iS 97 . 



GARDENING. 



283 



known that animals, especially young 

 animals, must have all the food they 

 can eat in order to proper^' develop 

 and grow fat; and this is equally true 

 of plants. They will live on very lit- 

 tle food, but to grow, thrive and 

 bear fruit they require an abundance 

 of food in the soil. These foods consist 

 of a number of elements, including nitro- 

 gen, phosphoric acid, lime, magnesia, 

 iron, silica, potash, etc. A sufficient 

 quantity of all of these necessary ele- 

 ments, except nitrogen, phosphoric acid 

 and potash, exists in nearly all agricul- 

 tural soils, nitrogen being always defi- 

 cient, phosphoric acid usually and potash 

 often. This to some extent gives us an 

 opportunity of knowing what to apply, 

 when and how often. Soil and its condi- 

 tion can be judged by the average person 

 interested in horticulture, as to whether 

 it is fit for producing or worn out or 

 whether it can be brought up again. Do 

 not select a spot not possible to drain, 

 but, if possible, a southeast, south or 

 southwest exposure. The idea generally 

 prevalent is to use stable manure. This 

 we also believe to be the first constituent, 

 but it should not be used first, last and 

 all the time, as this will furnish ammonia, 

 nitrogen and weeds, and about 70% 

 water; it is nevertheless the best to use 

 for sub-soiling, and then it should be 

 thoroughly rotted. 



This is the first and most important 

 work toward establishing a garden. 

 Thereafter any crop can be grown for a 

 number of years consecutively with a 

 variation of the different chemical ma- 

 nures. The contents of same are nitrogen 

 in nitrate of soda, phosphoric acid in 

 bone, potash high grade in muriate of 

 potash at once soluble, and in hard wood 



ashes about 6% available. These can be 

 applied alternately; the potash in fall or 

 winter on the bare ground, the nitrate ot 

 soda on the growing crops, the phos- 

 phoric acid at any time during the year, 

 better during cultivation. Inasmuch as 

 it is well to know what and when to 

 apply, it is also well to know how much. 

 A little and ofcen is the best method and 

 the most economical. No garden should 

 be witho t nitrate of soda and muriate 

 of potash. A light sprinkling of either ol 

 these, before rain, will show marked im- 

 provement in growth in twenty-four 

 hours. They must be thoroughly- pul- 

 verized. 



Our experimental stations have been 

 close students of the different uses of 

 commercial fertilizers and have published 

 the relative value of each brand. It is 

 doubtful whether we appreciate fully the 

 efforts put forth by those appointed to 

 that work, and any one can have these 

 exhaustive bulletins upon application. 



1 he time of sowing and planting is so 

 generally known among gardeners and 

 amateurs that we need not dwell upon it 

 here. The seed catalogues are generally 

 quite instructive on that line. 



Experiments lead to many improved 

 methods. Celery, lor instance, is grown 

 by different methods, each gardener hav- 

 ing his own idea. I will note the various 

 experiments made at the New Brunswick 

 Experiment Station last fall with celery, 

 particularly showing the results of water- 

 ing below and above ground. About six 

 double rows were planted, each double 

 row about 30 feet long, some being on 

 the surface and some in trench. The ad- 

 vanced growth made by that receiving 

 underground irrigation was especially 

 noticeable. This was done bv laying 3- 



inch ordinary rouud or horseshoe tile be- 

 tween the rows when planted. As the 

 trench is filled with soil, the tile becomes 

 submerged, but at each end of the trench 

 it is raised up enough to expose the ends, 

 into which water is run. This was done 

 at the time when all the other samples 

 were watered, and at the time of my per- 

 sonal inspection (September 2+) this row 

 was nearly twice the size of the rest. 



Among the different varieties of vege- 

 tables such as are best suited to the aver- 

 age garden, comparative tests are made 

 every year at Riverton experimental 

 grounds. Several hundred specimens are 

 secured from various parts of the world. 

 These are put in competition test and the 

 merits of older sorts compared, and the 

 good qualities of the newer sorts ascer- 

 tained. I also believe it to beof great ad- 

 vantage to reduce varieties and types as 

 much as possible to a few, and those f w 

 possessing quality, character, hardiness 

 and especially distinctiveness. Of the va- 

 rieties of the different classes there might 

 be named those of special merit for open 

 air culture: 



Asparagus. — Eclipse, Elmira and Pal- 

 metto of the green class, and Columbian 

 White. 



Beans.— Dwarf Bu h, Round Pod Red 

 Valentine, Extra Early Refugee, Long 

 Yellow Six Weeks, Green Flageolet of the 

 a;reen pod, Black Wax, Golden Wax, 

 Wardwell's Kidney Wax, Refugee Wax, 

 Valentine and Vosemite of the yellow pod 

 varieties. 



Beans, Pole Lima.— Siebert's Early, 

 King of Garden, Ford'sMammoth, Dreer's 

 Improved Lima. And of the Bush Lima 

 class, Burpee's Bush and Dreer's Bush. 



Beets. — Crosby's Egyptian, Bassano, 

 Eclipse and Arlington Favorite of the 



Burbank Gamia. 



The American Seedling, with Giant Yellow Orchid= 



like Flowers, and splendid musa like foliage. 



Best of all the new giant flowered type. 



Originated with Luther Burbank, of 



California, and the entire stock 



controlled by us. 



SEEING IS BELIEVING. 



Mr. I>. Zirngiebel, of Needham, Mass., of the Society of 

 American Florists Canna Committee, who tested it with all the 

 best new ones, says: "Yellow Uurbank is the best yellow in 

 cultivation now. very large flowers of a handsome, bright shade 

 of nearly pure yellow." 



Mr. J. T. Temple, of Davenport. la., of this committee, says: 

 '•I consider Burbank one of the best of this year's novelties."* 



Mr. Fred Kanst. head gardener of South Park, Chicago, and 

 an expert judge of Cannas at the World's Fair, says: "The flow- 

 ers were niuch admired in the park this summer. ' The foliage is 

 like rubber; it is always good; you can't tear it." 



Mr. James Dean, Chairman of that Committee, and chief of 

 New York's horticultural display at the World's Fair, says: 

 •IJurbank is a new giant flowered forerunner of a new class" of 

 these beautiful flowers." 



PRICE, FINE PLANTS, Each, Postpaid, $1.00. 



CANNA BURBANK. 



NEW FRENCH CANNAS, we carry a 

 most complete stock of high class 

 varieties. 



Er-ESTIMATES CIVEN ON APPLICATION FOR ALL 

 CANNAS OFFERED IN THE U. S. 



VAUGHAN'S SEED STORE, 



NEW YORK: 14 Barclay St. P. 0. Box 688. CHICAGO. 



