Another plan is to set the plants on a well-drained plot, side by side in a long row, three or four plants wide and as closely together as possible; earth banks are then raised on each side of the row about four to six inches thick at the top, and the ends closed in the same manner. The roots are packed solidly in the soil, and the banks are carried up level with the longest tops; when the very cold weather sets in the whole top, banks and leaves, is covered with straw, leaves or corn fodder, to keep the frost out. I would not recommend this method of storing unless it is expected to have the supply all used or marketed by the 1st of January. The best way to store celery is in a hotbed or cold frame, which is built two or three feet deep in the ground, as already described. The celery plants are set side by side in this, as in the boxes or barrels, and the roots tightly packed in moist soil; then the sash can be put on at nights and in the daytime can be entirely removed or slightly raised to admit air, according to the temperature. On very cold nights the sash can have an extra covering of straw or old carpet, and if there is a heavy fall of snow it can be left on a few days, until the weather again becomes warmer. Stored in this manner, it is no trouble to get the celery when wanted; it can be given plenty of air, without which it will not keep, and the late kinds, if packed closely together, will complete their bleaching. If the kinds which require blanching are not kept earthed up as the growth advances, it will be almost impossible to blanch them.

VARIETIES OF CELERY.

The dwarf and half-dwarf kinds are the best, as they are superior both in quality and appearance and are much easier grown. Of these the Dwarf Golden Heart is one of the best varieties; the stalks are very thick and solid, fine flavored, and blanch to a fine white, excepting the centre, which is of a fine golden yellow.

Golden Self-Blanching.—The handsomest and most generally satisfactory kind that I have ever planted. I know of none that can equal it in appearance or quality; the stalks are large, straight, crisp and very solid; it is very vigorous in growth, attaining a height of one to one and a half feet, and I have had single plants of three inches in diameter. The leaves of this variety are of a beautiful golden yellow after the plant has been bleached, which adds greatly to its handsome appearance when prepared for the table. The young plants should be earthed up as soon as they are large enough to handle, and in two weeks the celery will be in the finest order for the table, thus gaining from one to two months over the ordinary kinds. The quality is the finest and the stalks are crisp, brittle and delicious.

White Plume.—This is also a self-blanching variety, but not to the same extent as the preceding kind. In this sort the inside stalks are naturally white, and the leaves of these white stalks are variegated in the most striking and beautiful manner, which gives it the name and renders it the most ornamental variety grown. To bleach the outer stalks the plant should be kept earthed up, and it will then be ready for use at any time. It is not, however, so fine in the small state as the Golden Self-Blanching, which is of fine eating quality even when growing in the seed bed; the stalks are not so thick and meaty in the White Plume, but have a strong “nutty” flavor.

Crimson or Red Celery.—The red celery is very handsome and fine flavored when bleached, and after the self-blanching varieties is the most desirable one to grow. It grows tall and straight, is crisp and brittle, and when well blanched is a beautiful golden yellow, the ribs and ridges being tinged with crimson.

SWEET CORN.

The first sweet corn should be planted early in April, and should be of some small-growing, very early variety, such as the Cory or Minnesota. This corn will have to struggle with the frost and chilling nights, but with the aid of the ever-present worm, which inhabits each ear, will be ready for use long before any of the really fine kinds can be had. There is only one good thing that I have been able to discover in the worm’s favor in connection with his labors in horticulture, and that is the way in which he assists in ripening all the earliest specimens of the different fruits. To be sure, his efforts in this line are not always appreciated, but he is always there when you find a fruit ripening before its regular time. About the third week in April a second sowing of this early corn should be made, and at the same time should be planted some early large-eared variety, such as Crosby’s Twelve-rowed, and an equal amount of a late variety, such as Stowell’s Evergreen. Thereafter a planting should be made every ten days or two weeks, of a favorite sort, which, with me, is Stowell’s Evergreen, although I plant other kinds throughout the season, for the sake of variety. These plantings should be kept up until the 10th of July, after which the late kinds will hardly mature; but if the ground can be spared, I would keep on planting until the 10th of August, as, if the fall should be late, it will come in very acceptably. Most gardeners exhaust their supply about the middle of September, as they do not continue to plant late enough. If there is danger of heavy frost early in the fall, the corn that has well-set ears that have not yet ripened should be cut off at the ground and stacked against the south side of a fence or building; it should be stood up nearly two feet in thickness, to prevent freezing, but should not be thicker, as it will heat too much and will be awkward to handle when sorting over for the good ears. Treated in this way it will provide ears for use well into November, but of course they will not be of as fine a quality as those matured in the ordinary way.

As the earliest varieties only grow about three feet high and have the ears set close to the ground, the best way of planting them is to drop the seed ten inches to one foot apart, in drills. Sow plenty of seed, and if it comes up too thickly it can easily be thinned out when hoeing; all suckers should be broken off at the same time, so as to throw the strength of the plants into the ears.

If two rows are planted across the garden at each planting they will furnish an ample supply for the average family. If it is needed for canning or drying, an extra large planting should be made early in May, which will mature after the heavy harvest work is over and before the fall fruit is ready to preserve.

If some fine compost is placed in the drills or hills, it will help greatly to give the young plants a good start until they can reach the manure with which the garden has been dressed; where this compost is put in it should be covered with an inch of soil before the seed is sown.

The climbing snap beans may be planted in the hill with the tall-growing corn, or hills of pumpkins; squashes or cucumbers may be made in every fourth hill and every third row, although the vines will be very much in the way of continued cultivation if the ground is inclined to be weedy. Sweet corn should not be planted within one hundred yards of field or pop-corn, as the pollen will be sure to mix and spoil the quality of the table corn. It will sometimes mix at greater distances, but this distance would be safe in most cases.

VARIETIES OF SWEET CORN.

The Cory.—This is the earliest variety known, and is at the same time superior in size and quality to the varieties which have been grown as extra early, before its introduction. It ripens nearly a week in advance of any other variety, while the ears are much larger than either the Minnesota or Marblehead. The grains are well formed to the tip of the cob, making a much handsomer ear than the other early varieties, while in sweetness and quality it is also superior.

Amber Cream.—This is a medium early variety; it is a strong, vigorous grower, reaching six to seven feet in height; the ears are about ten inches in length and the quality is rich and sugary. When used on the table the grains are milky white; the “Amber” of its name coming from the ripe seed, while the “Cream” is evidently an attempt to describe its excellent quality. In planting and picking for the table, the size of the ears of this variety and of Stowell’s Evergreen should be taken into account; a dozen ears being nearly equal to two dozen of some of the smaller-eared kinds.

Crosby’s Early Twelve-rowed does not grow quite so tall as the Amber Cream, nor are the ears as large; although called “twelve-rowed,” it frequently has only ten rows. The great merit of this kind is in its excellent quality, it being very sweet and juicy, and fully equal to any variety that I have ever eaten. It is one of the best sorts to plant after the very early kinds.

Potter’s Excelsior.—An excellent medium early variety; the ears are of good size, with twelve rows of deep grains. It is remarkably sweet and juicy, and quite productive, averaging two good ears to a stalk.

Stowell’s Evergreen.—This is, in my opinion, the finest variety for late and general planting. It is strong-growing and prolific, while the ears are of large size and handsome appearance. The quality is rich and sweet, while the grains are juicy and luscious, when picked at the right stage. To have the finest corn of any variety it should be picked in just the right condition; that is, when the skin of the grain breaks at the slightest puncture, and plantings should be made frequently enough always to have a supply at this stage. The quality is inferior if it is a few days too old or too young.

CUCUMBERS.

In raising cucumbers care should be taken to procure seed that is perfectly pure, as it mixes readily with other varieties and deteriorates rapidly. The seed should be planted in hills, prepared in the manner described for cantaloupes, three feet apart in the row, and the rows 4½ to 5 feet apart. If there is not enough compost at hand to manure them, as directed in the manner of making them, the hills can be raked up a few inches above the surface and the young plants allowed to feed on the general dressing which has been applied to the whole garden; the elevation serving to give the young plants a better start than on the level surface. While the cucumber is a lover of heat and moisture, it is apt to damp off in its early stages if it should be cold and wet; the hills tending to lift the young plants up into a drier and warmer soil. A liberal quantity of seed should be sown in each hill, say twenty to forty seeds, that there may be enough young plants to survive the depredations of the striped cucumber bug and of the borers. The young plants should be dusted every few mornings with ashes, plaster or slug shot, to destroy these pests, and as soon as the plants are sufficiently large to take care of themselves they should be thinned out to only three or four plants in a hill. The first planting should not be made before the middle of May, for they will not stand cold. The cucumbers should be picked as soon as they attain sufficient size and before the seeds become developed or hard; this should be done every morning while it is still cool, and the cucumbers placed in a cool cellar. The very best way is to put them in the water in a cool spring-house; there is no place where melons, squashes and cucumbers retain their freshness and crisp, fine flavor so fully as in such a spring. If the picking is carefully attended to and all the fruit picked off as soon as large enough, the vines will continue to grow and bear all summer, especially if they are in a rather shady situation, such as among the sweet corn. A few fine specimens may be allowed to ripen for seed, but if many are left the vines will dry up and die as soon as they have ripened a crop. Where a quantity of small pickles are wanted, the best way is to make a planting about the first week in August or latter part of July. These will produce large quantities if the ground is rich, and will continue to bear until killed by frost. Like the summer crop, they should be picked every day or two, and as soon as they are of the size desired, as they will bear a great many more if not allowed to grow large; also the smaller the pickle the more attractive it is, and the more readily it sells.

VARIETIES OF CUCUMBERS.

Early Russian.—The earliest variety grown, and is of very good quality for table use, but only grows about three inches in length; it is very solid and has but few seeds. Its small size and earliness render it a very good variety for pickles.

Early Green Prolific.—This is largely grown for pickling, and is immensely productive. The shape, quality and great bearing make it a very valuable kind.

Improved Early White Spine.—This variety is more generally grown than any other, and is deservedly popular for both table use and for pickling. It is of medium length, and from 1½ to 2 inches in diameter; when not too old the flesh is very crisp and fine flavored.

London Long Green.—Grows from twelve to sixteen inches in length, is a very dark green in color, and presents a fine appearance, while the flesh is firm and crisp, and the quality excellent.

Burpee’s Giant Pera Cucumber.—This wonderful new variety differs in almost every respect from the cucumber as generally grown, and in size and quality far surpasses the ordinary kinds. The vines are very vigorous in growth, with dark green, luxuriant foliage, which enables it to bear large crops of cucumbers of extraordinary size, as they are nearly three inches in diameter and are from 15 to 22 inches in length. The fruit is uniformly round, smooth and straight, the skin being of a pale green and entirely free from spines; when ripe the skin is a russet brown. The green cucumbers are fit to eat at any stage of their growth. The flesh is entirely white, not tinged with green, as in the ordinary kinds, and is crisp, tender and brittle. It has none of the cucumber taste of the older kinds, and is not always relished at first by those who are fond of the strong-flavored varieties, but after becoming accustomed to it for a short time, it is preferred to all others. In its native home it forms one of the staple foods of the inhabitants, being eaten in the natural state without any dressing whatever, in the same manner that we would eat an apple or a pear. It is certainly one of the most remarkable vegetables of recent introduction.

EGG PLANT.

Since the advent of the potato bug in our Eastern States the labor of raising this fine fruit is almost trebled, the bug regarding it as a delicacy superior even to the potato vines, and from its manner of bearing the fruit it is dangerous to apply Paris green or other poisons for their destruction. Where there is time to attend to it I prefer to have the bugs picked off by hand every day, but this is slow work, as we frequently get as many as a pint from two dozen of plants, and they do considerable damage by eating the young shoots and buds, even between such frequent pickings. The best way is to dust with Paris green or other poison, until the plants are of sufficient size to bear fruit, and then to keep the bugs off as thoroughly as possible by hand picking. In preference to Paris green or other strong poisons, I use Hammond’s Slug Shot, an insecticide that is sold in all seed and implement stores, and which is said not to be injurious to man or beast, though poison is present in the impalpable powder; it is also claimed that it is an excellent fertilizer, as well as being sure death to insects. Having used it three seasons, I have found it very satisfactory for the preservation of all small plants, excepting in one case of young seedlings just coming through the soil, in which case a too heavy application burned them up.

The egg plant is a strong, rank grower and a great lover of rich soil and of heat. The seed should be started in a warm hotbed or greenhouse about the last of March, and the soil should be as rich and light as possible. If the plants grow rapidly, they will be improved by transplanting in the hotbeds, as it will help them to form a good bunch of fibrous roots, so that they will sustain no check when planted out. They should not be set out in the garden until warm weather is assured, and then should be planted in hills enriched as for melons. These hills need not be higher than the surface of the garden, but if strong growth and large fruits are desired, a hole should be scraped out where each plant is to stand, and two or three shovelsful of well-rotted manure or compost put in, and the soil leveled off again before the plant is set. If the ground is dry when the plants are set out, water should be poured in the holes dug to receive them, and the dry soil drawn up around the stems when the plant has been set. The roots of the freshly set plants should not come in contact with the manure, but should have two or three inches of soil through which to seek it as they become established. The fruit should be cut as soon as it is of sufficient size and before the seeds become hard, as it soon loses its fine quality when it begins to ripen. The plants will also continue longer in bearing if this course is pursued, as it takes greatly from the strength of any plant to ripen its seed. When there is danger of frost in the fall all the fruits large enough to use, from the size of an egg up, should be picked off and stored in the cellar, as they will remain fresh and fit for use for over a month at this cool season of the year; by so doing I have frequently enjoyed this fine fruit long after it has disappeared from the tables of my neighbors.

The hills for the plants should be about two feet apart in the row, and the rows four feet apart. Three dozen plants, which will occupy hardly a third of one of our kitchen garden rows, will furnish an ample supply for a large family. The small early variety matures three or even four weeks before the ordinary kinds, but as they are hardly larger than a good-sized goose egg, it is not worth while to bother with them unless you are especially fond of the fruit and wish to have it as early as possible.

VARIETIES OF EGG PLANT.

Extra Early Dwarf Round Purple.—This variety is in every respect similar to the New York Purple, excepting in size and time of ripening; the fully developed fruit being about two inches in length and being ready for use a few weeks after planting out in the garden.

New York Improved Large Purple.—This is the best and most popular variety. It is of large size, very handsome color and appearance, and the largest in diameter of any variety, yielding large slices for frying. The quality is of the finest.

HORSE RADISH.

This pungent root is a great favorite as a relish in the early spring, and is credited with tonic properties; at any rate it is a very pleasant appetizer at a season when we have been almost without fresh vegetables for several months. It can be raised in almost any soil, though preferring a moist situation, and is most at home where it is constantly moistened or occasionally overflowed by some stream. It is raised from pieces of root, three or four inches in length and from ¼ to ½ inch in diameter. These slips are made from the tails or rootlets cut off in trimming the roots for grating, they should be cut off square at the top and sloping at the bottom, that you may readily know which end goes up when you plant them. The slips should be kept in a box of moist earth, in a cool cellar, after they have been trimmed, until planting time. The slips can be planted with a long trowel; but the best and quickest way is to drive a spade, full depth, into the soil, flatways with the garden line, move it slightly back and forward, to widen the hole, and slip a piece of root down each side of the cut made by the spade, which will make them six or seven inches apart; the spade should then be driven in about one inch back of its previous position and the handle pressed forward, which will pack the dirt solidly against the planted roots, the tops of which should be placed about one inch under the surface. Where it is desired to increase the supply as fast as possible, and where the roots have been used at home, the crowns or tops, with an inch or so of root adhering, can be planted again, but they will not make long, smooth roots, like the slips, but will have a tendency to make several small roots.

HOPS.

At the end of one of the berry rows, or in some corner where they will be out of the way of the plow, there should be a few poles of hops. These are grown from pieces of root, and after being once planted will not need further attention except to be kept clear of weeds and grass, to be supplied with a good topdressing of manure in the fall, and suitable poles to climb upon. These poles should be good strong ones, at least 8 to 10 feet in height. About the last of August or first of September the vines should be cut off near the ground and the poles pulled up, so that the crop may be gathered. There is an old saying that “the September winds should never be allowed to blow on the hops.” The hops should be spread on sheets and placed in some cool, airy garret or loft, to dry. It will take five or six good poles to make a bushel of hops.

LETTUCE.

This is generally known as salad, which is a misnomer, as salad means anything that is served in a green state; it may be onions, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, or anything of that kind. By general usage the word salad has been appropriated to the lettuce, as the latter is the plant most frequently grown in this country for salad. But call it whichever you like, it is one of the greatest additions to our tables, and in our kitchen garden it should not be made a side issue of a week or two in the spring, but should be raised in the finest condition possible throughout the season, and by using the hotbeds and cold frames it is possible to have it the whole year round.

To raise head lettuce in perfection the greatest care must be taken to reserve the very best and tightest heads for seed, or if the seed is to be purchased select the hardest-heading varieties. For the earliest planting the seed should be sown in the hotbed and have the same treatment as its associate, the cabbage; the young plants should not be allowed to stand too thickly; they should be at least an inch apart in the seed bed, or be transplanted to that distance when half an inch high. When the cabbage is set out, one or two lettuce plants may be set between each pair of cabbages in the row, according to the distance the cabbages are apart. There must be space enough between the plants to give the soil a good stirring with the hoe around each plant, as thorough cultivation is essential to the best development of both cabbage and lettuce. A second lot of seed should be planted when the tomatoes and egg plants are sown; these can be set out in the garden as soon as they are large enough to handle. The third sowing should be made in the open garden when the first planting is done, and the young seedlings should be transplanted as soon as the plants are large enough and before they begin to be crowded in the row, as this last sowing will not form heads without it receives the best of care. These three sowings are about all that can be depended upon to make hard heads, unless it can be planted in some rich, shady corner, and carefully nursed with the watering pot.

About the first or middle of May a sowing should be made of the “Perpetual Lettuce,” and the plants, when large enough, should be transplanted and treated the same as the head lettuce; it will not form tight heads, but produces a fine bunch of broad, yellowish-green leaves, which are very crisp and delicate, not being strong and bitter, as most lettuces are in hot weather. This lettuce will stand from four to six weeks without running to seed, so that if plantings are made about once a month it can be had in perfection throughout the balance of the season. If the head lettuce is more particularly desired, a sowing should be made about the first of August, and another about the fifteenth; the young plants should be transplanted and treated in the same manner for heading as is followed in the spring; the first sowing will not produce heads unless the latter part of August and the first part of September be cool and moist; but you are almost sure to have fine heads from the second sowing. Personally, I prefer the Perpetual, both for its fine qualities and the ease of growing it.

Another way, and the easiest, to have a constant succession of lettuce for the table throughout the season, is to sow the seed thickly in drills and to cut the loose leaves close to the ground when it is three or four inches high; this produces rather narrow leaves, which are very tender and juicy, but which have not the substance of those grown as separate plants or heads, and are not so easily prepared for the table. These sowings can be made every few weeks, and a constant succession of young leaves be had for use throughout the entire season. It should be the object in sowing lettuce to plant small lots frequently, that it may always be had in the best condition.

About the second week in September a sowing of some early hard-heading variety should be made, and a succeeding one about the first of October; from these two sowings the cold frames should be planted, about one-third from the first and two-thirds from the second; the plants should be set about six inches apart each way, which will allow about fifty plants to each sash. When cold weather comes the sash should be put on, and the outsides of the frames banked around with long stable manure. The plants must be treated to plenty of fresh air whenever the weather will permit of it, and on very cold nights the sash should be reinforced with a covering of straw, old mats, or carpet. The lettuce grown in these frames is apt to be infested with the small insect known as the “Green Fly;” to prevent or to get rid of the presence of this pest, tobacco refuse and sweepings from a cigar-maker’s shop should be strewn on the soil under the leaves; this will destroy the fly and act as a fertilizer, but if too much is applied it will spoil the delicate flavor of the lettuce.

If a few very early cabbages are desired, the seed should be sown about the first of October and transplanted with the lettuce into the cold frames; planting them about two inches apart each way; if these are in good condition and the spring favorable, they can be planted out about the 15th of March, and will produce heads one to two weeks earlier than those raised in the hotbeds.

VARIETIES OF LETTUCE.

Burpee’s Hard-Head.—This is the fastest growing and the best heading kind that I have ever grown. With this variety the ordinary gardener is able to grow as fine, large, solid heads as those grown by the professional market gardener. In shape it very much resembles a cabbage, as even the outer leaves tend to curl in over the head, instead of spreading outward, as in most lettuces. In appearance it is quite novel and striking, the edges of the leaves being tinged with a deep brownish-red, while in the centre of its hard heads the leaves are blanched to a beautiful creamy white. In quality it is remarkably tender, rich, juicy, and never bitter.

Burpee’s Tomhannock.—This is the finest of all the cutting lettuces, as it is of large size, handsome appearance, and the very choicest quality. It grows very quickly, is soon ready to cut, and stands a long time without running to seed, retaining throughout the season its delicate and delicious flavor. The growth is erect; a fully developed plant is ten to twelve inches in height, and nearly as great in diameter across the top; the outer edges of the leaves curl outward. The outer leaves are shaded with reddish-brown, while the inner leaves are almost white. It is entirely free from any bitter taste throughout the entire summer.

Stonehead Golden Yellow.—This is a new variety, which makes very solid heads, of handsome appearance and the finest quality. Its earliness, large, tight heads and superior quality render it one of the best kinds for forwarding under glass.

Burpee’s Silver Ball.—This, next to the Hard Head, is the best heading variety for general purposes, and where the brown markings in the latter kind are an objection, the gardener will find in this kind all the good qualities that go to make a desirable lettuce. It produces a beautiful head, very firm and solid, with handsomely curled leaves. The head is of a silvery white color, very rich and buttery in flavor, and stands for some time before running to seed. Other excellent varieties of cabbage lettuces are Philadelphia White Cabbage, The Hanson and The Deacon, while The Tennis Ball is a great favorite with market gardeners for forcing.

OKRA.

This plant, like the carrot, is too little grown, as its green pods impart a fine flavor and consistency to soups and mixed stews; besides being very palatable when stewed and served as is a dish of asparagus; the pods can also be dried for winter use. The seeds should be planted in drills, and if the dwarf variety be used, which I think is preferable, as it produces an abundance of pods and does not take up nearly so much room, the plants may be allowed to stand about one and a half feet apart in the row, the rows being three feet apart, though a quarter or half a row in the kitchen garden, as here described, will furnish an ample supply, both for use and drying. For either purpose, they should be cut before the pods attain their full size or they will be hard and woody. For drying, the best way is to string them on a fine wire or thread and suspend them to the rafters of a cool loft or garret until wanted for use. The culture of this vegetable is very simple, as the seeds are planted in drills about two inches deep, and the after treatment is the same as for corn.

ONIONS.

In raising onions in quantities the practice of late years has been to grow the crop from seed in one season, instead of the method formerly almost universally practiced in this section, of raising and keeping over sets to form the next year’s crop. This latter method is now only practiced to save labor in small gardens and to bring a few onions in for use early in the season.

To raise a satisfactory crop the ground must be free from weed seeds; it must be made as rich as possible and have constant cultivation from the time the seedlings break through the ground until the bulbs begin to ripen. The soil must be plowed, harrowed and raked, until it is in the finest possible condition to receive the seed, and it is important to select a plot for this purpose that has been kept free from weeds the preceding season. Root crops are the best to precede onions, as they not only leave the ground free from litter, but also, if they have been properly cultivated, leave the soil in fine tilth.

In our kitchen garden I would sow the seed in drills, twelve to fourteen inches apart, and cultivate with the wheel hoe; in field culture, or raised more extensively in the garden, plant in rows as closely as they can be worked with the cultivator, which, if it is provided with very narrow-bladed teeth, can be run through any rows where the horse can walk. For the kitchen garden, make the surface fine with a sharp steel rake, and if no drill is at hand, take a rake handle or blunt stick, and, drawing it along the garden line, scratch a drill about an inch deep. Sow the seed thinly, say an inch apart, but if there is reason to doubt the freshness of the seed, sow it thicker, so that a good stand may be assured. When the onions are an inch high, they should have their first working. Follow the wheel hoe or cultivator with a narrow-bladed hoe, not wider than an inch and a half at the cutting part of the blade; it must be sharp and lightly handled, just loosening the ground and cutting off any stray weeds. If there are no weeds the soil can be quickly loosened with a sharp steel rake. They should be worked every eight or ten days from this point until they begin to ripen; if it is neglected for longer periods than these, the gardener will rue it in days of back-breaking labor on hands and knees. When the young onions have made leaves two or three inches in height, they should be thinned out to from four to six inches apart in the rows, according to the size of the bulb made by the particular variety planted. The seed for onions grown in this way should be sown as early in the spring as the soil can be gotten into the proper fine condition, so that they may make as strong a growth as possible before the hot summer weather ripens them off. As they begin to ripen, all those with thick necks should be pulled and used upon the table, as they will not ripen properly, and if put away with the good bulbs will start all to rotting. There is a theory common with old gardeners that, by bending the tops over when they begin to ripen, the bulbs will be increased in size and will ripen more quickly; personally, I have tried it frequently, and have never been able to observe any difference in those bent and the ones left to ripen in the natural way. As soon as the bulbs are well matured, take them up at once, as a few rainy days might start them to growing again if left in the ground; pull off all the tops and roots which adhere to the dry bulbs and spread them thinly on the barn floor or on the floor of a cool loft. When it becomes too cold to let them remain longer in this position without danger of freezing, I put them in peach baskets, the stripped sides of which allow a free circulation of air, and store them in a cool, well-ventilated cellar, where we try to keep the temperature just above freezing by admitting air whenever possible, as it takes but very little warmth to start them to growing, and then they soon become unfit for use. If the gardener saves his own seed, the finest and best-shaped onions should be laid aside for planting out in the spring, for this purpose.

Where the crop is raised from sets it is not necessary, though quite desirable, to have the soil made as fine as for the seed bed. As the small onions are set in, planting at the proper distances apart, almost all the cultivation can be done with the narrow onion hoe, and if it is regularly attended to at proper intervals no hand work is necessary. The onion is a hardy bulb, and the sets can be planted as soon in the spring as the ground can be gotten into proper condition; this makes an important feature in the earliness of the crop, as the sets have several weeks the start over the onions raised from seed. For the very earliest onions, or those used when the bulb and neck are about of equal thickness early in the spring, and which go by the name of scallions, the sets are planted in October and allowed to remain in the ground all winter, so that they are ready for use almost as soon as the spring opens, two weeks’ growth sufficing to bring them to a proper size. Where the main garden crop of these fragrant bulbs is raised from seed, enough sets should be planted to make an early supply for the table; if no sets are at hand in the fall, to plant for the spring crop of scallions, they could be grown by sowing the seed about a month earlier than you would plant the sets for the same purpose.

In sowing seeds for sets the same directions apply as given for the crop of bulbs, excepting that the seed is sown much more thickly, so that the bulbs will touch each other and stand two or three wide in the row. If they do not seem to be making the proper growth as the season advances, they should be thinned to the proper extent to enable them to grow to the right size, one-half inch in diameter, though my own trouble is that they usually grow too large; to remedy this when they are nearly the proper size I allow them to become choked with grass and weeds, which checks their growth, but when this is done they must be watched that this mass of stuff does not rot them off when ripe. I think a better way would be to go along the row with a straight-edged hoe or spade and cut off some of the roots. The main object in having the sets of this small size is that they shall not run to seed when planted out in the spring. Any sets which exceed three-quarters of an inch in diameter should be used for pickling or cooking. When the sets begin to ripen it will sometimes facilitate the process to bend all the green tops over close to the bulbs, as it helps to dry and shrivel the tops more quickly. When thoroughly ripe they should be gathered at once, the tops and roots pulled off, and should be spread out and stored for winter in the same manner described for the large onions. Any of the sets that persist in growing and not drying properly, should be thrown out, or they will spoil the whole crop. If a suitable cellar or loft is not available for storing the bulbs where they will be sure not to start into growth, they may be wintered on the barn or loft floor, covering with hay as the cold weather advances. The hay should be only two inches thick at first, but should be increased to one foot in thickness as the season advances, and in the spring should be removed by the same graded process.

VARIETIES OF ONIONS.

Yellow Globe Danvers.—This is a splendid variety, and is the most popular and profitable kind to grow for market. It is similar to the Yellow Danvers as ordinarily grown, excepting in shape, which is much finer, in my opinion. No one can fail to be pleased with this fine variety when well grown. It is quite early, and is one of the very best keeping kinds.

Large Red Wethersfield.—A strong grower and produces immense crops of large, fine bulbs. It is rather flat in form, deep purplish red on the outside and a much lighter shade inside. It has a strong flavor, and is very solid, making an excellent keeping and shipping sort.

White Globe.—One of the handsomest onions grown, beautiful in shape and color, having a clear, white skin; the flesh is fine grained, of mild flavor, and the bulbs are of good keeping quality.

White Silverskin, or White Portugal.—This is an old and favorite variety, being very desirable for planting in the family garden; the flavor is the mildest of the American varieties; the small onions are very fine for pickling. I think this variety should be marketed as early as possible, as with me it is not a good keeper.[6]

ITALIAN VARIETIES OF ONIONS.

Giant Red Rocca.—These onions are of large size, handsome appearance and mild, delicate flavor. In this variety we have an onion which attains a weight of from one to two pounds under ordinarily good culture, and of most handsome shape and appearance, the outer skin being always bright red, while the flesh is white, mild and pleasant.

Earliest White Queen.—This variety does not grow to the large size of the other Italian kinds, more resembling our American Silverskin in size and appearance, but has the great advantage over the latter variety (which takes two seasons to attain the same size), of remarkably quick growth, while the flavor is equally, if not more, delicate. The bulbs are flat, pure white and about two inches in diameter. It is the finest variety for pickling grown. Sown in February, they will produce onions early in the summer, while if sown in July, they will be ready to harvest in the fall, and will then keep in splendid condition throughout the winter.

Giant Yellow Rocca.—This variety is similar to the Giant Red Rocca described above, except in color, which is a clear golden yellow. It is this variety which is the real “Spanish Onion,” so generally sold at the fruit stands in the cities.

Burpee’s Mammoth Silver King.—This I believe to be the handsomest variety of onion grown, as I think the white-skinned varieties the most attractive. The bulbs are slightly flattened, but are very thick through, averaging five to six inches in diameter, and have been grown to the enormous weight of over four pounds to the single bulb, while two-pound bulbs are frequently produced under fair culture. The skin is a beautiful silvery white; the flesh is even whiter, while the flavor is very mild and pleasant, the Italians eating them as we do apples.

PARSLEY.

This should be grown by every gardener on account of its usefulness, both for seasoning and garnishing. As it seeds in the second season, fresh plantings should be made every spring. The seed, being very slow to germinate, should be soaked in tepid water for twenty-four hours before planting. The best way is to sow in the hotbed or cold frame and transplant to the garden, but it can be sown in drills where wanted and thinned out to the proper distance apart. I always try to have a bed of it near the kitchen door, as it saves much running; if such a bed cannot be conveniently placed, some should be cut and brought in with the other vegetables, as it will keep fresh some days if kept in cold water. In the fall some of the best roots should be taken up and planted in the cold frame, or put in pots and boxes in the sunny windows of the house, for a winter supply. The leaves and tops from trimming the celery are also very fine for flavoring.