Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-05-07
A Few Relishes.

Much mas Deen WTltten, anu moic h0S
been said, about the UNMARRIED and un-
savory diet of farmers. The mention OF
the country is likely to call up in the
minds of town people visions of an un-
ceasing round of pork, bread and pota-
toes, relieved occasionally by fresh fruits,
poultry and eggs. There are abundant
reasons why fresh meat and fish are not
common on the tables of farmers. But
there is absolutely no reason why farmers
should not have an abundance OF the rel
ishes that make the commonest food pal
atable. A different flavor may be given
TO any kind of meat every day in the
week by the use of some vegetables that
can be grown with little trouble or ex-
pense The French, better than any peo-
pie, perhaps, understand how to make ap-
petiZing dishes out of very common sorts
of meat, by the judicious use of favors
impaired bv vegetables. AS rule, the
only vegetables raised in farmers gar
dens, for the purpose named, are onions,
pepper. grass, sage for sausage making,
peppers and horse.radish The latter is
commonly allowed to fight its way with
the grass and burdocks in some fence
corner, and is consequently hard, tough
and i'll favored
that can be easily produced in any garden
and can be cultivated by women and
children First is the radish, so COM
mon in towns, so rare in cities, so excel.
lent everywhere To raise radishes 10
perfection the ground should be some
what sandy and made very rich with we'll
rotted manure. The quicker the growth
the more tender and mild they will be.
N a "a
family should be sown every week from
this time on till October. The first sowing
may be done in the same rows with early
vegetables, as beets and onions. If radish
seeds are dropped in the rows every six
inches, they will come up in few days,
show the row, allow the soil TO be worked
before the other vegetables appear, and
the radishes can be pulled and eaten be-
fore the other vegetables are large enough
to thin out. For later use they can be
sown by themselves. The shorttop or
round varieties are generally the finest
favored, though the longer sorts yield
much more beautifully. For fall and
winter use the white and black Spanish
varieties should be planted.
Celery needs more care and attention,
but 1t richly repays the trouble. 1t re-
quires very rich soil and one not liable
to suffer from drought. The seeds should
be planted in bed in April, or during the
early part of May, and the plants must be
cultivated by hand till they are of size
to transplant, which will ordinarily be
about the first of July. As the crop is de-
signed for fall or winter use, there is no
advantage in Fastening it. The outside
leaves and the ends of the roots should be
trimmed off before setting out. The plants
should be set in rows foHr feet apart, the
plants standing five or six inches apart in
the row. A time should be selected for
this work when the ground is moist, as
the plants are delicate. The first culture
consists in keeping the soil loose and free
from weeds. When the leaves attain a
height of twelve or flfteen inches, the
operating of banking them with earth, in
order TO bleach them, commences. This
consists in gathering the leaves together
with one hand and drawing the earth
around them with the other. A regular
embankment must then be formed by the
aid OF a spade and hne-As the leaves tia
crease in length, more earth must be drawn
up. The leaves at no time should be more
than four inches above the bank of earth.
| The practice of setung celery plants In
deep trenches is now generally abandoned
by gardeners.
No garden has it's full supply of vege-
| tables, no dish of mutton should be
placed on the table, without parsley. 1t
is one Of the most beautiful of plants, and
its exquisite flavor renders palatable the
coarsest of meats. Its peculiar smell
neutralizes the odoc given to the breath
by eating onions. Early in the season 1t
is excellent Tor garRishing dishes on the
table, while at all times it is useful for
flavoring soups and stews. The seeds are
slow in coming up, and for this reason it
is we'll to plant few radish or cabbage
seeds in the rows, that they may mark the
lines, and enable the ground between
them to be kept free Of weeds. The soil
should be very rich for parsley, and pull
verified deeply.
Sweet herbs are worthy of cultivation
for the purpose Of affording favors The
list should include sage, marjOram, rose
mary, summer savoty and thyme. Enough
Of each for the use OF "a family can be
raised from the seed contained in one OF
the papers ordinarily sold for ten cents.
The seed may be planted in drills. the
same as garden vegetables, or in small
beds such as women like to tend
Prairie Farmer.