994 Rural School Leaflet 



cultural directions 

 Albert E. Wilkinson 



Many boys and girls are not familiar with the principles of vegetable- 

 gardening. We shall therefore present here some of the essential factors 

 necessary to success in gardening. 



Planning the garden. — Before the actual gardening is begun, a well- 

 drawn plan should be made by each boy and girl. Draw your plan to 

 a scale — that is, let \ inch on the paper represent i foot in the garden. 

 Using this scale on a garden 25 by 50 feet, we should have a drawing that 

 would be 6\ by 12^ inches. 



With the same unit of measure represent the rows as they should be made, 

 always remembering that for each foot in the garden you will use one 

 fourth of an inch on the paper. Consult the table, page 1001, for the space 

 between the rows of vegetables as well as for the distances apart of the 

 plants in the rows. 



As the required varieties are given for boys and girls under sixteen 

 years of age, the work of planning will not be quite so hard as for the 

 older boys. The latter must plan for at least fifteen varieties, and by 

 skillful work they can include in their plans others that are not mentioned. 



In planning a garden it is very important that vegetables of a tall habit 

 of growth should be so placed that they do not shade those of a low habit 

 of growth. This will give all the plants the best exposure to sunlight. 



Seeds. — After the plan is drawn on paper the' young gardener must 

 decide how much seed will be needed. The planting-table will help in 

 this. It has a column showing the amount of seed required for 100 lineal 

 feet. If the row in the garden is only 50 feet long, the seed required will 

 be one half the amount named in the table. It is always best to order 

 more seed than is actually required. 



When the quantity of seed is known it should be ordered from a reliable 

 seed house. Consult a neighbor who has a successful garden. 



Testing seed. — Choose ten average seeds of one variety. Provide a box 

 eighteen inches long, twelve inches wide, and at least two inches deep 

 and fill it with good garden soil. Make shallow lines in this soil one inch 

 apart, of a depth about two to four times the diameter of the seed to be 

 planted. Place the ten average seeds that you have chosen in the first 

 of these shallow marks, or furrows. Mark the box at the end of the row 

 on the wood, so that you will know the variety of seed that is planted in 

 that row. Choose ten more samples of another variety, and plant in 

 a second row. Continue in this way until all the varieties of seed pro- 

 cured have ten samples planted in the box. Cover the seed with soil 

 and press the soil firmly with the palms of your hands. Sprinkle 

 about a pint of water over the soil and put the box in a place near the 



