52 



Ferry & Go's Descriptive Catalogue, 



in quantity. If intended for seed, it should be fully 

 ripe. Some sow rye among standing corn, hoeing it in, 

 leaving the ground level as possible, and after the corn 

 is removed, rolling the ground It succeeds best on 

 sandy soils. 



Buckwheat, common. — Buckwheat should be sown 

 about the 20th of June, broadcast, at the rate of from 

 one to three pecks per acre. The average yield is from 

 twenty-five to thirty bushels per acre. It should be 

 threshed as soon as dry, on the ground or barn floor. If 

 allowed to stand in mass, it quickly gathers moisture. 



Buckwheat, Silver Hull. — This improved variety 

 is much better than the old sort. It is in bloom longer, 

 matures sooner, and yields double the quantity per acre. 

 The husk is thinner, .the corners less prominent, and the 

 grain of a beautiful light grey color. The flour is said 

 to be better and more nutritious. 



Field Peas {Pisuin sativuiii). — The varieties of field 

 peas have never been very numerous, nor are they much 

 increasing. The kinds mostly used are the Golden 

 Vine, Crown, Blue Prussian, Common White, Common 

 Blue and Creeper. Field peas, in general, may be sown 

 broadcast or in drills, after the manner of field beans, 

 about three bushels per acre. 



Spring Vetches, or Tares {Vica sativa). — A spe- 

 cies of the pea, grown extensively in England, and to a 

 considerable extent in Canada, for stock, but not much 

 used in the States. Culture same as field peas, two 

 bushels per acre. 



Flax {Limnn tisitatissimuvi). — Sow late enough in 

 the spring to avoid frost, and early enough to secure the 

 early rains. A fair average quantity of seed to be cown 

 on an acre is one-half bushel, when cultivated for seed; 

 if for the fibre, a larger quantity should be sown Cut 

 before quite ripe, and, if the weather be dry, let it lie in 

 the swath a few hours, when it should be raked, bound 



and secured from the weather ; thresh early in the fal' 

 and in dry weather. 



Hemp {Cannabis sa/iiut). — If raised for manufac- 

 turing, must be sown broadcast, at the rate of one-half 

 bushel to the acre ; if for seed, should be planted in hills 

 four feet apart, and the plants thinned out to three or 

 four most vigorous stems in each hill. 



Wild Rice {Zizaiiia aquatica). — An annual which 

 sows itself in the fall, about middle of September, lies 

 dormant all winter, in spring commences to sprout as 

 soon as the water gets warm, reaching the surface dur- 

 ing the first half of June. It grows very rapidly, in one 

 to eight feet of water, ripens late in August or early in 

 September. It should be planted in the fall, before ice 

 forms, broadcast, from a boat, in two to three feet of 

 water, having a mud bottom. It has been successfully 

 planted through the ice in winter and in the spring, but 

 it succeeds best when planted in the fall. 



As an attraction for wild fowl, it cannot be equaled. 

 In large ponds and lakes it purifies the water, affords a 

 refuge for the small fry from the large fish, as well as 

 furnishing the small fry plenty of food from the ani- 

 malculse upon the stalks ; for planting in fish ponds it is 

 especially desirable. It also does well along the shores 

 of marshes, and makes a good hay. At the south, two 

 crops can be cut, and all cattle are very fond of it. 



Canary Seed yPhalaris canariensis). 

 Hemp Seed iyCanalns satiz'a). 

 Maw {Papaver r/upas). 

 Millet Seed {Panicuvi viiliaceicm'). 

 Rape Seed {Brassica napus). 

 Lettuce Seed {Lactnca sativa^. 



FL 



ER SEEDS 



BRIEF Hir^fXS Or« @01VI]>5G AND CUI^XI^ AX IN O ^ 



SELECTION OF VARIETIES.— Success in flower culture depends quite largely upon a judicious selec- 

 tion of varieties. Every sort we offer is, under certain conditions, attractive and desirable, but some of them, while 

 exceedingly beautiful under favorable circumstances, will be most unsatisfactory and little better than weeds under 

 others ; we therefore urge our friends to carefully study the following pages before ordering, that they may select 

 the sorts best suited to their wants. 



HARDY ANNUALS are those which require no artificial heat at any period of their growth, every stage of 

 their development, from germination to ripening of the seed, being passed in the open ground. 



They are the most easily cultivated of all plants ; the number of their varieties is large, and their flowers, when 

 properly grown, are frequently of most attractive beauty and elegance. It is only, to be regretted that they are not 

 generally cultivated to that extent to which their merit justly entitles them. The seed may be sown from the first 

 of April to the middle of June, along the border, in little patches four or six inches square, or in drills, on the spot 

 where they are wanted to blossom; and in doing so, care should be taken to have the different varieties arranged 

 in such a manner as to produce a pleasing effect when they are in bloom. 



HALF-HARDY ANNUALS are those species that flower and ripen their seeds in the open air, but need 

 the assistance of artificial heat in the earlier stages of their growth. They should be sown in a hot-bed, or in pots 

 in a green-house, if one is available, or in a sunny window. Keep them well shaded, which will prevent absorption 

 by the rays of the sun, and the consequent necessity of frequent watering, which bakes the soil, and does much 

 mischief to seeds of slow growth. Towards the middle or end of May, many of the seedlings will be ready for 

 transplanting to borders ; but previous to this exposure, it will be necessary to harden them, preparatory to removal, 

 by gradually admitting air to the frame both day and night. 



BIENNIALS AND PERENNIALS.— Biennials are those plants that do not generally flower the first 

 year, and are only in perfection one season. Perennials continue to flower several years in succession. The seed 

 may be sown as has already been stated, at times when the ground is moist, but not very wet, from the first of 

 April to August. Many of them may be raised in the open ground, like hardy annuals, and transplanted ; but ten- 

 der or half-hardy kinds should be sown as directed for half-hardy annuals. As they do not generally bloom the 

 first year, they may be thinned out or removed from the seed bed as soon as they are well rooted, and planted 

 either in different parts of the garden, or into nursery beds, in rows a foot apart. The half-hardy or tender bien- 



