Summer Care of the Home Vegetable Garde 



N 



1993 



such as onions, beets, or carrots. The main work of weeders is to supple- 

 ment the previously mentioned tools by establishing a surface mulch 

 and eradicating weeds in the rows. Weeders may be bought for from 

 ten to fifty cents, or they may be made at home from other old tools. 



Fig. 163. — Tools used jor weeding and transplanting 



MULCHING 



Probably the reader is familiar with the practice of mulching straw- 

 berries with straw, manure, or other material. Possibly he has read 

 of the practice of mulching other fruits, such as the gooseberry, the currant, 

 the raspberry, and the blackberry. Some gardeners have concluded 

 that if mulching is good for these frviits, it would also be good for vegetables, 

 and trial has proved that this supposition is correct. Many times instead 

 of cultivating the ground the gardener may effectively mulch it with 

 various materials, and, to a large extent, obtain the same results as by 

 cultivation. The principal purposes of mulching are as follows: 



1. To conserve moisture. The layer of mulch, being dry on top, to a 

 large measure checks the influence of sun and air on the soil moisture. 

 The mulch also prevents the soil from baking and cracking, which result 

 in increased loss of moisture. 



2. To check weed growth. 



3. To keep the surface soil loose and friable. The force of beating 

 rains is broken by passing through the mulch, which thus prevents the 

 packing of the soil. 



4. To supply plant-food. When manure is used, the rain dissolves 

 some of the material contained in it, and thus plant-food is added to the 

 soil. 



