The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-03-02
FARM AND HOME.
The Best VepctabIoe

A Judlclous selection of seed lies at
the very foundation of all success. For
this reason the safe rule is for each one
to cultivate only such varieties as have
proved successful in the same soil and
climate. But to adhere rigidly 70 this
rule would exclude all the newer and
more improved varieties. 1t is desira-
Die, therefore, to experiment with new
varieties to moderate extent, while re-
tanning the old reliable sorts for the main
crop. The experience of others in this
sort OF experimenting is available to a
certain extent, and saves many vexatious
failures. Peter Henderson writes to the
Agrtcuttur7st the result of trials made in
1871, which is so valuable that we repro
duce 1t entire, promising that each one
OF our readers will keep in mind the
difference between his own soil and eli
mate and that of eastern New Jersey:
For a number of years past we have
set apart piece of ground on Jersey
City Heights, n. j., for testing the rela-
tive merits of all the leading kinds of
vegetables in general use. Every class is
treated exactly alike. All of each class
Is sown on the same day, and in every
subsequent operation the greatest care is
taken that ali are treated alike, whether
sown in hot-bed to be transplated, or
when sown in the open ground. Our
Trial Book" shows the following results
OF the various tests. We name, how
ever, only the varieties having merit, all
such as were tested and found to be in
ferior, either in earliness or quality, not
being named here at all or merely noticed
to SHOW wherein, in our estimation, the
want of merit lies About an average
of % varieties of each kind of vegeta-
| bles were tested, and at least 80 plants of
variety:
Beans, Bush-Early Mohawk is a few
days earlier than Valentine, which is
yet the best for general crop. Black Wax
is fine stringless variety. Refugee
late and largely used for picking.
Beans, Pole-Large Lima is still the
favorite. Dutch Case Knife is also an
excellent sort, and the Giant Wax is a
stringless snap bean, but climber.
Beets-For first early we find Egyp-
tian best, next the Blood Turnip, and for
late the Long Blood Bassano is early,
but Objectionable for market, on account
of its very light color.
Mangels and Sugar Beets-In an i'm
partial trial of the four best known sorts,
Norbiton Giant gave 20 per cent. more
weight per acre than any other
Cabbages seeds were sown in
hOt-bed on March lst, and the plants set
out in the open ground the first week in
April. The early Wakefield still stands
unrivalled as earliest and best of its size,
it being in fine marketable order on June
10. Early summer, however, that came only
one week later, was double the weight,
and equally uniform in heading. This
we find is becoming the favorite large
early variety in almost every section of
the country. 1t has only been intro
duced into general cultivation within the
past four years, though it has been grown
for nearly twenty years by one of our
best Long Island farmers, who had a
monopoly of it up to that time. Next in
value as a second early comes the Win
ningstadt, well known pyramidal-
shaped variety of great solidity. Next
in order came early fiat Dutch, which, by
middle of July, gave heads of Is lbs
weight. For the fall crop, (sown in May,)
nothing is found better than premium
bat Dutch. A correspondent in Penn
sylvania writes that a field of FIVE acres
averaged II lbs. per head American
drum-head savoy is best in its class OF
cabbages for picking, we find the blood
red erfurt by far the best colored.
Carrot-French forcing. earliest and
handsome, next early horn, and a new
ish sort called half long red, of very
bright color and excellent flavor. For
field crop improved long Orange is best.
Culiflowers, (sown and planted at same
date as the cabbage The new variety
known as early SNOWFALL is the best
acquisition of the season. 1t was week
earlier than all other sorts tried heads of
fine size, of snowy whiteness, few and
short leaves, making it in every way
desirable, whether for growing under
glass or in the open ground. Next to
| this was the extra early erfurt hitherto
considered the best variety Later for
succession, same half early Paris and LIE
NormandIs short stemmed, too late for
early, but valuable as fall sort
Celery Probably in no vegetable cul-
tivated has the variety 50 much to do
with success as celery. Our own exper-
fence and that of our immediate neigh
bors, is that nearly all of the giant or tall
growing kinds are Improbable to raise
Not only does their culture entail twice
the labor, but they are almost always
wanting in solidity and in flavor.
While some hundreds of acres of celery
are now grown for the market of New
| York, the kinds are mainly the half
dwarf and dwarf Sandringham, in the
proportion of four of the first to one of
the second. The Boston Market variety
has never been favorite for the New
York market, as its tendency to throw
up suckers or side shoots, considered the
merit of that variety in Boston, makes it
Objectionable here. Hoods dwarf red is
the best variety of celery in cultivation,
but the American public, with few ex-
ceptions, will not use red celery, while
in England it is highly valued, as it
should be, for it is not only much better
favored than the white sorts, but it keeps
better, and surely, when used as an
ornamental vegetable, as celery often is,
its bright crimson and white color makes
it more attractive than the white.
Corn-Minnesota we find to be the
earliest variety of good size. The habit
is dwarf, the size of the ear medium,
very productive and sweet Large s.
rowed, second early, large size, sweet.
The New Egyptian variety is large
sized; is about as early as S-rowed. The
| merit claimed for it is its excellent flavor
1t has been but little grown outside of
Baltimore, but has been cultivated there
for several years, to the exclusion of
nearly all the other sorts. StowelPs
Evergreen for late main crop; we find