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Iowa Seed Company, Des Moines, Iowa. 9.

[Left Column.]
Egg Plant.--Ger. Eierpflanse.
One ounce will produce about 1,000 plants.

[image] Improved N. Y. Egg Plant.

A tender plant, which should be started quite early in a hotbed or box in the house, which must be kept warm[.] Late in the spring transplant to open ground 2-1/2 ft. apart each way in warm rich soil. As soon as the weather becomes warm they thrive and are easily gown. They are a decided luxury which all should grow.
Early Long Purple.--Hardy and productive; six to eight inches long. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 25c, 1/4 lb. 90c, lb. $2.50.
Improved New York.--Our strain of this leading market variety we believe to be unsurpassed. Very large size, skin deep purple, flesh white and of excellent quality. Very productive. See cut. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 35c, 1/4 lb. $1.25, lb. $4.00.
Pearl White.--Pure creamy white, with slight shading of light green near the stem; very fine grain, well flavored and makes one of the most palatable dishes either baked or fried. Per pkt. 10c, oz. 40c, 1/4 lb. $1.40.

Endive.--Ger. Endivien.
One ounce will sow 60 square feet.
One of the best and most wholesome salads for fall and winter use. Sow early and thin, cover slightly. Soon as large enough thin to nine inches apart. When leaves are eight inches long tie them together with string near the top to blanch. This must be done when quite dry. Before cold weather, take up for winter, being careful to leave a small amount of dirt around the roots.
Extra Curled.--Pkt. 5c, oz. 15c, 1/4 lb. 50c.

Artichoke.--Ger. Artischoke.
Plant early in spring, in drills, two inches deep. When strong transplant to permanent beds, in rich soil, in rows three feet apart and two feet in the row. They mature the second year. Must be protected in winter.

French Green Globe.--Pkt. 5c, oz. 25c.
Artichoke Roots.--See Field Seeds.
Vine Peach.
A splendid novelty which was introduced by us. The vine on which they are borne is somewhat similar to the musk melon vine, and requires the same cultivation. The fruit is about the size of a large peach, oval shaped, and of a bright orange-yellow color, somewhat russeted. For sweet pickles, pies or preserving they are superb. Receipts [Recipes?] for preparing them for the table will be sent with each order. In the west and northwest, where fruit is scarce, they are becoming popular, as they are easily cultivated, wonderfully prolific, and can be used in every way in which you would use a peach except that they are not usually liked raw. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 15c, 1/4 lb. 50c.
[Image: Drawing/Scratchboard Illustration of bowl of vine peaches on a platter, Banner text-Vine Peach.]

[Center Column.]
Broccoli.--Ger. Broccoli.
One ounce will produce about 3,000 plants.
Growth and habit like the Cauliflower, except that it is more hardy, and the heads are not as compact. Cultivate the same as Cauliflower.

Early Purple Cape.--A popular sort; heads well and is very hardy. Pkt. 5c, oz. 30c.
Early Large White.--Pkt. 5c, oz. 30c.

Okra, or Gumbo.
Ger. Essberra Hibiscus.
One ounce will sow about 80 feet of drill.
Why not try Okra this year? It is extra nice for soups, stews, etc., and also much liked when pickled. Sow at the usual time of tender vegetables, in drills two inches deep, leaving the plants from two to three feet apart.

Dwarf White Velvet.--Pods round, smooth and of an attractive white velvety appearance, very tender and of a superior flavor. Plants are dwarf and produce the pods in abundance. Pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 35c, lb. $1.00.

Chervil.--Ger. Gartenkeebel.
One ounce will sow 100 feet of drill.

CURLED.--Leaves used in soups and salads. Cultivate like parsley. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 20c.

[List of Herbs inside a bordered box.]
Herbs.
In making up your assortment of seeds for the year don't neglect to order a few varieties of herbs. They should have a place in every vegetable garden. Sow seed in shallow drills one foot apart, and when up thin out and transplant to a few inches apart. The chief point is to harvest them properly, which should be done on a dry day when not quite in full bloom then dried quickly and packed closely, and entirely excluded from the air.
All five cents per packet.
[Left Column.]
Anise.--Oz. 10c.
Borage.--Oz. 15c.
Caraway.--Oz. 10c.
Coriander.--Oz. 10c.
Dandelion.--Oz. 30c.
Fennel.--Oz. 15c.
Hyssop.--Oz. 30c.
Rosemary.--Oz. 45c.
Rue.--Oz. 30c.
Saffron.--Oz. 15c.
Tansy.--Oz. 50c.
Wormwood.--Oz. 30c.
Broad Leaved Thyme.--Oz. 40c.
Mixed Varieties.--A mixture of all the above. Nice garden assortment. Oz. 25c.
[Right Column.]
Balm.--Oz. 30c.
Sweet Basil.--Oz. 20c.
Catnip.-Oz. 50c.
Castor Oil Plant--Oz. 10c.
Dill.--Cz. [Oz.] 15c.
Horehound.--Oz. 30c.
Lavender.--Oz. 25c.
Sweet Marjoram.--Oz. 30c.
Opium Poppy.--Oz. 30c.
Sage.--Oz. 20c, 1/4 lb. 70c, lb. $2.25.
Summer Savor.--Oz. 20c.

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 fruits. 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. Per pkt. 5c.
Chinese Tea.--We are sure that many of our customers will be glad to grow this as a curiosity, if nothing else. The plant is of a shrubby nature, with beautiful shiny foliage and fragrant blossoms, requiring the same treatment as any tender shrub. Can be kept in pots through the winter. Pkt. 10c.

Alpine Strawberries.--Have a peculiar rich flavor, superior to our native sorts. Perfectly hardy and easily grown from seed. Pkt. 10c.

Cotton.--Grown as a curiosity in the north, and, if started early in the house, plants will be loaded with cotton balls in autumn. Pkt. 5c.

Egyptian Lentils.--Largely used in Oriental countries as a principal article of diet. It was from these that the dish of pottage was made for which Esau sold his birthright to Jacob in Bible times, and many will be interested in them for that reason. Cultivate like peas. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 10c, 1/4 lb. 30c, lb. 74c.

[Image: Drawing of pile of ground cherries, Caption-Improved Yellow Ground Cherry.]

Ground Cherry.
Improved Yellow.--Another year adds only to the popularity of this already popular little fruit which we introduced, and it is now listed in the catalogues of the leading seedsmen of the country to whom we supply seed. It is a great improvement on the wild Ground Cherry. They grow well on almost any dry soil; are easier raised than the tomato, and are prolific bearers, and oh! such luscious fruit! For sauce they are excellent, and for pies nothing can equal them for taste and flavor. They are delicious as preserves, and when dried in sugar are much better than raisins for cakes and puddings, and they will keep, in the shuck, if put in a cool place, nearly all winter. No one, after raising them once, will ever make a garden again without devoting a small portion at least to the Ground Cherry. Per pkt. 5c, 1/2 oz. 25c, oz. 40c.

Purple Husk Tomato.--This fruit is quite popular in some places. The plants produce handsome purple fruit in great abundance, which are from one to two inches in diameter and enveloped in a husk similar to the yellow Ground Cherry. Per pkt. 5c, 1/2 oz. 25c, oz. 40c.

Giant Scarlet.--Also called Chinese Lantern Plant. This is a very popular novelty and has proven quite satisfactory in some parts of this country. Per pkt. 10c.
Collection.--One packet each of the three Ground Cherries for only 15c.

Leek.--Ger. Lauch.
One ounce will sow 100 feet of drill.
Sow early in spring, and when plants are three or four inches high, thin to eight inches apart. Hoe the earthy well up to the stalk to blanch it.
Large Rouen.--Largest and most uniform of all. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 15c, 1/4 lb. 40c.
Garden Lemon.
Introduced by us and it has been highly praised wherever tried. It resembles the Vine Peach in manner of growth, but is distinct in that the unripe fruit is striped with very dark green, nearly black, and when ripe is not russeted like the Vine Peach. Fruit is of the shape shown in our engraving, is somewhat smaller than Vine Peach, has thinner flesh, and is decidedly more acid, thus dispensing with the sliced lemons which are so important in putting up the Vine Peach. Directions for cooking with each packet. Per pkt. 5c, oz. 15c, 1/4 lb. 50c.
[Image: Drawing of dish of Garden Lemons, Banner text-Garden Lemon.]