141 



The Garden Magazine, November, 1919 



spite of everything; and create 

 therefore something quite differ- 

 ent from any outdoor conditions 

 of anywhere in the world. 



A New World Opens Up 



REALIZE therefore that it is 

 not the plants of our outdoor 

 gardens that we may bring in and 

 establish in gardens under glass — 

 though it is true that a great many 

 garden favorites will take kindly 

 to this change of residence and 

 oblige with the greatest abundance 

 of flowers or fruits — but instead it 

 is a whole world of plants of an- 

 other character (many the result 

 of careful and long breeding or se- 

 lection) which must be as carefully 



studied as new worlds always are, in order that their 

 requirements shall be understood and met. Moreover 

 these plants come from widely different places, and require 



\N INTIMATE LITTLE LEAN-TO GREENHOUSE 

 Well fitted into its position against the resi- 

 dence of Mr. P. J. Kinder at Wilmette, III. 



a great deal more than simply 

 protection from cold to enable 

 them to grow so far from their 

 native clime and condition: and 

 they are not all of the same taste 

 and temperament either — not by 

 any means. Some like much mois- 

 ture and heat, others need little 

 of either, and still others come 

 between and will be satisfied with 

 no extremes. This necessitates 

 careful selection according to the 

 proposed temperature of your 

 greenhouse; or else a series of 

 "compartments" run at the dif- 

 ferent temperatures to meet these 

 varying needs. In other words, 

 do not expect to grow everything 

 that may be fancied in any green- 

 house at all, simply because a 

 greenhouse affords protection to things that are not hardy in 

 your latitude. Remember to attempt growing only what 

 you make definite provision -for when you are building. 



—The Multitudes of A NY ONE who has ever tried to have a 

 Vegetable Varieties" *»• vegetable garden and has puzzled 

 over a modern seedsman's catalogue looking 

 for the varieties that will suit him, his soil, 

 his climate, and his altitude — not to mention his family — will be in- 

 terested in a step taken by the Vegetable Growers of America in 

 convention at Detroit, early in September. A resolution was 

 adopted calling for the simplification and standardization of the 

 variety situation and calling attention to the vast number of sorts 

 now offered for sale; that many of these are camouflaged duplicates 

 of previously recognized varieties; to the ease with which any one 

 can add new names to the already overloaded list; and to the ex- 

 pense, confusion, and dissatisfaction that this condition imposes on 

 dealer and on customer. There are something more than 7,700 named 

 varieties of vegetables listed to-day; yet a few years ago a careful 

 compilation by Dr. W. W. Tracy, of the Department of Agriculture, 

 showed that there are only about 710 varieties that can be called 

 distinct and worthy! In other words, more than 90 per cent, 

 of the sorts listed in catalogues are actually unnecessary! Dr. 

 Tracy listed seventy-five varieties of beans, yet there are on the mar- 

 ket 775 sorts; among the 352 varieties of sweet corn offered, only 

 twenty-seven were reported as really different and deserving of 

 perpetuation. Other figures were: for peas 506 and 48; for cab- 

 bage, 638 and 43; for lettuce, 546 and 47; and so it goes! 



— Fewer and 

 Better Seeds" 



THE Vegetable Growers' resolution sug- 



gested that the condition described 



above be remedied by establishing a key 



to all vegetable varieties, in which the 



names of the distinct, standard varieties would stand out in heavy 



type with those of the imitations, the inferior, and even the merely 



unnecessary sorts listed directly below tbem. The holder of such a 



list, therefore, would (to create a fictitious example), note that 

 the Extra Early Perfect Pea that he thought he wanted to buy was 

 actually only a renamed strain more or less distinct from Gradus, 

 which he knows from experience he doesn't want. Of course the 

 testing of the thousands of sorts now available, the determination of 

 the true place and worth of each, and the preparation of the key will be 

 a task requiring much labor and study, considerable time, very com- 

 plete knowledge, and absolute fairness and broadmindedness. The 

 resolution urges the American Seed Trade Association to cooperate. 



—The Cost 

 of Living" 



THERE is one spot of joy in theotherwise 

 murky prospect. And that is the height- 

 ened satisfaction with which one can view 

 his vegetable plot, no matter how small, and 

 estimate what it has returned him in the form of luscious provender. 

 Of course that is an old story, but like other oft-told tales, it has 

 taken on new meaning these past months. This was discovered by 

 taking home a few menu cards from several representative hotels, a 

 dining car or two, etc., Just as an experiment to test the case 

 fair!y it was proposed to charge up a week's meals according to an 

 average of these prices. Within less than half of that week the 

 budget was exploded. The normal habit of life involved, for dinner, 

 perhaps two dozen ears of Golden Bantam corn (value in restaurant 

 currency, $3.00), the equivalent of two large orders of mashed pota- 

 toes (.50 at least), a heaping dish of string beans (four or five por- 

 tions certainly at not less than .30 each), a salad of lettuce and toma- 

 toes (about a dollar's worth), and sufficient pie or pudding from our 

 own fruits to match several twenty-five cent portions in quantity, 

 and infinitely above them in quality. It was clear that in spite of 

 higher prices for fertilizers, etc., last spring, the actual making and 

 care of the garden hadn't cost any more than ever, and had been 

 just as beneficial physically. Need more be said? 



