December, 1889. 
229 
/ ORCHRRD 
ters. The method used by northern gar- 
deners of burying cabbage head downward 
is a good one anywhere north of Baltimore 
but from the latitude of Baltimore to Cen- 
tral Virginia I prefer to bury them root 
downwards packing them closely in beds 
five or six feet wide and any convenient 
length and deep enough to have the stalks 
completely buried. Then cover the beds 
with a thick layer of evergreen boughs to 
keep off the winter sun from the heads. 
Place all the solid headed ones in a bed by 
themselves to be used first and those not 
headed solid in another bed and they will, 
most of them, head during winter. In 
Southern Virginia and Carolina the best 
plan for wintering cabbage is to let them re- 
main where they grow, simply bending the j 
head towards the North so that the morn- 
ing sun will not shine full upon it when 
frozen, and mound the earth thickly over 
the root, stalk and south side of each head. 
This should be deferred until about the sec- 
ond week in December. 
The method we recently recommended 
for keeping sweet potatoes is as good as can 
be used in northern localities. When win- 
ters are mild, such as the lower end of the 
Maryland and Delaware Peninsula and 
Southward, we have been very successful 
in keeping them in kilns or hills out doors. 
This method is only practicable when plen- 
ty of pine tags or pine straw is attainable, 
for no other material that I have ever tried 
will resist moisture, cold and decay to an 
equal extent. Though too late for this year’s 
crop I will describe how we have secured 
our crop here on the College farm. Being 
cramped for house room in which to place 
them. I bethought of the old plan I practic- 
ed on the“Eastern Shore.” We hauleda plen- 
tiful supply of dry pine leaves from the 
woods and placed them under cover. Cir- 
cular platforms of soil were made by cut- 
ting a trench around a circle about six 
feet in diameter and throwing the soil 
in the circle. On this platform a layer of 
pine straw was placed a foot thick. The 
potatoes were then piled in a conical heap 
on this circular foundation, putting about 
fifteen bushels in a heap. The whole heap 
was then covered a foot thick with the pine 
straw. A long row of thes? heaps held our 
crop. As soon as they w ere covered with 
the straw- w-e built over the row- a long shed 
of rough boards open towards the south and 
closed on the north side. Nothing further 
then was done to the heaps until the nights 
began to be frosty, the object being to allow 
the moisture from the slight heating w-hich 
will always take place at first in the heaps 
to pass off. The first week in November 
the heaps were covered with six inches of 
soil packed with the back of the spade into 
a smooth cover. A little later when the 
weather becomes more wintry this cover 
of earth will be increased to a full foot, 
which will be much deeper than any frost 
will penetrate here. I have kept potatoes 
this way until June 1st in Southern Mary- 
land, without even the shed cover, but have 
added the shed to make the assurance of 
dryness perfectly sure. But even here, if I 
have the house room available. I would pre- 
fer the method of storing in peach crates as 
being more convenient and enabling us to 
see the condition of the tubers at any time. 
At the North a similar arrangement would 
be an admirable one for keeping the Irish 
potato crop or other hardy root crops which 
there need protects n. While parsnips and 
salsify need no winter protection anyw-here 
I have always found it best when the ground 
freezes hard to lift them and hill them in 
close together just before the ground freezes 
tight in December. Having them then in a 
compact shape light cover of straw will 
keep the ground from freezing so hard that 
they cannot be conveniently dug. When 
winter radishes are grown a similar plan is 
better than pitting them. Simply hill the 
radishes in close together and cover thickly 
with straw. Here radishes of any sort will 
grow all winter with a cover of straw or 
rough manure. 
Those who still practice the plan of sow- 
ing cabbage and cauliflower seed in autumn 
for wintering in cold frames, should lose no 
time in getting them transplanted into the 
frames. Care should be taken to set them 
down to the leaves so as to protect the stems 
from being burst by frost, for a plant with 
a split stem is worthless. Great care is 
needed with the frames in the mild spells. 
Strip the sashes entirely off during the day 
when the sun shines and the temperature is 
above 25°, otherwise they will be excited 
into growth and may be injured by sudden 
low- temperature. The same treatment will 
do for lettuce wintered over in frames. 
Lettuce which is wanted to head in early 
w-inter must be kept clean, and when very 
severe w-eather comes should be covered 
with straw after the heads are formed as in 
this state freezing will make the heads rot. 
We have years ago abandoned the practice 
of fall sow-ing for cabbage having found 
that seed started February 1st (January 
here) will give us better plants and better 
crop. We sow the seeds in a hot bed or in 
boxes in a greenhouse and transplant into 
cold frames for hardening off. These plants 
are never stunted and grow off with great 
freedom when planted out in February or 
March. 
In southern localities it is not yet too late 
to put out onion sets for early use although 
a month ago would have much been better. 
I would like some of our northern readers, 
w-here the ground is not yet closed for the 
winter, to try the practice of sowing a few 
early peas, in a dry spot of ground. Plant 
deeply, covering not less than eight inches. 
They probably will not be heard of until 
some time in March, but I feel sure the re- 
sult will be a much earlier crop than can be 
hoped for where; the land cannot be worked 
usually before April. The wrinkled sorts 
will not do for this sowing as they will rot, 
but Dan'l O’Rourke will do well. Here 
Dan 1 O'Rourkes are sown in January and 
the wrinkled Marrowfats in February, 
while many market growers plant the white 
Marrowfats in December. Onions stored 
for winter keep best on slatted shelves in a 
cold room. Freezing will not hurt them if 
not handled while frozen. 
Now that the nights are long and work 
outside mainly over prepare all plans for 
next season and profit by the failures and 
success of the past season. Experiment cau- 
tiously, but don’t keep into ruts simply be- 
cause you have always used certain meth- 
ods. Some other may be best. It alwavs 
pays to use brains in farming or gardening. 
— W. F. Massey. 
Neatness in tlie Kitchen Garden. 
Now is a good time to abolish the ugly, 
antiquated bean poles and pea brush. Burn 
them with the other accumulated trash of 
the garden. The galvanized wire netting 
which can now be bought for a trifle in any 
idth, and which with care will last 
many years, furnishes a neat method of 
training any plants needing support. Peas 
fairly revel on it and Lima beans do much 
better than on poles, while for training to- 
matoes it is unequaled since it does away 
with a great deal of tying which is neces- 
sary otherwise, the ready meshes catch the 
growing shoots and only an occasional tie is 
needed. Lima beans being one of those 
crops which do better by being kept year af- 
ter year in the same place, a few good cedar 
posts can be set and the netting attached to 
them every spring. With the tomatoes up 
on the trellis the fruit is not only safer from 
rot, but ripens bet ter and is secure from stray 
chickens.— W. F. Massey. 
Busk Lima Beans. 
Some of my readers who say they planted 
the Bush Lima last spring solely on my re- 
commendation, express themselves as being 
disappointed with it. While last season 
was a most unfavorable one to test any 
bean and no one season is sufficient always 
to decide upon the adaptability of any new 
plant to a new locality, I think the main 
cause of disappointment is the small 
size of the Bush Lima. In quality it cer- 
tainly is with me as good or Better than the 
large Lima and south of the latitude of Bal- 
timore the small Lima of the climbing sort 
is always a better cropper than the large 
Lima. Our country is too large for any one 
plant to be at its best everywhere. As I 
said last spring, I regard the Bush Lima 
mainly as the fore-runner of a new race and 
that we will soon have a Bush Lima with a 
larger bean. My prediction is verified soon- 
er than I expected for one of our enterprising 
seedsmen will offer a Bush Large Lima 
next year. And so we move on, not by 
bounds but by steps, in Horticultural im- 
provement. — W. F. Massey. 
Will our readers please send us notes from 
then - gardens, on their experience with new 
varieties and other topics of interest for win- 
ter consideration. 
Look Here, Friend. Are you Sick » 
Do you suffer from Dyspepsia, Indigestion, Sour Stom- 
ach. Liver Complaint, Nervousness, Lost Appetite Bil- 
iousness, Exhaustion or Tired Feeling, Pains in Cheft 
or Lungs, Dry Cough, Nightsweats or any form of Con- 
sumption? If so, send to Prof. Hart, 88 Warren St. New 
York, who will send you free, by mail, a bottle of Flora- 
plexion , which is a sure cure. Send to day.— Adi’. 
