me way.

Better than growing vegetables, or where dry land can't be obtained,
is to raise some crop like water cress that usually comes from a
distance.

Often an otherwise poor season will help a specialty. One year wet
weather jumped the price of mint and it sold at double prices. Hot,
dry weather is required to make it produce its best.

Most of the mint produced in this country for peppermint oil is
grown in Michigan. More than 4000 acres are reported from a single
county. Mint oil is worth about $3.50 a pound and costs about a
dollar to produce. Nice bright dried leaves sell for about 15 cent
a pound.

The production of mint is sometimes as high as fifty pounds of oil
to the acre. The bulk of it is grown on marshlands, which a few
years ago were nowhere worth more than a few dollars an acre. The
mint is sent to the manufacturers, where it is purified and made
into flavoring extract or used in chewing gum, etc.

Why should we, with our infinite variety of climates, soils, and
labor, import from England the coarser varieties of seeds of the
cabbage family, savoy, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, or kale? We owe
England enough already for the seed of Liberty we got from her.
California now supplies some seed for onions, carrots, parsnips, and
a few others. The finest cauliflower comes mostly from Denmark now.

Turnip seed, too, mangel-wurzel and swedes, onion, pea, bean,
carrot, parsnip, radish, and beet seeds could be grown here by the
same skill, care, and training as they are grown abroad.

An interesting method of forcing plants by the use of hot water
baths is described in _La Nature_ (Paris), by Henri Coupin. The
process is much simpler than others now in use and may be employed
by any one who has a small greenhouse, no expert treatment being
necessary. Says Mr. Coupin:

"Most trees in our countries undergo a period of rest, during which
all growth appears to be suspended. Branches do not enlarge and the
buds on them remain as they are. They do not arouse from their
torpor until spring, first, because they then find the conditions
necessary for their development, and again, because, during the
period of rest, chemical changes have taken place in them. These are
indispensable, because if they did not occur, the trees, even in the
most favorable conditions, would not open their buds. For example,
plant branches that have quite recently dropped their leaves, in a
warm greenhouse. They will not bud; but make t