EICHARD FROa?SCaER'S ALMaNAO AND GARDEN MANUAL 



The Spring crop also did not do so well ; January, February and part of March 

 were very wet, which prevented cultivators to work the growing crops. After the 

 rainy spell we had an exceedingly dry one, which was not favorable towards 

 developing the size of cabbage. Many thousand crates of cabbage did not pay for 

 freight at destination. Brunswick and Early Summer are the two principal varie- 

 ties shipped from here. 



The surest plan is to sow the seed in cold frames in November, say from the 

 middle to the twentieth, to have them for transplantinjg in January. 



Beets and Cucumbers paid well, that is, the latter raised in frames, and open 

 ground. Peas did very poorly owing to the very heavy rains during March But 

 what was shipped brought good prices. Beans came In too late, and very few of 

 them paid ; there came too many from along the line of the Jackson Kail Road to 

 Chicago at the same time. Wax Beans arrived in good order, shipped from here 

 owing to the dry weather in April ; they also done finely from the line of the L. & N. 

 R. E., 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 good 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 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 potatoes raised farther West, Mississippi 

 and Tennessee. Our late potatoes were not large owing to the dry weather in late 

 Spring. 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. The crop of Onions was very large but sold low. Shipped 

 North and West they sold at ruinous prices to the shipper, in many instances 

 bringing less than they were bought for here. The quality was excellent and 

 kept well all Summer ; in the month of October, I had some which were as sound 

 and firm as at the time they were dug (latter i>art of xlpril). The Musk Melon crop 

 was large and of excellent quality ; it paid well. Tomatoes also paid well. 



Gardeners and others who contemplate raising vegetables for shipping, are 

 invited to give me a call. 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 

 climpote, 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. 



I receive a good many letters which ate 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 tliat place, and in some 

 instances have traced up the writer in that way. 



