2l8 



SOME FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES. 



live summer-blooming plant of the easiest culture and 

 must become a general favorite in that class of plants. 



While speaking of zinnias we are reminded that the 

 members of the entire genus as now improved are among 

 the most satisfactory plants that can be cultivated. They 

 are neat growers, of easy culture, and the flowers vie in 

 brilliancy with, if they do not excel in richness, geran- 

 iums. They show a larger range of colors than pelar- 

 goniums, for they embrace some rich oranges and allied 

 tints. As bedding-plants they are satisfactory either in 

 masses, rows or singly. 

 A point in their favor is 

 that they appear in good 

 blooming shape well into 

 the autumn, after many 

 other kinds have taken 

 on a sorry appearance. 

 While they are thought 

 to prefer a sandy soil, 

 they thrive in any good 

 garden loam. In culti- 

 vation they are readily 

 started, while a favorite 

 way of raising them in 

 the north is to sow the 

 seeds in gentle heat about 

 April I — nothing being 

 gained by sowing them 

 earlier. One will not be 

 without reward, however, 

 if never a seed goes into 

 the soil before corn- 

 planting time and then 

 outdoors. While the zin- 

 nia transplants readily, 

 still it is better that this 

 be done not so long be- 

 fore setting out but that 

 the tissues will yet be 

 tender and succulent, 

 that they may lose noth- 

 ing of that vigorous 

 growth which is always 

 desirable up to the bloom- 

 ing stage. Zinnias love 

 full exposure to the sun 

 and heat, being natives 

 of the plains of Mexico. 



The Peppers. — The tendency for new peppers has 

 taken a fanciful turn. In the Ruby King, Golden Up- 

 right and Golden Queen, introduced some years ago, the 

 first-named red, the other two a beautiful yellow, and all 

 smooth and quite large — we have apparently reached a 

 standard of excellence which it will not be easy to sur- 

 pass. Since the introduction of the sorts named none of 

 practical value have been offered. Only monstrosities, 

 like Procopp's Giant with its twisted and contorted shape, 

 and ornamental playthings like Red Cluster, Celestial, 

 Coral Gem, Bouquet and Tom Thumb have been brought 



New Double Z 



out. To the latter class, more curious than useful, also 

 belongs the Black Nubian. The plants from the start 

 are a dark purple — almost black — and grow slowly and 

 weakly. In the end, however, they become quite large 

 and bushy and produce a great quantity of medium-sized 

 long and pointed peppers. The plants attract attention 

 by their unusual color, stalks, foliage and fruit alike 

 showing that peculiar dark purple. We always like to 

 have these curiosities long enough to get acquainted with 

 them, and for people with like inclinations this new 

 variety and t h e others 

 will prove interesting for 

 a year or so. It has no 

 practical value. It forms 

 a fine contrast ornament- 

 ally when planted with 

 the red and yellow sorts. 



For use as pickling- 

 material at home or for 

 market the Ruby King is 

 our favorite, but the 

 Large Bell and Sweet 

 Mountain are also good. 

 As we usually plant many 

 varieties, a dozen plants 

 or so of each in a patch 

 together, we give them a 

 chance for the miscella- 

 neous production of 

 crosses. Some of the va- 

 rieties, notably Golden 

 Upright and Ruby King 

 and most of the larger 

 sorts, seem to be less sub- 

 ject to ' ' mixing " than the 

 newer fancy sorts. The 

 Celestial seems especially 

 liable to cross and we 

 have had plants with 

 fruits of all shapes, sizes 

 and coloring from seed 

 gathered from perfect 

 specimens of Celestial. 



Snap-Beans. — There is 

 such a bewildering array 

 of varieties, both in the 

 green-podded and in the 

 wax sections, that the 

 more of them we try the less we feel inclined to settle on 

 ' ' the best to plant, " or to select one or two sorts for home 

 use out of the long lists in seedsmen's catalogues. For- 

 tunately, most of them are serviceable enough. At one 

 time we were enthusiastic over the beauty and tenderness 

 of the Ivory-Pod wax-bean ; but this is not suited to all 

 soils. On light sandy or gravelly soil it succeeded ad- 

 mirably and we had large crops of beautiful ivory-white 

 pods of medium size and fine quality. But on the soil on 

 which we have had to plant it for some years it appears 

 unreasonably dwarfish and unproductive, and subject to 



Haageana pumila. 



