6 RICHARD FROTSCHER’S ALMANAC AND GARDEN MANUAL. 
The surest plan is to sow the seed in cold frames in November, say from the 
middle to the twentieth, to have them for transplanting in January. 
Beets and Cucumbers paid well, that is, the latter raised in frames; the open 
ground crop was almost a failure. Peas did very poorly owing to the very heavy 
rains during March. Beans came in too late, and very few of them paid; there 
came too many from along the line of the Jackson Rail Road to Chicago at the 
same time. Wax Beans did not arrive in good order, shipped from here, but have 
done finely from the line of the L. & N. R. R., between here and Mobile. The Wax 
Beans, when in good order, always bring higher prices than green podded varieties. 
The potatoes brought to the market early realized fancy prices; most of them 
were shipped to different points from here; but owing to their poor quality, having 
been mostly dug before properly matured, the returns were bad, and prices fell 
so rapidly, that our main crop sold at very low prices. The principal reason of it 
was, that our crop shipped North and West came in competition with the foreign 
potatoes,—New York alone received over one million sacks from England. The 
yield of potatoes was very different, one from the other; some hardly returned the 
seeds, while others got from 15 to 20 barrels for one planted, from the same lot of 
seed potatoes.—Tomatoes paid well. 
Along the line of the Jackson Rail Road too many Peas were planted, and 
owing to the late season, they all matured almost at the same time; the quantities 
shipped were too large to bring good prices. Owing to the rains and late frosts 
the quality was poor, and as they wilt quickly they were sold very low; in some 
instances not bringing the freight. 
Gardeners and others who contemplate raising vegetables for shipping, are 
invited to give meacall. From the fact that all staple articles are raised for me 
by contract, in such sections best suited to mature the varieties we need for our cli- 
mate, and the interest I take in the seed business, coupled with a thorough knowl- 
edge of same, enables me to assist in making selections of seeds for the purpose. 
The interest of my customers and mine are identical. My stock is the best selected 
and largest in the South. 
~ T receive a good many letters which are plainly enough written, 
except the signature. To insure prompt filling of orders, I ask all cus- 
tomers and others writing to me, to write their names plainly; at the 
same time, never fail to give the name of the nearest Post Office. Also, 
write out the order in columns, not in the body of the letter. Some let- 
ters came in without any signature; when the Post Office was properly 
given, I returned the letter to the Post Master of that place, and in some 
instances have traced up the writer in that way. 
