May 1, 1909 
Novelties in Vegetables. 
A few yaluable novelties in vegetables 
are referred to in the ‘Gardener’s Chroni- 
cle.’ The French gardeners are cultiva- 
ting for very early work a carrot named 
Paris Egg; it is a very rapid grower. 
This may be followed by Early Nantes, a 
carrot that has become a great ‘favorite 
with English gardeners, the roots being 
of nice form and a bright red color. 
Another excellent variety is Lobberich, a 
stump-rooted variety, and late coming 
into use; very sweet and good, and 
deserving to be well known. 
In Celeraic, the variety Delicacy, intro 
duced into commerce several years ago: 
has maintained its good reputation. The 
plant has fine foliage, the. root is oval 
globular and smooth, and it possesses but 
few fibres. It is peculiarly white in the 
flesh, and tender in eating. The short- 
leayed apple-shaped Celeraic is a highly- 
esteemed variety. 
Among rhubarbs, a vegetable which in 
Culinary uses is treated as a fruit, the 
novelties Cyclops and Monarch are 
valuable as being heavy croppers The 
8talks of these varieties sometimes weigh 
4lb. each, They are tender when properly 
Cooked, and pleasant to eat, The plants 
are not to be despised as decorative 
Objects in the pleasure-grounds or the 
mixed flower border. 
The Australian brown-skinned kanga- 
Yoo differs from most onions raised in 
Warm countries as being a long-keeping 
bulb, The skin is amber-colored, shape 
almost globular, of middle size, firm of 
flesh, and weighty for its size, It is an 
-©xcellent market onion, and should have 
§ good future before it. 
Among the earliest short-topped and 
bright-coloured varieties of radishes are 
8re First Crop and Non Plus Ultra, 
Adding to these Drie Brunnen, a famous 
Erfurt variety. Wurzberg Giant is 
‘excelled as a variety for cultivating in 
Cold frames. ‘The seed should be sown 
thinly, or the plants liberally thinned, in 
°rder to get fine-sized roots with tender 
Hesh, The Salvator white radish has 
Sen some years in commerce. It is a 
Summer variety, and is becoming a 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
favorite with the public. The netted 
Sedan radish has long, pear-shaped roots, 
smooth as to skin, and netted black on 
white; the flesh of this, as well as 
that of Salvator remains tender fora long 
period of time, and free from woolli- 
ness. 
Of runner beans, the variety Ohne 
Gleichen (Peerless) was introduced in 
1907 ; and, judged by the crops of that 
year, it is a thorough’y valuable variety, 
which will take a higher rank than the 
July runner, from which it was raised. 
The pods are about seven inches long, 
and very freely produced ; as good a bean 
for the private garden as for the market. 
Among dwarf kidney beans, Thuringia 
is a fine late-croppiny variety. with long 
-and broad pods ‘The white-flowering, 
white-podded conserving variety of broad 
bean, that originated in Holland, is 
certainly worth cultivating. The plant 
has great vigor, it crops heavily, and the 
pods are well filled and of great length, 
The seeds may be conserved in the green 
as well as ripe state. The color, yellow- 
ish-white, is appreciated in a preserved 
vegetable. 
The Wonderberry. - 
Tn the ‘ Revue de Horticulture Belge» 
of March 1 a hybrid fruit, named the 
Wonderberry is described. This most 
curious fruit was raised by Mr. Burbank, 
and it bears the alternative names of 
‘Sunberry’ and ‘Sugarberry.’ It is des- 
cribed as the result of a cross between 
two species of wild Solanmum (8S. 
guinense and 8. villosum), While neither 
of these species produces edible fruit, this 
bi-specific hybrid produces a profusion of 
delicious berries, which are both sound 
and wholesome. There is also the 
additional advantage that the plant comes 
true from seed like a natural species. The 
plant is not more than 18 in, high, by a 
little moro in diameter, The flowers 
show themselves about the end of May, 
and succeed one another without 
interruption, till very late in the autumn. 
The fruit, or berry, is of a blackish-blue 
colour, of the size of a large black 
currant, and is produced in clusters of 
17 
six, in such abundance as to entirely 
cover the plant, The fruit is eaten 
either raw or cooked, or made into jam. 
The culture is easy, and requires less. 
care than either that of haricot beans or 
tomatoes. Any soil suits it, provided 
that it be not too highly manured, the 
result of which is only to produce a more: 
Inxuriant vegetation without increasing 
the amount of fruit. 
Seed may be sown 
in the open ground in May, and under 
glass in April. The plants should stand 
about three-quarters of a yard apart. 
History of the Turnip. 
This vegetable was cultivated by the 
ancient Greeks, and after them by the 
Romans, among whom it was used as a 
food for slaves and cattle; and it was 
also presented at the tables of the 
wealthy, dyed in at least one of six 
different colors. These people were 
thoroughly conversant with the require- 
ments of the plant, for which they. 
cultivated the soil with a carefulness. 
unattempted in modern times, and made 
use of the seeds, tho foliage, and the 
bulbs with discrimination, A curious 
superstition is mentioned by Pliny as 
having been practised by those who. 
sowed the seeds. They performed the 
operation while in a nude condition, 
meanwhile praying that the turnips 
might grow for themselves and their 
neighbors ; it was a Roman custom that. 
anyone could help himself to turnips 
from his neighbor’s field, just as in the 
north of England and in Scotland it was 
till quite recently permitted to anyone to 
enter a field of turnips and eat one, but 
it was illegal to carry the rootaway. Tho 
Welsh people at one time ate largely. of 
raw turnips. The foliage was boiled in 
pottage. The stalks in spring were 
stretched, and after being cut into 
suitable lengths and peeled, were cooked 
as a substitute for asparagus. A not 
uncommon way of preparing the roots 
was to wrap them in a piece of paper, to 
be placed under the glowing embers till 
roasted, afterwards eating them with 
sugar and butter. The seed leaves of the 
turnip are sometimes used in the same 
way as mustard as a salad. 
