Vegetable Cultures for Victory Gardeners 
Asparagus 
Asparagus is one of the most delicious vegetables on 
the entire list. Those who have to depend upon what 
they buy find it quite a luxury and we doubt if they 
really know how tender and nice asparagus, freshly 
cut, can be 
FROM SEED. Plant asparagus seed as early in the 
spring as the soil can be worked without being sticky— 
in rows 144 to 2 feet apart and cover the seed an inch 
deep. As the seeds are hard it is best to soak them for 
twenty-four hours in warm water before planting. After 
the plants are well up thin them out to stand 3 or 4 
inches apart. Cultivate well thru the summer and if 
possible work in some well rotted manure. As the results 
for a good many years depend on the strength and vigor 
of the roots you grow that first year, it pays to do 
everything to promote development. 
One ounce of seed will produce about 200 plants. 
Garden Beets 
Beets like best a deeply worked, well limed, friable 
soil in which the roots can expand quickly, but prac- 
tically every garden soil will grow at least a fair crop 
of roots. Z 
The seed may be planted early for first crop a8 soon 
as the garden plot is prepared. Make the rows 14% to2 
foot apart and scatter the seed every inch covering 
about 1 inch deep. When the plants are 2 to 3 inches 
high thin out to stand every 2 to 4 inches. The plants, 
pulled up very easily, may be set out elsewhere or the 
leaves used for greens. Young beet greens are delicious. 
Frequent cultivation keeps the roots growing and 
they will be more tender and sweet than when growth 
is slow. The earliest varieties usually get large enough 
to eat or sell in 50 to 60 days from planting, so they 
may be planted as late as August 15th in our section. 
Be sure to plant plenty for canning and also have 
some to store for the winter. We show how easily root 
crops may be stored for the winter on page 4 of this 
catalog. 
The Crosby’s Egyptian is a fine variety for earliest 
spring planting. Detroit is popular for canning because 
of its very dark red color—while both Detroit and 
Karly Wonder are suitable for late planting and storing 
One ounce will sow a 50-foot row. 
Mangels 
Mangels are grown the same as beets—but they need 
more space in the row and the rows should be at least 
2 ft. apart. Mangels grow very large and the root rises 
up out of the ground so that when fully developed they 
seem almost to rest on the surface. This makes the crop 
very easy to harvest. 
Brussels Sprouts 
It is nice to have unusual vegetables in your garden, 
especially sach an attractive addition as Brussels 
Sprouts. 
If convenient start the seed inside early and trans- 
plant outdoors like early cabbage. Or you may start 
the seed directly outdoors and treat the crop like late 
cabbage—though, of course, you will have to wait 
longer for the delicious little sprouts. The plants are 
very hardy to frost and even as far north as Cleveland 
you may plant seed in June and expect to gather sprouts 
even after the ground is frozen. 
Make your rows 3 foot apart with the plants 2 foot 
apart in the rows. They grow like cabbage and will 
demand the same good treatment. 
Instead of one large head, however, each plant forms 
tiny little heads along the stalk in the axils of the 
leaves. In the fall break the outer leaves off to give the 
heads full’ chance to develop. 
One ounce will produce about 2000 plants. 
Garden Beans 
The garden Bean is one of the easiest vegetables to 
grow and one of the most popular. If a soil ‘‘won’t grow 
beans” it is pretty poor soil indeed and probably will 
not grow anything. A great many delicious and whole- 
some beans will be forthcoming if you plant even a 
small patch of green pod and wax pod beans. 
DWARF OR BUSH VARIETIES. Make your first 
planting just as soon as the soil is warmed up and there 
is no further danger of hard frosts, in our section early 
in May. Let the rows be 2 to 214 feet apart, dropping 
the seeds 3 or 4 inches apart, 2 inches deep. Cultivate 
frequently after the plants appear, but do not cultivate 
when the plants are wet. 
For a continuous supply on your table, plant more 
beans every two weeks until August and keep the pods 
picked as soon as they reach edible condition. This 
induces the growth of more and better pods. In gather- 
ing the beans do not jerk the pods off—but cut them 
with scissors, knife or fingernail. 
The earliest varieties start giving edible pods in about 
forty days after planting. 
One pound will plant a 100-foot row, 
BUSH LIMA BEANS. Lima beans, although they 
require a longer season, will mature green or even dry 
shell beans in most sections. The very early Henderson 
Bush Lima is especially valuable for northern states. 
Lima beans are very high in food value replacing meats 
and eggs. 
For Lima beans choose a rather light, sandy soil that 
warms up early. Plant Limas in the middle of May, 
rows two and half to three feet apart with the seed two 
inches deep every four inches in the row. For best 
results plant with eye down. Otherwise grow like other 
dwarf garden beans, 
One pound will plant a 100-foot row. 
POLE BEANS. Pole beans are preferred by many 
gardeners because they yield more heavily and for a 
longer season. The earliest varieties start bearing in 
75 to 80 days and the Pole Limas in about 90 days. 
After warm, settled weather set poles 6 to 8 feet long 
in rows four feet apart, the poles being 3 feet apart in 
the row. Around each pole plant from 5 to 8 beans, two 
inches deep. When well started thin to four plants. 
Vines should be tied as soon as they start to climb. 
Vines usually turn to the left and should be tied in that 
way. 
Another method of vine support is to set heavy stakes 
or posts from 6 to 8 feet apart and stretching a strong 
wire, from post to post at both top and bottom. Weave 
heavy cord between wires for the vines to climb on. 
A third method is to take five or six 8 foot stakes, 
setting them up in the form of a tepee, securely wiring 
stakes at top and setting each stake a few inches in the 
ground. Plant 4 to 6 beans around each stake. 
One pound will plant 50° hills. 
EDIBLE SOY BEANS... The Soybean should be 
grown in every garden and used in every home, as it 
is a source of abundant, rich food supply and also high 
in Vitamin content. The Chinese have used this bean 
for thousands of years, while we in America are just 
beginning to learn something of its high food value and 
many ways in which it can be used for food. 
The soybean is easily grown. It will grow in almost 
any soil but best results are obtained when soil is well 
prepared as in planting the regular bush bean. Plant in 
rows thirty to thirty-six inches apart, using 8 to 10 
seeds to the foot row. The plants will grow to the 
height of twenty-four inches without support, so need 
plenty of space between rows. Harvesting, threshing 
and storing are similar to that of shell beans. The 
soybean can be used either green or dry. 
Cabbage 
THE EARLY CROP. Here is one place where the 
hot-bed comes in handy though by no means neglect 
to grow some early cabbage for salads and cold slaw 
during the hot summer days, even if you are not the 
possessor of a hot bed. 

Cabbage plants will stand cold weather and even 
light frosts so the seed should be started inside in the 
latitude of Cleveland late in lebruary or early in March. 
Then the plants will be ready to set out about the mid- 
dle of April. 
The earliest varieties of cabbage do not grow very 
wide spreading and they may be set out in rows 3 foot 
apart letting the plants stand 2 or 2% foot apart in the 
rows. If your plants are tall and spindling when ready 
to set out, cut off the upper 1-3 or 1% of the leaves. 
Cabbage likes a cool, moist, rich soil. Loose dark loam 
or muck soil will grow good cabbage. 
Under favorable conditions the early varieties like 
Early Jersey Wakefield and Copenhagen form edible 
heads in 80 to 90 days from the time the seed is planted. 
These early heads are for use in the summer and 
early fall. They will burst open when left in the field 
after reaching full growth and do not store well. 
The Late Cabbage 
For the late crop plant varieties that form very solid, 
hard heads such as Late Flat Dutch or Danish Ballhead. 
They like the same kind of soil as the early varieties, 
but the seed may be planted directly outdoors as late as 
May or even June Ist. 
Scatter the seed in a bed when the soil has been made 
very fine and cover about 14 in. Thin the plants as they 
grow giving them plenty of place to develop stocky 
instead of tall and spindling. The thinnings may be 
transplanted and an extra transplanting is really 
beneficial. When the plants are 6 or 8 inches high and 
the soil in the permanent plot is prepared, set the plants 
where they are to stand. Give them more space than 
early cabbage setting them 21% to 3 foot apart in rows 
3% to 4 foot apart. 
_ The late cabbage crop is ready early in the fall and it 
1s easy to store the heads for winter use. If you wish to 
keep them some time, pull the heads, roots and all. 
One ounce of Cabbage seed will produce about 2500 
plants, 
Chinese or Celery Cabbage 
This exceptionally fine vegetable is of the cabbage 
family from the Orient and possesses some character- 
istics that place it in a class entirely by itself. In form 
of growth it resembles Cos lettuce—in elongated heads. 
When the outer leaves are stripped away we see an 
appetizing picture of lettuce and celery combined, 
cool, crisp and inviting. 
Shredded and served raw you will find it better than 
the finest cabbage slaw—so tender and mild flavored 
it is. Or make a combination salad with the celery-like 
center stalks. It is delicious. 
There are a few points to be followed out on growing 
Chinese Cabbage and it is not difficult to succeed if 
these things are done. 
The heads must have fairly cool weather to develop, 
which means that the seed must be started very early 
in the spring so that the heads develop before mid- 
summer—or else do not start the seed until July which 
will bring the heading stage into the cool weather of 
fall. The latter method is the most popular. 
The seed may be planted right in the rows where the 
plants are to stand but a transplanting is beneficial, so 
we advise planting the seed in a little bed of fine soil 
and then changing the plants when four to six inches 
high setting them 1 foot apart in rows 2 foot apart. 
Often the leaves will form heads without assistance, but 
to be sure tie around the leaves with raffia or soft 
twine, making the inner stalks white, tender and brittle. 
For successful growing of Chinese Cabbage the 
following rules should be strictly observed. First, the 
soil must contain available plant food so as to keep the 
plants constantly growing. Second, enough moisture 
must be supplied so that growth will not be checked. 
The same type of soil and method of preparation for 
cabbage, should produce a good crop. 
When heads are fully developed they are cut from 
the roots similar to cabbage. Remove the coarse, outer 
leaves, and use the young, tender centers either raw, 
as a salad or cooked. 
Carrots 
Carrots give big returns from small space and they © 
are so high in food value that every garden should 
include them. Like beets, carrots do their best in a 
deep, loose, well limed soil. Plant the seed as soon as the 
ground is warm, the last of April or early in May, in 
rows one foot to one and one-half feet, apart. Cover the 
seeds only one-quarter to one-half inch deep. Scatter 
the seed in the trench quite thickly, two or three for 
every inch. If the seed is soaked in warm water it will 
start quicker, 
Thin out the plants before they get so deeply rooted 
they do not pull easily, leaving one every three or three 
and one-half inches. The large stock carrots with the 
heavy shoulders will need a little more room than this 
to develop the root properly. 
You can plan on getting roots large enough to eat or 
bunch for the market in about ten weeks after the seed 
is planted. So that there will be a continuous supply of 
tender, young roots for your table, plant more carrot 
seed every few weeks. For the first planting in the 
Spring we recommend the Chantenay. For later plant- 
ing and for winter storage plant Danvers Half-Long, 
Tendersweet or Orange Coreless. 
One ounce of seed will sow a 1 00-foot row. 
Witloof Chicory or French 
Endive 
This is a comparatively new vegetable in this country 
but has been a favored plant in France, Belgium and 
other foreign countries for years. It is a very great 
delicacy. 
The seed is sown in the open ground in May or June 
making the rows 18 inches apart, covering the seed 
about one inch deep. Thin to stand six inches apart in 
the rows. For best development plant in cool, moist, rich 
soil and cultivate frequently. Lift the roots just before 
heads will grow right up through this and should begi 
to show at the surface within three weeks. In the sean 
time give one or two liberal applications of water. If left 
undisturbed the roots will produce more cuttings. 
