The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-03
Progressive Farmer.)
Mid-Winter Garden Notes.

tbe garden gate and taking lettuce az
seyenty-fve cents a dozen heads' lhe
frame lettuce pays very Wen. but u
course in a town of only 1000 people
there is not much chance for greatly
charging the local sales. The prlce
pays very we'll and the grocerS can
well afford to pay it, for they are re
failing lettuce at 10 cents a nead. linen
we have a head on the dinner tao1e
every day, and there is nothing peter
and more wholesome than d green
salad in winter.
It showed steadily all night early in
the month, and there was nearly hve
inches of snow on unfrOzen ground. IL
7 had had lettuce under cotton cioth'
would have been obliged to shake the
snow off, but on the glass 1t was SIM
ply a blanket to keep out old. But at
nightfall the temperature began to rise
and the snow turned to rain, and the
next morning at daybreak the sho"
had disappeared.
learn tina there has been a great
falling off in the culture Of winter let
tuce in eastern North Carolina Prob
ably the great crop coming from the
open ground in the far South has
made the winter crop ~unprohtable- But
stiI believe that it Will pay we'll to
have lettuce ready for the market IN
April and early May, when the Tar
South has stopped. At that time years
ago when [ was shipping lettuce | al
ways found that the best prices pre-
vailed, and / nee got Is cents a head
for some lettuce shipped in late April,
the highest price l ever received
Bur by watching the markets one
can generally find one that is kin
lettuce freely at good prices. The last
week in November I was among the
produce commission men in Baltl-
more, and I found the market al
most bare of lettuce, and a
there would have paid we'll while the
markets in New York and Boston were
over supplied. This is where the or
gained produce exchanges We have
here come inI The exchange on the
Eastern Shore of Virginia spends dur
ing the season about $4,000 in tele-
grams, and it pays we'll to do it, as
they are always posted as to the va
rious markets and know where to
send the ears.
The Rlack-Seed Big Boston lettuce
seems to be a great improvement on
the Ole Big Boston. This variety
grows far more compact and with
smaller spread of outside leaves than
the old type, and starts to turn In for
heading as fast as it grows, and, in
fact, has a central head when half
grown.
In Georgia they made an expert
IieIlt III IiiS wa p1diiS. IL
plants We're set in a tender state and a
sudden freeze damaged them badly,
and there was a heavy loss on both
the north and south sides Of the
ridges, but less on the north than on
the south side. The smallest loss was
where the plants were set in an pen
furow. Unde normal conditions l
think that the safest place for the
plants is at the base of a ridge on h
north side, but l am going to try some
in an open furrOW. If the furrOw Is
made deep, and is partly filled with
manure and a slight ridge placed over
this 81 that the top Of the plants will
be slightly under the surface, they will
probably do we'll. But the difficulty
will come, 1 think, in levelling the
soil ia spring.
In the vegetable garden the spinach
is smaller than usual owing TO the
very dry weather in the fall. Curled
Scotch kale is fine, and we are still
getting chard leaves for greens, and
they are better than spinach. Then
we have still the Japanese and the
Chinese radishes in the open ground.
A correspondent asks if I have sue
ceeded heretofore in keeping dahlia
roots as l have described. l have GER
tainly found it the safest way. While
IN eastern North Carolina and south
CIV III VII SeIltId1iE winter
safely where they grow. the trouble is.
that they will start too early and try
to bloom in The hottest weather, and
the flowers will not amount to much.
| found this the case in Raleigh. But
II we have the roots buried in a pit
and covered below the influence OF
the early sun. we can keep them back
and retard the growing till late NAV.
and then they will come into bloom
after the hottest weather is over. Dah-
las need a great deal of moisture. and
TO DO We'll in the South, must be
planted where the soil is moist or
"here they can be irrigated.
l belleve that with a good strain
OF seed it is better in the South tn
grow the dahlia from seed every wear
ana keep no roots over except those
OIL a very special excellence. Seeding,
started IN a cold frame in March can
ne easily transplanted directly to the
II he