268 



CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



THE SEASON AND THE CROPS. 



By JoiJN Croil, Aultsvillb, Okt. 



THAT often talked-of individual, 

 the oldest inhabitant, can't tell 

 us of a season like the past one. At 

 the time of oui- summer meeting in 

 July, the country through which I 

 passed fi'om Brockville to Picton, and 

 all the surrounding district, was suffer- 

 ing from long continued drought ; no 

 rain, I am told, had they had since 

 their seed time. I saw the mowing 

 machine at work, but very little to 

 gather after it. Barley and other 

 grain was ripening prematurely. I 

 was told of one farmer, owner of a good 

 hundred-acre farm, who expected to 

 take in his whole crop to the barn in 

 one wagon load, and many farmers 

 vYould hardly get their seed back. 

 Here in Stormont we were more 

 favored. Although we had a short time 

 of hot weather in July, it was not of 

 so long continuance as to injure our 

 crops. About the middle of August a 

 wet time set in, and since then a fine 

 day has been the exception. Doubt- 

 less many who read these pages have 

 seen the seaport town of Greenock in 

 Scotland, notable for rain. Thirteen 

 months in the year, the sailors say, it 

 rains there. Remember, too, they may, 

 the wee laddie's answer to the traveller's 

 inquiry, "Does it always rain here?" 

 " No, it whiles snaws." Well, besides 

 the drenching rains of these months 

 we have had hard frost and snow too ; 

 everything tender is nipped. Grapes, 

 corn, melons and such things as require 

 our full summer, have ripened but im- 

 perfectly. Yet on the whole, we have 

 reason to be thankful for the year's 



production ; enough we have for man 

 and for beast. The vegetable garden 

 did well. Of the varieties we tried in 



Beets. — Edmonds Early Turnip is 

 deserving of all the praise given it 

 in the catalogue. Exceedingly sweet 

 and tender in quality, very deep blood 

 red in color, and of good marketable 

 size, we find them preferable to all 

 others. 



Carrots.— Danver's Half LongOrange, 

 although not a novelty, is worthy of 

 notice as one of the best kinds for 

 family use. 



Caulijimoer — Vick's Ideal. The best 

 kind we ever raised ; quite early ; large 

 handsome heads, often weighing 10 to 

 12 lbs. 



Corn. — Early Corn, for earliness 

 takes the lead ; the ears are of good size, 

 and fair quality. For late use, 

 Stowell's Evergreen still stands un- 

 rivalled. 



Cucumber. — Burpee's Giant Peru, of 

 large size, perfectly smooth and straight, 

 we value more as a novelty than from 

 any extra excellence in quality ; the 

 same may be said of a kind growing 

 bright yellow, the seed of which Mr. 

 Goldie, of Guelph, picked up in his 

 travels in Holland. 



Celery. — NeWes Self-Blanching sur- 

 passes in quality all the self-blanching 

 kinds we have tried. Solid, orisp and 

 of delicious flavor. 



Cabbage.— 'Extra, Early Express. — 

 The earliest, solid, good-sized heads, 

 just the thing for market gardeners. 

 We had some enormous heads of Bur- 

 pee's Sure-head (late variety ). 



