:■ ' . R TILLING LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. ShelfTB?_2jt [ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A MANUAL OF Vegetable Plants. CONTAINING THE EXPERIENCES OF THE AUTHOR IN STARTING ALL THOSE KINDS OF VEGETABLES WHICH ARE MOST DIFFICULT FOR A NOVICE TO PRODUCE FROM SEEDS. THE BEST METHODS KNOWN FOR COMBATING AND REPELLING NOXIOUS INSECTS, AND PREVENTING THE DISEASES TO WHICH GARDEN VEGETABLES ARE SUBJECT. r ISAAC F. TILLINGHAST. J* f 37 / ■ LA F. h ; PA.: I N G H A S T. ISAAC PLUME, TILL 1881. SB 3ii >■! II" 1 • / 6Z Copyright, 1877, I. F. TILLI7 we state that our sales of cabbage plants to market gardeners and planters have ranged to upwards of eight hundred thousand in a single spring. Nearly all the purchasers of these, at least all those who bought in large quantities, would have grown their own plants, had they been satisfied that they could have produced as good and healthy plants at home as they received from us. In some seasons (the pres- ent, 1877, being a remarkable one in this re- spect) every thing will be so favorable that in many localities plants in abundance can be ^rown by mere chance, nothing happening to attack them to their detriment. But this chance cannot be depended upon safely, for in a majority of instances it will simply result in failure. In how manv thousands of instances does a man's experience culminate somewhat as follows: A man desires to raise a field of cabbage. He first consults all the seed catalogues and works on gardening in his possession, to ac- quaint himself with the best varieties for his particular purpose. Having made his selec- tion, he dispatches a dollar or two to some seedsman of his acquaintance, for his supply of fresh seeds. He now begins to see difficul- 38 A MANUAL OF ties looming up in the distance. He knows by past experience that if he sows the seeds upon the open ground, an arch-enemy awaits the coming of the tender plants, in the shape of a small flea-beetle. There are several varie- ties of this insect, the most destructive to cabbage, and in fact to all the Brassica family, being the Haltica Striolata, or striped- backed flea-beetle, whose ravages, if not suppressed at once, will finally end with complete destruc- tion to the plant. He therefore follows a time-honored, but senseless, custom, and seeks to escape this enemy by building a seed-bed up a few feet from the ground, on stilts, as it were, and by constant watchfulness, coupled with frequent applications of lime and plaster- dust, he partially succeeds ; and although his plants are badly spotted by the " little bugs," he keeps them alive, and by frequent waterings causes them to make a spindling growth until nearly large enough to transplant. Of course he boasts of his success, and upon the first rainy day prepares for the transplanting into his field. But what is his dismay upon pulling the first handful to find, instead of the nice fibrous roots seen in his imagination, and which he knows should exist on healthy plants, VEGETABLE PLANTS. 39 but one long, straight tap-root, which for moisture has run down to the very bottom of the bed, and perhaps already terminates in a bail of fungous growth, which shows that the dreaded "club -root" is already asserting its claims ! Upon a closer inspection, he finds the fibres have been eaten off by a small white maggot, numbers of which can be found bur- ro vying into the remaining root, and maiming it until it can scarcely be made to live at all. There is but one wise and safe course left for him to follow — which is, to condemn the whole lot, and depend for his supply of plants upon purchasing of some one who understands the management of these difficulties and is glad to take advantage of these misfortunes to increase his own profits by selling him well-grown, healthy plants. This picture is not overdrawn. Hundreds of men have come to us to rehearse the sub- stance of the above, evidently thinking such troubles were unknown to us, as we always had a supply of plants which had an abundance of roots, and proved to remain healthy when transported to other grounds. Indeed, from the many failures which are continually being reported to us in this direction, we have come to 40 A MANUAL OF believe that not more than one half the cabbage seeds sold in this country ever produce plants which live to become of sufficient size for set- ting in the field. The main crop of cabbage is produced from plants which are set during June and July, and at this hot season of the year it is with considerable difficulty that plants can be conveyed by express long distances, even with packing carefully ; and the carrier's charges are so high, that on purchased plants the first cost is frequently doubled or even trebled by the time they reach the planter. Knowing all these difficulties, we hope and trust that every purchaser of this work will be abundantly satisfied by our showing him how to overcome and remedy them, inasmuch as we do it at the risk of decreasing our own plant trade. Now, in order to come at this subject understanding^ to our readers, we shall have to follow it up in a sort of backward way, after stating that the three evils above pic- tured — viz., Club-root, White Maggot, and Flea-beetle — are dependent upon each other, in the order named, for their own existence. Club-root is an unnatural enlargement, of a spongy or fungoid character, of the root of the plant. It is not confined to the cabbage, VEGETABLE PLANTS. 4 1 but is frequently developed in cauliflowers, turnips, and indeed in all the members of the Brassica or cabbage family. So far as our knowledge extends, there is no curt for this malady ; for after it makes its appearance upon a plant, it increases in size until it so seriously affects the circulation of the sap, that the plant wilts, turns yellow, and finally dies — a slow death, but one as sure as that of an animal on which a vampire has settled and sucked its life-blood away. But we believe there is a prevention, which is infinitely better than the best of cures, for a cure must be preceded by an attack of the disease, which cannot take place without injury. So far as our extended obser- vations have shown, the enlargement called club -root is primarily caused by the root being mutilated by an insect. There may be different insects capable of bringing about the same result, if each burrow into and mu- tilate the root in the same manner and to the same extent ; but allowing this to be the case, it will readily be admitted that the one that is the most common cause, the one that is cul- pable in the main, is the one which most se- riously engages our attention. This we believe to be none other than 4-2 A MANUAL OF The Cabbage Maggot. — This is the same little miscreant which we have already alluded to, which gets into the plant-beds and eats the fibrous roots off the growing plants, leaving only the one tap-root, which, in order to make a desperate effort to sustain the plant alone, runs down two or three times its natural length, and, if it be fortunate enough to escape the fungoid Club-root, may put out new fibres from its sides, after being removed from the vicinity of its parasitic enemies, the maggots. But the chances are against it ; the Fates have thrown their arms around it, and, in the major- ity of instances, its future course is downward, its doom is sealed. "Well," once exclaimed a well-informed market-gardener, who is certainly a closer reasoner upon most subjects than the habits of insects, " when your soil gets as full of those little white worms as mine is, you will have to stop growing cabbage plants." And, indeed, he is not the only man who has fallen into the error of supposing, or taking it for granted, that because these worms make their appear- ance in his plant-beds that they previously existed in his soil as naturally as " angle-worms," and that to escape their ravages he must find VEGETABLE PLANTS. 43 some spot where they are not in the soil, or " burn them out " by building a large fire upon the spot to be occupied ! Misguided mortal ! Does he forget that " where the carrion is there will the ravens be " ? that it is Nature's law to place her subjects, great or small, where the food and surroundings are congenial to them ? Is it not easier to suppose that these little worms or maggots are bred upon the roots of the plant which is most suitable to their life and purposes ? Such we find to be the case, not merely in theory, but in proven fact. This brings us to the question, From whence do they come ? — a question easily answered. Why a question so easily solved should remain so long in the dark, or why an answer so easily suspected should escape a single ob- serving mortal, we cannot conjecture ; but such has been the case. Can the reader think of many instances in which any species of maggots are reproductive in themselves ? In other words, does a worm lay an egg to produce a worm ? Such is not the rule in the insect world. There are three phases to most insect life. First, the perfect insect, which is generally a winged insect — a fly, a bug, a beetle, or a mil- 44 A MANUAL OF ler or moth. This knows by instinct an appro- priate place to nourish its young, and only in such places does it lay its eggs. The eggs hatch and bring forth worms, or maggots. The honey-bee lays hers within the cells of her hive, and her subjects go forth into the fields and gather nectar for their sustenance. The skipper-fly selects for her breeding ground the crevices of a rich old cheese, and depends upon its strength and substance for support. Should either lack the God-given instinct which enables it to select a congenial spot, its species would become extinct. We are now ready for the information that the parent of our little cabbage maggot is none other than one to whom we have already been introduced, the Striped Flea-beetle. There- fore, if we would escape the maggot, and through it the club-root, we must, from the beginning, keep our plants free from the attacks of these voracious plant-eaters, the striped flea-beetles. They are very destructive to the young plants of the cabbage family, are known by various names, such as turnip-fly, radish-fly, etc., but more properly as Haltica Striola ta, or flea-beetle. There are two species very common in this VEGETABLE PLANTS. 45 country, one being entirely black and one having two bright golden or yellow stripes upon his back. Their habits are similar. When approached they will spring from the plant in a true flea-like manner, and, if in imagined danger, feign inanimation in a 'pos- sum-like manner. This trait of their character may readily be taken advantage of by cooping in the vicinity of the beds a hen which has a good brood of chickens ■ old enough to run freely among the plants. The chicks soon learn the trick, and make a reality of the feint of death by relentlessly swallowing all of them which come within their reach ; and as by constantly running amongst the plants they continually scare them off, we have never dis- covered a better remedy for beds already infested with them than this ; and were the simple eating of the plants the extent of the mischief of which they are capable, this rem- edy, with perhaps an occasional sprinkling of plaster, carbolic powder, soot, or any thing distasteful or injurious to them, would be all the remedy to be desired. But as we have shown that the amount they eat is nothing in comparison to the damage following the lay- ing of their eggs, with the attendant results. 46 A MANUAL OF you will at once see the importance of keeping the seed leaves unspotted by their greedy jaws. In order to accomplish this, it is necessary to consider that the maggot, after becoming full- grown, changes into the pupa state, and re- mains in the ground for about two weeks, when it again comes forth to continue its depredations upon the plant, which by this time has grown so large as not to be seriously injured by being slightly eaten. So they con- tinue to infest plants of the cabbage family until fall ; and the last litter for the season remaining dormant in the pupa state over winter, come forth perfect beetles during the first warm days of spring, ready to attack the first tender plants which appear. Our Preventive will now be readily under- stood by every careful reader. By knowing where these pests are to abound — which is wherever there was a quantity of cabbage, tur- nips, radishes, mustard, or any plant which they infest, growing during the preceding summer and fall — there in early spring may we look for the fleas, and as far from there as possible must we sow our cabbage and kindred seeds. But the insects have wings, and will they not go to our beds as soon as the plants are up ? VEGETABLE PLANTS. 47 This is just what we must prevent them from doing — a task more easily accomplished than may be imagined. We know almost the exact spot from which they will come out of the ground, so our first care must be to pro- vide food for them and keep them there. For this purpose we sow, on the ground which was occupied the previous summer with cabbage and turnips, as early in spring as possible, a mixture of cabbage, turnip, and mustard seeds. These may be any old, mixed, or doubtful seeds, which are always accumulating, and are of no particular value. Cheap imported cab- bage seeds will here answer an excellent pur- pose, as their only use is for bug food, and after serving their purpose, are to be ploughed under before they breed a second crop. Of course, we must expect an instalment of bugs or fleas from our neighbors' grounds, if we do not pre- vent their coming in some way. By sowing our seeds, as we have shown, upon soil and in a vicinity not occupied the previous season by any vegetation of the kind, we have to contend with no fleas except those which come from other quarters. Let us now inquire what causes them to come, or how they are enabled to find our young plants. 48 A MANUAL OF Nature has furnished them with but one mode of accomplishing this, and that is by the sense of smell. It then follows, that if we in some manner destroy or change the natural smell of the young plants which we wish to protect, no further trouble will result. This must be done by creating some other smell powerful enough to overcome the scent of the cabbage plant. There are several ways of accomplishing this. Turpentine, mixed with dry plaster, and sprinkled upon the plants as soon as they come up, and repeated as often as it ceases to send out its peculiar scent, will often effectually keep them away. Coal-tar, which can be bought at the gas-works for $2.50 per barrel, has a very strong, disagreea- ble smell, and is probably as cheap as any thing which will answer this purpose. It is not necessary to put it directly on the plants. If a few quarts are spread upon boards and placed in the immediate vicinity of the young plants it will completely hide the scent of the cabbage, and but an occasional chance bug will find them, especially if the bugs are fur- nished with an abundance of food elsewhere, as described above. Remember, the idea is not to let them come on the plants, and then VEGETABLE PLANTS. 49 try to drive them off by applying something distasteful to them ; but apply the remedy even before the plants are up, to screen them so they will never be found. In addition to these precautions, every thing possible should be done in the way of preparing the seed-bed, and using fertilizers that will cause the plants to come up stout and healthy, with large, green seed-leaves, and keep them in condition to grow as rapidly as possible, so the third leaf may come out before a bug shall find them. After the third leaf has made its appearance there is generally but little danger of an attack, especially if there is a supply of younger plants provided for them in the neighborhood. The first, or seed-leaves, of the cabbage are all the bugs seem, to have any special liking for. They will, however, usually hang to a mustard plant nearly all summer, so we usually sow a good-sized patch of the white or French mus- tard for their special benefit. We frequently use the same ground for raising plants two or more years in succession, and find that if we clear every trace of cabbage from it as soon as the plant season is over, but few bugs will be found in the vicinity the following spring. As these assertions are at variance with the 50 A MANUAL OF writings of other authors who have written upon these subjects, our readers may desire to know what proof we can present to sustain them. Well, these are the principles upon which we have worked for the past ten years, during which time we have grown, annually, hundreds of thousands of plants. Never, dur- ing all this time,* have we seen a single case of club-root developed upon a plant which had not first been mutilated in its roots by the cab- bage maggot, and never have we discovered a trace of the maggot in the roots of plants which had not first been severely worked upon by the flea-beetles. On the other hand, never have we had a bed of plants severely attacked by the beetles or fleas that was not subsequently injured by the maggot ; and further, never have we yet seen a maggot in the root, or the slightest ten- dency towards the development of club-root, on a plant, or plot of plants, which had been absolutely protected from the flea-beetles. Although strong, this of course is only circum- stantial evidence. We have taken a lot of these maggots from a bed badly infested with them, put them into a glass cage, and kept them until they developed into perfect little VEGETABLE PLANTS. 5 I flea-beetles, which is as strong proof as we are now able to present. The closest observers agree that club-root is caused by a little worm boring into the root. Why not, then, as soon lay the mischief to this little maggot as any other, inasmuch as it is more frequently found here than any other worm. We do not doubt but that there are other maggots, the larvae of other insects than the flea-beetle, which are capable of producing the same effect, but we do believe this to be the most common cause and the one most to be guarded against. We are aware that altogether a different code of habits has been given these insects by promi- nent entomologists and writers upon this sub- ject, and desire to quote a few passages, that the reader may be led to experiment until satisfied who is right. Hon. Asa Fitch, in his "Eleventh Report of the Noxious, Beneficial and other Insects of the State of New York," which was published in the Twenty-sixth Annual Report of the State Agricultural Soci- ety, in writing of the cabbage maggot makes the following statement : " It lies dormant in the ground about a fort- night in its pupa state, and then gives out the perfect insect, which is a two-winged fly resent- 52 A MANUAL OF bling the common house-fly, but somewhat smaller in size, measuring 0.20 in length to the end of its body and 0.26 to the tip of the closed wings This cabbage fly is so closely related to the onion fly, that the same remarks made respecting the reme- dies for that species will apply equally well to this." In speaking of the striped flea-beetle, in the same Report, he describes certain " crooked marks" to be seen upon the leaves of cabbage and turnip plants, and says : " These marks are really produced by minute worms living in the interior of the leaves, feeding upon their green pulpy substance, and leaving the skin unbro- ken, mining a serpentine track, which increases in thickness as the worm grows to a larger size. These worms are the larvae of the flea- beetles, which make most of these marks, which occur in the turnip and other leaves in the garden." It is but justice to state that this fallacy — for we have proved it to be such — did not originate with Mr. Fitch, but is credited as being a new and valuable discovery, made by a Mr. Le Keux, a member of the Entomological Society of London. But Mr. Fitch heartily endorses it, and so it has been handed down VEGETABLE PLANTS. 53 and accepted as a truth among the entomo- logical fraternity. We think the error has continued long enough for the good of the cabbage, turnip, and radish growers of our country, so we have given our own opinions freely upon the subject, and will await the decisions of careful experimenters as to the correctness of our views. The Radish Maggot. — Mr. Fitch, in the Report above alluded to, lays the parentage of this well-known worm to a different fly from the one which he thinks produces the cabbage maggot. In our opinion — which is founded upon practice and careful observations — it is the same, neither being the product of a " fly resembling a house-fly," but both emanating from the eggs of the striped flea-beetle. We do not say that there is no other fly in exist- ence whose eggs produce worms which feed upon the roots of either cabbage or radish. There may be such an insect, but we have never seen it. We write only of what we know, not of what may exist beyond our knowledge. Our experience has been with radishes the same as with cabbages. Whenever we have kept the young radish plants entirely free from the ravages of the 54 A MANUAL OF fleas, and had them on loose, rich ground, where they could grow rapidly, we have invari- ably had splendid tender radishes, without a trace of worms ; but when the young plants were badly eaten by the fleas, we always found worms in the roots — unless it might be with early varieties, whose growth was forced so rapidly that the worms had not time to show themselves before the radishes were pulled. We have said that this insect winters in the pupa state — meaning that they usually do so. ; but we think the perfect insects also frequently live through the winter in a dormant state, as they make their appearance very early in the spring. The same methods given for protecting cabbage plants will apply to radishes with equal force. Where but a small bed of plants is to be grown, a method probably as cheap, and of as little trouble as any, will be to sow early, and protect the bed a great part of the time, while the plants are young, with a covering of glass sash or cloth. But it will be found vastly more difficult to raise a small bed of plants and keep them healthy and free from insects, than to grow them on a large scale. It will also be found cheaper for a man who VEGETABLE PLANTS. 55 wants but a few hundred or thousand cabbage plants to purchase them of some one who grows them largely, than to attempt to grow his own. During the season just passed, we furnished our customers who came to the beds with as fine, healthy, well-rooted plants as they could desire, and of the best varieties, at -$1.50 per thousand. Who could think of preparing his bed, purchasing his seed, and producing a single thousand for that money ? If it be found impossible to keep the fleas entirely off, on account of neglecting some of the precautions which we have given, the best manner of overcoming the injuries likely to be developed is to keep the plants growing as thriftily as possible, from the time the seed leaves are opened until the head is formed, as it frequently happens that where the plants are not badly infested with fleas, the diseases re- sulting therefrom will be comparatively slight. The Use of Lime upon ground occupied by cabbage is commonly regarded as beneficial, many growers having noticed that club-root is less likely to be developed where lime is a plentiful constituent of the soil. The reason for this is obvious : the strong alkali is very destructive to the maggots, and keeps them in 56 A MANUAL OF check. Wood ashes are, for the same reason, one of the best fertilizers for all this class oi plants. Beautiful turnips and radishes may be grown on a newly cleared fallow with scarcely a trace of the maggot. The great amount of potash contained in the ashes is supposed to be their most valuable element for this use, as this class of plants, and in fact all leguminous plants, require a great amount of potash. Aside from its alkaline nature, lime has, in our opinion, but little manurial value in itself. Of course some of its constituents enter into the structure of the plant, but its main use or value as a manurial element consists in its action upon the vegetable matter with which it comes in contact, its tendency being to decom- pose or set free the gases bound up in the vege- table tissue, and render them available as plant food. Therefore, when lime is used in combi- nation with vegetable manure or with animal excrement, the mixture should always be kept under cover of the soil, that the gases may be held from escaping until the plant absorbs them. Plaster or Gypsum is in its effects exactly opposite to lime. It has a great affinity foi ammonia, phosphoric acid, and potash, and VEGETABLE PLANTS. 57 readily absorbs them, especially the former, from the atmosphere, or from any thing containing these gases with which it may chance to come in contact. Plaster, but no lime, should there- fore be placed in all composts or mixtures which are to be used as surface manures. The kind of land most likely to be benefited by lime is therefore that which already contains a large amount of muck, or any vegetable matter. Our best market-gardeners generally apply lime to their grounds the year following a heavy ap- plication of stable manure, the first crop being fed by the parts of the manure which are readily soluble, and the lime serving to decompose the residue for the second year's use. Special or Commercial Fertilizers. — This is a subject which is commanding a great amount of thought and attention of late. There being few localities where an abundance of stable manure can be obtained, the importance of finding a substitute is apparent. The three principal elements required by the majority of our farm and garden crops, and which are not already to be found in sufficient quantities in the soil, are ammonia, potash, and phosphoric acid. Ammonia most largely abounds in all animal substances, all nitrogenous bodies. Pot- 58 A MANUAL OF ash is largely found in ashes, and is also ob- tained in large quantities for commercial use from potash-rock, which is mined extensively in Germany, and also in some parts of South Carolina. Phosphoric acid is most readily ob- tained from bones, and is the most valuable constituent of the various superphosphates and bone manures with which the markets are filled. The exact proportion of each of these ingre- dients which is required for perfecting any of our farm or garden crops is readily ascertained by analysis. It seems, therefore, that it would be an easy matter to compound a special fer- tilizer which should be exactly adapted to any plant or crop. And this course is strongly ad- vocated by many eminent agriculturists at the present day. We have not in practice gone farther in this direction than to compound these elements into a fertilizer which we have used upon a general line of field and garden crops The use of such a fertilizer has been attended with varying results upon the different crops, some being particularly gratifying. The largest mixture of this kind which we have yet used, we will give, not as a pattern for others to follow, but to furnish an idea of the sub- stances and proportions which we deemed ne- VEGETABLE PLANTS. 59 cessary in a special or general fertilizer. First we obtained one ton of fine dry hen manure, this, at $20 per ton, being our cheapest source of ammonia. Next, one ton of muriate of pot- ash, at $50. Third, one ton of fine dissolved bone, at $35. These three substances were finely compounded, and mixed with three tons of gypsum or plaster. One or two barrels of this mixture per acre, sowed upon wheat in early spring, gave, upon a piece of old land, where oats the previous year were scarcely worth harvesting, the most bountiful yield we ever grew. Twice that quantity sowed upon a piece of ground which had not received a coating of stable manure in -fifteen years, gave us as rank a growth of cabbage plants as we desire to see. We seldom venture the experi- ment of putting such manures in the hill, but always prefer sowing broadcast, and lightly har- rowing in. But users of these concentrated commercial fertilizers must not for a moment think that they are going to entirely take the place or per- form the functions of stable manure. They will not. The amount of soluble plant food contained in a load of stable manure is by no means the extent of its value. The mechanical 60 A MANUAL OF action, the loosening and lightening influence which the vegetable matter has upon our stiff clay soils particularly, is of the greatest importance. The strongest commercial fertil- izer in the world, on a stiff, heavy clay soil, destitute of vegetable matter, will give very meagre returns. Ploughing under clover and other green crops must then be resorted to in connection with special manures, in order to make their use satisfactory to the planter. Preparing Ground for Cabbage Plants. — From what we have written, the reader will understand the reason for our now saying, select for your cabbage seeds a spot as far dis- tant from where they have been previously grown as possible. There is scarcely any pos- sible preparation, for either a field of cabbage or a bed of growing plants, better than plough- ing under a good heavy growth of large clover the previous summer. The clover always leaves the ground in a loose, light, mellow, healthy condition for the following spring's work, so that comparatively little stable manure will be required. If it is desired to sow the cabbage seeds early in spring, we usually plough the ground thoroughly and leave it in ridges the fall previous, so that it will more readily dry VEGETABLE PLANTS. 6 1 off and become in good working order in spring. Then, as soon in the spring as it is in fit condition, it is ploughed and harrowed down finely, and furrowed out in beds about three and a half feet wide. The beds are then raked down, or rather the stones and lumps raked out into the furrows, which leaves the ground very nearly level again. There should, if possible, be ditches enough left so that the water from sudden rains may be carried off, otherwise the beds may suffer from washing during the fre- quent rains which come at this season. What- ever special manure we are to apply may be sown upon the surface and harrowed in before the beds are furrowed out, or, if the quantity is limited and we desire to make it go as far as possible, it may be sown upon the beds after the first raking, which is usually done with a four-tined potato-digging hook. It is then raked again with a steel-toothed rake, care being taken to rake the small stones and lumps to the surface by a movement of the rake lengthwise of the bed, so as not to rake the fertilizer into the ditch, but to thoroughly mix it with the surface soil. The bed is then ready for sowing the seeds which is readily accomplished with a common 62 A MANUAL OF onion or turnip seed-drill. We have used both Matthews' and Comstock's seed-drills, and think the former the best instrument for sow- ing seeds simply, and the latter the best we know of that has a cultivator attachment. These machines will sow any kind of seeds, from mustard up to corn and peas, with much more regularity than can be done by hand, at the same time with much greater rapidity, and with an exactness that allows any given num- ber of pounds of seeds per acre to be sown. They cost from $8 to $12 each, and can be pro- cured through any seedsman. With these ma- chines the seeds are sown in drills lengthwise of the beds, four rows being placed upon each bed. This brings the rows about ten inches apart, with a space of one foot between each two beds, which is used as a path. Cabbage seeds require but little heat to germinate freely, and, if the weather is favor- able, they should begin to show themselves in one week. We have frequently had cold weather, and even snow, after our earliest sow- ing was up, but never have had them injured by it. We make our first sowings as soon in spring as we can get the ground in suitable condition, which is not until from the 1 2th to VEGETABLE PLANTS. 63 25th of April with us. We then continue to sow at intervals of one week until the ist of June, at which date our first out-doors plants are ready for sale or transplanting. We have dwelt sufficiently upon the importance as well as the manner of keeping the young plants protected from insects. To accomplish this will require constant watchfulness, and no one should undertake the job who has not the necessary time to enable him to outgeneral his small but powerful enemy. Cultivation. — The soil around the young plants should be frequently stirred, both for the purpose of stimulating their growth and destroying all weeds which make their appear- ance. The best hoe we have ever found for this purpose is easily made by taking a piece of inch- wide hoop-iron, say thirteen inches in length, and grinding one of its edges quite sharp. Now punch a couple of holes through each end, or one half inch from each end, large enough to hold a shingle-nail or a three-quarter- inch screw. Next find an old hoe-handle, or make one out of a cast-off rake's tail, and fasten the end of it securely into a hole in the centre of a hardwood block five inches in 64 A MANUAL OF length, making it T-shaped. Now bend the hoop-iron at right angles in two places, four inches from each end, making it U-shaped, and fit it upon the cross-piece on the handle, fast- ening it with screws or nails, which pass through the holes near the ends of the hoop- iron, and into the ends of the cross-piece. Fasten it at such an angle that when the hoe- handle is held in the hands in a natural posi- tion for hoeing, the U will stand upright. Now, as this hoe is drawn along between the rows of cabbage, it cuts and kills every weed, and loosens the soil without displacing it, as it simply passes through the loop and falls back into position. This also makes a very superior onion weeder. Of course the dimensions given — five inches, which makes the width of the hoe — can be varied at pleasure, but should be somewhat less than the distance between the rows where it is expected to be used. Transplanting. — A cloudy or wet time is usually selected for transplanting the plants into the field ; but if they are good, tough, healthy, well-rooted plants, and the soil con- tains the usual amount of moisture, as good " luck " may be had in pleasant weather as during a rain. The ground should be worked VEGETABLE PLANTS. 65 up fine and mellow by thorough ploughing and harrowing. We usually set by stakes ; one person dropping the plants on the line, and another following and setting them with a " dibber," which is a sharp stick, eight inches long, for making the hole into which the plant is dropped to the right depth. They may be expected to wilt some ; but, if the soil is loose and moist, not one per cent, will die from transplanting, and they will commence grow- ing sooner, while the ground will be left in far better condition than it will be after setting in, or immediately after a heavy rain, as is lre- quently done. The striped flea-beetle some- times attacks early cabbage plants after they are set in the field. Should they do so, it is proof that they have nothing more suitable to eat, and should at once be furnished by sowing seeds of turnip, mustard, etc., in the immediate vicinity, at the same time dusting the plants with plaster or wood ashes. The fleas should, however, be kept from finding the young cab- bage plants in the manner so fully described under head of Striped Flea-beetle, and our prevention. Varieties. — There are so many varieties of cabbage in cultivation, that the inexperienced 66 A MANUAL OF planter is frequently at a loss to know which to select. It is easy for us to enumerate those which usually give the best satisfaction in our soil and climate, but this information might be no criterion for people in other localities. Under the head of Early Varieties, in Part First of this work, we stated that we valued Fottlers Early Drumhead above every other variety for a general-purpose cabbage. We will also place it at the head of our list of late varieties ; for, although called early, if planted late — say from 25th of June to 10th of July in this latitude — we have yet to see its equal for fall and winter use. It has a large, hard, flat, and beautifully shaped head, which is always formed on a short stem. It is very reliable for heading, and has probably grown more rapidly in public favor during the past few years, in this vicinity at least, than any other variety. In order to ascertain what it would do in other localities, we made an offer last fall to send a sample package of the seeds free to any cab- bage-grower who would give it a trial and re- port results. The offer was published in sev- eral popular agricultural journals, and in re- sponse we received nearly five hundred appli- cations. Nearly every State and Territory in VEGETABLE PLANTS. 67 the Union was included in the list, and we are pleased to state that, so far as received, the re- ports speak very favorably of it. The Flat Dutch, in its different strains, is by far more widely and extensively cultivated throughout this country than any other va- riety. Nearly every seed-grower has a partic- ular strain of this variety which he claims to be superior to any to be obtained elsewhere. The truth is there is little difference in them, and any one which has been for years se- lected for seed purposes, and only those which have formed perfect heads saved and planted for producing seeds, will give satisfac- tion. English-grown seeds of late varieties of cabbage usually fail entirely to produce good heads in this country, and should never be planted with the expectation of obtaining more than a good growth of leaves for fodder. We attribute as a reason for this, not that the cli- mate is unfavorable, for it is even better or more perfectly adapted to the wants of the cabbage than our own, but to the fact that these imported seeds are usually very carelessly grown from stumps, refuse heads, or plants which have failed to head at all. The reason for importing these seeds is that they can be 68 A MANUAL OF procured for less money than American-grown seeds. So a cheap article is produced to meet the demand, but in the end it is found to be the dearest. If seed stock from some of our standard varieties should be taken to Europe and there carefully developed, then the finest heads selected and seeds again grown from them and brought back to our country, we be- lieve they would produce even finer heads than the original cabbages here. We base these conclusions upon similar experiments which we have made by sending to Washington Ter- ritory, where the climate, in the vicinity of Puget Sound, more nearly resembles that of England than our Middle States. Still we be- lieve that if propagated in these warm and moist lacalities for a long series of years, the tendency would be to ripen later and later each succeeding year, until they would become un- fitted for our short seasons, as it is a well- known fact that vegetables of any kind will ripen sooner when the seeds are procured from far north than south of the locality in which they are planted. French grown cabbage seeds seem to do much better with us than English, but as American seeds are superior to either and can VEGETABLE PLANTS. 69 now be produced at a cost low enough to sat- isfy any one, there no longer remains even this poor excuse for importing. The Late Drumhead is quite a popular late variety. It is later than the Flat Dutch, and usually not so reliable for heading. l We this season planted forty-five early and late varieties, in order to ascertain if there were any better than those of which we have spoken. A casual observer would not suspect that the field contained more than a half dozen varieties. Among the early varieties, the Little Pixie, Early Wyman, Cannon-ball, Early Flat Dutch, and Schweinfurth Quintal, ap- peared to possess more real merit than any others, except those named on pages 19 and 20. The above rank in earliness and size about in the order named. The Little Pixie is earlier even than the old Early York. The heads are small, but very hard. An admirable first early variety. The Early Wyman some- what resembles the Wakefield. It grows rather larger, and may perhaps be an improve- ment on that well-known variety. The Can- non-ball produces what its name indicates, a very hard, round head, probably harder than any other variety. A JO A MANUAL OF The Schweinfurth Quintal is very reliable for heading. The heads are uniformly large, the largest in the field, but are not very solid. They are of fine shape, white, tender, and of excellent quality. The Early Dark Red Erfurt is an im- provement on the old Red Dutch. It is ear- lier, of a deeper color, grows on a shorter stem, and produces a fair-sized, very hard head. The Bergen Drtimhead seems to be earlier than the common Late Drumhead, and much more reliable for heading. The Stone Mason seems of late somewhat prone to rot in the stem before ripening. Otherwise it is an excellent second early va- riety. Several other varieties might be con- sidered valuable but for their liability to de- struction by rotting. Among these we would name Wheeler s Imperial, Robinson s Cham- pion, Fearnaught, and Filder kraut. The last named, but for this fault, would be a very ex- cellent variety. It somewhat resembles the Winnigstadt in shape and habits of growth, but is even more pointed than that justly popular variety. The Silverleaf Drumhead, French Quintal, Green Glazed, Dax Drum- head, imported Flat Brunswick Drumhead t VEGETABLE PLANTS. 7 1 and Enfield Market failed entirely to produce heads of any value in our trial patch. Al- though we ought not to approve or condemn any variety on a single trial, we feel justifiable in recommending those which produced fine heads as preferable to those which made entire failures, as they had in all respects an equal chance. The Improved American Savoy is probably the best of its class. The savoys are the tenderest and finest in quality of all cab- bages. The heads do not usually grow very large or very solid. They are more especially grown for family use, where fine quality is more of an object than quantity. The Cut-worm is the next enemy which stands ready to claim the plants. It is so old an offender, and so well known, that no de- scription is necessary. We regret that we know of no manner of exterminating them cheaply and effectually. If very plentiful, they may be seen while preparing the ground, and if the planter has no other spot well adapted to cabbage which is not so badly in- fested with them, he must either lose a large percentage of his plants, rid the ground of the pests before setting them, or so prepare them that they cannot be eaten off by the worms. J2 A MANUAL OF- His peculiar circumstances must enable him to decide which of these three alternatives is his best hold. The plants may be easily prepared to with- stand this enemy by wrapping each stem with a small strip of thin paper, which, when the plant is set in position, will extend down to, or slightly into, the soil, and up one or two inches from the surface. There are, doubtless, prepa- rations in which the stems of the plants may be dipped which will also repel or kill the worm, and still not injure the plant. Experi- ments in this direction might result in valua- ble discoveries. If a few days' time can be spared between preparing the ground and setting the plants, these worms may be pretty effectually extermi- nated by sowing a quantity of beans over the piece and lightly harrowing or raking them in. They will come up quickly and be attacked by the cut-worms. Then, by passing over the ground daily for a few days and hunting the worms, which are readily found just under the surface, close by the plants which they have just cut down, the patch can readily be cleared of the pests. The Green Worm. — The next enemy from VEGETABLE PLANTS. J$ whose depredations the cabbage is likely to suffer is the white cabbage butterfly, which has been in this country but a few years, and is the parent of the much detested green cabbage worm. For a year or two after its advent in this country it caused general and almost com- plete destruction. Now it injures the plants to some extent, but by no means so severely as formerly. The reason for this is that its natu- ral enemies have also become numerous enough to keep it in check. Like all other insects, there are three stages to its existence — viz., the perfect insect, which is the butterfly ; the cater- pillar, or green worm, in which form it is most destructive ; and third, the chrysalis, or pupa state, in which it is dormant, and undergoes the change from worm to butterfly. When in this state, and to all appearances lifeless, in which condition it passes the winter, it is sought by a small parasitic fly, which punctures its skin and lays within its shell a number of small eggs. These soon hatch out into little white maggots, which eat the inside entirely out, leaving only a hollow shell. We have ex- amined dozens of these chrysalides in early spring — which are to be found on the sides of buildings, fences, stones, or any rubbish near 74 A MANUAL OF where cabbage was grown the year previous — without rinding a single one not infected and spoiled by these maggots. So much reduced has this cabbage pest become by means of this parasite, that if all the worms found while hoe- ing the plants are carefully destroyed, little damage will be done to .large plantations, even if no more attention is paid to them. Where but a few plants are set out in the garden, how- ever, the damage will be proportionately much greater, and if not frequently destroyed, the worms may effect a complete ruin. The reason for this is, that the butterflies, which lay the eggs, are very active insects, being almost continually on the wing, and wandering around from field to field. Wherever they can find cabbage they stop and lay a few eggs, and pass on. The consequence is that the eggs, and soon after the resulting worms, become nearly as numerous on the small patch as upon the large, and of course, if there are more worms in proportion to the number of cab- bages, the resulting damage will be correspond- ingly greater. The butterflies are attracted to the cabbage by the sense of smell, and may in a great measure be prevented from finding them in the same manner as we have describ- VEGETABLE PLANTS. 75 ed for the prevention of the flea-beetle. As this prevention is vastly better than any aire with which we are acquainted, we will not oc- cupy space by giving remedies, especially as we know no infallible one. Salting Cabbage. — An application of a few bushels of salt per acre, sown upon the soil when preparing it for cabbage, is very beneficial, the cabbage being naturally a salt-water plant, or one . which grows to its greatest perfection on lands contiguous to the sea-shore. Salt also has a good effect in destroying worms upon any soil, and may be used very beneficially upon any lands in- fested with white grubs or cut worms. An article well adapted to these purposes is the refuse or dirty salt, which may frequently be obtained at the salt-works at from $2 to $5 per ton. It must not be used too freely, however, or the results will be attended with more loss than profit. We have in mind an instance in which we procured four barrels of refuse salt, which we intended to apply as a top-dressing on nearly as many acres, mainly for the purpose of drawing or holding the moisture during the dry sum- mer months. The work of applying was left to a man who misunderstood the matter entirely, j6 A MANUAL OF and the contents of the four barrels were spread, with a shovel, upon about one third of an acre in the centre of a field which we afterwards planted with potatoes. The result, as any one might naturally infer, was a total dearth of vegetation upon that land for one year. Not even a weed dared to lift its head, and a cas- ual observer might have supposed that a pond of water had recently dried away, leaving the middle of our field clean and bare. The fol- lowing season that spot was selected as a site for carrots and asparagus plants, both of which grew finely, and with but little trouble from weeds. Judging from the results of this experiment, we believe that a heavy application of salt might frequently be made to pay upon rich, old grounds which have become badly infested with weeds, though at a loss of use for one season. A small pinch of salt sprinkled upon the heads of growing cabbage is also thought to cause them to grow larger and more solid. It may be repeated at intervals of one or two weeks, each time enlarging the quantity. Care must be exercised, however, not to overdo this work, as too large a dose would result disas- trously. vegetable plants. jj Watering the Plants in the Seed-bed. — It is commonly supposed that young growing plants require very frequent watering during dry seasons. Whether this supposition is cor- rect or not depends entirely upon the condition of the plants. If they are healthy, with leaves unspotted by bugs, and abundantly supplied with fibrous roots, they are capable of with- standing as severe drought as any other class of plants. But if maimed and crippled in both leaf and root, as is too frequently the case when grown by parties who know not how to take care of them, the hot sun and withering winds will curl them to such an extent that frequent watering is the only means of sustaining life. CELERY PLANTS. The consumption of this delicious vegetable is greatly on the increase in this country. This causes the demand for celery plants to annually become larger, and as there is considerable knack in producing a good lot of plants, it has become an important branch of business with many seedsmen and vegetable gardeners. It is useless to attempt to grow a bed of J& A MANUAL OF . celery plants on our sunny sidehills in the open ground. If forced to produce them in such situations, it must be done in frames, where they can be easily watered and partially shaded. The natural situation for celery seems to be in a moist, cool, half-shady position, near a body of water, whose vapors as they continually arise will give the atmosphere a perceptible feeling of dampness. A rich, mucky or loamy soil is best adapted to the needs of this plant. As a spot eminently fitted in these respects is usually very slow to dry out, it will generally be found too wet to get in order and sow as early in spring as it is necessary the seeds should be sown in order to produce large, stocky plants, in time to fully develop during our short seasons. We would, therefore, recommend working the soil up in good con- dition during the dry fall months previous, and leaving it in high ridges over winter. All that is necessary in spring will be to rake down the beds as early as the weather will per- mit, and sow the seeds. The seeds should always be sown in drills, as directed for cabbage plants, about ten inches apart, but may be considerably thicker in the VEGETABLE PLANTS. 79 rows than cabbage. They must not, however, be covered as deeply as cabbage seeds. The manner of sowing usually decides the crop. If properly done, they will come up evenly and produce a good crop of plants ; but if improperly done, the chances of an even catch are slim. The seeds must be covered but very lightly, a mere sprinkling, enough to hide them from sight, being sufficient. Then, to prevent their drying out, the soil must be " firmed." The simplest manner of doing this on a small scale is to pack the soil on the rows with the feet. Walk over each row twice, by placing one foot as closely ahead of the other as pos- sible, so that your whole weight will press upon every inch of the row. Beds so. treated will come up evenly, when if this simple firm- ing was omitted only here and there a plant could be seen. Celery seeds are slow to germinate at the best. Every thing being favorable, two weeks' time will elapse between the sowing and the first appearance of the plants. For this reason if for no other, the plants should be in rows, and the rows far enough apart, so they can be easily hoed out and the weeds kept in check. SO A MANUAL OF Celery plants, to become large, stocky, and of good shape, should be transplanted, or " pricked out," as gardeners term it, as soon as they have attained a height of two inches, into a bed of rich, mellow soil, in rows four to six inches apart, and two inches in the row. Here they should receive frequent water- ings, and should be sheared or cut back, as often as they show any tendency to send up tall and spindling leaf-stalks. This keeps them short and stocky, and causes them to form a mass of fibrous roots. They will then be ready to start into vigorous growth as soon as put out in the field, where they have plenty of room. They may be left in these beds until the removal of some early field or garden crop gives a # vacant spot for setting them, and will be growing probably more rapidly in the beds during the hot and dry weeks of midsummer than they would in the field. ASPARAGUS PLANTS. One of the best paying vegetables for marketing at the present day, if rightly managed, is asparagus. A grower of veg- VEGETABLE PLANTS. 8 1 etable plants will therefore find a good de- mand among his customers for asparagus plants, and as they are very easily grown they may be sold at seemingly low prices, yet at a fair profit. The requisites for an asparagus plant bed are a light, rich, sandy loam, free from weeds. This latter is an indispensable quality, for the seeds are several weeks in germinating, and if the ground is full of weed-seeds, they will spring up and occupy the land so far in advance of the asparagus, that it can never catch up. There- fore, select a spot which is smooth and level, which has been in potatoes, cabbage, or some hoed crop the previous year, and kept free from weeds. Plough, furrow, and rake it into beds early in spring, as directed for cabbage seeds. Sow the seeds with a drill, three or four rows upon each bed, mixing with it a few radish seeds. These will spring up at once, and thus enable the ground to be hoed or cul- tivated before the young asparagus plants have made their appearance. All that is now neces- sary is keeping the weeds from growing, and thinning out the asparagus plants, if too thick, to about three inches apart. If upon good soil and well taken care of, these one-year-old 82 A MANUAL OF plants will be good for setting in permanent beds in spring. Two-year-old plants are very frequently used, but a first-class one-year-old is considered fully as valuable as one which, on account of neglect, has occupied two years ii attaining a suitable size for setting. Asparagus plants are perfectly hardy, and may be safely wintered in the beds without protection, yet, if upon soil which is liable tc heave by frost, a slight covering will prevent damage. STRAWBERRY PLANTS. Should you ask persons who grow straw- berries if they have any young plants to spare, nine out of ten will say, " Oh, yes ! thousands of them." You go after them, and you will probably find an old bed which has become matted with vines, yet when you undertake to dig them it is with great difficulty that you can obtain a dozen good plants. There may be thousands, but they are so crowded, and have occupied the ground so long, that the majority of them are either too VEGETABLE PLANTS. 83 old to be of any value to transplant, or else too weak and small. Growing plants and growing berries are separate and distinct branches of business, and cannot well be both done at the same time in the same beds. Because a man grows berries, it should not, therefore, be inferred that he has young plants to spare. He may have, or he may not. To pro- duce nice berries, the runners should be kept cut so that the old plant will stool out and become large and thrifty. To pro- duce good plants, they must be allowed to run for one season only, on fresh soil, free from weeds, where the young rootlets can readily take hold. Strawberry plants are fit for set- ting only during the season in which they are formed, or early in the following spring. If older than this, the roots become hard and black, when it is with difficulty that they can be made to live, and they are not at all likely to grow thriftily. On the other hand, if too young, or grown in old, crowded, or weedy beds, the roots will be few and short, and the plants generally too weak and feeble to do well. The usual method for obtaining plants is to keep the bed in condition for producing 84 A MANUAL OF fruit for one year. Then remove the mulching and cultivate between the rows thoroughly, letting the runners grow the next season after fruiting. When we get choice, new varieties, from which we wish to propagate as rapidly as possible, we have found it the best plan to procure them in March, and set at first in a moderate hot-bed, or cold frame, where they will grow rapidly, and usually bloom in April. The blossoms are picked off as soon as formed or while in bud. The next tendency of the plant is to throw out runners, after it has borne or attempted to bear fruit. Early in May, or as soon as all hard frosts are past, we carefully transfer them to the open ground, selecting a situation for them which is free from weeds and weed seeds as possible, and which will be likely to remain somewhat moist at the surface throughout the season. Here they should be placed not nearer than three feet apart each way, and different varieties at least ten feet apart, for they are prepared to throw out run- ners at once, and as they will keep running all the season, until stopped by cold weather late in the fall, the number of plants produced will not only be surprisingly large, but they will be VEGETABLE PLANTS. 85 of remarkably fine quality, and well supplied with roots. There is a great difference in the running propensities of different varieties. A hundred plants each of the Captain Jack and Cumberland Triumph, set out last spring, after the above treatment, have entirely cov- ered the ground with very fine plants ; while the Great American, Prouty's Seedling and others have shown more of a tendency to stooling, or developing large hills, so that but few plants have been formed. Setting the Plants. — Strawberry plants should be taken up carefully with a garden trowel, the roots straightened out, and all de- caying leaves and runner stalks neatly trimmed off. It is well also to trim the ends of the roots neatly and smoothly, as new rootlets will readily start out where they are cut. We have somewhat changed our views, during the last few years, in regard to the best manner of setting the plants. We used to accept the plan so frequently recommended, of spreading the roots as much as possible around a small mound on the surface, as the best. But we have found that it will hardly answer in our locality, where we are liable to surfer on ac- count of very dry weather, as the soil is liable 86 A MANUAL OF to become dry even below the roots, before they have taken a start and the plants die. We therefore have had better success in set- ting as we would set cabbage plants, by mak- ing a hole some three or four inches deep with a dibber, and putting the roots down as far as possible without getting the crown below the surface. This will give the plant moisture until new roots are developed, so that fewer vacancies will be found in the bed. We believe that nothing is gained in our locality by fall setting, but, on the contrary, spring planting has every thing to recommend it. We know that many claim a half crop the first season upon fall-planted vines. This we have yet to see them do. Of course we get a few, but the extra cost of covering the plants with straw the first winter, which must be removed in order to cultivate in spring, more than balances the gain. In some sections strawberries may be profitably grown without any winter covering, or protection from the cold. But it is not so with us. The continual freezing and thawing lifts the plants from their position little by little, until they are left en- tirely upon the surface, where the frost and wind hold high carnival over the remains until not a VEGETABLE PLANTS. Sj spark of life is left. A winter covering of straw or forest leaves is therefore indispensable, and the cultivator who plants a larger area than he can cover, throws his labor away. Packing Plants for Transportation. — If to be sent but a short distance, no particular care will be required in packing, further than to lay them evenly and securely. The roots should be dipped in water in order that they may be kept moist, and the plants retain their freshness ; but the tops must be packed dry. What we must particularly guard against is the liability of the plants to heat, when they will turn yellow and commence to decay rapidly. We have experimented a great deal on this matter of packing, and will endeavor to de- scribe the method which seems most satisfac- tory. The plants when pulled are counted out in bunches of one hundred each. After dipping the roots in water, two layers are placed in the box, the roots toward each other. Slightly damp moss is packed on and between the roots to retain moisture there. If to remain packed over twenty-four hours, some perfectly dry hay or straw must be packed in alternate lay- ers with the tops, say one inch of this packing to every three or four inches of plants. In SS A MANUAL OF this way the two tiers are built up to the top of the box. A piece of board six inches in width, and as long as the width of the box, is then pressed down upon the roots, and fastened at each end with a nail driven through the sides of the box. The ends of the plants should not come in contact with the box, but a space of at least two inches left for the circulation of air. The sides and top of the box should be composed of slats, also for the free admission of air. For short distances, we usually take any cheap box of suitable size, place a layer of moss in the bottom, and stand the plants up- right in it, packing a sufficient quantity of moss or hay between or around them to hold them in position, and ship with no covering what- ever over the top. The express agents and others handling the box will then see at a glance that if they turn the box over the con- tents will be spilled. The result is, the box is carried right side up, with care. This would hardly do, however, for long distances or in crowded cars. If the box is covered at all, the plants must be securely fastened so they will not shake around whenever the box changes position, as it must be expected to carry with VEGETABLE PLANTS. 89 any side up that may happen during the jour- ney. Second-hand soap and saleratus boxes are of good size and shape for packing-boxes. With the best of packing, plants will not safely with- stand more than three days' journey, and a dis- tance occupying two days will be as great as will be found profitable, taking into considera- tion the risk and also the increased express charges. We have recently adopted cheap willow bas- kets for packing but a few hundred plants. They are light, neat, cheap, and admit air freely, so as to carry plants in the best possible condition. Care on Arrival. — Fully as important as that the plants be properly packed, is it that the receiver understand what to do with them when received. The plants will undoubtedly be somewhat wilted and the roots more or less dry. The boxes should be opened as soon as possible upon receipt, the bunches taken out, and the roots dipped in water. The plants should then be laid loosely in some cool, shady place, until they revive and freshen up. Many planters dip the roots in water, and then in dry plaster, before setting out in the field. This 90 A MANUAL OF helps to retain the moisture to some extent, but if the soil is loose, fresh, and moist, as it should be, but a small percentage of loss will occur. If the plants are much wilted, or the weather so dry or hot that they are likely to wilt badly after setting, all the larger leaves should be removed from the plants, as they will then be much more likely to live. GROWING SQUASHES. The ultimate success or failure of a squash crop depends perhaps as greatly upon the treatment which the plants receive during the first stages of their existence, as that of any vegetable of which we have spoken. We will therefore add a few brief notes on their culture. A dish of winter squash is so greatly relished by the majority of people, that we wonder they are not considered as staple as potatoes, and a good supply laid in by every family. Unquestionably the best varieties, which have been thoroughly tested in divers localities, are the pure Hubbard and Marblehead. The But- man, a more recent introduction, claims to sur- pass the above in some points, but is not' yet well enough known to be classed as a standard VEGETABLE PLANTS. 9 1 Either of the above will keep well till spring, providing you have enough so that the cook will leave a few until then. Squashes require a light, dry, rich soil. Do not depend upon a- half-bushel of rich soil in the hill, thinking that will give them sustenance sufficient to enable them to run over poor ground. You will never try that plan but once. It will not be success- ful, for this reason : not only are the main roots very long, but the vine does not depend en- tirely upon them for its support. At every joint where the vine branches out, a new root strikes down for nutriment. The squash is a rank feeder, and requires heavy manuring to enable it to perfect its crop between frosts. It is therefore a safe rule to apply at least one half of the allotment of ma- nure broadcast, and one half in the hill. Our seasons are seldom long enough to en- able them to perfect their growth. It is there- fore desirable to plant earlier than the late frosts in spring will allow without protection. One of the cheapest and most satisfactory plans we have seen for accomplishing this, is to take a block not over eight or ten inches in diameter, place it on the hill over the seeds after planting, and with a hoe draw the earth 92 A MANUAL OF around it to a height of four or five inches, packing it as tightly as possible. The block, or mould should be a little larger at the top than at the bottom, so that it may be readily drawn out, leaving the soil in position. The concave thus formed is now covered by laying a pane of glass over it. This concentrates the sun's rays, shelters the hill from cold winds, and protects the plants from frosts and insects. The covering may be left until the plants press against the glasses, when they are removed, and the plants thinned and hoed. If the glasses are thought too expensive, a good quality of paper or piece of cheap muslin fastened down at the corners will answer a very good purpose. Two plants in each hill are better than more, but as they are easily destroyed, the thinning should be left until you are confident that no further loss will occur. The greatest enemy to the squash vine are " bugs." The large brown bug, so well known as a " stink bug," will devour them more rapidly than any other, yet as the damage done by them consists mainly in the amount they eat, a little watchfulness will save the vines from them. The yellow and black striped cucumber bug VEGETABLE PLANTS. 93 are the most to be feared, for not only do they damage by the amount they eat, but just so sure as allowed to remain for any considera- ble time upon the vines, they will literally lay the eggs for the future destruction of whatever escapes their greedy jaws ! Therefore banish them entirely. Do not think that, because there are not enough to destroy your plants, they will do no harm. The eggs of these bugs soon hatch into white worms, grubs, or borers, as they are generally termed, which enter the body and main roots of the plants, frequently boring and tunnelling through them until but a resemblance of a honey-comb is left. Then the plant withers and dies. There is no other hope for it. The only remedy is to keep off the bugs. The plans and preventives given elsewhere for saving cabbage plants from the attacks of the flea-beetle, will also apply to squashes with equal force. Squashes will mix badly if different varieties are planted near each other, or near gourds, or any plants of the same natural order, but the mixture will not show the first season, so it will do no harm, providing the seeds from such specimens are not saved for future planting. 94 A MANUAL OF THE POTATO. NOTES ON THE NEWER VARIETIES. Probably no vegetable in the catalogues is of greater importance, the world over, than the potato. Therefore, any hints by which the grower may be enabled to improve his crop, in yield or quality, must be regarded as season- able. Good crops may be grown on a great variety of soils ; but a deep, light, sandy loam, or a thoroughly drained peaty soil, is most suitable. A heavy application of stable manure will greatly increase the size of the tubers, and also the general yield ; but it will also increase their liability to rot : so that it is not advisa- ble to apply fresh stable manures largely, except in case of early varieties, designed for marketing as soon as dug. However, we have never yet observed any damaging influence from the use of horse- manure with which plenty of litter has been mixed, and think the loosening properties which such materials have are exactly adapted to the wants of the potato. The best possible position for potatoes is where a light soil has been heavily manured the year previous for VEGETABLE PLANTS. 95 some other crop ; or, if the soil is somewhat heavy, a good clover sod, plowed under the autumn previous, will make an excellent base on which to grow a heavy crop of potatoes. The planting should be done early — as soon, in fact, as the soil is in good working order. Our experience has been that, all other things being equal, the earliest planted will yield at least one third more than those which are delayed two or three weeks. We are convinced that the majority of peo- ple plant three times as much seed as they should in order to secure the best results. Probably the average amount used in this country for seed will exceed ten bushels per acre, while the average yield will not exceed one hundred bushels, or at most a ten-fold increase. Now, we suppose the potato is capable of yielding at the rate of an" hundred-fold with common field culture ; and by taking a little extra pains, in favorable situations, different parties have succeeded in doing ten times as well as this, even ; for upward of one thousand pounds have repeatedly been produced from a single pound of seed. We have for a number of years practiced 96 A MANUAL OF cutting to single eyes; and although we have never succeeded in obtaining such enormous yields as those referred to, we find that we get not only a much larger yield per acre than formerly, but a far smaller percentage of small- sized potatoes. There is no disguising the fact that the po- tato, when propagated year after year from tu- bers in the usual manner, is subject to deterio- ration, degeneration, or a continual " running out" of its productive capacities. Where are our " Merinoes," " Mercers," and " Peachblows" of twenty years ago ? Meagre indeed are the returns from them, compared with what they were in their youthful days. Our old favorites cannot be kept. Their day has passed, and new candidates have taken their places. And these, in turn, must give way to others as they become unproductive, as they certainly will in time. Our only method of retaining and improving the productiveness of the potato crop is to continue to produce new varieties from the seed-ball. Even the justly celebrated Early Rose, which at the time of its introduction was probably without a peer in the world, has already lost much in this respect, and now has VEGETABLE PLANTS. 97 many superiors. Let it not be supposed that every new seedling is valuable. Men who have produced varieties of especial merit have devoted almost their whole time to the work, and offered to the public only a few of the best from many thousands of seedlings. Who would think of trying to produce from the seed an apple superior to the Northern Spy, Baldwin, or Greening ? Yet our finest fruits were once produced from seeds, and the chances of superiority on new potatoes are probably no greater than in the case of fruits. Those who have been most successful have accomplished it by making crosses, or hybrid- izing the blossoms on the best varieties at their command. In this way great improvements have certainly been made during the past few years, and there is at the present time a list of varieties which we believe more meritorious than was ever offered to the public before — at least, within our recollection. We will append a short description of some which are not yet generally cultivated : The most popular variety now grown among the farmers in this section is the Burbank Seed- ling, which has, to a great extent, displaced the N. Y. Late Rose. It is so well known that a 98 A MANUAL OF description is unnecessary, and whatever variety displaces it will certainly possess more than ordinary merit. Early Ohio has for several years been our best very early potato, but I find that to produce paying crops of large sized tubers it requires very rich soil and careful atten- tion. Beauty of Hebron is with us fast taking the place of Early Ohio, being better adapted to field culture and giving better results with common cultivation. Pride of America. — In spring of 1876 Mr. Brownell, of Vermont, sent me for trial a tuber labeled Early Williston. which for three years in succession has shown marks of decided superioritv in my trial grounds. This variety has recently been offered to the public as Pride of America. Mr. B. having decided to change the name before making it public. In color and shape it somewhat resembles the Snowflake, but is with me a better cropper and of very fine qualitv. I regard it as one of the best of Mr, Brownell's offerings. La Plume Triumph. — Some four years since a seedling was sent me from New Hampshire under the name of Triumph which has given a bountiful yield of large, healthy looking tubers VEGETABLE PLANTS. 99 of fine quality. So highly pleased was I with this variety that I offered it for sale ; the same season a variety differing entirely from it was offered by other parties under the same name. To prevent any misunderstanding in regard to it we have since called it the La Plume Tri- umph, and after three years' trial find it one of our most valuable kinds for general field crop, for home and market purpose. Mammoth Pearl. — I have now grown this for two years. It is a large, nearly round, white variety, very heavy and solid. The vines are exceedingly strong and thrifty, and it is very productive. I think, however, that its claims to earliness and fine quality have been a little over-estimated bv some of its admirers. Yet it usually satisfies its purchasers. By cutting white eyes from the Blue Victor I obtained a variety so closely resembling the Mammoth Pearl that I now believe it origi- nated just in that way. St. Patrick. — So far as I have seen, reports of this variety have been only notes of praise. I grew it quite extensively last season, and have nothing to say against it. But I will say this much of it. If any man can see, either in the appearance of the tubers or vines, any difference IOO A MANUAL OF whatever from the already well-known and popular Burbank, he has better perceptive faculties than I have. Defiance. — This beautiful variety originated in this county three years ago. It is a seedling of the Climax, handsome and symmetrical in shape, eyes few and not depressed. The vines grow very strong and cover the ground well. The tubers set very full and grow large, but do not spread much in the hill. In color it is russety white ; quality, superb. In fine, it seems to combine the habits and productiveness of the Burbank with the quality of the Snowflake. Watson Seedling. — This is one of the many sorts intended to take the place of the Early Rose, which it closely resembles in shape and color. This might be thought no objection by some, but I find that when people purchase a half dozen new varieties all so nearly allied to something they already have that they cannot tell them apart, they are usually disappointed, and I think not without reason. This is the chief fault with Clark's No. i, and Chicago Market, both being otherwise promising. The Belle is one of the most remarkable, and all things considered the most desirable variety that has yet come to my notice. In my VEGETABLE PLANTS. IOI judgment it is of the best possible color, viz., a light red with skin slightly netted or covered with russet. It is very smooth and beautiful in form and proportions, with eyes but slightly depressed. In size it is extra large, and yet it is solid, never prongy or hollow. It is unsur- passed in cooking qualities, fairly eclipsing the old Peachblow in its palmiest days, and in yield- ing qualities not to be outdone. If upon fur- ther trial it deports itself as it has since coming to my notice, I shall consider it truly an acqui- sition. The above list embraces all the most valua- ble new varieties which we have thoroughly tested ; and we can confidently recommend all or any of them to the public, believing they will give much greater satisfaction than the old, de- generated varieties, to which so many cultiva- tors still tenaciously cling. Experiments have shown us that bringing the seed from a distance, where it has been grown on soil of a different character from that on which it is to be planted, will nearly always cause potatoes to yield far more than where the same or an equally good variety is continually propagated on the same soil. OUR BUSINESS IS THE PRODUCTION AND SALE OF THE CHOICEST TARIETIES I Vegetable and Flower Seeds, VEGETABLE PLANTS, AND New Varieties of Seed Potatoes. We invite all who are interested in these things to send us their names and addresses, and we will take pleasure in sending, free, a copy of our latest Priced Catalogue. Address, ISAAC F. TILLINGHAST, LA PLUME, LACKAWANNA CO., PA.