may be classified under two heads: those that remain in the ground over winter and are ready for use as soon as the frost is out of the ground and those vegetables that, owing to the short time required to bring to maturity, are first available from the present year's planting; among the first may be cited such forms as asparagus, parsnips, salsify, parsley, kale, onions and a few others.
the latter class include such vegetables as beets, lettuce, radishes, endive and early peas, all of which may be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in spring, but for very earliest results use should be made of the hotbed, sowing the seed in february or march according to the latitude and transplanting as soon as the ground can be worked in spring. by doing this from three to six weeks' time may be gained. at the same87 time that plants from the hotbeds are transplanted seed may be sown in the open ground in adjoining rows or as a continuation of a short row of transplants, to come into use about the time the first planting is exhausted; in this way a succession may be maintained and the ground made to produce a more profitable amount of vegetables as seed may be sown where the transplanted vegetables were grown as soon as they are removed.
beets
which may be planted in open ground as soon as it can be worked in spring, do best on a fibrous loamy soil, but any good, warm, rich loam will grow them satisfactorily; the cleaner the ground and the more thorough the cultivation, however, the more uniform the crop which will be produced. sow the seed in drills fifteen to twenty inches apart and about ? inch deep, covering and tramping down the rows. it is customary to sow the seed rather freely when sown by hand, but if the seed is good rather better results follow88 sowing with a seeder, owing to the more even distribution and the lessened amount of thinning required; if vegetables of this class did not need thinning their cultivation would be robbed of its chief burden; unfortunately they do need it and quite drastic thinning at that; thinning should commence as soon as the beets are large enough to handle, leaving them standing about one inch apart. in about two weeks another thinning may be given. by this time the young beets will be large enough for greens and they may be thinned to stand two inches apart in the row; a third thinning will be final and should leave about four inches between the beets; this will allow room for full maturity and perfectly formed roots. beets are at their best when about an inch to an inch and a quarter in diameter and this is the size which is utilized for canning; when used of this size about an inch of the top may be left on and they are served whole, dressed with butter and seasoning.
the old egyptian beet has long been acknowledged as standard, but crosby's egyptian is a89 distinct improvement upon the old form. it is earlier, the color fine and the quality very sweet and tender. early model beet is a new comer with an excellent reputation and both are good selections for the home or the market garden.
in sowing in the hotbed it is not necessary to cover more than a fourth of an inch; scatter the seed thinly and transplant in about three to four weeks from the sowing of the seed, or when the plants and weather make the successful planting most assured; set the plants about an inch to an inch and a quarter apart and in using remove every other one; this leaves abundant room for them to develop and makes cultivating and freedom from weeds more assured.
a light application of nitrate of soda will work wonders in growing early beets; scatter the nitrate thinly along the rows and cultivate in, or the nitrate may be dissolved in water and applied from a watering can, care being taken to apply to the soil only and not to the plants. a handful of nitrate, about the usual quantity applied to a two-gallon watering-pot of water, will be90 sufficient, or a hundred pounds to the acre—this would amount to about twenty-five pounds to the ordinary garden.
beets may be sown for succession up to the middle of july and will mature a crop for winter use. late sown beets are less care to cultivate owing to the fact that the season's crop of weeds is by that time pretty well under control.
swiss chard
has been for several years much exploited by seedsmen as the one indispensable vegetable for the city garden. it is no doubt a dependable source of greens, making a rapid growth of succulent leaves and is one of the showy, effective things in the garden that gives an air of abundance and successful gardening unsurpassed by any other vegetable, but, in my opinion, its merit ends right there and if it were not for its value in furnishing green food in the greatest quantity in the least time i should not give it space in the garden; the midrib, so much recommended for cooking like asparagus, has an unpleasant, earthy91 taste that, to me at least, is very disagreeable.
its culture, however, is so easy that it is worth while for any one who likes it to grow it. it can be planted in the open ground as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring, or sown in the hotbed and transplanted, thus gaining three weeks or more; sow in drill, scattering the seed thinly and thin out the plants to stand six inches apart in the rows. a light dressing of nitrate of soda will hasten the growth and render the leaves more tender and succulent. this plant does not need to have successive sowings made as by cutting down to the ground it will make a new growth, and the outside leaves may be gathered, the same as is done with spinach, and so produce a continuous growth of tender, crisp leaves.
there are two varieties of the chard, the giant lucullus and the silver beet; the latter variety being more delicate in flavor, having less of the earthy taste. a novel variety—a cross between the swiss chard and the table beet—is now offered by luther burbank which combines with92 the usual chard qualities, much beauty of foliage, the leaves being gorgeous in pink, yellow, green and white and it would certainly add to the joy of gardening to have so beautiful a thing to tend, for this reason and because the bunnies must have food, i am growing it in my garden this year.
chinese cabbage
though not a spring vegetable it is so similar in some respects to swiss chard that it may well be a companion vegetable. it much resembles the romaine or coss lettuce in its lush, upright leaves. it should not, however, be planted until about the first of july as early plantings run quickly to seed and do not develop the fine big leaves of the type. it may be planted in short rows and transplanted to about nine inches apart when large enough to handle. nitrate is again indicated for this quick-growing, succulent plant and as soon as the leaves have attained considerable size they should be confined by tying with bast or strips of soft cloth, to prevent their falling93 apart rather than to blanch them. the outer leaves may be gathered as they mature, leaving the inner leaves to grow and be gathered later. it is eaten raw or cooked like cabbage, being more delicate in flavor and without the objectionable cabbage odor when cooking. the large, fleshy midribs, stripped off the leaf, may be eaten raw with salt like celery or cooked like asparagus. when tied up the plant much resembles a very large, handsome stalk of celery, but with big, broad leaves instead of the feathery fronds of the latter plant.
endive
classes with the foregoing vegetables, requiring practically the same treatment. it should be started in the hotbed for early use, transplanting to the open ground when the weather is favorable. as it does not make very rapid growth at first it may as well remain under the favorable guardianship of the warm hotbed until the middle of may, when it should be transplanted in rows, setting the plants six inches or94 more apart. when the plants are about two-thirds grown they must be drawn together and tied for blanching, without which they are unfit to use; this must be done when the plants are perfectly dry—in the middle of a bright, sunny forenoon, being the best time for the work, otherwise they will rot as they are very sensitive to moisture and prone to decay—as a japanese friend said of chrysanthemum seed;—"they are very corruptible."
they are a most acceptable addition to salads and combine acceptably with lettuce having a tangy bitterness very piquant, but it is as a garnish that they excel; the fringed and curled fronds, pure white or tinged with green in the less well-blanched specimens, are beautiful indeed and they may well be grown for this alone.
covering with boards is sometimes resorted to instead of tying, two boards being laid along either side of the row to form a cap. it takes about three weeks to properly blanch endive and the plants should be used as soon as ready. if desired plants may be taken up in the fall and95 planted in pots or boxes and placed in a light warm cellar or an upstairs window for winter use. as the endive makes a mass of fibrous roots it can be lifted without in any way checking its growth.
the giant fringed endive is one of the best kinds. the self-blanching endive is not a satisfactory sort as it lacks the beautiful color of the blanched sort and is more prone to run to seed; either sort when running up can be cut and fed to the rabbits and so turned to good account, in fact i consider it worth planting for this purpose alone. the staghorn endive is an excellent sort for spring growing as, started in the hotbed and transplanted, it does not run to seed—a fault most other varieties are addicted to; this sort may be planted for early salads and the giant fringed later for fall and winter. like all plants which depend upon rapid growth for crispness and flavor an application of nitrate is beneficial to endive and mellow, rich soil should be selected for its growth.
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lettuce
for the very earliest use plant seed in hotbed and transplant to open ground about the middle of may, setting the plants about a foot apart if head lettuce is desired and, of course, no one who is acquainted with the superior excellence of head lettuce over the leaf variety will care to grow the latter. there are so many excellent varieties of lettuce on the market that one hesitates to recommend any special sort but some are more reliable headers than others. one of the surest headers and an excellent sort to plant in summer as it is more resistant of heat than most sorts, is the improved hanson; this variety makes a large, globe-shaped head, so compact that the inner leaves are beautifully blanched and the quality is excellent. for those who like a brown-leaved lettuce and in my opinion this sort excels in flavor all others, the old may king is one of the best and should always find a place in the garden whatever other varieties are grown. it is not as large as lettuce and permits of closer97 planting than hanson or all season—another most excellent head lettuce—a sure header and slow to run to seed; it makes an immense head—almost as large as a flat dutch cabbage, with beautifully blanched inner leaves and a fine, buttery flavor.
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gratifying evidences of your own care and industry
of the loose-leaved lettuce the grand rapids forcing lettuce is the best known. this is a good sort to grow in the hotbed and may be allowed to remain after the other vegetables are removed, resetting to stand a few inches apart. the leaves are upright and loose, beautifully green and curled and the flavor crisp and delicious. it may be grown to use while the other sorts are heading.
romaine or coss lettuce is the sort served in the big hotels as romaine salad. it requires transplanting either from the hotbed to the open ground or from the seed row in the open ground to another row. it should stand about four inches apart in the row as the growth is upright, rather than spreading, and when of sufficient size the leaves must be tied together to blanch.98 it is very crisp and delicious lettuce when quickly grown by the aid of much fertilizer, good culture and moisture, but lacking these is rather tough and bitter. nitrates may be used to advantage, applied along the rows after the plants are transplanted.
all lettuce is at best in spring and early summer. it is very difficult to grow good lettuce in hot weather. if a width of cheese cloth is stretched over the row and the soil kept moist much better results can be secured. leaf lettuce is more easily managed in mid-summer than head lettuce and unless one can give special attention this is a better sort to sow for succession.
onions
are an all-the-year-round vegetable and belong to each season according to how they are handled. for green onions, early in spring, the white potato, or multiplier, onions are deservedly popular; these are usually raised from sets planted in drills where they are to form a permanent bed and cultivated during summer; they99 form a clump of tender shoots which are ready for use in may. if, however, the bed is neglected and allowed to form sod or weeds the onions deteriorate and become tough and woody; their principal merit consists in their earliness. for first class bunching onions, however, onions with bottoms, one should sow seed in august in a fine, clean seed bed that has been heavily manured, scattering the seed thinly in drills one foot or fifteen inches apart and thin the plants to stand two inches apart in the rows. onions are quite hardy and will usually winter without protection but in severe climates a light covering of straw or of evergreen boughs will be beneficial; this practice gives very fine green onions early in the spring.
another practice, very satisfactory for the home garden, consists in planting in early spring the old onions placed in storage for winter use; usually these will have begun to grow by march and are useless for cooking, but if pulled apart and each shoot planted out in good garden soil they will start at once into growth and in a few100 weeks' time produce a delicious green onion, sweet and of the utmost tenderness. i have found it a good thing to spade the flower beds intended for the growing of annuals and bedding plants early in the season and plant the onions in these, thus saving room in the garden and getting a greater use of the flower beds.
unlike many vegetables the onion can be grown year after year on the same ground, providing it is well fertilized each year with barnyard manure, so that the humus content of the soil is not depleted. clean tilth is essential, so that as little hand work as possible may be required for onions tops are exceedingly tender and injury to them checks the growth of the bulbs. the garden overalls adopted by many women for working is a distinct advantage in the onion bed. for onion sets sow seed in drills early in spring; gather the sets when ripe and store in a dry place till spring; slight freezing will not injure them but they must be protected from thawing and freezing.
but for winter onions of notable size and quality101 the new onion culture should be adopted:—this consists in sowing the seed in the hotbed in early spring and transplanting to the open ground when the weather is suitable. set the tiny plants an inch apart in the rows, thin when big enough to use as green onions, removing every other one leaving them standing two inches apart, thin again to stand four inches apart and grow on until fall. if seed of prizetaker or ailsa craig are used onions quite the equal of the fancy spanish onions sold in the fruit stores will be produced. the soil must be more than ordinarily rich; besides the spring dressing given the garden before ploughing the space selected for the onions should have well-rotted manure trenched in at the rate of a wheelbarrow load to every square yard: in trenching lay back a spade's depth of soil across the end of the onion bed; fill this space with manure, trench a second row, throwing the soil on top of the manure, fill the fresh trench with manure and continue till the whole bed has been worked over. rake the bed until the surface is perfectly fine and smooth and sow the102 seeds in drills fifteen inches apart or set the plants as directed.
onions are occasionally attacked by root lice which if not at once exterminated will quickly destroy the plants; the lice work on the roots of the onion and the first evidence of their presence is a sickly yellowing of the tops; if an onion is pulled up and examined the presence of the tiny white lice will at once be evident: the remedy is salt and the method of applying is to open a shallow trench beside the rows and scatter salt quite plentifully along it, filling in the earth again; one application will exterminate the lice. attacks of root lice are by no means common, but the fact that they do occur and are very deadly should make one watchful for the first sign of discoloration in the tops.
when the onion tops show signs of ripening they should be broken down; this is sometimes done by rolling a barrel over them. a light home-made roller may be easily constructed by taking a length of nine inch stove pipe, fitting a103 piece of wood in each end with a hole through the center to admit a bar of wood or iron which should be attached at the ends to a handle adjusted so as to allow the cylinder to roll; this being light can be rolled over the bed, leveling two or more rows at a time according to the length of the cylinder; it can be quickly constructed of waste material about the place and any piece of wood of suitable length—a couple of lathes, even, will answer, will do for handles. it is a good idea when it is found necessary to employ help in cultivating the garden to have a few little jobs like this on hand in case rain interferes with the work; in this way neither the time of the help nor the money of the employer is wasted and i have found that it gives far better satisfaction to the help if there is something of the kind for him to do so that he need not lose his day's or forenoon's work. sharpening tools is another job that it pays to remember in the odd moments. a memorandum of things that can be done when it rains, tacked up in a conspicuous place in the104 work room, toolhouse or barn is a very useful reminder and avoids an awkward delay while one tries to think of something to do.
if possible onions should be dug on a warm, bright day and allowed to lie on the ground until dry and clean; they should then be stored in a dry, airy loft or on a scaffolding. on the hay in a barn is a good place for onions and they can be left there until freezing weather, for the shorter time they are in a warm house the better they will keep. if the temperature drops suddenly a little hay can be thrown over them. slight freezing does not injure onions, but repeated freezing and thawing does. an upstairs room is better for storing than a cellar unless the latter is unusually dry and not too warm. onions will, usually, keep in perfect condition until the middle of february or the first of march, when they will begin to grow and should be sorted out, and the sound ones given a cool, dry place and sold or used as quickly as possible and the remainder saved for planting in the open ground.
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parsley
so universally used for garnishing and for flavoring soups and salads is of very slow germination and for that reason is more successfully grown when started in hotbeds and transplanted into the open ground in may. the ancients held that parsley should never be sown as they claimed that the seed had to make a journey to hades and remain six weeks; when sown in the open ground it seems to bear out that theory, so slow is its appearance above ground. in the hotbed it requires about three weeks. england, too, has its superstition of the parsley, believing like the ancients, that it should be planted, not sown, that it must make the long journey to the infernal regions and return and that there the devil takes his tithe of it, for proof of which they point to the fact that a small part only of the seed comes up. a better explanation would be found, i think, in the quality of the seed, the home grown seed coming up quite as well as other seed, the boughten seed sometimes proving unsatisfactory.
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the greeks held the plant in great respect. a crown made of dried and withered leaves was given to the victors in their games. a crown together with a bunch of laurel was dedicated to the god of banquets while all the guests at these feasts wore crowns of parsley under the impression that the herb created quiet and promoted appetite. the romans also decked themselves in like manner upon similar occasions because they believed that the plant had the power to absorb the fumes of wine and thus prevent drunkenness.
it was parsley that hercules selected for the making of his first garland of victory. greek gardens were bordered with parsley and rue, giving rise to the saying, "oh, we are only at the parsley and rue." as these ancients used the plant in their rejoicing and merrymaking, so, too, it was brought into use in their funeral decorations. sprigs of the herb were strewn over their dead. according to old folk lore parsley should be sown on good friday.
parsley is a biennial plant, making a fine clump107 of edible leaves the first year which in mild winters or protected positions survives the winter and starts into growth the following spring. it soon, however, runs to seed and is of no further value except to produce seed. if, however, one wants a small supply of parsley without the annual trouble of sowing and transplanting a small bed of it may be allowed to go to seed and self-sow, when it becomes, practically, a perennial but does not attain the fine quality that the specially grown plant does. a single row through the garden will furnish parsley for an entire neighborhood as the older leaves are gathered as needed and the crown allowed to produce new leaves; this should be done whether the leaves are needed or not as the quality of the new growth will be finer in every way, for leaving the old leaves to mature checks the growth of the crown leaves. nine inches at least should be allowed between the plants and twelve is better, though when the tiny plants are first transplanted it may seem a long and lonely distance between them, but the plants soon fill up the space.
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very little cultivation is needed between the plants when once they attain full size; the plants are so dense and spreading that they effectually choke out the younger weed growth, but the space between rows should be kept clean.
of the varieties to plant, only the fine moss curled should be selected. the champion moss curled is a standard sort and one of the best, rich green in color and so crumpled and curled as to have the appearance of moss. nearly all florists or seedsmen have their own especial brand of seed and one can select those which promise the best product. if desired bunches of the parsley may be lifted in the fall and potted or planted in window-boxes for winter use. they make a most attractive plant for the window and a pot of parsley, one of well-blanched endive and one of red celestial peppers make a most cheerful window decoration for the kitchen or dining-room, as well as furnishing crisp decorative material for the table.
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parsnips
may be classed among the early spring vegetables as they are planted as early as the ground can be worked in spring and are likewise ready for use as soon as the frost is out of the ground so that they may be dug; like all root vegetables they require rich, deeply dug or ploughed land. not less than twelve inches in depth is required for successful cultivation; with shallow cultivation crooked and many branched roots are produced which are unsalable and of little value for home consumption. the long, smooth, beautifully white roots—two inches or more at the crown, are only produced in well-prepared soil.
parsnips are planted directly in the open ground as soon as the ground can be worked in spring, sowing the seed in drills an inch and a quarter deep, covering and tramping down the rows if the weather is dry. they should be thinned to stand from four to six inches apart in the row that the roots may make perfect development. the rows should be eighteen inches110 apart and the ground kept loose and clean throughout the growing season.
the usual practice is to let the parsnips remain in the ground over winter, taking up and storing in boxes of slightly moist earth or sand, in the cellar, a supply for winter use. the parsnip is improved in quality by a touch of frost but must be dug before growth starts in the spring.
parsnips are eaten quite readily by belgian hares and imperfect or small roots may be sorted out and fed to them, avoiding any loss in grading.
peas
of the very earliest kinds, and that is distinctly the smooth peas, should be gotten into the ground very early in spring. most of the early sorts will stand considerable cold, but the wrinkled sorts are tender and should not be planted until the weather and soil are warm and reasonably dry. more failures in growing peas come from planting in cold, wet soil, in a mistaken hurry to get early peas than from any other cause.
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ground for peas should be very rich; it is not sufficient that the garden plot has been well manured before ploughing;—the strip allotted to the growing of peas should have additional fertilizer trenched in, especially is this necessary in growing the wrinkled sorts and especially the dwarf peas, such as nott's excelsior and the like. these dwarf peas cannot bear a big crop on their abbreviated tops unless forced to production by heavy feeding, but as the wrinkled, medium early and mid-season peas are the most delicious of all in quality, the extra care required is well repaid. another object in heavy fertilizing is that by this means a succession of peas may be grown on the same ground. personally i prefer peas that require support to the very dwarf sorts; in the first place you have more vine for the production of pods. you cannot, with the best intentions, get as big a crop from one foot of vine as you can from three, all things being equal. again, the labor of gathering pods from upright growing vines where the pods are easily seen and reached is far less than from the112 prostrate vines which must be lifted or looked under in search of pods. wire netting furnishes a better support than brush and where the gardener is a woman is much pleasanter to work about. brush has an unpleasant habit of catching on the clothing and twisting around, often to the injury of the vine, but the netting gives a firm support, to which the vine readily attaches itself.
in the home garden the best way to plant peas is in double rows a foot apart, making the trench about three inches deep and dropping the peas as evenly as possible. early sown peas do not require as deep planting as the wrinkled sorts which may be planted four or five inches deep to avoid blight. as the wrinkled sorts are very tender they should not go into the ground before corn planting time and not then unless the nights and soil are warm.
an excellent arrangement for a succession of peas in the home garden is to prepare the rows by trenching in manure and then make two furrows a foot apart and in one furrow plant the113 earliest peas and in the other a second early pea, stretching a four or five foot width of wire netting between the rows; this extends the bearing season a couple of weeks. when all the pods have formed on the earliest varieties of vines a second furrow may be opened beside it and a wrinkled sort of medium earliness be planted; these will be ready to climb about the time the first vines are turning yellow when they may be pulled up, leaving their place for the new vines. this system of succession of planting may be repeated on the other side of the netting, thus giving four sowings of peas to one strip of netting and a succession of peas for several weeks.
the germination of the seed may be hastened by soaking the seed over night in warm water and when sowing unsoaked seed, in dry weather, germination is hastened by pouring hot water into the trench before covering the seed.
the experienced gardener will have his pet variety of peas but the amateur will be somewhat afield in selection so i would suggest as a desirable early sort the gradus or prosperity pea, a114 delicious sort of the tall kind that has much to recommend it. american wonder is another extra early pea of a wrinkled sort that appeals to those who prefer a dwarf pea, being but a foot in height and compares in general excellence with nott's excelsior. on the same trellis with gradus may be planted the senator pea; this is a number one pea in every respect—quality, quantity and appearance; following these one may plant more senators and the telephone; these will give a succession of peas for several weeks.
so many enemies conspire against the pea that close watch must be kept from the planting of the seed until the plants are well above the ground. usually the chief depredation comes from moles which run along underneath the seed and destroy it; poisoned bait placed in the trench along with the seed often destroys the moles before much damage is done. a mole trap set at each end of the row or at the point where the mole enters the run will often prove effective.115 a very successful home made trap consists of a large can or crock—a lard can is good, sunk in the ground and a trap consisting of a long, endless box with about a third of the bottom sawed apart and pivoted on nails driven through the side, so that anything entering at one end will drop through the swinging trap into the can beneath, which should be kept full of water; this arrangement will catch more moles than any steel trap with which i am familiar, and as the presence of the moles in the garden threatens other vegetables as well as the peas it will be time well spent to prepare one or more of these traps for use when occasion arises; the making of these traps may well be put on the list of rainy day tasks.
cutworms sometimes take the peas as fast as they appear above the ground; poisoned bait along the rows before the peas break the ground will dispose of this enemy. blackbirds often destroy a planting of peas before their presence is suspected and english sparrows have been116 known to do much damage, so if one would enjoy fresh, home grown peas one must exercise due vigilance.
the use of mulford and other cultures for inoculating peas is growing in practice among the most progressive gardeners and is a very wise precaution to take; especially is it desirable in intensive culture suggested by growing two crops of peas on the same strip of land. peas, like all legumes, are nitrogen feeders and gatherers and the use of the culture supplies the young plant, at the start, with nitrogen and puts it in shape to begin the accumulation of nitrogen from the air by its own efforts. the nitrogen gathered from the air is stored up on the roots in the form of nodules or bunches, and it is for this reason that the growing of all legumes is so beneficial to the soil. if when the first planting of peas is matured and gathered the vines are cut or broken off close to the ground, instead of being pulled up, root and all, this supply of nitrogen will remain in the soil and be available for the succeeding crop.
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the inoculating of the seed is very simple: the small bottles, which, by the way, cost but twenty-five cents for garden size, are only one-fourth full; simply fill up the bottle with water and moisten the seed before planting; this is all, and the same bottle will supply inoculating material for the beans which also being legumes respond favorably to the treatment.
radishes
a few radishes may be grown in the hotbed for very early use, but the main planting should be in the open ground. it is hardly worth while to devote any definite part of the garden to radishes as room can be found for them among the other vegetables. an excellent way to grow them is to drop seeds at intervals along the rows of beets, carrots, parsnips and salsify. all these seeds are slow in germinating and by dropping in occasional radish seeds which germinate in from three to five days the rows will be marked so that they may be kept cultivated without waiting for the plants to appear and indicate the rows.118 a surprising amount of radishes will be grown in this way, without any special labor and loss of ground; and they will be out of the way before the ground is needed for the permanent occupant of the row.
the turnip rooted sorts are the most quickly and easily grown, the twenty day as its name indicates being ready for use in twenty days and the french breakfast and improved breakfast radish being ready in twenty-five; both of these are very tender, crisp and mild sorts and beautiful in appearance, white at the base and scarlet above, making a beautiful appearance when prepared for the breakfast table with a bit of the green top for contrast. for those who prefer a white radish the icicle radish is a fine sort, crisp and tender and does not grow coarse or pithy until quite large.
if one wishes to devote a definite space to radishes and maintain a succession of plants it will be a good plan to drop a seed in the ground for each radish pulled; in this way there will be a constant supply of young, crisp radishes all summer.
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where only a few are desired it is a good plan to plant a short space of the rows devoted to other vegetables to radishes and lettuce and perhaps a few plants of endive and parsley next to the path and near the house so that they may be easily got at without walking on the newly cultivated ground.
salsify
is another plant that is started very early in the spring and eaten as soon as the frost is out of the ground. it is one of the most useful and delicious of this class of plants and is not nearly as much cultivated as it should be. sliced and cooked tender it makes, when combined with milk, seasoning and cracker crumbs, a most acceptable substitute for oyster soup or, cooked, mashed and mixed with a little flour and seasoning and butter, dipped in egg and bread crumbs, it makes delicious little cakes when fried. its culture is simple, any good, light fertile soil producing a good crop, but to produce clean, smooth roots it should be deeply dug and well cultivated.120 sow the seed in shallow drills early in the season; thin to stand six inches apart in the row. it is hardy and may remain in the ground all winter, but a supply for winter use should be dug at the approach of cold weather and stored in boxes of sand or earth in the root cellar. as soon as the frost is out of the ground in spring and before growth starts they must be dug. if it is desired to grow seed the plants should be set out again, or may be left where they are if the ground is not needed for other vegetables, and cultivated the same as seedling plants.
spinach
the most important of the vegetables grown for greens, should be sown in the open ground as early as the ground can be worked if wanted for early spring and summer use. for fall and winter use sow in september. for a succession sow every two weeks. sow in drills one foot apart and one inch deep, in soil as fertile as one can compass; the soil cannot be too rich for spinach, as upon the rapidity of its growth depends121 the tenderness and succulence of its leaves; in poor soil, especially if allowed to suffer for water, the leaves will be tough and ill-flavored. light applications of nitrate of soda have a magic effect on spinach and should be applied lightly every two weeks.
the round seeded savoy is a standard sort, with thick, fleshy leaves, curled and crinkled; the new zealand is a good sort for summer as it withstands heat well and is slow to run to seed. in gathering the spinach the entire top may be cut off a bit above the crown; this induces a new, quick, tender growth of leaves.
in planting for spring and winter use the beds should be covered with straw at the approach of cold weather. spinach often self-sows and gives a volunteer crop the following spring. when the spinach begins to send up seed stalks it may be cut and fed to the rabbits and so waste that would otherwise ensue may be avoided.
