145 



nouncing phenomena we hear of utterly impossible, 

 when we know so very little about the possibilities 

 of form development in plants. 



EARLY VARIETIES OF VEGETABLES. 



A fashion has recently become prevalent for a 

 seedsman to attach his name to a crop of seeds, as 

 if he were the raiser of a new variety. Thus we 

 have A, B, C, and D's, Extra Early Pea ; so and 

 so'sfCabbage, and what's his name's Tomato. It 

 is not said so expressly, but the inference is left to 

 the purchaser that these are varieties, and better 

 varieties than previously existing. A gardener re- 

 cently well remarked that allowing only one day's 

 extra earliness to all the extra early peas in market, 

 some one among them ought to produce peas a few 

 days after planting; and as for the Tomatoes, many 

 of them being thirty days earlier than others, some 

 of them sown in March or April, will no doubt allow 

 of their fruit being gathered actually before the 

 i seeds were sown. 



' Now we believe most, perhaps all, of the raisers 

 of these extra early varieties, honestly think their 

 plants are as early as they represent; but that they 

 are often deceived by circumstances which they do 

 not take into account; a good instance of this is now 

 before us in a note from a correspondent in Dela- 

 ware Co., Pa. He says, "Last year I bought of Mr. 

 Dreer, Tilden Early Tomato seeds. They were 

 planted earlier than Fejee or Cook's Favorite, and 

 yet both ripened 5 or 6 weeks earlier than Tilden ; 

 it was in fact the last to ripen. I infer the seeds 

 were not what they were sold for." They may or 

 may not have been Tilden, but the time of ripening 

 has nothing to do with the genuineness of the variety. 

 If we take sugar corn and sow it very early, and 

 then late corn and sow say about the first week in 

 May, the latter ripens first, though, both under the 

 same circumstances, the sugar corn ripens much 

 earlier; and so with most early planted things, as 

 every gardener knows they are liable to get a check 

 by cold air or cold soil, from which they are often 

 weeks in recovering. 



To test seeds properly as to earliness it is not fair 

 to give "one the start," for that one is, as we have 

 seen, likely to get a check in its early struggle, which 

 is not to its advantage. But they should be sown 

 at the same time, together, and not only one such 

 experiment, but many of them, tried under varying 

 circumstances. 



As to whether our readers have had other than 

 the genuine varieties of seeds, it is not our object to 

 discuss here. We never attach much importance 

 to these suggestions at any rate. The man who 



wishes to retain sales in his own establishment, is 

 quite as likely to insist that "he at any rate has the 

 genuine variety," as it is likely that others "substi- 

 tuted other for the true kind." These are little 

 trade "tricks," which those who employ them, 

 must discuss amongst themselves. Our opinion 

 is that there is more "true seeds," and less "spur- 

 ious'' in these cases than the people imagine, their 

 good or ill success being really due to other cir- 

 cumstances. 



As to early seeds it will be well for our readers to 

 recollect, not to sow or plant until the earth or air 

 be warm, or to set their plants Ui.derany conditions 

 where they will get the least check to growth, but 

 so to sow and keep them on, that they may from 

 the first start grow right through without a halt to 

 maturity. That is the way to get early crops. 



RHODODENDRONS. 



The Massachusetts Horticultural Society has ta- 

 ken the Rhododendron under its special protection, 

 and by the generous aid of H. H. Hunnewell, Esq., 

 a standing premium has been founded for the en- 

 couragement of Bhododendron culture. We sup- 

 pose however, that unlike the Pennsylvania Horti- 

 cultural Society, which allows competition for its pre- 

 miums to all the United States, freely and without 

 entrance fees ot any kind, the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society limits its usefulness to its own vicin- 

 ity, or we would suggest that they take some notice 

 of the very successful efforts of Parsons & Co. , of 

 Flushing, New York, in endeavoring to place these 

 beautiful plants within the reach of all, and to make 

 their culture simple and successful. 



From what we saw and heard at Boston last year 

 it was evident that the leading view of the Boston 

 gentlemen and nurserymen on growing Rhododen- 

 drons was "to import them from Europe," and 

 that no efforts were being made, or encouragement 

 offered towards raising them at home. It is but 

 right that the public should know that there is an 

 American "Manufactory" for them, and that from 

 this establishment they can be obtained at prices 

 but little higher, when the risk of importation is 

 considered than they may be had from Europe ; and 

 we are quite sure that if but little more encourage- 

 ment were given the public spirited firm above 

 referred to would be able to produce them at prices 

 below what any establishment in Europe could fur- 

 nish ; for this is the experience of Americans in 

 almost all branches of nursery products; with but half 

 the sales of an European nurserymen, he sells at 

 prices below European ones. 



AVe were looking over some English advertise- 



