MAY'S NORTHERN GROWN SEEDS, BEST FOR ALL CLIMES. 
35 
MUSHROOM SPAWN. 
GBKMAN— Champignonbrut. PbeNCH— Blanc de Champigi 
Swedish -<)h!iiupinjon Spanish— Seta. 
Maslirooms may l)e armvn in cellars, xmder benches of gn 
houses, or in sheds, whiToviT the temperature of .tO or (SO degi 
can be kept up through tlie winter. The )xd should be niade fi 
Koveniber to ITebruary, acx^:ordiug to the time the Mushrooms 
wanted, and it requires aliout two niontlis for them to begin b 
ing. Secure fresh horse manure, free from straw and Utter, 
and 
mix an equal bulk of loam from an old pasture with it. Keep 
under cover, taking care to turn it every ilay to prevent heating 
til the pile is large enough to make a bed of the requirwl size, ai 
or four feet wide, eight inches deep and any length desired, are 
proper proportions for a bed; these may be varied. Prepare 
misture of loam and manure, making the bed in layers, and poi 
ins down each with the back of the spade. Leave this to heat 
through for a few days, and as soon as the heat subsides to 90 di>- 
grees, make holes in the bed alxmt a foot apart each way, into which 
put pieces of the spawn two or three inches in diameter, flh up the 
holes with the compost, and at the e.Hpiration of a week or ten days 
the spawn will have thoroughly diffused itself through the bed. 
Spread a layer of fresh soil over the heap to a depth of two inches, 
and cover with three or four inches of hay, straw or litter. Examine 
the bed often to see tliat it does not get dry. When wat«r is given 
it should be at a temperature of about 100 degrees, 
r^nn-llch The best. Per lb. 2SC. Write for price on large 
quantities. 
GERMAN-5enf. 1*111 STAPH FRBNCH-Moutarde. 
Swedish— Seuap. I l\J J l f\lS^l^ • Spanish— Mostaza. 
A small pungent salad u-sed with cress; the seed is also used for 
flavoring pickles, pepper sauce, etc. For salads sow thickly m shallow 
drills 6 inches apart, or in frames or boxes during the winter, where 
frost can bo partially excluded. Successive sowings may be made 
every week or two. To grow seed sow in April in rows 1 foot apart, 
and thin out to 3 inches apart, when 2 inches high. 
Black or Brown. frt^iZ'iTloo^''"" 
White or Yellow. ?S*r^toz'?"iocX! aSc^ 
Cmifhckfri r'tlflf^A This variety is very highly esteenuKi in 
^OUtnern V^UrieU. the south. Plants grow to a height of 
about two feet and form immense bunches. Pkt. 5c, oz. lOo, !4 lb. 
20c, lb. SOc. 
GERMAN-rtasturtlum. NASTIIPTIIin Fkbsch- 
Spamsh— Maraneula. l^r^'J » IKJI Capucme. 
Cultivated both for use and ornament. The seed pods, which re- 
semble capers, are gathered while green and tender for pickling, and 
the leaves are used for mixing with salads. Sow early in the spring, in 
drills about 1 inch deep, in light rich soil, when any danger of frost is 
over ; train the Tall on brush, trellises, or fences, and grow the Dwarf 
in beds. 
Tall nixed, pm. sc, w. io, a m. 25c, ib. 90c. 
Dwarf nixed, pm. sc, oz. ioc, h. ib. 30c, m. si.oo. 
OKRA. 
German— Safran. 
Spanish- Quibombo. 
A vegetable that is extensively- 
grown for its green pods, which are 
used in soups, stews, etc., to which 
they impart a rich flavor and are 
considered nutritious. Sow the 
seed thickly in rich ground about 
the middle of May, or when the 
ground has become warm, in drills 8 
feet apart and 1 inch deep ; thin out 
to 10 inches apart in the drills. 
Tall Green. 
lighf 'colored, ^^p 
edible a long time and are very ten- 
der. Pkt. SO, oz. IOC, J4 Ib. 20c,' 
lb. SOc. , J . . , 
Dwarf Green. ^oJt^Ts&Yl 
pro<luctive and free from hard 
ridges. Pkt. 5c, oz. lOc, K Ib. 
20c, Ib. SOc. 
Volvft Pnd ^* distinct in ap- 
TCIrCl ruu. pearance, and tnep- 
pods are perfectly round, smooth's 
and of an attractive whit« velvet 
appearance, and of superior flavor 
and tenderness. Pkt. 5c, oz. lOc, 
H lb. 20c, Ib. 60c. 
French— Gombaud. 
Velvet Pod. 
HOW TO RAISE ONIONS SUCCESSFULLY. 
The Onion is not only valuable as a medicine, bit has considerable nutritive properties ; parsley will in a great measure do away With the unpleasant 
odor imparted to the breath. 
Ot-f^nafffUnn Remove all refuse of previous crops in time to 
"rCp<ir<lHWIl. complete the work before the ground freezes 
up, and spread the composted manure evenly, at the rate of about flfty 
cart-loads to the acre. This should flrst be cultivated in, and then the 
ground ploughe<l a moderate depth, taking a narrow furrow, in order 
to thoroughly mix the manure with the soil. Carefully avoid tramping 
on the ground during the winter. Cultivate or thoroughly drag the 
soil with a heaw harrow as early in the spring as it can be worked, 
and then in the opposite direction, with a light one, aft«r which the en- 
tire surface should be raked with steel hand rakes. It is impossible to 
cultivate the crop economically unless the rows are perfectly straight ; 
to secure this, stretch a line along one .side, fourteen feet from the edge, 
and make a distinct mark along it; then, having made a wooden 
marker, something like a giant rake with five teeth about a foot long 
and standing fourteen inches apart, make four more marks by care- 
fully drawing it with the outside tooth in, and the head at right 
angles to the perfectly straight mark made by the line. Continue to 
work around this line until on the third pa.s.sage of the marker you 
reach the side of the fleld where you began ; mea-sure fifteen feet two 
inches from the last row, stretch the line again, and mark around in 
the same way. This is better than to stretch a line along one side, as it 
is impossible to prevent the rows gradually becoming crooked, and by 
this plan we straighten them after every third pa.s.sage of the marker. 
C,^.,,Jno. -f C(>p>rl This should be done as soon as the 
CUWlllg UIIC ground can be gotten ready, and can 
be done best by a hiind seed drill. This should be carefully adju.ste<l to 
sow the desired quantity of seed and about one-half inch deep. The 
quantity necHled will vary with the soil, the seed u.sed, and the kind of 
onions desired. Thin seeding gives much larger onions than thicrk. 
Four or five pounds, per acre, is the u-sual quantity needed to grow 
large onions. We u.se a drill with a roller attached, but if the drill has 
none, the ground should be well rolled with a hand roller immediately 
after the seed is planted. 
Cultivation. 
Give the onions the first hoeing, just skimming 
the ground between the rows, a.s soon as they 
can l)e .seen the length of the row. Hoe again in a tew days, this time 
clo.se up to the plants, after which weeding must be continued. This 
operation requires to be carefully and thoroughly done. The weeder 
must work on his knees astride of the row, stirring the earth around 
the plants, in order to destroy any weeds that have just started. At 
For varieties and prices, see pages 36 and 37 
this weeding or the next, according to the size of the plants, the rows 
should be tmnned, leaving from eight to twelve plants to the foot. In 
ten days or two weeks they will require another hoeing and weeding 
similar to the last, and two weeks later, give them still another hoeing 
and if necessary another weeding. If the work has been thoroughly 
done at the proper time, the crop will not require further care until 
ready to gather. 
riorim-Snrt- There is no crop where a liberal u-se of manure is 
1 IdllUlIIl^. more essential than in this. If it is too rank, it is 
quite sure to make soft onions, with many scallions. It should be of 
the best quality, well fermented and shoveled over, at least twice dur- 
ing the previous summer to kill weed si«ds. Of the commercial 
manures, we prefer fine ground lx>ne to any other, but large crops are 
raised by the u=;e of superphosphates. In .some cases, particularly with 
mucky soils, nothing w-ill do so much good as a lil)eral dres.sing of un- 
bleaclied wood a.shes or some form of commercial fertilizer rich in 
potash. 
^_4.|.£„f.:n~. As soon as the tops die and fall, the bulbs should 
vJo-'-'lCI lllg. be gathered into windrows. If the weather is fine 
they will need no attention while curing, but if it is not, they will nee<l 
to be stirred by simply moving them slightly along the row. Cut off 
the tops when perfectly dry, about half an inch from the bulb; and 
then after a few days of bright weather the onions will be fit to store 
for the winter. , . , , 
Onions may be kept in fine condition through the winter by spread- 
ing straw to the depth of about 18 inches on the floor of a Imrn or shed, 
and on this spread the onions to the depth of about a foot and cover 
them with about two feet of straw. 
'T"|_^ CfwSI A crop of onions can be grown on any soil which will 
I lie OUll. produce a full crop of corn, but on a stiff clay, very 
liaht sand or gravel, or certain varieties of mu<!k or swamp lands, 
neither a large nor a very profitable crop can be grown. We prefer a 
rich, sandy loam, with a light mixture of clay; this is much better if it 
has been cultivated with hoed crops, kept clean of weeds and well 
m:inured for two years previous, because if a sufficient quantity of 
manure to raise an ordinary soil to a proper degree of fertility is ap- 
plied at once, it is likely to make the onions soft. The same result will 
follow if we sow on rank, mucky ground or that which is too wet. 
