Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-05-31
In The

are not aimed at, these may be sown
In the open as soon as the season of
frosts is over. or little before. If
care is taken to protect them on sus-
piciously cool nights.
The time when outside sowing. or
transplanting. may be done with
safety cannot be given here, for leav-
ing the difference in season out Of the
question. the southernmost gardeners
might be able to SOW and plant weeks
earlier than those farther north, but
there Is one thing that all, regardless
OF location. should do, and that is
to take every precaution to secure
good seeds.
If really interested in having a
good garden, do not fail to get at
least one good catalogue each year;
for knowing what's what in the way
of improved varieties or new produc-
tions means plain dollars and cents
to the gardener, as we'll as added in
terest in the work.
When making out your order. re-
member that while certain varieties
of the different vegetables were the
best possible to grow few years ago,
they have been improved in many
ways. and search the catalogue for
the last word concerning such i'm
proved varieties. AS an Illustration:
a few years ago little was heard OF
chicory (often called succory), ex-
cept as the roots were used as a sub
stitute for coffee; little later an i'm
proved type appeared. which was val
ued for the fine leaves. to be used
as a salad plant, under the name of
endive. and now We have it with
leaves beautifully marked with pink,
and called "rose-striped chicory," or
orchid salad plant" Again. the green
kale has ben improved to the point
where We can have it with the leaves
marked with white, pink and crimson,
for use as a garnish.
Another thing the catalogue does
for the gardener Ia to call attention
to absolutely new things. The de
partment of agriculture experimental
with the Japanese lido for a long
time, but the general public knew
nothing Of 1t until it was listed in the
catalogue, with both cultural direc
tons and recipes for serving.
Improvements are not in unusual
varieties alone, but are constantly be-
ing made in the commonest sorts.
The peppers of a generation ago
were few in varieties, while today
they range from the tiny hot ones to
those of giant size that are SO meaty
they may be sliced and fried. and SO
sweet they are delicious when eaten
raw. or more delicious in a pepper
sandwich. The solid. meaty, few.
seeded tomatoes of today are little
like the watery ones of few years
ago, and 80 the improvements might
be followed through every class OF
quality, earlier or later bearings or
come other improved feature to III
fiuence the gardeners selection.
Few women take time and trouble
to prepare a hotbed, though it will
serve a double purpose by being later
on, disable as a cold frame. 1t Is well
worth while to make one. even though
small and of the crudest description
but II none is provided for. be sure
that a good supply of the shallow
boxes, known as fats" are ready for
use in the house during the seed-start
ing season. The boxes may be of any
length and width convenient to
handle, or suited to the space that can
be given them, but number of small
ones are easier to manage than a few
large ones.
Some seeds are slower to terminate
than others, and need different condi-
lions of light and warmth, and il
but one or two similar varieties are in
a fiat, they can be moved to stronger
light and a cooler place, when the
change would ruin the advanced ones
To move these where it was too warm
and not light enough, would be to
make them so spindling that no after
care could overcome the defect
The fats need not be over two
inches, or they may be three or four.
In the first case, half an inch of
drainage material under an inch of
very fine soil gives a fine seed bed.
The deper boxes, with an inch OF