Summer Care of the Home Vegetable Garden 



199: 



lizer containing the three most important plant-foods, nitrogen, phosphoric 

 acid, and potash, may be used. These materials are strewn sparingly 

 along the rows of the crops. It is highly important when using hen 

 manure, nitrate of soda, or chemicals of any sort, not to distribute them 

 too thickly because injvin- to the foHage or the roots may result. Some- 

 times gardeners have obtained good results by using the follo-^-ing method 

 with such crops as celer}' and cabbage : A shallow furrow is opened rather 

 close to the plants, and from on,e hundred to one hundred and fifty poimds 

 of nitrate of soda an acre or tu-ice that amount of hen maniu"e, is placed 

 in it, and the furrow filled. 



Sometimes during the development of a crop of vegetables, the gardener 

 notices that the plants are dwarfed, that the color, instead of being dark 

 green, is light green, or that other indications of checked growth are 

 apparent. At times the difficulty may be traced to disease or insects, 

 at other times, to poor soil preparation, lack of cultivation, and some- 

 times to deficient food supply. In the latter case, it is possible to over- 

 come the difficiilty by apphing fertilizers or manures as a side dressing. 

 An old time remedy, which was in general use in many gardens a few 

 years ago and is used somewhat at present, is liquid manm-e. The method 

 of making this Hqmd fertilizer is as follows : Place a bushel of cow manure 

 in a barrel of water, and allow half a day or more to elapse before using 

 the clear Hquid, which should be diluted imtil it has the color of weak 

 coffee. From one to two quarts may be potired on the soil around the 

 plant. 



As a general rule it is best to avoid the necessity of side dressing by 

 apph-ing a sufficient quantity of plant-food before the garden is planted. 



irrigation 



As a protection against drought, many gardeners are taking steps 

 to supplement the natural water supph*. Cvdtivation helps to conser\'e 

 the moisture that is in the soil or that falls on the soil, but cultivation 

 cannot add water directly. In New York the opportimities for irrigation 

 are abvmdant because the State is plentifully suppHed with rivers, lakes, 

 creeks, brooks, and other sources of supply. Ordinarily water can be 

 obtained at very low cost. Home gardeners Hving in cities or towns 

 have the advantage of the public water systems, and their irrigation 

 problem is therefore ver\- simple of solution. 



There are several methods of irrigation in gardens, one of the common 

 being the hose method. The cost of installation is rather hea\y , as the hose 

 costs from eight to twenty cents a linear foot. Initial cost and deprecia- 

 tion may be reduced by la}-ing a permanent pipe through a garden and 

 using short lengths of hose, which may be attached at any one of the 



