98 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



[July, 



SEASONABLE HINTS, 



At this season of plentiful harvests of early- 

 vegetables, preparations for a supply during 

 autumn and winter are frequently neglected ; 

 and yet the economic, as well as hygienic, 

 value of winter vegetables, continuing 

 through two-thirds of the year, is much 

 greater than that of summer vegetables, 

 lasting generally but a few weeks. 



Vegetables for Winter use— Beets, Carrots, 

 Parsnips, Turnips, and all other root crops, 

 when sown early in spring lose much of their 

 flavor and tenderness before they can be 

 stored away in the cellar, and become more 

 liable to rot than when sown later. For all 

 such vegetables, when keeping and eating 

 quality are the considerations, the early part 

 of July is not too late for sowing, and with 

 Turnips the latter part of the month is ear by 

 enough. 



Early Varieties of most kinds of vegetables 

 may still be sown, with the assurance of ob- 

 taining good crops. 



Liquid Manure is, except in market gardens, 

 but little used, and yet there is nothing that 

 gives growing vegetables and other plants 

 such a rapid and healthy stimulus, and which 

 at the same time may be obtained so cheaply. 

 On ground that Las not been well enriched 

 before planting nothing can take its place, 

 and its favorable effects are often perceived 

 within twenty-four hours after application. 



Waste Water from the kitchen and house, 

 which otherwise often proves but a nuisance, 

 may be utilized to good advantage for water- 

 ing plants. Soapsuds contain also consider- 

 able fertility. 



Egg Plants are among the most tender gar- 

 den vegetables, and their culture presents 

 always more than ordinary difficulties to the 

 amateur gardener; since the advent of the 

 Colorado Potato Beetle their raising has be- 

 come still more discouraging. The beetles 

 are so extremely partial to every part of the 

 Egg-plant that to hand-pick, with any hope 

 of being able to conquer them, would require 

 more frequent pickings thanmostpcople could 

 afford or would be inclined to give, and the 

 applications of the poisonous substances used 

 for the destruction of the beetles on Potatoes 

 can hardly be advised in this ease, at least 

 not after the forming of the "eggs." The 

 safest and at the same time an easy mode 

 to protect the plant is to construct a light 

 frame along the rows and to cover the whole 

 with coarse mosquito netting, taking care to 

 hold it firmly to the ground with boards or 

 sticks, to prevent the beetles crawling Tinder. 



Digging Potatoes. — There is a good deal of 

 uncertainty about the best time for digging- 

 Potatoes. Some are in favor of digging as 

 soon as the tubers become ripe, to prevent 

 them from rotting in the ground ; others hold 

 that if the germs of the rot are in them they 

 will rot any way, and that they prefer to let 

 them rot in the ground than in the cellar. 

 We have tried both ways, and with varying 

 results, and have come to the conclusion that 

 to raise good keeping Potatoes, they should 

 not be planted so early as to mature during 

 midsummer, but so as to bring their ripening 

 after the greatest heat is past ; and the tubers, 

 when dry, may be brought directly into a cool, 

 dry cellar. 



MARKETING- VEGETABLES. 



Farmers who visit our city but seldom, 

 would be surprised to see the large quanti- 

 ties and the many varieties of vegetables 

 shipped to our market. 



In the fall we send large quantities of 

 Potatoes to Bermuda, and by the first of 

 March the crop raised from them is returned 

 to us, all of which is colored by the soil 

 there to a light red. Bermuda Potatoes are 

 shipped in barrels and are among the best 

 received from any section. 



About the same time Bermuda sends us 

 also large quantities of Tomatoes, which are 

 singly wrapped in paper, then packed into 

 small crates which contain about four quarts. 

 Onions are grown in large quantities there, 

 and are packed in bushel crates. These are 

 much milder to the taste than our eastern 

 Onions, and are very popular with the lovers 

 of this savory vegetable. It is not unusual 

 that a steamer arrives loaded entirely with 

 these three articles. 



Following closely the arrivals from Ber- 

 muda, we receive Peas and Beans from 

 Florida, Kale and Spinach from Virginia, and, 

 in due time, Peas, Beans, Asparagus, Toma- 

 toes, Cabbage, Cucumbers, and Potatoes 

 from various Southern States. Maryland 

 and Delaware send mostly Peas, Potatoes, 

 and Asparagus. 



New Jersey furnishes us the finest of Cel- 

 ery, Green Corn, and Lima Beans. 



Long Island is noted for its varieties and 

 good qualities of Peas, Beans, Tomatoes, 

 Rhubarb, Egg-plants, Asparagus, etc., and, 

 later, Potatoes and Cabbages. 



Onions are mostly grown in New York and 

 Connecticut, the latter being especially valu- 

 able on account of their keeping qualities. 



Modes of Preparing. — To the uninitiated 

 this may appear as a matter of not much im- 

 portance, yet the price of all vegetables and 

 fruits depends not less upon the neat and 

 proper manner of putting them up than upon 

 their quality and freshness. Rhubarb have 

 their large leaves removed ; are then tied in 

 bunches ranging from three to six stalks, 

 according to their size. Egg-plants are at 

 first sold by the dozen ; later in the season 

 by the barrel. Celery is prepared by cutting 

 the roots to a pointed square, then by a net- 

 work of strings made to resemble a fan ; 

 then finished by drawing the tops together 

 and tying. Lima Beans, in pods, by the bas- 

 ket or bag; shelled, by the measure. As- 

 paragus is tied in bunches ranging from two 

 to three pounds in weight. Cucumbers, at 

 first, by the bushel crate ; when plenty and 

 cheap, by the barrel. Pickles by the thou- 

 sand, the size determining the price. Hot- 

 house growth only by the dozen. In the late 

 winter and early spring Water-cress meets 

 with ready sale, packed in baskets contain- 

 ing about eight quarts. This is used largely 

 in oyster saloons, instead of Cabbage. Early 

 in the season, Turnips, Radishes, Beets, 

 Carrots, Salsify, Parsley, etc., are sold in 

 small bunches ; later, by the barrel, except 

 the Parsley, Radishes, and Salsify, which 

 are always bunched ; Pumpkins, by the hun- 

 dred; Squashes, by the barrel ; Cauliflowers, 

 by the dozen; Parsnips, by the barrel, and 

 Horse-radish by the pound. Okra or Gumbo 

 while green, by the hundred ; when dried, by 

 the pound. Green Corn by the hundred, 

 with a tally of five on each hundred. Toma- 

 toes by the basket or bushel. 



C. W. Idell. 



PLANTING CELERY. 



The old method of planting Celery in deep 

 trenches has been almost entirely abandoned 

 for the other extreme of setting the plants 

 on level ground. Many who have tried both 

 plans are now adopting a happy medium by 

 planting in shallow furrows, about four or 

 six inches deep, made with the plow or hoe. 

 But little time is required in making these 

 furrows, while much labor is saved in hilling 

 up, providing #t the same time a safeguard 

 against drought. 



In either case it is of the utmost impor- 

 tance to have the entire ground well enriched 

 and worked thoroughly. To have crisp and 

 tender stalks, Celery must be kept growing 

 continuously and rapidly, else it will become 

 tough and stringy and insipid. In dry 

 weather an occasional application of manure 

 water will be found exceedingly beneficial. 



A frequent mistake made by those who are 

 over-anxious is to hill up too early. The 

 plants should be well established and should 

 have made a good growth before they can 

 bear the strain of having the greater part of 

 their leaves buried. During hot, wet weather 

 especially, there is danger of rotting, if 

 hilled up too soon. For winter use there is 

 nothing gained by banking up before cool 

 weather sets in. 



LIMA BEANS, 



The great value of the Lima Bean, for 

 summer as well as for winter use, is every- 

 where gaining for it increasing popularity. 

 The principal difficulty in its culture is to 

 produce it early enough, as the plant is very- 

 tender and cannot be planted before perma- 

 nently warm weather sets in. 



Mr. B. G. Smith, who has been very suc- 

 cessful in the cultivation of this vegetable, 

 communicated to the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society his method, which consists 

 in sowing the seed about the middle of April 

 (being careful to place the eye down), in 

 what are known as "cucumber boxes," filled 

 with loam, five seeds in each. The boxes 

 are without bottoms, six inches in height, 

 seven inches square at the top and eight 

 inches square at the lower part, and are 

 made of half-inch stuff . They cost six dollars 

 and a half per hundred, and his have already 

 been in use ten years. He was the first 

 to use them to forward Lima Beans, and finds 

 them invaluable for this purpose. When the 

 Beans are planted the boxes are placed in 

 the cold grapery. When the plants are about 

 two feet high, the ground is prepared and 

 the poles are set out, and a hole large enough 

 to receive the box is made at the foot of 

 each. A box is then lifted on a shovel, 

 placed in the hole and the shovel withdrawn. 

 The box is then removed by lifting up ; the 

 object of making the top an inch smaller 

 than the bottom being to permit this. 



It is not advisable to set out the young 

 plants before the first of June, but this is as 

 early as the seed can be planted out-doors, 

 and by forwarding in this way five weeks 

 can be gained, and the beans can be had 

 fresh from the garden from the middle of 

 August to the middle of October. 



The Lima Bean is a tropical plant and re- 

 quires a long season. Any surplus can be 

 dried for winter use, and when soaked can 

 hardly be distinguished from fresh beans. 

 In saving seed the earliest beans should be 

 carefully selected. 



