February, 19 14 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



15 



During May and the following months, it 

 may be necessary to increase the amount 

 of water, and both morning and afternoon 

 waterings may then be given. Sunshiny 

 days use up more water than cloudy 

 days, so watch the soil during and follow- 

 ing cloudy days. If moist, do not add 

 more water. In testing the soil, thrust 

 the fingers down deep into the soil. The 

 plant as well as the soil will indicate dry- 

 ness. In fact, the plant will wilt. If the 

 soil becomes hard or crusted, it may be 

 stirred with a fork or small hand culti- 

 vator. This cultivation is very bene- 

 ficial to the plant, and it is quite advis- 

 able to cultivate every week. 



THINNING 



By the time the seeds have germinated 

 and the small plants are grown up through 

 the soil it will usually be found that the 

 seedlings are too thick. If so they must 

 be thinned as follows: lettuce, three inches 

 apart at first; later, if heads are desired, 

 seven to eight inches apart. Radishes 

 one to one and a half inches apart. Spinach 

 not at all. Beets, not until leaves are 

 four inches tall; then thin to two inches 

 apart. Carrots one half to three quarters 

 inch apart. Turnips, one to two inches 

 apart. 



Not all varieties of vegetables are equally 

 well adapted to forcing and it will be worth 

 while getting those that have been proved 

 successful. I have had experience with 

 the following as doing well in the hotbed 

 early in the spring; they will also give 

 satisfaction if grown during 

 the fall and early winter. «gZ»j 



Beets. Eclipse, of globular shape 

 with bright red, tender flesh; Elec- 

 tric, globular shape, a rich red, 

 tender flesh, small leaves; Egyp- 

 tian, a flat shape, deep crimson color, 

 very small leaves, perhaps the best; 

 Egyptian (Crosby's), round, not so 

 flat as the foregoing, dark blood 

 colored flesh, leaves small; Lentz, 

 large, round, with light, red-ringed 

 flesh, very small leaves. 



Carrots. Carentan, slender, cyl- 

 indrical, half long, flesh orange 

 red, leaves few and small; Coreless, 

 cylindrical, hah long, blunt, orange- 

 red flesh, small leaves; Early Short 

 Top, stump-rooted carrot, 3 inches 

 long, flesh deep orange, leaves 

 small; French Forcing, very small, 

 globular, flesh orange red, leaves 

 small; Golden Ball, round, ball-like, 

 flesh golden orange, leaves small; 

 Scarlet Horn, blunt, 3 to 4 inches 

 long, flesh deep orange. 



Lettuce. Black-seeded Butter, 

 medium sized head; Buttercup, 

 yellow colored, solid, small heads; 

 Early Simpson or Silesia, yellowish-green, loose 

 leaf type; Emperor Forcing, loose head, yellowish- 

 green type; Glass House, an English variety of 

 merit; Grand Rapids, yellowish-green, loose leaf 

 type; Hittinger's Forcing, medium size, solid 

 heads, yellowish-green; Hubbard Market, yellowish 

 green in color, large heads; Rheingold, golden 

 yellow color, large, solid heads; Tennis Ball (black 

 seeded), small, solid heads; Tennis Ball (white 

 seeded), large heads; Tom Thumb, hard, small 

 heads. 



Radishes. Early Scarlet Forcing, turnip-shaped, 

 light scarlet color; French Breakfast oval-shaped, 



scarlet color, white tipped; Hailstone,turnip-shaped, 

 white color, foliage small; Ne Plus Ultra, turnip- 

 shaped, deep scarlet color; Rapid Forcing, small, 

 round, scarlet in color, with a white tip, small fol- 

 iage; Red Forcing, round, red in color, small top, 

 very mild; Red Rocket, oval, deep scarlet color, 

 small top, mild; Round Dark Red, turnip-shaped, 

 dark red in color, white flesh; White Rocket, oval- 

 shaped, red in color, small top, mild; White Tipped 

 Rocket, oval in shape, deep rose colored tip with 



Ventilating block. Each step 

 is "one Inch of air" The 

 block is used to hold 

 up the sash on the 

 rT7n end away from 



' " wind 



- 8 



Vent it a t ion 



white at base, mild; Wood's Early Frame, long, 

 scarlet color, small foliage. 



Spinach. Bloomsdale or Savory, large, early, 

 wrinkled leaf; Long Standing, large, thick, fleshy, 

 dark green leaves; Thick Leaved, large, thick, 

 bright green, crumpled leaves. 



Turnip. Kashmyr Scarlet, small, flat, white 

 fleshed, scarlet topped, very mild; Purple Top 

 Milan, flat, bright reddish purple above, white 

 underneath, mild flavor, leaves small; Red Topped 

 Striped Leaf, round, flat, white in color, mild; White 



Flat Dutch, flat, white in color, mild; White Milan, 

 flat, white in color, mild, few leaves. 



If the hotbed is to be utilized as it 

 should be throughout the season, selection 

 of vegetables can be made from the follow- 

 ing and plants grown during the late 

 spring and summer: 



Beans (green). Bountiful, green, flat-podded, 

 bush variety, stringless; Extra Early Stringless, 

 round-podded, stringless bush variety; Full 

 Measure, round-podded, bush variety, stringless; 



Longfellow, round-podded, stringless; Ne Plus 

 Ultra, flat-podded, bush variety, stringless; Os- 

 borne's Forcing, English variety, round-podded, 

 stringless; Red Valentine, round-podded, bush 

 variety, stringless, said to mature in 45 days; 

 Extra Early Refugee, round-podded, bush variety, 

 stringless. 



Beans (wax). Black Wax, round-podded, bush 

 variety, stringless; Brittle Wax, flat-podded, 

 stringless bush; Golden Wax, flat-podded, bush 

 variety, stringless; Wardwell's Kidney Wax, flat- 

 podded, stringless bush variety. 

 Beets and carrots same as above. 

 Cabbage. Baseball, small, round heads; Char- 

 leston Wakefield, broadly conical; Early Jersey 

 Wakefield, conical; Early Market, flat head type; 

 Early Winningstadt, pyramidal; Early York, 

 small, round, an English type. 



Cauliflower. Burpee's Best Early, small to 

 medium head; Extra Early Dwarf Erfurt, short 

 compact growth, medium sized; Extra Early 

 Paris, small heads, very early; Snowball, medium 

 sized head. 



Celery. Golden Rose, pink stalk, self-blanching 

 type; Golden Self-blanching, yellowish stalk, fine 

 quality; White Bloom, white stalk, good quality. 

 Corn (sweet). Catawba, white and early; Golden 

 Bantam, yellow, eight-rowed; Goldenrod, yellow, 

 eight-rowed; Metropolitan, white; White Cob Cory, 

 white. 



Cucumbers. Davis Perfect, long fruit, 10 to 12 

 inches; Early Frame, medium sized; Extra Early 

 Green Prolific, small, 4 to 5 inches long; Ford- 

 hook, 10 to 14 inches long; Telegraph, smooth, 

 14 to 16 inches long; Vickery's Forcing, medium 

 length, 6 to 8 inches; White Spine, green, white 

 toward tip, about 6 inches long. 



Eggplant. Black Beauty, oval, purple-black; 

 Early Long Purple, globe-shaped, dark purple 

 fruits, firm flesh; Improved New York Spineless, 

 oval, dark purple fruit. 



Lettuce. Those mentioned above and Big Bos- 

 ton, greenish-yellow color, large head; Cos, Ex- 

 press, self-folding inner leaves; Cos, Trianon, 

 large, upright growth, greenish leaves; Deacon, 

 yellowish in color, large head; May King, golden 

 yellow, large head. 



Melons, green fleshed. Early 

 Hackensack, round, flattened ends; 

 Jenny Lind, round, flattened ends; 

 Netted Gem, round, finely netted; 

 Newport, round, dull green, rich 

 golden color when ripe. 



Salmon-fleshed. Emerald Gem, 

 small, dark green, light striped mel- 

 on, smooth skin; Osage, medium, 

 oval in shape, netted; Paul Rose, 

 cross between Emerald Gem and 

 Osage, oval, netted. 



Okra. Dwarf Prolific, of stocky 

 growth, pods small. 



Onions. Adriatic Barletta, small, 

 with silver skin, very mild; Bermu- 

 da, flat, small in size, white, mild; 

 White Bunch, medium, white, very 

 mild, excellent as a rare ripe. 

 Sets. Potato Red, from Red Weth- 

 ersfield; White, from White Portu- 

 gal; Yellow, from Yellow Dan vers. 

 Radishes and spinach same as 

 above. 



Squash. Vegetable Marrow Bush, 

 elliptical in shape; White Bush, 

 flattened and scalloped edges; Yel- 

 low Bush Crookneck, globe-shaped, 

 with a crooked neck. 

 Tomatoes. Acme, fruit medium, purplish-pink 

 in color and smooth; Chalk's Jewel, large in size, 

 brilliant scarlet, smooth; Earliana, large, red with 

 a yellow tinge, more or less irregular; June Pink, 

 large, purplish pink, smooth; Stirling Castle, 

 medium sized, bright red, an English variety. 

 Turnips same as above. 

 It will be necessary to purchase in most 

 cases only a package of seed of each of the 

 varieties selected. The amount depends 

 upon the number of hotbeds and the space 

 given over to growing each vegetable. 



