1882.] 



35 



until they have attained a height of from eight 

 to ten inches. Previous to this, when five or six 

 inches high, they may be potted off into two or 

 three-inch pots, plunged in the hot-bed, and 

 after a time removed to the cold frame. The 

 pots will have to be turned occasionally, to 

 prevent the plants from rooting into the soil. 

 Egg Plants and Peppers are the most tender 

 plants, and should remain under glass until 

 about the middle of May when they may be 

 gradually hardened off and planted in the open 

 air. 



After the boxes containing Cabbage, Lettuce, 

 etc., have been removed from the hot-bed their 

 places should be supplied with other boxes con- 

 taining inverted sods cut in pieces about three 

 inches square ; on these sods may be placed the 

 seeds of Cucumbers, Okra, Corn, Musk and 

 "Water Melons, Lima and other Beans, covered 

 slightly with the compost above referred to, 

 and treated precisely as the first sowing. The 

 plants will become well rooted in the sods, and 

 can be removed to the open ground without be- 

 ing checked in the least, if carefully done. 

 Beets and Kohlrabi may be sown thinly in a 

 box, and when large enough, transplanted to 

 the open air. Sometimes I have been fortu- 

 nate in obtaining a very early crop of Beets by 

 this method, but occasionally they do not do 

 as well as those that were sown in the open air. 

 Yet I would advise to try a few rows of Beets, 

 as when they succeed they are much prized. 

 The Dark Egyptian is best for this purpose. 

 Potatoes may also be started in these boxes, 



VERMONT CHAMPION. 



and when they have grown about an inch or 

 two, they may be carefully removed and planted 

 in the open ground. The Early Alpha is the 

 most valuable for forcing. 



One season my fall-sown Spinach was smoth- 

 ered and entirely destroyed by the ice. This 

 being a serious loss to me I sowed a few boxes 

 of the Round Leaf variety in a hot-bed, and as 

 soon as the plants were strong enough trans- 

 planted them in rows in the open air. Whether 

 it was worth all the time and trouble I could 

 not say, but I do know that it did well and was 

 all used up before what I sowed in the open air 

 was fit to use. I never had occasion to try the 

 experiment a second time, so whether this 

 method would prove generally successful or not 

 I am not able to decide. In growing vegetable 

 and other plants in hot beds or cold frames the 

 most essential point is to give them an abund- 

 ance of light and air at all suitable times, to 

 allow them sufficient space and ground for the 

 full development of each plant, that they do 

 not crowd each other, and to take every care 

 that they do not become "drawn" and thus 

 rendered worthless. Of not less importance is 

 the judicious selection of seeds. As a general 

 rule, the most satisfactory results are obtained 

 from the earliest varieties. 



Charles E, Parnell. 



ONION CULTURE, 



Onion raising in Wethersfield fifty years ago 

 was conducted very differently from the pres- 

 ent practice. Then seed sowers, hand cultiva- 

 tors and weeders were unknown, and barn-yard 

 manure and ashes were the only fertilizers used. 

 The Onions were grown on raised beds in old 

 gardens year after year, by women creeping 

 over them on hands and knees, sowing with 

 thumb and fingers, and covering, hoeing and 

 weeding by hand. Smut and maggots were 

 not known, but the crop was sometimes struck 

 by what was called the "blast," after begin- 

 ning to bottom, which showed itself by mould, 

 or fungus on the leaves, turning them black 

 and stopping the growth of the Onion. 



SOIL. 



It has been found that almost any soil not 

 too wet or too dry, — a light sand or stiff clay ex- 

 cepted—when properly prepared and manured, 

 will produce good crops of Onions in any of the 

 Northern States, when not injured by maggot s, 

 and when good seed of a good and productive 

 variety is sown at the proper time and thor- 

 oughly cultivated and kept clean. 



It is a mistake to suppose that Onions suc- 

 ceed better year after year, on the same ground, 

 and although they do sometimes yield well in 

 succession, this is owing to the high manuring 

 and fine pulverization given to other previous 

 crops. Many years cultivation on the same 

 spot may not impoverish the land, if well ma- 

 nured, but the Onions will be more likely to 

 suffer injury from maggots and smut. The 

 latter never attacks the crop on fresh ground. 



Potatoes, Carrots or Beets, highly manured, 

 are good preparatory crops ; one or t wo Tobacco 

 crops admirably fit the ground, and it has been 

 noticed that after Tobacco, Onions are less lia- 

 ble to lie attacked by maggots. Cabbage, 

 more than any other crop, seems to unfit 

 ground for Onions. Alluvial soil washed down 

 from higher ground, is very good. 



MANURE. 



The most suitable manure is old rotten cow 

 lung, coarser barn-yard or hog-pen manure 

 will answer only if spread and lightly plowed 

 under in the fall. Unless the land has been 

 thoroughly saturated with manure to the full 

 depth of the plow, deep plowing is not advan- 

 tageous. It brings the poorer soil to the top, 

 and the seeds sown in it will not come up well. 

 Those that do sprout make a sickly growth, 

 and when their roots finally reach the manure, 

 buried deep in the ground, they grow very 

 rapidly, but to no good purpose, as the season 

 for their proper maturing being over, they 

 make "stiff-necks" or "scallions" as they are 

 called. This, late sowing and the selection of 

 poor Onions for seed-raising are the principal 

 causes of failure in Onion growing. 



The spring plowing should not be more than 

 four or five inches deep. Peruvian guano, 

 superphosphate of lime or bone dust, at the rate 

 of one thousand bushels to the acre, more or less 

 according to the strength of the soil, should be 

 sown broadcast after the spring plowing and well 

 harrowed in. It is of the greatest importance 

 to break all lumps and leave the surface level 

 and smooth, to accomplish which, it is generally 

 necessary to work the ground with hand-rakes. 



SOWING THE SEED. 



The land being prepared, stretch a line on 

 one side of the plot and, parallel with it, mark 

 off in drills 14 or 15 inches apart by drawing a 

 marking rake with four or five teeth, back and 

 forth till finished. The best Onion growers 

 now do not roll in the seed. A heavy rain 



packs the earth after it and it is much harder 

 to break the crust at the first weeding than 

 when covered with a light drag. " Comstocks' 

 Seed Sower" is specially adapted to sowing 

 Onions at the rate of 4, 5 or 0 pounds to the 

 acre, and distributes the seed so evenly that no 

 thinning is required. Six pounds is about the 

 proper quantity for medium sized Onions, for 

 large Onions five pounds are enough. If the 

 ground is infested by maggots allow one pound 

 more. The last week in April or the first week 

 in May is the right time to sow in Wethers- 

 field, but it is always best to sow as early as 

 the 'ground is dry enough to be put in good 

 order. In favorable weather the seed comes 

 up in about ten days. Wm. G. Comstock. 

 {To be continued.) 



NEW POTATOES, 



BROWNELL'S BEST. 



The fact that most if not all varieties of Po- 

 tatoes deteriorate in the course of time seems 

 to be generally accepted. The duration of 

 their prime varies with different kinds; in 

 some it has lasted through a quarter of a 

 century, while with others a few years of use- 

 fulness have terminated their existence. In an 

 average varieties do not transmit their best 

 qualities for more than ten years, so that if it 

 were not for the indefatigable labors of en- 

 thusiastic hybridizers, dating their experiments 

 back to the days of Rev. Goodrich, our race of 

 Potatoes would have died out ere this. 



To those interested in this subject there is a 

 peculiar charm in observing the development 

 of new seedlings, and wo have in this way 

 grown on our experimental grounds, during a 

 series of years, many thousands of seedlings, 

 most of them raised by prominent Potato 

 growers. 



After a few years' trial but a small number 

 are found worthy of propagation, and are 



EARLY HOUSEHOLD. 



dropped from the list. Those retained are 

 planted again and subjected to further test, so 

 that varieties which have been continued for 

 several years generally present valuable and 

 desirable qualities. Of about fifty varieties 

 on final trial last year, we have selected as the 

 best and most promising : Early Household, 

 Brownell's Best and Vermont Champion. The 

 accompanying illustrations, although much re- 

 duced in size, give a good idea of their rela- 

 tive shape and size. To the Vermont Champion 

 a first-class certificate was awarded by the Royal 

 Horticultural Society of England. 



