1883.] 



123 



SUGAR CORN. 



Sugar or Sweet Corn can be turned to such 

 good account that it may be considered one 

 of the best crops to grow in the garden or on 

 the farm. Where a cow or a pig is kept, 

 the stalks are valuable to feed. If cut up 

 when green, as soon as the ears have 

 matured, and been plucked and given to the 

 cow, they will increase the flow of milk ; and 

 fed to the pig, they will take the place of 

 other food. A pig will grow and even fatten 

 on sugar-corn stalks. After the stalks are 

 removed from the ground, it may be sown 

 with Turnips and a double crop obtained. 



The largest yield of Corn and stalks is ob- 

 tained by planting in drills, but care must be 

 taken not to sow the seed too thick in the row. 

 Two kernels should be dropped a foot apart, 

 in a furrow which may be made with a hoe 

 or with a plow. The kernels should be cov- 

 ered about two inches deep ; and if the 

 ground is dry, it should be pressed down with 

 the foot or a roller. This will retain moist- 

 ure better in the soil, and insure quicker 

 germination. Land cannot be made too rich 

 for Corn, The ground should be kept mel- 

 low and free from weeds. It is not necessary 

 to draw the earth up around the Corn in the 

 form of hills, as it will do better if the sur- 

 face is left level. The cultivation ought not 

 to be so deep as to destroy the roots, which 

 grow close to the surface if allowed to grow 

 naturally. By planting later and earlier 

 varieties a continuous crop may be had till 

 cold weather. The earlier kinds will be ready | 

 to eat within about sixty days from planting, 1 

 while the larger kinds require three months. 

 It may be planted as soon as the ground gets 

 warm, but not before, as this seed, unlike 

 most other grain, will rot speedily in cold, 

 wet soil. After the largest and mature ears 

 are taken off, the smaller ones will increase 



CROSS-FERTILIZATION, 



Recent germination trials made at the 

 New- York State Agricultural Experiment 

 Station offer some important suggestions to 

 the seed-grower. The conclusions derived 

 from them are summed up by Director Stur- 

 tevant, as follows : 



"In growing seed Beans, we must have 

 our one variety apart from others in order 

 to secure seed certainly true to the variety. 

 Where many varieties are grown together, we 



EGYPTIAN, OR WASHINGTON MARKET. 



should anticipate obtaining seed of hybrid 

 origin, and which would depart to a greater 

 or less extent from the normal variety. This 

 fact seems to be substantiated by the fre- 

 quent recurrence of sports in Beans planted 

 for crop — sports which were often er noted 

 in garden than in field varieties. 



"The Tomato grower, on the contrary, 

 can grow many varieties upon the same 

 plat, and he can expect to secure seed which 

 shall remain true to name. 



" The grower of Cabbage seed must use 

 the greatest care to keep his varieties sepa- 

 rated in growing, and it is probable that 

 this necessity for crossing, and the mixing 

 of varieties by the seed-grower, account for 

 the difficulty in obtaining Cabbage seed 

 which is sure to head, or which comes true 

 to name in every case. 



"Pea-vines of different sorts can be grown 

 in adjoining rows, and there is a great prob- 

 ability that the seed gathered will come true 

 in every case. In our varieties last year we 

 noted little indications of sporting, and every 

 seed sown seemed to come true to name." 



DOLLY DUTTON. EVERGREEN. 



in size and come on for a later crop on the 

 same stalk. 



There are now so many excellent varieties 

 of Sugar Corn in cultivation that one can 

 hardly go amiss in making a selection. The 

 earliest to ripen is probably Dolly Button, 

 followed soon by Black Mexican, Darlings, 

 Minnesota, and Marblchead ; for medium, 

 Triumph and Moore's Concord are best, and 

 for late, Egyptian, Evergreen, and Mammoth. 

 Tuscarora has a red cob, and remains a long 

 time fit for boiling. 



Col. F. D. Curtis. 



CALIFORNIA GARDEN SEEDS. 



One of the most interesting industrial 

 facts relating to California is that it has 

 been found to be the best place in the Union 

 for the production of various garden seeds. 

 Although this verification has not yet ex- 

 tended to the entire list, there are, says the 

 San Francisco Bulletin, at least half a dozen 

 of the more prominent varieties which it is 

 now known can be brought to greater per- 

 fection here than elsewhere. Lettuce seed 

 grown here is the best in the world. It will 

 surprise many to learn that not less than 

 20,000 pounds of this seed were shipped 



East last season. There is a demand for the 

 seed beyond the supply, since it is now 

 known by Eastern seedsmen that the best 

 Lettuce seed in the world is grown here. 

 For this reason, foreign importations of Let- 

 tuce seed have nearly or quite ceased. And 

 yet the business of growing this seed in 

 California, we judge, is in its infancy. 



Next to Lettuce seed, the production of 

 Onion seed in California has the greatest 

 prominence. It is largely exported. The 

 best and most famous Onion seed in fhe 

 United States is now known to be that pro- 

 duced from the Yellow Danvers of Califor- 

 nia. The demand greatly exceeds the sup- 

 ply. Large quantities have been shipped 

 to Eastern seedsmen during the last three 

 years. There were about 80,000 pounds of 

 this seed grown in this State during the last 

 year — this amount only covering the quan- 

 tity available for seedsmen. Several seed- 

 growers are now producing their seed in 

 California, because they get a better article. 



PLANTING WRINKLED PEAS. 



A correspondent of the Rural Neir Yorker 

 contradicts the generally assumed supposi- 

 tion that round Peas are hardier than wrin- 

 kled ones, and that the latter will rot in the 

 ground if planted early, in proof of which he 

 gives his experience as follows : 



"My soil is a heavy, sticky clay, and I 

 planted American Wonder — the standard 

 among amateur gardeners — early in April, 

 after a heavy rain. The soil was of the con- 

 sistency of stiff paste. There has been little 



TUSCARORA. TRIUMPH. 



or no warm weather since, and any quantity 

 of rain, but the Peas are growing nicely, nol 

 one having missed. The Wonder is probably 

 hardier than other wrinkled varieties. I 

 have the best results with this Pea when 

 planted about two inches apart, in drills a 

 foot apart. Every five feet, I plant a row 

 of Tomato plants, a.nd when the Peas are off, 

 put in Celery. The Tomatoes are on the 

 crowns between the trenches, and when the 

 soil is wanted for earthing up it is not until 

 the Tomatoes are frozen and deposited in 

 the weed-heap." 



