34 



D. M. FERRY & CO'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



Hollow Crown, or 

 Guernsey. 



PHRSNIP, 



French, Panais. German, Pasti- 

 nake. 



The value of the parship as a 

 culinary vegetable is well known, 

 but it is not generally appreciated 

 at its full value for stock feeding. 

 On favorable soil it yields an im- 

 mense crop of roots, which are 

 more nutritious than carrots or 

 turnips, and particularly valuable 

 for dairy stock. 



Culture. —They do best on a deep, 

 rich, sandy soil, but will make good 

 roots on any soil which is deep, mel- 

 low and moderately rich, but fresh 

 manure is apt to make the roots 

 coarse and ill-shaped. As the seed 

 is sometimes slow to germinate, it 

 should be sown as early as possible ; 

 cover one-half inch deep, and press 

 the soil firmly over the seed; give 

 frequent cultivation, and thin the 

 plants to four to six to the foot. In 

 digging field crops, they may be 

 thrown out so as to be easily gath- 

 ered, by running a subsoil plow 

 along one side of the row. 



LONG WHITE DUTCH, OK 

 SUGAR.— Roots very long, white, 

 smooth, tender, sugary and most 

 excellently flavored. Very hardy, 

 and will keep through winter with- 

 out protection. 



HOLLOW CROWN, OR 

 G U E R N S E Y Roots compara- 

 tively short, ending somewhat 

 abruptly, with a small tap root; 

 grows mostly below the surface; 

 has a very smooth, clean skin, and 

 is easily distinguished by the leaves 

 arising from a cavity on the top or 

 crown of the root. 



PEHS, 



French, Pois. German, Erbsen. 



In spite of the multitude of varieties now in cultivation, 

 there are each year many new sorts brought out, each of 

 ivhich is claimed to be superior. We take great pains to 

 secure and test on our trial grounds samples of all these new 

 sorts, and present the following list as containing all which 

 are really desirable. 



Culture.— For early peas the soil should be light, warm 

 and sheltered, but for general crop a moderately heavy soil 

 is better. Sow as early as possible a few of the earliest 

 varieties on warm, quick soil, prepared the fall before. The 



Ferrvs First ano Best. 



general crop can be delayed until later, but we have met 

 with better success from sowing all the varieties compara- 

 tively early, depending for succession upon selecting sorts 

 that follow each other in ripening. The first sowing will be 

 earlier if covered only one inch deep: the other sorts should 

 be covered from two to six inches deep, the deep planting 

 preventing mildew and prolonging the season. Fresh 

 manure, or wet, mucky soil should be avoided, as they cause 

 the vines to grow too rank and tall. 



The crop should be gathered as fast as it becomes fit for 

 use. If even a few pods begin to ripen, young pods will not 

 only cease to foi~ni, but those partly advanced will cease to 

 enlarge. 



All Wrinkled Peas remain longer in season, are more 

 delicate in flavor, and are sweeter than the smooth sorts, 

 for as in sugar corn the wrinkled appearance indicates a 

 greater amount of saccharine matter. 



EXTRA EARLY SORTS. 



FERRY'S EIRST AND BEST.— Complaint is sometimes 

 made that the different seedsmen offer the same pea under 

 different names, but careful comparison convinces us that 

 the stock we offer as First and Best is, indeed, the first and 

 the best as to earliness and uniformity of ripening and for 

 market gardeners 1 use, maturing all the pods in about forty- 

 five days, so that frequently the ground can be ready for a 

 second crop in seven weeks from planting. Vines small, 

 about eighteen inches high, bearing three to seven straight, 

 handsome pods, each containing six to eight medium sized 

 round peas of good quality. 



D. M. FERRY & CO'S EXTRA EARLY. -For family 

 use this is probably equal to the preceding, though it does 

 not ripen as evenly. Peas large enough to eat are afforded 

 as early as from any variety, and the vines continue bearing 

 for a week or ten days, which, for family use, is a desirable 

 quality. The Rural New Yorker Pea, which is offered at a 

 high price, has proved on our grounds very similar, but in no 

 way superior, to our Extra Early. 



ss' American Wonder. 



BLISS' AMERICAN WONDER.— A variety whose 

 stout, branching vines grow only about nine inches high, and 

 are covered with long, well filled pods containing seven or 

 eight large, exceedingly sweet, tender and well flavored 

 peas, and are produced nearly as early as First and Best. 

 We have taken particular pains in raising our stock, to be 

 sure it was true and of the best quality, as some spurious 

 stock is being offered. 



EARLIEST OF ALL.— This is one of the best of the 

 early peas, but unfortunately there has been a great deal of 

 spurious and inferior stock sold under the name and so it has 

 not become so popular as it deserves. The stock we offer is 

 true and is very uniform and even, ripening as early as most 

 strains of Extra Early, maturing all of the crop for one pick- 

 ing, and the peas retaining their color after cooking. We 

 have carefully compared this with the best stock of Alaska 

 sold by the introducer and have found it to be earlier and 

 more uniform, and we believe it to be the best extra early 

 blue pea in cultivation. Vines eighteen inches high, bearing 

 pods which are uniformly straight and handsome, and well 

 filled with peas of the best quality. 



KENTISH INVICTA.— Vines about two feet in height, 

 with straight, handsome, well filled pods. Peas superior in 

 flavor to the white sorts: when ripe of a dull blue color. 

 Tested by the side of our Extra Early, it proved only a few 

 days later. 



