Chapter XII 



BEST VARIETIES OF THE GARDEN VEGETABLES 



IT is my purpose in this chapter to assist the 

 gardener of Hmited experience to select varie- 

 ties sure to give satisfaction. 

 To the man or woman planning a garden for the 

 first time there is no one thing more confusing than 

 the selection of the best varieties. This in spite of 

 the fact that catalogues should be, and might be, a 

 great help instead of almost an actual hindrance. 



I suppose that seedsmen consider extravagance in 

 catalogues, both in material and language, necessary, 

 or they would not go to the limit in expense for 

 printing and mailing, as they do. But from the 

 point of view of the gardener, and especially of the 

 beginner, it is to be regretted that w^e cannot have 

 the plain unvarnished truth about varieties, for 

 surely the good ones are good enough to use up all 

 the legitimate adjectives upon which seedsmen 

 would care to pay postage. But such is not the case. 

 Every season sees the introduction of literally hun- 

 dreds of new varieties — or, as is m.ore often the case, 



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