30 
D. M. Ferry &. Cos Descriptive Catalogue. 
scales; rind thin, but very tough; flesh red, very tender, 
nutty, crisp; seeds reddish brown. 
Cuban Queen.—One of the largest melons known, 
specimens having been grown that weighed eighty-two 
/>onmis. Vine vigorous; skin striped light and dark 
green. Rind medium thick, but the fruit stands ship¬ 
ment well. Flesh bright red, solid, very crisp and 
sugary. 
Kolb’s Gem, or American Champion.—A new 
and very distinct variety originating at the south, and 
becoming very popular with southern growers because 
of its size, beauty and remarkable shipping and keeping 
qualities. Specimens have been shipped from the ex¬ 
treme south to New York and from there back to Phila¬ 
delphia, yet they arrived in the best possible condition. 
Vines of medium size but remarkably vigorous and 
healthy. Leaves of medium size, deeply cut with a pe¬ 
culiar frilled edge. Fruit of the largest size, round or 
slightly oval with a cavity, at the blossom end marked 
with irregular mottled stripes of dark and very light 
green in sharp contrast, which gives it a bright and at¬ 
tractive appearance. Outer rind or shell exceedingly 
hard and firm resembling that of a winter squash. Flesh 
bright red extending to within half an inch of the rind; 
always solid, very firm, a little coarse but sweet and 
tender. Seeds dark grey. 
Mountain Sweet.—A large, long, oval variety; flesh 
scarlet, and quite solid to the center; very sweet and 
delicious. 
Mountain Sprout.—A large, long, striped variety, 
with bright scarlet flesh and drab colored seeds; it dif¬ 
fers from the Mountain Sweet in color and shape, is 
rather late, and will keep longer in the fall. 
Orange.—An 
oval melon; 
skin green; 
flesh scarlet, of 
good quality, 
and is peculiar 
in that the flesh 
may be easily 
separated from 
the rind, like an 
orange. 
Ice Cream — 
Medium size, 
scarlet flesh, and 
very sweet; a 
Citron.—Employed in making preserves. Grows 
uniformly round and smooth, striped and marbled with 
light green. Flesh white and solid ; seeds red. 
MUSHROOMS. 
The Mushroom is an edible fungus, of a white color, 
changing to brown when old. The gills are loose, of a 
pinkish red, changing to liver color. It produces no 
seed, but instead, a white, fibrous substance in broken 
threads, called spawn, which is preserved in horse ma¬ 
nure, being pressed in the form of bricks. Thus pre¬ 
pared, it will retain its vitality for years. 
Culture. —Mushrooms can be grown in the cellar, in 
sheds, or in hot-beds in open-air, on shelves, or out-of- 
the-way places. Fermenting horse manure, at a tem¬ 
perature of about 70 degrees, is made into beds the size 
‘ required, eighteen inches deep. In this bed plant the 
broken pieces of spawn six inches apart, covering the 
whole with two inches of light soil, and protect from 
cold and severe rains. 'I’he mushrooms will appear in 
about six weeks. Water with lukewarm water, and only 
when quite dry. 
MUSTARD. 
Fr. Moutarde. —Ger. Sen/. 
Mustard is not only used as a condiment, but the green 
leaves are used as a salad, or cut and boiled like spinage. 
Culture.—S hould be the same as that of cress. 
Southern Giant Curled.—This mustard is very 
highly esteemed in the south, where the seed is sown in 
the fall, and the plants used very early in the spring as 
a salad. The seed is brown and produces plants which I 
grow about two feet high and form enormous bunches, 
six 0/ which will fill an ordinary barrel. 
White English.—The leaves are light green, mild 
and tender when young ; seed light yellow. 
Brown Italian.—This is a larger plant than the I 
preceding, with much darker leaves; seed brown, and 
more pungent. 
NASTURTIUM. 
Fr. Capucine. —Ger. Kapuziner Kress. 
Culture. —Sow after the ground is warm, in drills 
one inch deep, by the side of a fence, trellis work, or 
some other support to climb upon. They will thrive in 
good ground, in almost any situation, but are more pro¬ 
ductive in a light soil. 
Tall Mixed.—Cultivated both for use and ornament. 
Its beautiful, orange colored flowers serve as a garnish 
for dishes, and the young leaves are excellent for salads. 
The flower buds, scarcely formed, and the greed seed 
pods preserved in vinegar, make a pickle greatly esteem¬ 
ed by many. 
For other varieties , see Flower Seeds. 
OKRA. 
Fr. Gombo. —Ger. Ocher. 
This is an annual from the West Indies, cultivated for 
its green seed pods, which are used in soups or stewed 
and served like asparagus. It is highly esteemed at the 
south for making gumbo soup. The pods when young 
and tender should be sliced in sections, strung on a 
thread and hung up in the shade to cure like dried 
apples. In this 
condition it 
can be used for 
sou pat any 
time. 
Culture. — 
Sow the seed 
thinly in dry, 
warm soil, in 
shallow drills 
two feet apart. 
Cover the 
seeds lightly. 
After the 
plants are up, 
thin them out 
to nine inches 
apart; hoe fre¬ 
quently and 
draw- a little 
earth to the 
stems as they 
continue to 
grow. Gather the pods when quite green, and about au 
inch and a half long. 
Tall White.—About four feet high; pods eight to 
ten inches long. 
Dwarf White.—A decided improvement on the pre¬ 
ceding. Two and a half feet high, very productive; 
pods a foot long, very thick and fleshy. 
Citron. 
good variety for main crop. 
