1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



H3 



THE COMPLETE GARDEN. 



XXVII. 



BY A WELL-KNOWN HORTICULTmiST. 



(C07itinued from page 220) 



Nastuhtium (Class C). This is quite com- 

 mon as an annual in our borders and flower 

 gardens, but rarely cultivated as a vegeta- 

 ble in the home garden. The flowers are 

 sometimes used for garnishing salads, while 

 the tender flower buds and the seeds while 

 young are pickled in vinegar, or used for 

 seasoning. The Dwarf variety is preferable 

 to the tall or climbing sort for this purpose. 

 It is easily grown. Sow seed in drills three 

 feet apart and give common cultivation. 



Okka (Class D). The Gombo or Okra, a 

 native of South America, is a common veg- 



PODS OF LONG OKRA. 



etable at the South, but not generally 

 grown in Northern gardens, probably tor 

 the reason that the young seed pods, which 

 are the edible part, and used for soups and 

 stews, etc., soon lose that tenderness (which 

 characterizes them in a warm climate) 

 when grown in the colder North. In some 

 parts of middle and south America the ripe 

 seeds are browned and used like Cottee. 

 Seed may be planted somewhat like Corn, 

 either in hills two feet apart each way,or bet- 

 ter in drills three feet apart, and the plants 

 thinned to one foot apart in the rows. Same 

 cultivation is given as to Corn. The long- 

 fruited, growing three or four feet high and 

 having seed pods of from (i to 8 inches in 

 length, is the variety most usually grown. , 

 Oniox (Class ¥). As a farm garden crop 

 Onions are grown from what is popularly 

 called " black " seed, and a great variety of 

 soils can be made use of for the purpose- 

 clear .sand, sandy loam, clay loam, muck, 

 etc. The chief essentials are perfect drain- 

 age, and fertility of the soil, with plenty of 

 good manure or fertilizers, early planting, 

 and clean cultivation. Make the ground as 

 rich as you can, always avoiding manure 

 containing weed seeds, and making liberal 

 use of well composted stable manure, wood 

 ashes, top dressings of fertilizers, nitrate 

 of soda, etc. Prepare the ground well, al- 

 though deep plowing is hardly necessary. 

 A favorite and commendable practice is to 

 select a piece where Carrots, Beets or simi- 

 lar vegetables have been grown, plow after 

 the crop is harvested in fall, and cart the 

 compost to the field during fall or winter, 

 whenever convenient. In spring cross-plow 

 or stir the ground thoroughly with cultiva- 

 tor or disk harrow, etc., uniil a perfect seed 

 bed has been prepared. In some cases, 

 where a Meeker harrow is not at hand, the 

 hand steel rake may have to be used in ap- 

 plying the finishing touches. Provide the 

 required seed, which should be of best qual- 

 ity, and tested long enough in advance, to 

 give you full assurance of its freshness and 

 vilalily. Seed is not reliable after the first 

 season, and should be used when a year 

 older only in rare cases, and when special 



circumstances seem to justify it. Sow in 

 straight drills twelve to eighteen inches 

 apart, using at the rate of from four to si.\ 

 pounds of water-cleaned seed to the acre. 

 This should be done as early in the season 

 as the condition of soil will permit. As 

 soon as the rows can be seen, it is time to 

 start the wheel-hoe, and this must be u.sed 

 very freely, to keep the surface of the soil 

 stirred and free from weed growth. When 

 the little Onions are a few inches high, the 

 first hand weeding must be given. One 

 careful going over, pulling up every weed 

 by the roots is much better'and of more last- 

 ing benefit, than two weedings by careless 

 youngsters whose only aim is to get the .iob 

 oflf their hands, or the money for the work 

 into their pockets. These hand weedings 

 must be given as often as required, to keep 

 all weed growth down. The crop generally 

 matures in August. The tops then assume 

 a yellowish appearance, and generally die 

 down. The bulbs myy then be gathered, 

 either by hand pulling, or with a wooden 

 rake, three or four rows of them piled to- 

 gether in windrows, and left a few days to 

 cure. The tops are then twisted or cut off 

 and the bulbs spread on a board fioor 

 under shelter or taken to market. 



The chief market sorts are Red Wethers- 

 field, Yellow Danvers, Silverskin, Yellow 

 Dutch, and the Southport Globe varieties. 

 The Italian varieties. Giant Kocca, Mam- 

 moth Tripoli, and others of that class, are 

 much esteemed in the home garden, or for 

 market at the South, for their large size 

 and mild flavor. They are not very good 

 keepers. 



In the Middle or Southern States Onions 

 may be sown in autumn and a good crop ob- 

 tained early next spring. 



The usual way of growing early green 

 Onions for market, is by the use of setts. 

 These are dwarfed bulbs, grown in drills 

 one foot apart, using 30 pounds or more of 

 seed to the acre. Growing thickly in the 

 rows (no effect at thinning being made) 

 they hardly ever grow larger than a good- 

 sized marble, and in fact, the smaller ones 

 are preferred. These bulbs ai-e planted out 

 early next season, in rows one foot apart 

 and a tew inches apart in the rows, and are 

 pulled when yet young and in a growing 

 condition as fast as they can be marketed 

 to advautange. Yellow Dutch, and Silver- 

 skin are popular sorts for this purpose. 



The Potato Union produces no seed. The 

 bulb IS planted in spring, and produces a 

 number, sometimes eight or more Onions in 

 a cluster around the original one. It is 

 grown in the .Southern States. The Egyp- 

 tian or Tree Onion bears bulblets instead 

 of seed. It is perfectly hardly everywhere, 

 but valuable only on that account, as it 

 forms no marketable bulb and even the 

 flavor of the leaves is not especially good. 



Pakslev (Class F). Much valued as a 

 market garden crop in a small way, the ar- 

 omatic leaves being used for garnishing 

 and flavoring soups. Seed requires .several 

 weeks to germinate, then starts somewhat 

 feebly and for that reason should be sown 

 with care and in well prepared soil. Have 

 drills one foot apart, and when plants are 

 well started thin two or three inches apart. 

 The plants soon grow strong and thrifty 

 and will give little chance to the small 

 weeds. The curled varieties are generally 

 grown in preference to the plain leaved sort. 



Parsnips (Class E). Cultivated some- 

 what similar to Carrots or Beets. Only 

 fresh seed can be relied on to germinate. 

 Sow in drills fifteen to eighteen inches apart, 

 firm the soil well after .sowing, and thin the 

 plants, when well started, to stand three or 

 four inches apart in the rows. As with 

 Carrots it is a good practice to mix a few 

 Kailish seeds with the seed when sowing 

 this crop, to indicate the exact location of 



row for the pnri)oses of early cultivation. 

 The wheel hoe should be used freely, and 

 the weeds removed out of the rows by 

 hand or a narrow hoe. The plants soon 

 grow strong and will then pretty much 

 take care of the weeds. The crop whether 

 intended for market or stock, need not be 

 harvested until spring. Like Salsify, its 

 quality is improved by freezing. 



Peas (Class C. and D). Large crops can 

 be grown on soils aboundins in potash. 

 Wood ashes, or other fertilizers having a 

 large percentage of potash, generally give 

 best results. The dwarf varieties are grown 

 in drills two feet apart, the tall varieties in 

 drills three feet apart. The early smooth 

 varieties are quite hardy, and may be sown 

 just as soon as the ground can be got in 

 proper condition. The finer or wrinkled 

 sorts when planted early and with a long, 

 cold and wet spell immediately following, 

 are apt to rot in the ground, and should not 

 be planted until more favorable weather 

 has set in. When weather and soil condi- 

 tions favor germination, one quart of seed 

 will do for from 150 to 2.50 feet of row,acconl- 

 ing to variety and width of rows. But 

 when sowing very early in spriug, in ill- 

 prepared soil, or in deep furrows, it is safer 

 to sow nearly the quantities of seed recom- 

 mended in seedmeu's catalogues, say one 

 quart to each lOU or li5 feet of row. The 

 dwarf varieties will do well without sup- 

 port, but the tall kind must have brush or a 

 trellis of some sort to climb over. Culti- 

 vate and hoe frequently. Among the earlist 

 •smooth kinds we have the popular Alaska, 

 Rural New Yorker, and the various "Extra 

 Early" Philadelphias, Dan. O'Rourkes, 

 Earliest and Bests, etc. All these are quite 

 similar in general habit of growth and bear- 

 ing, and neither of them is as productive, as 

 large and delicious in kernel, nor as good 

 generally as the wrinkled sorts. The list of 

 the latter comprises American Wonder, 

 very dwarf, but good and generally reliable, 

 the various Gems (well worthy of the name) 

 Bliss Abundance and Everbearing (the lat- 

 ter not only productive, but of excellent 

 quality also). Stratagem, one of the finest 

 Peas in existence, Yorkshire Hero, Cham- 

 pion of England, etc. The last named is 

 very tall, and as prominent for quality as it 

 is for thrift. There is still another class, 

 the Edible Podded or Sugar Peas, many of 

 them like the Giant or Scimitar Sugar Pea 

 shown in engraving, bearing immen.se pods 

 of a peculiar crooked shape. They are not 

 in general cultivation with us, but the pods 

 are sweet and tender. 



Pepi'EI! (Class D). Plants are usually 

 started in hot-bed or greenhouse in March 



Mammoth THimU Onion. 

 or April, but the seed to germinate re- 

 quires rather a higher temperature than 

 Tomatoes, but not quite as high as Egg 

 plants. When the weather has become 

 thoroughly warm, say June 1st, in the 

 Northern and Middle States, the plants 

 should be strong and ready for setting in 

 open ground, occupying a space of two by 

 two and one-half feet each. They are easily 

 transplanted, and when well fed with good 

 warm manure, especially poultry drop- 

 pings, make a good growth and produce 

 fruit abundantly. Both gi'een and mature 

 Peppers are largely used for pickling mate- 

 rials. The old and popular Bullnose or 



