The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1906-05-05
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.
A Matter That should BE Occupying
Some Attention Now-Selec-
ton Of Seeds.

to say:
In the matter of choosing the va
rieties to plant either for the market
Of for home consumption every vegeta-
bic grower must be more or less law
unto himself. Experience in certain
locality, on certain given piece of
ground counts for more than all the
outside advice that can be put together.
II is so largely local matter that the
question must always be approached
with the feeling well, I'd rather not 4"
Some good general advice, may, how
ever be given.
Do not plant novelties in large guam
tities-test them fir5t-try only a lit
tie. Every year new varieties are
brought out by the seedsmen and after
few years we wonder where they
have gone Simply disappeared-proved
to be inferior to other more stable and
time tried varieties and they have
dropped out of sight. On the other
hand many Of the new things are real
ly genuinely good. Every variety that
We esteem highly was new one time,
but we must be positive before plant
ing the new things extensively Then
get little seed of the new thing and
see what they will do. Every year a
small plot should be devoted to this
test work and the new things which
prove to be good can be planted more
largely another year and may often
help the planter to get ahead of his
neighbor.
But buy the old varieties, the things
with which you are acquainted. The
very fact that they are old, that they
have stood the test of many seasons,
is proof that they have merit, that they
are the safe ones to plant
Now for little specific advice which
may prove helpful. In choosing va
rieties for the home garden some at
tention should be given to this point
Because quality counts In the price re-
ceived, but with long distance to
ship, carrying quality is often quite
as important.
But what is quality? What is at the
bottom of it? The variety? Yes, partly,
but more than that, vastly more. 1t Is
the variety plus climate and soil and
sun and plant food and vigorous
growth and-the man back of them all.
No matter how good the variety, if 1t
is not well fed and well-eared for,
grown in congenial surroundings, 1t
will not have the desired quality.
Starve 1t, let it grow by fits and starts,
and what is the result? Strong unde-
sirable flavor and something unfit to
eat. The question of light and shade
has much to do with 1t. Shade reduces
the fiber in the plant, reduces the green
coloring matter in the leaves, lessons
the strength of flavor. That is why let
tuce grown under cloth is so far su-
perior to that produced in the open.
Some of the Best Varieties of Each
Common Vegetable.
Asparagus-Conever,s Colossal and
Palmetto are both good stocky varie-
ties. The first is perhaps the stand
ard variety to-day.
Beans-Good string beans can now
be had with the strings left out. This
was not possible few years ago. Val
entine, Longfellow and Golden Wax
are good. Dreer's Pole Lima and Jack
son Wonder are good limas
Beets-Early Egyptian and Eclipse
are good.
Cabbage-Jersey Wakefield and
Charleston Wakefield are hard to sur
pass for early crop. Nearly all very
early cabbages have pointed heads.
Danish Ball head for the mountain
sections is the best late variety
Caulifiower-Early Dwarf Erfurt or
Dry Weather.
Celery-Golden Self Branching and
White Plume are the only ones worthy
of attention in the south.
Corn-Stowell's Evergreen, Country
Gentleman and Cosmopolitan.
Cucumber-White Spine, Arlington
White Spine, Boston Spines. All Spines
are the same with variations.
Egg Plant-New York Improved and
Black Beauty.
Lettuce-Big Boston and California
Cream Butter for market Tennis Ball
and Mignonette are good for home use.
Iceberg, loose variety, will grow in
hotter weather than almost any other
variety.
Cantaloupe-Rocky Ford is unsur-
passed. 1t is the standard market sort
but Jenny Lind, also known as Jersey
Button, is a close second in quality.
Carrot-Danvers and Oxheart.
Irish Potatoes-Red and White Bliss
and Early Rose.
Onions-Yellow Danvers, Prizetaker
and Bermuda.
Okra-White Velvet.
Peas-Alaska Gradus, Motifs Excel
sior and American Wonder
Radishes-The long varieties can be
kept in the ground longer without be-
coming pithy than the round ones, but
for very early. choose round varieties
They can be matured in three weeks
French Breakfast Scarlet Turnip and
Long Cardinal.
Turnips-White Egg is one of the
best. Early Milan and White Strap
leaved are also good.
Tomato-Spark's Earliana, Beauty
and Ponderosa. The First is the earliesI