S03IE PHASES OF MARKET GARDENING. 71 



merchants is to give them no chance. If we ship anything to 

 them we soon follow the goods, and keep watch of the dealer's 

 doings until the money is in our pockets. 



Nitrate of Soda. — No single plant food has ever given me the 

 striking results which I frequently obtained by the use of nitrate 

 of soda, especially when applied to beets, spinach, cabbages, and 

 cauliflowers, either alone, as in the case of the former two, or in 

 combination with muriate of potash, as in the case of the latter 

 two. Sometimes the effectiveness of the nitrate has been further 

 increased by the simultaneous use of lime, and maximum results 

 have thus been secured at a minimum cash outlay. We have 

 usually applied nitrate of soda at the rate of from 200 to 300 

 pounds per acre, and muriate of potash in slightly smaller 

 quantity, both broadcast. These fertilizers are always worthy 

 of trial in growing the garden products named, and perhaps in 

 growing others. 



Some Bemunerative Crops. — The following brief remarks may 

 suffice in regard to what we consider our money crops : Early peas 

 come first, and we find them profitable if we grow only what we can 

 dispose of directly to consumers. Strawberries, when properly 

 managed, have never yet failed to give us fair returns, even when 

 disposed of at wholesale to groceries and commission houses. We 

 have quick sale, at good prices, for first early tomatoes, and the 

 only trouble is that even with all the pains we take we can get only 

 a small portion of the crop on our earliest plants to ripen before 

 the great rush knocks the props from under the tomato trade. 

 The Early Euby type of tomatoes (including the newer Leader), 

 which bloom and set fruit freely even on the young plants under 

 glass, give us some very early fruit, and we are in hopes of find- 

 ing before long a variety having these characteristics, with uni- 

 formly smooth fruit of fair size. The Prizetaker onion, grown 

 on the plan of the so-called "new onion culture," has been one 

 of our most profitable crops, and the Barletta pickling onion 

 ranks very high with us as a money-maker. There is a good 

 demand, seldom fully met, for these very small, white bulbs, and 

 even when sold through the regular commission channels they 

 have netted us over ii>3 per bushel. The crop is produced with 

 little trouble inside of three months, brings cash returns early in 

 September, and leaves the ground in good shape for a succeeding 

 late crop, like celery, spinach, etc. 



