22 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
Malvaviscus — M. Dmmmondii —worthy of cul¬ 
tivation. It is not hardy at the North, where 
it must be housed during the winter months. 
-- -m ->——*•—-- —- 
The Peperomias as Basket Plants. 
It often strangely happens that a plant sud¬ 
denly springs into popularity that has before 
been known only in rare stove and hot-house col¬ 
lections. Of this kind is the Peperomia, figured 
on page 21, which, within a few years has come 
into common use with our florists as one of the 
many plants suitable for flower-baskets. We 
have received it from more than one florist un¬ 
der the name of Peperomia maculosa , but upon 
referring to the original figure of that plant we 
found that the name could not be correct. Mr. 
Taplin, of South Amboy, N. J., has it as P. 
arifolia , which we think is the right name. At 
all events, the plant is a very neat and pleasing 
one, and last winter did very well with us in a 
warm living room. The foliage is of a dark 
green, beautifully marked with lighter silvery 
stripes. The genus Peperomia is a large one, 
and belongs in South America and other tropical 
climates. Their foliage is generally pleasing, 
but their flowers are not at all showy. It is 
closely related to the plant Piper nigrum , which 
furnishes the black pepper of commerce. 
--—a*- mm— -- 
Market-Gardening in Maryland. 
BY PETEK HENDERSON. 
A most intelligent cultivator, W. F. Massey, 
of Chestertown, Md., writing under date of Nov. 
3d, asks me the following questions, requesting 
a reply through your columns. He says: “ Our 
climate here is rather a local one. I find that 
the thermometer has reached zero but once in 
the last seven years, and then only for a few 
hours. On March 1st of this year I planted 
Early Rose potatoes, and am now digging the 
second crop, on the same ground, from potatoes 
planted from the first crop. On May 13th, 
Early Wakefield was first marketed, and on 
June 24tli Trophy tomatoes were fully ripe. I 
■can buy stable manure at $1 per ton, having 
only a quarter of a mile to haul it. Night-soil 
delivered at 40c. per barrel. Tire land is first- 
rate, and lying within a hundred yards of rail¬ 
road depot, five hours from Philadelphia. Now, 
having no experience of shipping vegetables to 
Northern markets, I ask your advice in the 
matter. Can they be made to pay under such 
conditions ? ” 
Most unquestionably they can, and that too, 
under proper management, at a profit of from 
$500 to $1 ,000 per acre, according to the article 
grown. The most profitable articles to cultivate 
I will name in the order of their value: As¬ 
paragus, the “ Colossal ”—plant no other. From 
the fact that it requires two years from time of 
planting before a crop can be obtained, it will 
pay now, and likely continue to pay, a greater 
profit per acre than any other vegetable that 
can be grown ; besides, as it is ready for market 
at a cool season, it can he shipped without 
loss, even if it he three or four days in transit. 
The next best article for a Northern market 
would be Linneus or Victoria rhubarb, as it, 
too, like asparagus, must be waited on a year 
or two before a full crop can be gathered. 
As to annual vegetables, much would depend 
on the demand in the particular locality, and 
as this eould only be got at by a year or two of 
experience, I could not give advice with any 
certainty, but would name them thus: Beets 
(Egyptian), peas (Daniel O’Rourke or Extra 
Early), encumber (Improved White Spine), 
tomatoes (Trophy or New York Market), radish 
(Turnip and Long short-top), spinach (Round- 
leaved), melon (Skillman’s Netted or Nutmeg), 
watermelon (Mountain Sprout or Black Span¬ 
ish). Early cabbages and potatoes, being of 
less value per pound than most of the articles 
named, would not be so profitable if freights 
were high. Lettuce is a vegetable used more 
by Germans than other nationalities, and its 
supply should be determined by the amount 
of that element in a city. Cabbages, on the 
other hand, are used more by the Irish, and the 
very poorest of them buy the first crops sent in. 
A word about shipping. Take care that the 
packages in which vegetables are shipped are 
not too large nor too close. Thousands of 
cases have been shipped to New York during 
the past few years, of both fruits and vegetables, 
that from had packing never sold for enough to 
pay freights. Let it be understood that masses 
of green vegetables, such as peas, radishes, etc., 
when packed in such packages as a flour-barrel 
or close box of that size, are certain to “heat” 
if kept so for two or three days in a tempera¬ 
ture of 70° or 80*. The object then should be 
to govern the size of the package according to 
the temperature and the distance to be trans¬ 
ported. Fruit-growers know the importance 
of this, and have their baskets and boxes so 
made that the air passes freely through them. 
Vegetable shipping is fast becoming as im¬ 
portant as fruit shipping, and with a little more 
experience those engaged in it will soon devise 
means to insure the safe transit of their crops. 
Orchards in Cold Climates. 
An intelligent correspondent in the Province 
of Quebec presents several questions as follows: 
“ I am intending to plant out an orchard, and 
want to know whether by planting a double 
row of Norway spruce on the north and west 
sides of the orchard I can grow any more tender 
varieties than without doing so (1). Also, whe¬ 
ther there is any truth in what they say here— 
viz., that trees brought from 
New York State will not 
live here, about ten miles 
from Sherbrooke, lat. 45£°, 
hut must be grown near by. 
If so, is it the same with the 
Norway spruce (2)? .Also, lam going to plant 
out about four* acres of orchard. The soil is 
from one and a half to four feet deep before 
coming to the subsoil, which is hard-pan. The 
land is very dry, and a loam not more clayey 
than sandy. The situation is an elevated 
slope, and I want to know whether it would do 
to plant one acre in dwarfs, instead of stand¬ 
ards, for market, and if not, why (3) ? What 
pears, plums, etc., would be adapted to such 
a northerly locality as ours (4) ? ” 
(1.) It is a well-established fact that protec¬ 
tion in the direction of the prevailing winds is 
of great advantage to orchards, even in those 
localities that are usually regarded as mild. 
The Norway spruce screen will doubtless allow 
him to grow varieties that he could not succeed 
with without, but just which varieties fall into 
this category we are unable to say. 
(2.) We do not believe that it makes any 
difference — at least in that range of country 
where the thermometer ever reaches anywhere 
near zero—where a tree is grown, provided it is 
well ripened, and we think that a tree grown 
in New York or Pennsylvania will do as well 
in' Canada as one raised in Canada. We know 
that this is in opposition to the views of some 
nurserymen, but if those who hold differently 
will present us with any facts to prove that we 
are wrong we shall be glad to see them. 
(8.) Dwarfs are generally abandoned in or¬ 
chard culture except for Duchess. We can not 
go into the various reasons. It is a well-settled 
fact that they don’t pay. 
(4.) It is very difficult to give a selection of 
varieties for any particular locality, as latitude 
is no guide. Some parts of Canada are espe¬ 
cially favorable to fruit culture, while others are 
most forbidding. It is a question of locality. 
Among the pears that have succeeded best in 
northern localities are Buffum, Beurre d’Anjou, 
Onondaga, Lawrence, Tyson, and Osband’s 
Summer, all excellent varieties. As to plums, 
we should try some of the improved uatives, 
such as the Miner, Wild Goose, etc. 
Wintering 
Cabbage Plants in 
Climates. 
BY PETER HENDERSON. 
Mild 
Mr. Massey, the gentleman mentioned in an 
article on Market-Gardening in Maryland, gives 
the following valuable information about his 
manner of wintering early cabbage plants with¬ 
out the use of sashes. He says: “The seed is 
sown here (Chestertown, Md.) about Sept. 20th, 
and the plants are ready to plant by Nov. 1st, 
which we do in ridges, of which the figure 
is a cross-section. These ridges run north-west 
and south-east. The plants are set on the face 
of the ridge sloping south-west. These slopes 
are about four feet wide, with alleys two feet 
between. The plants we set about as thickly 
as in the frames, and in the same manner—that 
is, putting the stems up to the lower leaves to 
save them from the frost.” 
Mr. Massey’s plan is entirely new to me, and 
will be a very valuable one in all such latitudes 
as his, for it not only saves all the expense of 
sashes and frames, but the plants will be in bet¬ 
ter condition in spring than if grown under 
J\ 
SECTION OF BEDS FOR WINTERING CABBAGE PLANTS, 
glass. The plan will be a safe one to adopt in 
sheltered situations in any section of the coun¬ 
try where the thermometer does not fall below 
zero. Mr. Massey prefers it—and I think he is 
right—to putting out the plants in fall where 
they are to remain for next spring’s crop, pre¬ 
ferring to manure and plow up the land fresh 
in March, and' set out from the plants in his 
ridges. Lettuce, and in warmer sections cauli¬ 
flowers, could be wintered in the same way. 
Window Garden for Cold Country 
Houses. 
BY “w.,” HAVERHILL,-MASS. 
Many directions have been given for window 
gardening and window ornaments, and I wish 
to describe one which, for its possibilities of 
novelty and variety, will suit those who feat- 
frost will kill their plants if they cultivate 
those usually recommended for window culture. 
Provide a wooden box, the length of the 
window-sill, and of a depth sufficient to allow 
a wooden bowl of moderate depth to be placet} 
