28 STATE HORTICULTURAL. SOCIETY. 



and blessed is that girl who becomes housekeeper for the man who secures 

 a large measure of his recreative happiness in developing a good garden 

 for the household. 



A good garden means a good living, if accompanied by reasonable ability 

 in the art of cookery. It can be secured at light expense but requires the 

 exhibition of some gumption, and the highest measure of success will come 

 only to those who take delight in securing the maximum yield of produce 

 from a given area of soil. 



In giving the counsel that occurs to me as desirable to secure a good 

 garden in connection with a rural home, I shall chain a series of questions 

 to an enunciation of principles. 



(a.) The garden must be not far removed from the house, 



(&.) The soil, no matter what its character, must be in good heart. 



(c.) To reduce the labor to a minimum the garden area should be a long 

 rectangle. 



(d.) One person connected with the household should be charged 

 especially with the responsibility of the garden. 



(e.) The aim should be the securing of a variety of vegetables and small 

 fruits throughout as long a season as possible. 



1. What shall be the preparation of the soil? If the soil is in good 

 heart, capable of growing a large crop of wheat or corn, add well-rotted 

 manure, ashes, the scrapings of the hen-house, a load of sweepings from 

 the blacksmith shop, thus placing within reach of your growing plants a 

 great quantity of available plant food. Thoroughly pulverize the soil to 

 the depth of not less than eight inches. Cultivate and harrow until it is 

 in the finest condition of tilth, and if this can be done at intervals in the 

 spring, before planting time, the scourge of cutworms may be reduced to 

 a minimum. 



2. What is needed for a good variety, and in what quantity, for a family 

 of half a dozen? Twenty plants of asparagus will furnish an abundance 

 through the season; six plants of pie plant are sufficient; ten hills of 

 cucumbers; 100 feet of parsnips; 100 feet of vegetable oysters; 200 feet of 

 peas, in variety ; 50 feet of cabbages, to include early and late sorts ; 50 feet 

 of beets ; 25 feet of lettuce ; 100 feet of turnips, early and late ; 75 feet of 

 radishes for the season; 10 feet of parsley; 100 feet of onion sets and 50 feet 

 seed onions; 25 feet of carrots; 200 feet of bush beans; 200 feet of Lima 

 beans; 300 feet of corn for succession through the season; 5 hills of 

 summer squashes ; 20 plants of tomatoes ; 20 hills each of water-melons and 

 musk-melons; 10 hills of winter squashes; 100 feet of early potatoes. 



This list might include many other things valuable to have in a garden, 

 but in it I have placed that which will cover the year with a good variety 

 of vegetables, except the winter supply of potatoes ; and the garden will be 

 about a quarter of an acre in extent. 



3. What arrangements shoud be observed in planting? My own plan 

 embraces the following points: 



(a.) Although the rows should be long, it is better to plant peas, beans, 

 and corn in blocks. This can be done by having other vegetables to com- 

 plete the rows. For instance, last year I had a block of early corn across 

 four rows; then a block of medium corn, further on, occupying the same 

 rows ; and two blocks of later kinds finishing the four rows, thus giving me 

 400 feet of corn, as my rows were 100 feet long. In the same way I man- 

 aged to have six rows given up to blocks of bush beans, peas, and Lima 

 beans. 



