voys, though the best of all, are almost aban¬ 
doned in private gardens on account of the 
ease with which they are riddled and spoiled 
by the worms. 
Cauliflower.— “When grown in perfection 
this is a most delicious vegetable”—but,oh,how 
hard to grow it so! Before the worms came, 
it was hard enough; now many who manage 
their own gardens prefer to go to market for 
cauliflowers rather than to give the needed 
care and pains to grow them. The “Earliest” 
and “Early” Dwarf Erfurt are perhaps the 
most prized, with Algiers for late. 
Celery. —Most private gardeners buy their 
celery plants, yet uot a few prefer to grow 
them. RaWson’s Early Arliugtou is a favor¬ 
ite with all who have grown it, while Hender¬ 
son’s White Plume is taking well. The in¬ 
terest in celery growing is much increased by 
the simplification of the process, ami by 
the introduction of “self-blanching” sorts. 
Carrots.— The Early French Foreiug, Half- 
long, Scarlet and Improved Danvers are tie¬ 
coming the favorites in New England gar¬ 
dens, but the Long Orange is still extensively 
grown for winter use as well as for stock- 
feeding. 
Sweet Corn. —The Marblehead and Cory 
Coras are very extensively grown, and yet are 
far from satisfactory, because of the color of 
the cob, which stains the kernels in cooking. 
A white-cob strain of the Marblehead is be¬ 
coming known, though not yet advertised by 
the seedsmen. Moore’s Concord is a favorite 
second-early, while the Triumph has gained 
great popularity, on account of its excellent 
quality, productiveness and large, handsome 
ears. 
Cucumbers.— The Early Russian is certain¬ 
ly the earliest, but unless well grown from a 
good strain is not satisfactory to a lover oi 
this popular vegetable. The Early Frame is 
a fine cucumber, while the improved strains of 
the White Spine and Long Green leave noth¬ 
ing to be desired iu succession. 
Cress. —Pepper-grass, like parsley and beet 
greens, is so terribly infested with disgusting 
insects that many have discontinued growing 
what, has always been a favorite vegetable. 
Those who have the facilities should never fail 
to grow water-cress, the most delightful of 
all this class of plants, and easily grown in 
many places where it is yet unknown. The 
wholesomeness of cress is a strong reason for 
its use in every family. 
Dandelion. —With cress for spice and dan 
delion for a bitter, every family can have all 
the “spring medicine" that can be needed, nn- 
urnler ordinary circumstances. The culture 
of dandelions in the garden is so easy, and a 
small area gives so large a supply, that none 
should fail to plant them. It is a pleasure to 
know how rapidly this culture is extending iu 
private gardens. 
Kohl-Rabi.—I have been surprised to no¬ 
tice how frequently this till lately almost un¬ 
known vegetable in New England is exhibited 
at fairs. The pestiferous root-worm which 
infests and ruins turnips in most gardens, is 
stimulating the culture of “turnips that grow 
on stems,” as kohl-rabi is called by many who 
do not catch on to foreign names. There is 
so strong an appetite among the people tor all 
vegetables of the Brassica family that it will 
be easy to extend the culture of kohl rabi into 
every garden The earliest green Erfurt is a 
choice sort for early, while the Purple Giant 
is a veiy fine winter variety. 
Lettuce. —The Boston Curled seems to be 
of universal culture and popularity as an 
early sort, being so elegant as well as good. 
As a later sort, nothing has appeared to sur¬ 
pass the Hanson. The Deacon is beginning to 
be known, and is much liked, and may surpass 
Hanson as a summer kind. I have rarely 
seen the Cos lettuces grown. 
Muskmklons. —No muskmelon has had a 
better run in Northern New England or given 
such general satisfaction as Christiana. This 
and the Green Nutmeg are widely grown. 
The Montreal Green Nutmeg is not so early as 
its origin would seem to indicate, and requires 
a skilled gardener to make much of it. 
Watermelons. — Mountain Sweet and 
Vick’s Early are satisfactory sorts to grow 
where earliness is essential. The Citron is 
widely grown for preserving, though many 
now find ordinary watermelon rind to answer 
the same purpose equally well. 
Onions. —Early Danvers is the standard 
sort, and yet it is not early enough in many 
northern locations. Iu these parts the Extra 
Early Red is sown, and is a goqd onion, that 
keeps much better thau an unripe Danvers. 
Peas. —Probably no early pea is so widely 
grown as Bliss’s American Wonder. Its ear- 
lmess and high quality recommend it, but its 
unproductiveness is universally complained of. 
As a smooth, extra early pea, I have found 
nothing at once so early and so good as Raw- 
son’s Clipper. Telephone is becoming very 
THE BUBAL HIW-YOBKEB. 
popular, while McLean's Little flem is an 
established favorite. Stratagem is becoming 
known and is liked, but its heavy pods lie 
upon the ground aud become soiled, rotted 
and worm-eaten, unless a mulch is used be¬ 
neath the vines. The Champion of Englaud 
is still the favorite late pea with a large num¬ 
ber of growers. 
Parsnips —The Hollow-crowned is as good 
as any. 
Radish.—' The difficulty of growing radishes 
outside of hot-beds or cold-frames, on account 
of the little white root-worms, has greatly 
diminished their culture: yet a family supply 
is so easily grown under glass, and they are 
so very wholesome, that they should not be 
neglected. The Early Scarlet Erfurt is the 
earliest, and the French Breakfast one of the 
best. 
Squashes. —I have never thought much of 
the so-called summer squashes as an article of 
diet, and as it is becoming known that the 
young fruit of the winter squashes is better, I 
thiuk there is no more place for them iu the 
garden. Plant Low’s Essex Hybrid, or Bos¬ 
ton Marrow: these,* used as young as you 
choose to cut them, are much better than any 
“bush” variety. 
Tomato. —l quite agree with Mr. Hender- 
sou that the earliuess of tomatoes cannot, be 
much further advanced, and that gain must 
be looked for mainly in solidity, quality aud 
fredorn from rot or other disease. The Car¬ 
dinal is a very fine variety in all particulars; 
so is the Essex Early Hybrid ( ?), the Arlington, 
the Conqueror, and the King Humbert. 
Turnip —1 like Jersey Lily very much for 
a white early sort. The Purple-top White 
Globe is better in quality, aud so is the old 
Cow-horn. Of yellow-fieshed sorts it is hard 
to beat the Large Yellow Globe, though Rob¬ 
ertson’s Golden Ball is perhaps of better qual¬ 
ity. in rutabages I know of nothing that 
surpasses the Improved American for the 
table. 
fruit notes. 
The Jewell Strawberry set last spring 
did very poorly. Over half the plants died from 
drought, and the rest made very few runners, 
although the plot was well tended. 
Prunu.s Pissardii is as tender as a peach 
here. 
Oregon Champion Gooseberries seem to 
be a failure here, as the berries drop wheu 
about half grown; the bush is, however, a 
much stronger grower than the Downing or 
Industry. 
The Devonshire Red-streak, a fall apple, 
is the best bearer of al 11 ha ve. 11. is nearly the 
size of Ben Davis, aud somewhat similar in 
color aud shape, but more acid: should make 
a good drying apple. Who knows about ltd 
Sangamon Co., Ills. B. 
It. N. Y. —The Red Streak is au English 
apple aud is well described above. We know 
of no Devonshire Red Streak. 
forcing boxes for plants. 
Has anybody tried the “forcing boxes” for 
all kinds of plants? 
They are made of light wood and of various 
sizes, to fit over the hills of the vegetables, 
with grooves in t he sides at the top into which 
a pane of glass can slide, thus forming a little 
forcing box over each hill. The inventor and 
manufacturer claims for them that seed plant¬ 
ed in open ground and covered with these 
boxes will be fully as advanced as plants raised 
in a hot-bed, if not more so. I have never 
used them, but I know that, plants get a great 
set-back when transplanted; and I expect to 
see the day when transplanting will be a thing 
of the past. geo. w. g. 
Catonsviile, Md. 
fUriatUiirfil. 
SEEDS FOR EARLY SOWING. 
william falconer. 
March or April is early enough for sowing 
the majority of our summer-blooming plants, 
as marigolds, zinnias and asters; but there are 
many kinds which grow slowly to begin with, 
hence we must sow these early if we will have 
stout, strong plants to set out at the proper 
tune for planting them, say iu May. There¬ 
fore we must begin early. Among those to 
sow rightaway are lotxdia, torenia, celosia, 
cockscomb, spotted mimulus, nierembergiu, 
tuberous-rooted begouias, golden-feather, 
feverfew, white leaved eentaurea, vinca, ver- 
bena, and globe amaranths. To these may be 
added lophospermum, cobiva, snap-dragon, 
Indian pinks, petunia, stocks, canna,guillardia, 
ageratum, abutilou, lantana, pausies, aiid 
chrysanthenfhms It may also much relieve 
us when the great rush of spring work comes 
upon us, if we now sow most of our hardy 
perennials ns columbines, larkspur, everlast¬ 
ing pea, crown anemones, and the like. 
But the number and variety of seeds we 
would sow now must, be governed by the 
space and other conveniences at our disposal 
for their care; also by the temperature we can 
maintain for them. In greenhouses wo can 
grow almost anything and in any quantity. 
February is too soon to sow delicate seeds in 
hot-beds, and at that time cold-frames are use¬ 
less for raising seeds of tropical plants in, so it 
depends on the dwelling-house window or the 
greenhouse. 
The Window need not be a sunny one, but 
the temperature of the room should not often 
fall under (10 degrees. After the seedlings 
come up, particularly if of strong-growing 
kinds, as vinca aud verbena, they should be 
removed to a sunny window: but deuse-tufted 
sorts .as golden-feather and lobelia, may be re¬ 
tained in the sunless window so long as they 
appear to be thriving well. 
Seed-pots. —lu the windows use pots or 
small Hats, Fill the pots half full with drain¬ 
age, then to near the brim with mellow, light, 
sandy soil. The soil should be free, moder¬ 
ately moist, but not at all wet or clammy. 
Give the pot a sharp tap or two on a solid 
table or bench to firm the soil, then sow evenly 
and thinly, and scatter a little fine earth over 
the seeds and about deep enough just to cover 
them. Water gently and through n very fine- 
bored sprinkler, aud don't give much water. 
After Care.— Place the pots on the win- 
dow-sill or shelves, away from bright sunshine, 
and lay a bitof stiff paper over them but tilted 
up about one-fourth of an inch at one side. 
When the seeds germinate the paper should be 
removed. Look out for mould and pick it off 
with a sharp stick or knife-blade as soon as 
you see it. As soon as the seedlings come up. 
prick them off into other pots or Huts similarly 
prepared as for the seeds; this saves the young 
plants from being killed off by “damp” or 
mould. 
Watering Seed-pots.— Avoid this as much 
as you can. Prevent them by shading aud 
like means from getting dry. But if they do 
get dry, water gently, moderately and through 
a fine rose. In the case of delicate seeds, I 
dip the pots to half their depth in a vessel 
of water: 1 don't like wetting the surface as it 
is so apt to wash bare the seeds and encourage 
mould. 
The Different Kinds.— Lobelia, mimu 
lus, torenia, and begonia seeds are very small, 
andiu sowing it. is enough to mix them with 
n little dryish soil and then sprinkle them on 
the surface of the seed pot. Celosias and 
cockscombs are smooth, glossy seeds and more 
liable to be killed by damping off, than are 
any of the others. Golden-feather, although 
its seeds are small, is a capital grower, not 
subject to disease, and if scattered ou the sur¬ 
face of the ground in geranium, fuchsia, ealla 
aud other plant pots, comes up perhaps better 
than in specially prepared pots. Keepcentau- 
rea in a sunny place and don’t let its leaves 
or centers get wet. Vincas love beat and 
light, and verbenas light and ventilution after 
they get up a little. By rubbing some sharp, 
dry sand among the wooly seeds of globe 
amaranths, you can more readily separate 
them. Lophospermum and cobma sown now 
will give you vines that will bloom from the 
first Of July till frost kills them in fall. The 
sooner snap-dragons, Indian pinks.gaillardias, 
ageratums and petunias are sown the sooner 
they will come into bloom in summer, and in 
the case ol‘ perpetual bloomers like these we 
may as well have a long summer show as a 
short one. Stocks should bo sown iu succession. 
Ten-week sorts sown now can be hud iu bloom 
about Decoration Day. Soak canuu seed in 
warm water before sowing; then sow or 
rather plant it an inch deep in rough soil, or 
stick into the earth in pots containing any 
window plants. The sooner abutilons and lun- 
tanas are sown the larger will be the plants in 
May at setting out time, and the sooner they 
will bloom. It is with these as with helio¬ 
trope and many other plants, seedlings don’t 
bloom nearly so soon as do plants raised from 
cuttings. Pansies sown early aud grown in 
rich, moist soil and cool quarters will bloom 
from April till very warm weather sets in. 
The Chinese and Japanese chrysanthemums 
are so copious and gay in November aud so 
easily raised from seeds that we all should try 
a few. Of course we must not expect that all 
will be first-class; but there is a charm and in¬ 
terest in raising seedlings that we cannot get 
in growing the named sorts, no matter bow 
superb they may be. Sown in February they 
are sure to bloom next October or November. 
If we have a cold-frame from which we can 
keep out frost, it is a good plan to sow colum¬ 
bine, larkspur, pentstomon, anemone, lupin, 
coreopsis, thermopsis and niauy other peren¬ 
nials now in fiats filled with light but uot 
extra fine soil, put these into the frame and 
cover it up. Dou’t water them when you sow 
them, else the seeds will be apt to rot. When 
FEB IB 
warm weather comes they will germinate 
better. 
Also, in the same way treat seeds of lilies, 
clematis, Christmas roses, and other sorts that 
take months or a year to come up, but in this 
case put a board or a slate over tbe flats to 
prevent the soil from drying. Examine them 
every week as sometimes a few seeds will ger 
minate ahead of others of the same sort. 
ficlti Crops. 
TOBACCO RAISING IN NORTH CAR¬ 
OLINA.—IV. 
M. B. PRINCE. 
Curing is an evaporating process, and if 
the barn has a close roof an opening is left at 
the top. but a covering of split boards in com¬ 
mon use, affords sufficient openings for the es¬ 
cape of moisture. The management varies 
according as the plants are large or small, 
ripe or green. Regard also is given to the 
weather—whether warm or cold, windy or 
calm. The fires are started ns soon as prac¬ 
ticable after the barn is filled. The following 
set of directions (being one of several as pub¬ 
lished iu the Gold Leaf, a paper largely de¬ 
voted to the interests of the golden-leaf to¬ 
bacco) are for curing tobacco that has grown 
fine and yellow on the hill:— “Commence 
your heat at from 90 to 1(H) degrees to yellow 
the tobacco,and stand at this for ‘Jo to JO hours ( 
then raise your heat five degrees for every 
t wo hours until you reach 180 degrees. Stand 
at this 12 to 15 hours, then raise heat five de¬ 
grees per hour until 150 is reached. Stand at 
this five hours, theu raise heat five to ten de¬ 
grees au hour until 180 degrees is reached, nnd 
remain until stems and stalks are thoroughly 
cured.” 
When thoroughly cured the leaf is dry and 
brittle, and must be brought into order as 
sonu ns possible for removal to the packing 
house to make room for the next cutting. If 
falling weather occurs, this is accomplished in 
a few hours by opening the door. The more 
common practice is to strew the floor with 
green brush or straw and sprinkle with water; 
sprinkling water on the hot flues is also prac¬ 
tised; while some eurers use a boiler outside, 
conducting the steam inside by means of a tin 
or iron pipe. When sufficiently softened the 
tobacco is “cooped” in the packing house, the 
sticks being laid up cob-house fashion, with 
the tops of the plants to the center, where it 
remains until stripped, which is done any time 
from one day to one year. 
Notbiug connected with the crop so much 
requires t he services of an experienced opera¬ 
tor as the curing. He must not only know 
bow to run his fires, but must closely watch 
the tobacco, know when to give more air to 
permit sweating, and lie aide to decide when 
the stalk is thoroughly killed. If any mois¬ 
ture is left in stalk or stem it, will “run'’ and 
turn the leaf red. About a cord and a half of 
dry wood are required for curing one barn. 
stripping is done at times when the weather 
is favorable aud other work not pressing. An 
expert is employed to “pick'’ and classify into 
from five to seven grades, known as “sand 
lugs,” “bright lugs,' 1 “green tips,” “smokers,’’ 
“mahogany,” “first quality,” “second quality.” 
etc. The best grades are tied in “hands” of 
six leaves, while lower grades contain from 
eight to 12. For convenience a bench is used 
ou which the “picker” places the leaves ready 
for the tyers, the grades being separated by 
smull wooden pins set in holes iu the top of 
the bunch. 
After stripping, it is again hung on sticks 
and smoothly packed in piles, called “bulking 
down.” If bulked down in just the right order, 
some grades (notably “green tips,”) brighten 
and improve with age. The expense of strip¬ 
ping. including “hulking” at this time, is £1.10 
per 100 "pounds. It is now ready for market 
and in my next I will try to give the manner 
of selling and the expenses connected there¬ 
with. 
Vance Co.. N. C. 
the aspinvvall potato planter and dig¬ 
ger. 
We raise from 50 to 00 acres of potatoes 
every year, and of course have to be ou the 
lookout for all labor-saving implements. We 
have used the Aspimvall potato planter, and 
can back up all that the RURAL has said about 
it.. Where the ground is clear from stumps, 
the machine does better work than can be 
done by baud. The hardest work of all po¬ 
tato raising is the digging tynl planting. It 
makes one feel sad to go.tramping all day 
with a basket of potatoes on his arm or a bag 
around his neck, after seeiug one of these 
planters work. A mau eau ride and plant 
with ease, Auy team that cuu pull a 12-inch 
plow in breaking eau work the planter with 
.ase. We liked the plauter so well that we 
