222 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



January, 1914 



Nevertheless, until you have proved for 

 yourself otherwise, you will do well to start 

 out with those sorts that have proved gener- 

 ally satisfactory over a wide area. The 

 following varieties may be had of most good 

 seedsmen, and are listed here as illustrative; 

 there are others all equally as good, and 

 under certain conditions may be better. 



Asparagus — Palmetto and Giant Argenteuil 

 are both fine sorts for quality and yield. 



Beans — Of these there are several distinct types; 

 of the earliest or string beans, Stringless Green Pod 

 is one or the best; only enough of this type for the 

 first two or three pickings, however, should be plant- 

 ed, as the wax beans can be had to follow in close 

 succession and are superior in quality — Rustproof 

 Golden Wax and Brittle Wax are two of the best of 

 these. For use during late summer and fall, Old 

 Homestead and Golden Cluster or Sunshine Wax 

 may be used to take the place of the green-pod and 

 wax dwarf varieties, thus saving a good deal of 

 space. A few poles of each will be sufficient for the 

 average sized family. Of the dwarf limas, Bur- 

 pee's Improved is the most satisfactory I have used, 

 and Early Leviathan and Giant Podded Pole are 

 the best of the climbing limas. 



Beets — Early Model and Eclipse are practically 

 as early as Egyptian and are better in quality; I 

 like the former the better of the two. For summer 

 and fall crops, Crimson Globe and Columbia are 

 good, being of fine quality, in spite of the fact that 

 they attain a large size. 



Beusskls Sprouts — This is a member of the cab- 

 bage family which should be more universally grown; 

 its quality is finer than that of any cabbage. Dalkeith 

 is the standard sort; but Danish Prize is fully as 

 good in quality and a little larger. 



Cabbage — By a little more care in the selection 

 of varieties, this should be had in every home garden 

 all the season through ; it is usually planted so that 

 there is a surplus of it in early summer, and then 

 no more before the fall crop. To secure a succes- 

 sion, set out a few heads of Jersey Wakefield and a 

 sufficient number each of Copenhagen Market, 

 Early Summer and Succession, all on the same date. 

 Plant a package each of Early Summer and Suc- 

 cession from seed at the same time. At about the 

 middle of June, sow a package each of Danish Bald- 

 head and Drumhead Savoy — in this way, by the ' 

 setting of plants and the two plantings of seeds, you 

 should have cabbage from June until April. 



Carrots — While the early varieties mature 

 sooner than the summer sorts, some of the latter are 

 usually big enough to use as soon as the early kinds 

 are ready. Therefore, for my own use, I plant only 

 Chantenay and Coreless. 



Cauliflower — Snowball or Best Early (both 

 the same type) and Dryweather, set out from 

 plants in the spring, and sown in June to transplant 

 later for the fall crop, will give you cauliflower for 

 several months. 



Celery — Golden Self Blanching for the early 

 fall use and Winter Queen for the late fall and winter 

 supply make an entirely satisfactory combination. 



Corn — The varieties of sweet corn are legion. 

 Golden Bantam for first earl)' (and if you like it as 



VesetaMe | No. Rovs | «•££ | J™ %% 



Ami. to 

 order 



Vegetable No. Rows 



Lineal ft. Ami. for Ami. to 



of Row each 50 //. order 



THE 



STAYERS — 



A SINGLE PLANTING OF 



EACH 



Asparagus 



I 



5° 



5° P- + 



I pkt. 



Beans, 



\ 



25 



1 pt. 



i pkt. 



pole 





(6 hills) 







Beans, 



5 



25 



1 pt. 



1 pkt. 



lima 





(6 hills) 







Brussels 



I 



25 (18 p.) 



35 P- 



1 pkt. 



Sprouts 











Celery 



2 



100 



100 p. 



1 pkt. each, 

 2 varieties 



Cucumber 



X 



25 

 (5 hills) 



J- 07. 



1 pkt. 



Eggplant 



\ 



25 (12 p.) 



25 P- 



I pkt. 



Leek 



I 



SO 



5 oz. 



\ oz. 



Melon 



T 



5° 



i oz. 



2 or 3 pkts. 



Onion 



6 (-10) 



300 



\ oz. 



2 oz. 



Parslev 





12 p. 



-J- oz. 



1 pkt. 



Parsnip 



3 



ISO 



i oz. 



1 oz. 



Pepper 



\ 



25 (12 p.) 



25 



1 pkt. 



Potatoes 



2 up 



100 



\ pk. 



1 pk. 



Salsify 



2 



100 



i oz. 



1 oz. 



Squash 



-J 



25 



\ oz. 



i pkt. 



Tomato 



1 



50 



12 p. 



1 pkt. 



'Figures in first column indica.e number of sowings to be 

 made. 



tp. abbreviation for "plants" 



well as I do, planted again for mid-season and for 

 late) ,Metropolitan or Howling Mob for second early, 

 and White Evergreen for late are the sorts that I 

 use to furnish a succession of fine table quality. 



Cucumber — I now plant only Davis Perfect, 

 which answers equally well for early and late, for 

 slicing and for pickling. 



Eggplant — There are only a few sorts, of which 

 I prefer Black Beaut}-. 



Lettuce — This delicious salad should be had 

 from Decoration Day to Thanksgiving, but in order 

 to do this, you must suit the variety to the season. 

 For early spring use Grand Rapids (loosehead) and 

 Wayahead, planting about April 10th both plants 

 and seeds. On May first, Big Boston, Deacon and 

 Iceberg, or New York, which will be ready for use 

 in the order named. (Sow the seed thinly, and thin 

 out plants as soon as well started.) June first, Sala- 

 mander and Iceberg; and the middle of July to 

 August first, in a shaded place where water can be 

 given, Grand Rapids, Wayahead and Big Boston for 

 late summer and fall use, transplanting the 

 latter to where some protection can be given with 

 meadow hay or with frames when freezing weather 

 sets in. The small headed Mignonette is unexcelled 

 in quality and can be grown in spring and fall. 



Melons — Of the many muskmelons for the very 

 limited space in the home garden, Netted Gem (or 

 Rocky Ford) and Emerald Gem, a fine quality sal- 

 mon fleshed sort, will be found as good as any. Last 

 year there was introduced the first of a new type, 

 Henderson's Bush muskmelon, and while it is of 

 good quality, it has the distinct advantage of 

 growing in a compact, bushy form. 



Melons, Water- — Of watermelons, Fordhook 

 Early and Halbert Honey are the best in quality 

 of the sorts which are early enough to ripen in the 

 cooler sections of the country. 



Peas — Of peas there are a many good varieties. 

 If you have the room, time, trellising and so forth, 

 you can select varieties that from a single planting 

 will give you succession crops for several weeks. 

 But the method I prefer is to make two or three 

 separate plantings during the spring, and another in 

 August, of an early and a medium early variety. 

 If you are going to use brush or trellis, Gradus and 

 Royal Salute, which are unequalled in quality, will 

 be a very satisfactory combination; 



Peppers — A few plants each of Ruby King and 

 Chinese Giant will give you a long and abundant 

 supply of the best peppers you ever ate. 



Radishes — Radishes, to be had in the best of 

 quality, should be planted every ten days, or two 

 weeks at the most; use Crimson Globe and White 

 Icicle for spring, and Chartiers or White Strasberg 

 for summer. The early varieties can be planted 

 again in the fall for a late supply. 



Spinach — In place of spinach, I now use exclu- 

 sively Lucullus Swiss chard which gives a supply of 

 greens from one sowing all summer long until frost. 

 Of the true spinaches, Victoria is the best in quality. 



Squashes — These require so much room and 

 are so easy to buy that where space is limited it does 

 not pay to raise them in the home garden, especi- 

 ally for fall and winter use. Bush Fordhook and 

 Delicata are two excellent varieties, however, for 



summer use, and any fruits that are left over are 

 good for storing for winter. 



Tomatoes — If you have room for only one sort, 

 make it Bonny Best; the quality is as good as any 

 of the late sorts and the fruits are of good size. If, 

 however, you have room for two varieties, try Dwarf 

 Giant or Matchless or Globe for the second. Pon- 

 derosa is of the best quality and size but a bit 

 "miffy" and apt to make irregular shaped fruits. 



Turnips — Turnips are in bad repute largely 

 through the fact that they are usually sent to the 

 kitchen only after they have reached a stage of de- 

 velopment which makes them fit only for the cattle. 



Some Hindrances to Quality 

 in Vegetables 



SOMETIMES vegetables from our 

 own garden are not as really de- 

 licious as we had thought they 

 would be. While some soils seem to 

 unfavorably influence the quality of veg- 

 etables, there are times when, with the best 

 of soil conditions, disappointing results 

 will occur. This may be due to weather 

 conditions, or the use of fresh, strong man- 

 ures. Lettuce is sometimes injured by 

 the last named. 



Such vegetables as radishes, spinach, 

 head-lettuce, etc., that are tender and fine 

 of flavor in the cooler temperature of 

 spring or autumn, are inferior when grown 

 during the heat of summer. 



Observation seems to suggest certain 

 causes of quality changes in vegetables: 



Peas begin to lose their delicacy when 

 they have reached full size; Flat Milan 

 turnips when they exceed two and one- 

 half inches in diameter and Purple-topped 

 Globes when larger than three and one 

 half inches in diameter. 



A spell of dry, hot weather will make 

 asparagus bitter. 



Radishes are disappointing in heavy 

 soil in a hot, dry situation. Light, rich 

 soil and some shade make them crisp. 



Carrots and chicory are not improved 

 by being grown upon soil recently limed, 

 and tomatoes, too, are sometimes injured 

 upon such soil. Carrots are sweeter and 

 have a milder flavor when grown in a light, 

 sandy loam. Radishes and sorrel are 

 always poor on this kind of soil. 



Sorrel is less sour if not grown in the 

 hot sun. Kale, Brussels sprouts and 

 parsnips need frost to perfect their flavor. 



Applications of potash immediately be- 

 fore cropping make beets less sweet. 



Muriate of potash is injurious to pota- 

 toes, but sulphate of potash in proper 

 proportion with other elements is helpful. 



Rhubarb requires a rich soil to be of best 

 quality, likewise melons and squashes. 



Lettuce, onions, parsley, radishes, turnip 

 are impaired or spoiled for the table by 

 being allowed to go to seed. 



Melons are often of inferior quality be- 

 cause the seed has become crossed with 

 cucumber, pumpkin or squash during the 

 previous season's growth. 



Edible quality must not be expected in 

 French endive, dandelion, celery, sea kale, 

 cauliflower, etc., until the edible part has 

 been blanched. 



New Jersey. M. R. Conover. 



