RHUBARB.—Much used for sauce and pies. The leaves are said to contain oxalic acid, and must not be eaten. RADISH, said to be difficult of digestion itself, but helps to digest other food. There are two varieties, the small bulbous, or round, and the long. ARTICHOKE, a tuber like the potato; is pickled, used as a salad and as a vegetable. SQUASH.—The summer squash is in market from April to September. Winter squash is more substantial but less delicate. OYSTER PLANT has a grassy top, and a long, tapering, white root like a carrot; its flavor suggests that of oysters. EGG PLANT, called GUINEA SQUASH at the South, should be firm, hard, and rather under ripe, it also tastes somewhat like an oyster; the large, purple, oval shaped, is the better variety. OKRA or GUMBO.—The green seed pods are much esteemed for soups and stews, especially in the South, and are growing in favor at the North. The long green variety is considered best. LETTUCE, SPINACH, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, KALE, BEET-TOPS, DANDELION LEAVES, ETC., are used as salads and for greens. MELONS.—MUSK-MELON, the stronger the musk odor, the finer it is; but if it appears quite ripe all over, it is over ripe and decomposing. If it has no odor, it is only fit for cattle. WATER-MELON, if pressed near its center, should yield a little, and the indentation disappear when the finger is removed. If no indent can be made, the melon is too green, if the depression remains, the melon is over ripe. BEANS, PEAS, and LENTILS.—These leguminous seeds are very nutritious and palatable, and rank high among strength-giving foods. They contain vegetable casein in place of gluten, and hence are not suitable for making bread; all these articles are more digestible if eaten with fat, and the American staple dish of Pork and Beans is really the marriage of two articles which agree very well with each other. Dried PEAS, split, or ground into meal, are much used for soups. LENTILS, which are round seeds like flattened peas, are excellent used as a vegetable, but are comparatively little known. The most popular varieties of the white beans are the Marrow, Kidney and Pea beans. There are also _Frijoles_ or black beans, Lima beans, etc. DRIED FRUITS. The chief consideration with articles in this line is, that they should be as fresh as possible, and free from vermin and traces of vermin. Worms in dried fruits are never in sight, even though they may swarm below the surface. DRIED APPLES should be light colored, plump and acid. Evaporated fruit (by the Alden process, etc.) is preferred to sun-dried. It is often bleached in the fumes of sulphurous acid, which has a tendency to keep the fruit free from worms, and does not injure the flavor. DRIED PEACHES should be pealed, clear and dark. DRIED PLUMS should be pitted, clear and bright. DRIED BERRIES—the chief danger is from worms. Raisins.