February, 1919 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE SUPPLEMENT 
5 
grow than the average amateur is apt 
to possess and should not be included 
In the beginners’ list. 
Soil conditions and the taste of the 
gardener are factors that should be 
considered. 
The beginner is usually very am- 
bitious and is apt to try everything 
named in the catalog. The old-timer 
confines his efforts to a few kinds, the 
ones most in demand in the kitchen. 
The “Best” Varieties 
Ask each of a dozen expert garden- 
ers to make a list of "best” varieties 
and the result will be a dozen different 
lists, for each has his favorites, but 
on discussion it will usually be found 
that their distinctions are too slight to 
be considered seriously. All the im- 
portant garden vegetables are classi- 
fied by the expert as to types such as 
the round radishes and the long rad- 
ishes, round beets and flat beets, etc. 
Each seedsman has varieties which he 
exploits as the "best” of these types. 
The following lists may not include 
the best kinds in the opinion of many 
expert gardeners but all as standard, 
reliable and thoroughly tested and at 
least plenty good enough for anybody: 
Bean: Dwarf; Refuge wax; Refugee 
1000 to 1 (green pod). Pole or 
climbing: Cranberry or Horti- 
cultural; Kentucky Wonder. The 
last two varieties are .climbing or 
pole beans and are recommended 
where space is very limited. The 
Cranberry a climbing or pole var- 
iety, is very prolific and, partly 
matured beans shelled are as 
good as Lima Beans. 
Beet: Detroit dark red or Crosby’s 
Egyptian. The first named is 
round, the second, flat or turnip 
shaped. 
Cabbage:. For early cabbage Charles- 
ton Wakefield, for late Danish 
ball head. 
Carrot: . Chantenay: this is a half- 
long carrot and better adapted to 
home gardens either for summer 
use or cellar storage than the 
Oxheart or other large types. 
Kolil Rabi: White Vienna. 
Lettuce:. For early “leaf” lettuce 
either Curled Simpson or Grand 
Rapids. The Grand Rapids is 
rather better in quality than the 
Simpson but does not grow as 
rapidly nor stand as much hard- 
ship. The Grand Rapids is ideal 
for hot-bed culture. 
For head lettuce plant only 
May King. 
Onion: Yellow Globe Danvers or 
Southport Red Globe. 
Parsnip: Hollow Crown. 
Pea: Laxtonlan: This is one of the 
best of the large podded, early 
dwarf peas and may be sown in 
succession. For a late maturing 
variety plant Champion of Eng- 
land or Telephone. The latter 
are tall growing kinds and re- 
quire support. 
Radish: Early scarlet globe 'or any 
early round or turnip shaped var- 
iety sown in succession. For a 
later variety Crimson Giant; does 
not get “pithy” in hot weather. 
Rutabaga: American Purple Top. 
Spinach: Bloomsdale iSavoy. 
Tomato: Chalk’s Early Jewel; Pond- 
erosa; Late Stone. 
Turnip: Purple Top White Globe: 
the Yellow Globe is a large late 
maturing yellow flesh variety, 
closely resembling rutabaga and 
of better quality. 
Plants or Sets 
For early onions plant onion 
sets. For early cabbage and to- 
mato buy plants; plants for late 
cabbage may be easily grown in 
the garden; plant a packet of seed 
at the time of sowing early vege- 
tables. 
For the Gardener Who Has Plenty of 
Room and Time 
Cauliflower: Early Snow Ball. 
Celery. White Plume. 
Cucumber: Improved Long Green. 
Sweet Corn: Golden Bantam. 
Egg Plant: Black Beauty. 
Lima Beans: Burpee's Bush Lima, 
or Henderson’s Bush Lima. 
Muskmelon: Milwaukee Market. 
Parsley: Champion Moss Curled; 
(Six plants enough). 
Peppers: Crimson Giant (sweet). 
How to Buy 
Buy seeds only from reliable seeds- 
men. They advertise in reliable pap- 
ers. Avoid “bargains” in seeds, the 
best is the cheapest. The cost of 
seed is not a big item considering the 
returns. Penny packets and depart- 
ment store bargains are to be avoided. 
"Seed Tape” is expensive and of 
doubtful value. 
Quantity of Seed Required 
The problem of how much seed to 
buy is one beset with many difficulties 
and not easily solved. 
If we were certain that every seed 
we buy would germinate and produce 
a vigorous plant under the adverse 
conditions of soil and climate com- 
monly encountered, we would need to 
buy but very little seed. 
Carrots, for instance should be 
spaced at least two inches apart in the 
row for best results. A package of 
carrot seeds contains about 5000 seeds 
which spaced at two inches would 
be enough to plant over 800 feet of 
row. In practice an average packet 
is enough to plant a little less than 
40 feet of row. Why use so much 
seed? Firstly, because not all seeds 
will germinate and as all the poor 
seeds may fall in one place we must 
allow enough to insure a good stand. 
Secondly: conditions in the garden 
are never perfect for germination and 
growth and many of the plants per- 
ish before reaching daylight. 
Thirdly: Seeds must be covered 
with earth, which is a dead weight 
that must be lifted by the plantlets. 
We must, therefore, plant seeds 
enough to afford lifting power to 
break the surface crust. 
Fewer seeds are required when sow- 
ing later in the season than for earlier 
sowings, as the ground is then more 
mellow and seeds come up easier. 
As amateur gardeners are interest- 
ed only in small areas, ounces and 
quarts may be left out of considera- 
tion and attention directed mainly to 
packets of seed. In order to learn 
something of the actual size or con- 
tents of “packets” offered by reliable 
seedsmen 31 packets of seed were 
purchased from four seed firms and 
the seeds in each counted. The re- 
sults follow: 
Seedsman 
Onion 
Carrot 
O 
0) 
» 
Bean 
qsipna 
Spinach 
Parsnip 
A 
1210 
5427 
335 
156 
257 
1032 
777 
1126 
B 
1016 
500 
265 
394 
140S 
990 
850 
C 
910 
3720 
356 
258 
340 
1108 
440 
700 
D 
1690 
585 
94 
169 
790 
782 
1892 
Av 
1206 + 5473+ 
444 
193 + 
290 
o 1 
00 I 
4- 1 
747+ 1142 
1 
Combining these figures with the 
experience of skilled gardeners as to 
the proper number of seeds to plant 
per inch or foot, 'one packet of onion 
seed will plant 10 feet of row, car- 
rot 40 feet, beet 29 feet, bean 20 feet, 
pea 25 feet, radish 10 feet. 
Summing up it may be said that for 
the average family garden one packet 
of seed is enough of any of the kinds 
learned except possibly peas and beans. 
By careful sowing one packet of most 
of the vegetables named is more than 
enough for the first planting and some 
may be saved for later planting. 
