FLOWER GARDEN AND LAWN IN MARCH AND APRIL. 10 1 



sprout the seeds there will not be much trouble, but if you have 

 promiscuous seeds you will have to be careful. After the seeds 

 are sprouted you can take off the covering. The seeds must be 

 watered, and if you neglect them they will dry up. You have to 

 cover them up when there is danger of freezing, and if it is too 

 warm you can leave the sash up a little. It is very important in 

 order to have good, healthy plants to have plenty of ventilation. 

 Also do your watering in the evening so your plants will not be 

 injured by the sun. In the morning the hot sun will come on the 

 glass, and it is apt to blight or stunt the plants. The method is 

 very simple, and we always have splendid success. 



VEGETABLE GARDEN IN MARCH AND APRIL. 



R. L. BAILLIF, BLOOMINGTON. 



From my experience in raising vegetables, limited to some use 

 and observation, the first essential requisites required are the soil 

 and treatment. The ideal soil is a rich alluvial or sandy loam if it 

 can be had, but most any soil will do provided it is well under- 

 drained. The ground to be used should be prepared the fall 

 previous. It needs to be well manured, and good stable manure is 

 the best, as it will not only assist in loosening the soil but will also 

 add the humus necessary to plant life. Light sandy or gravelly 

 soil will require large quantities of manure for best results. It 

 should be plowed and thoroughly pulverized to give the seed and 

 plants a fine bed in which to grow. In March there is very little 

 open gardening to be done, as the ground is usually frozen and cold 

 at that time in this section of Minnesota. The winter onion is a 

 vegetable that can be grown in March, also the early bunch onion, or 

 scallion, as they are usually called. It is quite easy to raise your 

 own sets. The seed should be sown on quite poor soil in the spring, 

 scattering it thickly in rows about one inch wide and covering about 

 one inch deep. The idea is to grow the seed thickly on very poor 

 ground, so that the plants will grow crowded together and not be- 

 come large. When the tops die down the sets should be lifted, dried 

 in the shade and stored in some safe place where they will freeze 

 hard, during the winter. Plant the sets in March as soon as the 

 ground thaws and is dry enough. Plant in rows twenty inches apart, 

 and two inches apart in the row. 



The Egyptian onion set is the earliest and hardiest variety. They 

 continue to grow during the open weather and will make the very 

 earliest, but do not produce bulbs and seldom any seed, the set being 

 borne in clusters or bunches at the top of the stalks. The roots also 

 multiply, and roots can be set out in early fall, which is the best time, 



