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twenty years ago it was rare to see a barrel of the white Ruta- 

 Baga in Boston Market, almost all sold being of the yellow 

 sort, now ten of the white may be seen to one of the yellow. 

 Of the yellow varieties Skirvings has been exceedingly popu- 

 lar, but though it forms good bulbs, yet the long neck that 

 goes with them is an objection, and Laings, London and Sham- 

 rock Swedes are now preferred. 



In testing about a score of flat turnips, American and for- 

 eign, I have found our white and purple strap leaf the earliest, 

 yet I think it is not generally known to our farmers that these 

 are the most subject to the attack of the worm, of the whole 

 class of flat turnips. Yellow Finland, Improved Yellow 

 Globe, andCowhorn are preferable in this respect. 



Of onions, the standard for an excellent table article is 

 found among those that are not over three inches in their 

 greatest diameter, with a fine, close skin, thin, compact layers, 

 a small neck, with the whole bulb feeling about as hard when 

 handled as a stone. The Large Red Wethersfield onion is the 

 latest in maturing, and a large percentage makes but scullions, 

 even under the best of treatment, while the Early Bed Globe 

 grows to as large a size, crops equally well, and the onions are 

 among the most symmetrical, and in earliness are among the 

 earliest. For these reasons, as would be inferred, it is fast su- 

 perseding the Late Red where it has been introduced. The 

 Early '' Cracker " onion, when I first introduced it to the gen- 

 eral public, was remarkably early, but quite thin, and therefore 

 would not measure well when marketed ; for the past two or 

 three years while retaining its earliness, it has grown much 

 thicker, and now so closely resembles the old Flat or Stras- 

 burg onion, that the public would be decidedly a gainer if they 

 would throw overboard that late variety, and substitute in 

 its place the " Cracker," which matures fully two weeks ear- 

 lier, a characteristic of vast value in short seasons to the onion 

 farmers of the North. For general crop in Essex County the 

 Early Danvers rules the market, and we know of no variety 

 for a standard onion that deserves to replace it. The Potato 



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