286 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Do«. 



sprout bursts through the earth till it is bv reason of advanced 

 growth impossible to further go through the rows, begiimiug with 

 the wheel-hoe of lightest construction and, where possible, ending 

 with the market gardeners' horseshoe, with its various suitable at- 

 tachments, the soil should never, unless it be too wet for beneficial 

 work because of a rainy spell, be allowed to be without a layer 

 of protecting mulch of fine soil. Those who presevere in tkis and 

 insist on it will be surprised to find how little need there is for 

 the hand hoe, a tool which, under present conditions of the labor 

 market, is the most expensive implement used in gardening. The 

 development of tools specially fitted for the work at hand has been 

 great, but the necessity for them by reason of labor scarcity and 

 cost is still greater, and no man can afford to be without them in 

 the market garden. As when speaking of harrowing the soil, I 

 would say: Cultivate! Cultivate!! Cultivate!!! Don't wait till 

 the weeds get ahead, and weeds of luxuriant growth will appear 

 where conditions are right for the best growth of vegetables, but 

 kill your weeds by constant cultivation before they get above 

 ground. 



Where, then, so much expense is involved in the feeding, prepara- 

 tion and working of the soil it must be the business and the garden- 

 er's special endeavor to make his soil produce more than one crop 

 during the season. Where early peas are grown, cabbage, cauli- 

 flower or celery ought to follow; the early cabbage patch ought to 

 produce a crop of horseradish, and the second and third early cab- 

 bage patches, if not planted in horseradish, should be made to give 

 crops of spinach or turnips. Two years ago I realized .$200 clear 

 from one and one-quarter acres of spinach following cabbage. Early 

 beans may be followed by a second crop of beans or by sweet corn 

 or tomatoes for late use or by celery or late cabbage. 



The strawberry acres are my early sweet corn field, the same 

 work which keeps the corn in trim also making the clean bed for 

 the strawberry runners. The next spring, as soon as picking is 

 done, the bed is plowed under and used for cabbage or celery, 

 thus virtually making the strawberries a catch crop in between. 

 This has proved pnrticularly profitable and successful. 



Where ])lantatioiis of asparagus or i-aspberries are made they 

 should, foi- Ihe first two years, be interplanied with cabbage, beans, 

 peas, potatoes or sweet corn, or in fact with any crop in single or 

 double rows which may be salable. The early celery, after handling, 

 is interjjlanted with latei- celery and so on. t hav(^ not the space 

 in this paper to enter into the details of these plantings, but simply 

 want to impress on the gardener's mind the idea that while, so to 

 speak, he must gorge the soil's stomach, he must also insist that 

 the soil shall gorge his baskets, crates, barrels and wagons with the 

 largest j)ossible amount of choice produce. 



