A-B-C of Vegetable Gardening

by Eben E. Rexford

Every season some enterprising seedsman comes out with an announcement that he has developed or discovered a remarkable new variety of some standard vegetable so far superior to any other variety on the market that, as soon as its merits become fully known, it will drive all competitors out of the field. Of course this new candidate for favor is offered at a fancy price, "because the supply is limited, and the demand for it is increasing to such an extent that the entire stock will soon be sold out. Order at once, to avoid disappointment." Don't be in a hurry to take this advice. Wait until next season. The chances are that you will hear nothing more about it. We have so many very excellent varieties now that there is no reason why we should ask for anything better. If the "novelty" is the possessor of real merit you will be sure to hear about it later, but it is hardly likely to prove an improvement on what we already have, for it is hard to imagine anything superior to the standard varieties of vegetables that we have at present.

I would not advise purchasing seed at the general store. Some of this may be reliable, but so much of it is inferior that one cannot afford to run the risk of experimenting with it. It is the part of wisdom to purchase where you can feel sure of getting just the variety you want.

We are likely to have a few frosty nights along about the middle of September. Tender vegetables may be injured if not protected. But if covered with blankets or papers the danger may be tided over, and during the long period of pleasant weather that generally follows these early frosts we can get as much pleasure out of the garden as it afforded during the early fall. It pays to protect.

The housewife will take a great deal of delight in the preparation of piccalilli, chow-chow, and the various other condiments which have such a stimulating effect on the appetite in early spring, when "that tired feeling" is likely to make a good deal of the food that is placed before us unattractive. In the making of these good things unripe tomatoes and peppers will play an important part. So will onions that are too small to store away for winter use. She will find use for all of these things which a man would consider worthless. Really, there is but little chance for waste of garden productions if there is an appreciative and prudent woman in the kitchen.

A few roots of horseradish should find a place in all gardens, preferably in some out-of-the-way corner where it can be allowed to spread without interfering with other plants. Spread it will, every little piece of root that is broken off in the ground in digging the large roots becoming an independent plant as soon as thrown upon its own resources. Because of this tendency to "take possession of the land" many persons who have undertaken its culture refuse to give it a place in their gardens. But it is really an easy matter to keep it within the limits assigned it by promptly uprooting any plant that may make its appearance outside the space given over to it. Those who are fond of something pungent and peppery to eat with meats, either hot or cold, will not consent to be without it. It is at its best as soon as the frost is out of the ground sufficiently to admit of its being dug. It should be used as soon as possible after digging, as it loses much of its piquant quality if left exposed to the air for a short time. Roots can be dug in late fall for winter use, and packed in boxes of soil, which should be stored in the cellar or some other place where they can be kept as cool as possible without actually freezing. But in order to have it in perfection roots freshly dug in spring must be depended on.

Leaves of horseradish make excellent greens if used when green and tender. A few of them cooked with young beets will give the latter a flavor that will make their sweetness all the more appreciable.

Speaking of greens reminds me to say that the dandelion can be cultivated to advantage in the home garden. Under cultivation it improves in size, and becomes a plant quite unlike the tiny, hundred-leaved specimens we dig from the roadside in spring, of which a bushel will be required in order to secure a good "mess" for a greens-loving family, as most of such a picking will have to be discarded when it is "looked over" preparatory to cooking. In order to prevent the garden-grown dandelion from becoming a nuisance it must not be allowed to bloom and develop seed.

A most delightful salad can be made from the new growth of the dandelion, in spring, if properly bleached. This can be done by covering the plants with dry leaves as soon as they begin to grow, thus excluding light and inducing rapid development. Or, if most convenient, flower-pots can be inverted over the plants. The small amount of light that comes to them through the drainage-hole in the bottom of the pot will materially assist in hastening the growth of the leaves in such a manner as to give them a crisp tenderness and deprive them of that bitter tang which characterizes the foliage when fully grown under exposure to the light and air. Just enough of this spicy quality to make the salad delightfully appetizing will be found in them when grown in this way.