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IOWA SEED COMPANY, DES MOINES, IOWA. 11.

NOVELTIES ON COVER OF CATALOGUE.
The following six excellent varieties will be found illustrated in colors on the back cover of this catalogue. We want everyone to try them this year, and therefore offer one packet of each for only TWENTY-FIVE CENTS.

MOUGRI.
A wonderful vegetable from the island of Java, which is greatly liked by the natives, has been tried in Europe and we are glad to introduce it here, feeling sure that our customers will be pleased with it. It is a great curiosity, aud [and] we believe that not twenty of our 75,000 customers have ever seen it, and when once seen it will never be forgotten. The plant grows to a height of only 18 to 20 inches, but the great oddity of it is that the pods are very long, sometimes two or three feet, much longer in fact than the plant is high. The plant is of the easiest culture, and any common garden soil is suitable for it. Seed may be sown early in spring in the open ground or sow in a box or in pots in the house and transplant to the garden when well started, care being taken that the plants stand two to three feet apart each way to allow room for the growth of the pods. The seed quickly vegetates and in about eight weeks the plants flower profusely and then produce the extraordinary pods. These are very curious, attaining an immense size in a wonderfully short time, sometimes growing as much as three inches in a night. The pods are solid, crisp and tender, some say they taste "just like a radish," other epicures insist that in flavor they more nearly resemble the water cress. Persons who can not eat radishes because of their proving indigestible with them, will be much pleased with Mougri. The flavor is most agreeable and when half grown they can be eaten on the table in the same way as roots of the common radish, which they greatly resemble in taste, but a far superior to in delicacy of flavor. In salads they will be highly esteemed, for added to their other merits they possess the excellent advantage of being easily digested. They make a good pickle and are well adapted for this purpose. It is, however, when the pods are boiled that they are most delicious eating, like the most tender bleached asparagus and having a very delicate flavor. They should be served on toast with a cream dressing and will form a very agreeable addition and novelty for the table. At a large expense we have imported some of the seed and instead of making the price 50 cents per packet, we have decided to put fewer seeds in each packet and sell them at the popular price of ten cents per packet so that every one of our customers can try it. Per packet of ten seeds 10c, 3 pkts. 25c, 6 pkts. 50c, 14 pkts. $1.00.

EARLY SUNRISE SWEET CORN.
This splendid new variety which we introduced originated with a market gardener in the western part of the state, and for eight years he has been carefully selecting it to an ideal size and shape, and also the earliest maturing. In this way he has finally obtained this variety, which is distinct from all others. The ears are about six inches long and well filled out at the end, the husk covering so completely and being so tight as to prevent the work of worms, which are so bad on the Cory. The grains are fairly deep and are set in straight rows on a small white cob; very uniform and handsome. It is quite productive and of as good flavor as any corn we ever tasted. Don't fail to try it. Market gardeners will find the Early Sunrise a most profitable and satisfactory variety. Per pkt. 5c, 1/2 pt. 15c, qt. 50c, postpaid. By freight, pk. $1.00, bu. $3.25.

THE MAINE STATE BULLETIN No. 27, this year reports that the Early Sunrise was as early as any variety in their long list, maturing in 79 days; much larger and better than Cory; in quality equal to most of the later varieties and the most prolific of all.

[image] EARLY SUNRISE SWEET CORN.

CURIOUS VEGETABLES.
ORNAMENTAL MICE.--The vegetable curiosity which has attracted so much attention. It is a native of Central Africa, having a small, neat-growing vine and bears numerous oval fruits, clear green in color, two and a half to three inches long, which are always completely covered with long, light-green spines or hairs. It will be found useful for covering a sloping bank or rockery and will produce great numbers of curious fruit. Per pkt. 5c.
CATERPILLARS.--Prostrate creeping plants with small yellow flowers, changing into "Vegetable Caterpillars." They are grown as curiosities, and sometimes, as a harmless practical joke, are put into the salads for the purpose of startling those who are unacquainted with them. Per pkt. 5c.
SNAILS.--Another singular variety having most oddly twisted seed-pods resembling snails. Children are much amused with these curious vegetables and they are quite attractive and can be grown in any garden. Per pkt. 5c.

CHINA GLOBE RADISH.
An exceedingly handsome new variety which we confidently expect will prove to be very popular. It is of medium size, bright scarlet color, of size and shape shown in our illustration on back cover of this catalouge [catalogue]. It grows very rapidly, being almost as early as the early forcing sorts and it holds its size and superior quality throughout the summer. The flesh is pure white, crisp, brittle and of a most agreeable flavor. When sown later they make an excellent winter sort and keep well. An attractive market sort. Crop of seed is very short this year. Per pkt. 10c.

GOLIATH KOHL RABI.
If you have never grown Kohl Rabi you should try it this year. It is a most excellent vegetable intermediate between the cabbage and turnip. It is easily grown the seed usually being sown in drills and afterwards transplanted like cabbage to rows 18 inches apart and about 10 inches in the row. This new variety is of immense size, solid and sweet; considered by many far superior to either the cabbage or turnip and decidedly more nutritious. Keeps well. Per pkt. 10c, oz. 40c.

NEW DYE POP CORN.
A novelty for 1897. A new variety ot unusual merit for family use and the most prolific of any sort which we have ever had, giving a large number of good sized ears, sometimes 10 or 12 to each stalk. It has a most curious appearance when growing and will attract attention anywhere. The kernel is not so flinty as most other sorts and pops up large and white without the disagreeable hard place which is often so objectionable. The name is given it owing to the large amount of coloring matter contained in the husks which can be used for dyeing cloth. When boiled for some time in an iron kettle it will make a most excellent quality of jet black ink. These husks are of a dark wine red color as are also the cobs while the kernels are white. It is a quite desirable sort which we are sure our customers will be pleased with. Per pkt. 10c.

CRIMSON CURRANT TOMATO.
A most charming little fruit which belongs to the Tomato family but it differs essentially in character of foliage from the ordinary sorts as well as in the fruit. The fruit is quite small, hardly more than half an inch in diameter, of bright crimson color, and borne in long single or compound clusters containing twenty to sixty berries or tomatoes as shown in our colored illustration on cover of this catalogue. It is a very ornamental and attractive plant and produces fruit early which is of most excellent quality for eating from the hand. They are greatly liked when preserved or spiced for winter use, and make an attractive dish for the table. Per pkt. 10c, oz. 40c.

PETIT POIS.
The real genuine small French Peas, such as are used in Paris and largely used in this country canned. The pods are long and slim and contain eight to ten small peas of tender, delicate quality. This variety is medium early and extremely prolific. Pkt. 10c, 1/2 pt. 30c.

MAMMOTH HORTICULTURAL POLE BEANS.
Improvement on the old Horticultural Pole. The beans are of enormous size, splashed and spotted with red, and of the highest quality as a shell bean either green or dry. It originated at Worcester, Mass., where it has been grown for several years by one of the leading market gardeners there, and he has always been able to command from 25 to 50 cents per bushel more than others for their beans, as his were always of such bright carmine color, and would keep longer than other varieties after being picked. The vine is a very vigorous grower, with large, light colored leaves and purple blossoms. Pods very large, bright carmine, slightly streaked, very handsome and exceedingly productive. It is somewhat earlier than the parent variety, shows no rust, and is considered by some eastern gardeners the best pole bean in the world. Pkt. 5c, 1/2 pt. 20c, qt. 70c.

MUSHROOMS.
The ease and certainty with which a crop of mushrooms can be grown to perfection in an ordinary house cellar, wood-shed or barn, and the astonishing success of so many who have taken up this new industry, both for profit and their own use, induces us to call especial attention to the subject. The great luxury of mushrooms can be enjoyed by all at a trifling expenditure of money, time and labor. In market they are always wanted and sell readily at paying prices. There seems no limit to the demand, and an over-supply is seldom known. We recommend the English mushroom spawn as generally the better both for the market gardener and private planter. Directions for culture sent on application. Price, per lb. not prepaid, 15c, 10 lbs. $1.25, 25 lbs. $2.50. If by mail, add 10 cents per lb. for postage.