiaca. 

 VENETIAN or VENICE SUMACH. Bhu 



Coti, 



VENlDIUM (name not explained by its author). 

 Composite. The plant listed in one of the largest 

 American catalogues of flower seeds as V. calendula- 

 ceum is so little known in America that the following 

 account of it as a garden plant is adapted from Gn. 21, 

 p. 405. It is a graceful single-flowered composite which 

 flourishes under the ordinary treatment accorded 

 half-hardy annuals, making a compact, rounded mass 

 2 ft. high and 3 ft. wide, and "covered for several 

 months consecutively with black-eyed golden blossoms, 

 resembling those of the pot marigold, tliough much 

 brighter and more refined." "There is considerable 

 diversity in its seedlings both as rcgtirds habit and the 

 size, shape and shading of its blossoms, and careful 

 selection in seed-saving is needful in order to secure 

 the best forms. It is admirably adapted for cutting, 

 as tlte llowcrs r>pc!i and shut as regularly as when 

 on till- pltirit." This species has also been treated as a 

 gr. iiili.iiisc pircnnial, continuing to bloom until near 



very minute, unilateral scales. . 

 Capensis, vol. 3 (1864-65). 



deciirrens. Less. Diffuse, canescent perennial, 1-2 ft. 

 long: lvs. mostly Ivrnte. the terminal lobe ovate or 

 roundisli. viiiii;ii.-h,li,.,l or niiaiHl, at flr.st cobwebbed, 

 afterwanU inoh rmrl pinMtai. aliovo, white-tomentose 

 beneath: p.ti.l,. --_" . in. h.nL,-. amply eared at base, 

 the ear dccuri' nt ahmg flic .-torn. 



