30 



D. iVI. Ferry &. Cos Descriptive Catalogue. 



scales; rind thin, but very tough; flesh red, very tender, 

 nutty, crisp; seeds reddish brown. 



Cuban Queen. — One of the largest melons known, 

 specimens having been grown that weighed eighty-tivo 

 founds. Vine vigorous; skin striped light and dark 

 green. Rind medium thick, but the fruit stands ship- 

 ment well. Flesh bright red, solid, very crisp and 

 sugary. 



Kolb's Gem, or American Champion. — A new 

 and very distinct variety originating at the south, and 

 becoming very popular with southern growers because 

 of its size, beauty and remarkable shipping and keeping 

 qualities. Specimens have been shipped from the ex- 

 treme south to New York and from there back to Phila- 

 delphia, yet they arrived in the best possible condition. 



Vines of medium size but remarkably vigorous and 

 healthy. Leaves of medium size, deeply cut with a pe- 

 culiar frilled edge. Fruit of the largest size, round or 

 slightly oval with a cavity, at the blossom end marked 

 with irregular mottled stripes of dark and very light 

 green in sharp contrast, which gives it a bright and at- 

 tractive appearance. Outer rind or shell exceedingly 

 hard and firm resembling that of a winter squash. Flesh 

 bright red extending to within half an inch of the. rind; 

 always solid, very firm, a little coarse but sweet and 

 tender. Seeds dark grey. 



Mountain Sweet. — A large, long, oval variety; flesh 

 scarlet, and quite solid to the center; very sweet and 

 delicious. 



Mountain Sprout.— A large, long, striped variety, 

 with bright scarlet flesh and drab colored seeds; it dif- 

 fers from the Mountain Sweet in color and shape, is 

 rather late, and will keep longer in the fall. 



Orange. — An 

 oval melon; 

 skin green; 

 flesh scarlet, of 

 good quality, 

 and is peculiar 

 in that the flesh 

 may be easily 

 separated from 

 the rind, like an 

 orange. 



Ice Cream — 

 M e d i u m size, 

 scarlet flesh, and 

 Citron very sweet; a 



good variety for main crop. 



Citron. — Employed in making preserves. Grows 

 uniformly round and smooth, striped and marbled with 

 light green. Flesh white and solid ; seeds red. 



MUSHROOMS. 



The Mushroom is an edible fungus, of a white color, 

 changing to brown when old. The gills are loose, of a 

 pinkish red, changing to liver color. It produces no 

 seed, but instead, a white, fibrous substance in broken 

 threads, called spawn, which is preserved in horse ma- 

 nure, being pressed in the form of bricks. Thus pre- 

 pared, it will retain its vitality for years. 



Culture. — Mushrooms can be grown in the cellar, in 

 sheds, or in hot-beds in open-air, on shelves, or out-of- 

 the-way places. Fermenting horse manure, at a tem- 

 perature of about 70 degrees, is made into beds the size 

 required, eighteen inches deep. In this bed plant the 

 broken pieces of spawn six inches apart, covering the 

 whole with two inches of light soil, and protect from 

 cold and severe rains. The mushrooms will appear in 

 about six weeks. Water with lukewarm water, and only 

 when quite dry. 



MUSTARO. 



Fr. Moutarde. — Ger. Sen/. 



Mustard is not only used as a condiment, but the green 

 leaves are used as a salad, or cut and boiled like spinage. 



Culture. — Should be the same as that of cress. 



Southern Giant Curled. — This mustard is very 

 highly esteemed in the south, where the seed is sown in 

 tlie fall, and the plants used very early in the spring as- 

 a salad. The seed is brown and produces plants which 

 grow about two feet high and form enormous bunches,. 

 six of which will fill an ordinary barrel. 



White English. — The leaves are light green, mild 

 and tender when young ; seed light yellow. 



Brown Italian. — This is a larger plant than the- 

 preceding, with much darker leaves; seed brown, and 

 more pungent. 



NASTURTIUM. 



Fr. CaJ>ucine. — Ger. Kapiiziner Kress. 



Culture. — Sow after the ground is warm, in drills- 

 one inch deep, by the side of a fence, trellis work, or 

 some other support to climb upon. They will thrive in 

 good ground, in almost any situation, but are more pro- 

 ductive in a light soil. 



Tall Mixed. — Cultivated both for use and ornament. 

 Its beautiful, orange colored flowers serve as a garnish 

 for dishes, and the young leaves are excellent for salads. 

 The flower buds, scarcely formed, and the greed seed 

 pods preserved in vinegar, make a pickle greatly esteem- 

 ed by many. 



For otiier varieties., see Flower Seeds. 



OKRA. 



Fr. Gombo. — Ger. Ocher. 



This is an annual from the West Indies, cultivated for 

 its green seed pods, which are used in soups or stewed 

 and served like asparagus. It is highly esteemed at the 

 south for making gumbo soup. The pods when young 

 and tender should be sliced in sections, strung on a 

 thread and hung up in the shade to cure like dried 

 apples. In this 

 condition i t K,^ 

 can be used for \^ 

 soup at any \ ' 

 time. i \N 



Culture. — ^^^ 

 Sow the seed 

 thinly in dry, 

 warm soil, in 

 shallow drills 

 two feet apart. 

 Cover the 

 seeds lightly. 

 After the 

 plants are up, 

 thin them out 

 to nine inches 

 apart; hoe fre- 

 quently and 

 draw a little 

 earth to the 

 stems as they 

 continue to 

 grow. Gather the pods when quite green, and about am 

 inch and a half long. 



Tall White. — About four feet high; pods eight to- 

 ten inches long. 



Dwarf W^hite. — A decided improvement on the pre- 

 ceding. Two and a half feet high, very productive;: 

 pods a foot long, very thick and fleshy. 



