GARDEN" OR VEGETABLE SEEDS. 45 



WATER CRESS. (Nasturtium officinale.) 

 A hardy, perennial, aquatic plant. Has a pleasant pun- 

 gent taste and is an excellent salad. Plant along the 

 margin of running streams, ponds and ditches. Sow the 

 seed in September or in March and April, and cover in 

 the lightest manner ; it takes care of itself afterward. 



CUCUMBER. (Cucumis sativus.) 



The soil best suited to the cucumber is a warm, sandy, 

 rich loam, though it will grow on any soil if the prepara- 

 tion is proper and the season propitious. Plant the seed 

 after all danger of frost is over, and the spring settles 

 down warm. Deep and thorough preparation of the soil 

 is necessary. Make hills four feet apart each way, add a 

 shovel or so of well rotted stable manure to each hill and 

 mix it well with the soil. Drop five or six seeds in each 

 hill, cover half an inch to an inch deep, press the soil on 

 the seed lightly. After the plants get strong, thin out 

 to tAvo or three in a hill. Keep the crop clear of weeds 

 and grass until the vines begin to run freely. Gather the 

 cucumbers as fast as they become large enough to use, or 

 the vines will not continue to bear well. 



Cucumbers may also be planted around a barrel of 

 water. The most prolific crop I ever saw was produced 

 from seeds sown in a continuous drill, the plants left 

 standing three or four inches apart in the drill. 



DANDELION. ( Taraxacum Dens-leonis. ) 

 Sow the seeds in April or May, in drills twelve inches 

 apart ; cover half inch deep. Rich and finely pulverized 

 soil is necessary. Blanch the leaves and use for salad. 



EGG PLANT. (Solanum Melon gena.) 



Plant the seeds in hot-bed, under glass, in February or 

 early March. Harden or toughen the plants as much as 

 possible by transplanting, and opening the hot-bed every 

 fair day when not too cold. About the fifteenth of May 



