54 



M 



FERRY & C O'S 



scarlet ; neck small ; flesh rose colored, tender and ex- 

 cellent. Early, and well adapted for forcing or general 

 crop. 



New French Breakfast. — A medium sized radish, 

 olive shaped, small top, of quick growth, very crisp and 

 tender, of a beautiful scarlet color, except near the root, 

 which is pure white. A splendid variety for the table, 

 not only on account of its excellent qualities, but for its 

 beautiful color. 



D. M. Ferry & Go's Perpetual Market.— This va- 

 riety continues to hold the good opinions formed of it 

 four years ago, and as a summer and winter variety, it 

 probably has no superior. About seven or eight inches 

 long, three inches in diameter at the crown, tapering 

 pretty regularly to the point ; skin white, tinged with 

 brown, making it look greyish ; flesh white, very solid, 

 fine-grained, and brittle at all stages of its growth. 

 Sown at intervals, it will keep the table supplied the 

 greater part of the year ; at no period of its growth, or 

 season of the year, does it become hollow or spongy. 



Long White Naples. — Skin white, and of fine text- 

 ure ; flesh fine-grained, crisp, and very good flavor. A 

 late, fall variety. 



WINTER VARIETIES. 



The general method of culture should be the same as 

 that of the summer kinds, but the seed may be sown as 

 late as September, and the roots can be kept all winter. 



Scarlet China, Winter. — Form rather conical, and 

 very smooth ; of a lively rose color ; flesh firm, like the 

 Black Spanish, but more pungent. Cultivation the 

 same as for that variety. 



W^hite China, Winter.— Similar in shape to the 

 preceding, though more regular in form. Average spec- 

 imens measure about five inches in length by two inches 

 in diameter. Flesh rather piquant, solid and brittle, 

 and skin white and clean ; tops large. A most excellent 

 sort for late fall and winter use. 



Long Black Spanish, Winter.— One of the latest 

 as well as the hardiest of the radishes, and is considered 

 an excellent sort ' for winter use. Roots oblong, black, 

 of very large size, and firm texture. It is sown rather 

 earlier than the fall turnips, 

 and must be stored in sand, in 

 cellar, for winter use. It will 

 keep good till spring. 



Large White Spanish, 

 W^inter. — Roots somewhat 

 fusiform, retaining their diam- 

 eter for two-thirds their length, 



Black Spanish. 



California Mammoth. 



sharply conical at the base, and when full grown, meas- 

 uring seven or eight inches in length, by about three 

 inches in diameter at the fullest part. Skin white, 

 slightly wrinkled, sometimes tinged with purple, where 

 exposed to the sun. Flesh white, solid and pungent, 

 though milder than the Black Spanish. 



California Mammoth W^hite China, Winter.— 

 First introduced into this country by the Chinese, in 

 California. It is pure white, about one foot long, and 

 two or three inches through, tapering regularly to the 

 root. The flesh is tender and crisp, and it keeps per- 

 fectly well through the winter. A very valuable addi- 

 tion to our list of winter radishes. 



RAPE. 



This plant is extensively cultivated in England, both 

 for forage and for the seed, from which is manufactured 

 rape seed oil. The seeds are also much used as food for 

 canary birds. It is also sometimes used as a salad plant 

 like mustard. As a forage plant, the yield is abundant, 

 and fed green, it is very nutritious, and nearly all ani- 

 mals are very fond of it. Sow in May, either broadcast 

 or in drills ; if the former, ten pounds, and if the latter, 

 four pounds per acre. 



RHUBARB, or PIE PLANT. 



Fr. Rhubarbe. — Ger. Rhabarber. 



Rhubarb, familiarly known as Pie Plant, is cultivated 

 in gardens for their leaf stalks, which are used for pies 

 and tarts. Within a few years the cultivation of this 

 very grateful and wholesome vegetable has been extens- 

 ively increased ; immense quantities are now annually 

 sold in all the large markets. No private garden should 

 be without a bed of it. 



Culture. — Rhubarb succeeds best in deep, somewhat 

 retentive soil. The richer its condition, and the deeper 

 it is stirred, the better. Sow in drills an inch deep, and 

 thin out the plants to six inches apart. In the fall, 

 trench a piece of ground, and manure it well ; then 

 transplant the young plants into it three feet apart each 

 way. Cover with leaves or litter the first winter, and 

 give a dressing of coarse manure every fall. The seed 

 cannot be relied upon for the reproduction of the same 

 variety. The stalks should not be plucked till the third 

 year, and the plant never allowed to exhaust itself by 

 running to seed. 



Rhubarb, or Pie Plant. 



Linnaeus. — The earliest of all, and very productive 



and high flavored. It possesses little acidity, and has 



so thin a skin that removing it is scarcely necessary. It 



continues equally crisp and tender throughout the sum- 



