The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-01-25
EXPERIMENTS IN VEGETABLE
GROWING.

Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
This is the subject of bulletin No.
20, Kansas Station. There is an in.
troductory exhortation to farmers to
add to the healthfulness and pleasure
Of living by giving more attention to
their kitchen gardens. The savings in
doctors bills, loss of time and cost of
living would be very great, in the ag
gregate for the whole State. Each
farmer should have a few sash and hot
beds to produce early salads, and an
abundance of plants we'll advanced for
setting in the ground by the. time spring
opens in earnest. Directions are given
for constructing, filling and managing
hotb2ds and cold frames. In the cauli-
flower tests, seeds of Hendersou's Early
SNOWFALL and Early London @
planted February IL, the young plants
were transplRnted In greenhouse March
10, and set in open field April 6. 81 feet
by 90 inches, giving 5000 plants per
acre. The weather was ideal, clean
and frequent culture was given, and an
even, thrifty growth was secured. The
first heads were cut June 2, but the
heaviest cutting was June 10 The
heads averaged z inches across and
about 2 pounds weight when trimmed
ready for market. After this date hot
weather rendered the heads darker,
looser and tougher. The Early Snow
ball was 10 days earlier than the Lon
don and gave a heavier yield. OF the
5000 plants per acre, about 5000 mar
ketable heads were secured. The Early
Erturt is the favorite variety in the
Kansas City market. High manuring,
high culture, abundant water and an
even low temperature are essential to
c in cauIifower culture.
For two years this station has sue
cessfully grown extra early cabbage
by sowing seed September 1, wintering
the plants in cold frames well banked
up and protected from freezing by GOV
erings OF. mats or straw when required,
and setting in the open ground about
April 1.
Ten varieties of asparagus were
grown, yielding in the following order:
The Hub, Elmira, Vlck's New Nam
moth, Palmetto, Moore's Crossbred,
Conover's Colossal, Barr's Mammoth,
Columbian, Dreer's Eclipse, Giant Pur-
pie Top. The first yielded more than
twice as much as the last in this list.
Experiments in winter growing OF
asparagus in beds under the green
house benches proved improbable, but
it is thought special arrangements for
this crop could be made that would
produce a profit.
Onion tests at this station for several
years, involving nearly 100 varieties,
give results very much in favor of Prizs-
taker as to yield. In keeping qualities
Wethersf1eld stands first, Danvers
second, Prizetaker third and Silver
King fourth. Subsoiling and irrigat-
ing doubled the yield.
This bulletin gives the following in
teresting account Of a novel way OF
securing early potatoes:
"Any method by which earlier pota-
toes can be obtained than by the ordi
nary planting is desirable both in the
family garden and the truckers field,
as a few days, even, make a great diff
ference in the value of such a crop.
"a method practiced by English gar
deners, and described by J. Wright, F.
H. Il. 5, in his Ten Lectures Delivered
Before the Surrey County Council
was given a trial here last spring with
such success as to be worth reportino
upon.
son February %, four of the com.
mon greenhouse seed fats were filed
with even sized tubers placed with the
seed end or apex up, and were filled
around with sand, leaving the upper
fourth of the tubers exposed. Forty
four tubers filed a fiat, and one ia
each of the varieties White Ohio
Beauty of Hebron, Early Harvest ant
Carman No. 1 was prepared. Thes
fats were set under a bench in a COO