MY FAMILY VEGETABLE GARDEN. 301 
of six healthy, growing appetites, with crisp, fresh vegetables and juicy ber- 
ries, in plenty and variety, from rhubarb and asparagus to green corn and po- 
tatoes—something or other the whole season through and put a lot in the 
cellar besides. 
My wife often says, “What should we do without the garden; half our 
living comes out of it?” 
The past season we had, each in its own proper season, asparagus, 
green onions, radish and lettuce; gooseberries, currants, strawberries and 
raspberries; cucumbers, beets, carrots and turnips; green peas, green corn 
and new potatoes; muskmelons, watermelons and tomatoes; every day 
something, ripe and fresh, and not to be compared with any store truck. 
Besides living off the garden all summer we have stored for winter use 
three bushels rutabagas, four bushels beets, two bushels onions, one and 
one-half bushels navy beans, one bushel lima beans, five bushels carrots, one 
bushel parsnips—some still in ground for spring—one-half bushel pop corn 
and a few Hubbard squash; and again the wife has canned tomatoes, straw- 
berries and raspberries; she has made catsup, pickles and chow-chow; and 
we gave stuff away because we could not use it all. My winter potatoes I 
had to buy this year for the first time, because of so many trees. And cab- 
bage, yes, I had 150 plants set out, but my wife’s turkeys ate them while I 
was out camping in July. 
Anybody who has a piece of ground, and who is able and willing to 
study and work, may enjoy the fruits of his own garden. All the work in 
my garden, after the spring ploughing, was done by myself, by hand, with 
what help I could get out of two small boys. It kept me busy night and 
morning, but I enjoyed it and took pleasure in watching things grow, es- 
pecially the trees. Several of the first planted have begun to bear fruit, and 
I have eaten apples from my own trees, and last year took a few to the 
street fair. 
In all my garden work I have been very successful. Why? Because 
when I had something to plant, be it a tree or a cabbage, I took advantage 
of 'somebody’s experience, as set forth in the Horticulturist. If cut worms 
or striped bugs threatened my vegetables, or rabbits or bugs my trees, I 
hunted up some article which told me what to do, and then went out and 
did it according to my best understanding. 
Root Pruning is frequently necessary with all fruit trees where the 
ground is very rich, producing excessive wood growth and but very little 
fruit. First remove only the ends of the large feeders, but if this does not 
accomplish the purpose, prune more severely. 
Cultivating with a Rake-—Few people know the use of a rake among 
little stuff in the garden. There is no tool more important. Get a wide 
rake, with long, straight teeth not too close together. You can do more 
work in an hour with it than you can in five hours with any other tool. 
Rake right across the plants; never fear that you will pull them up. You 
will be surprised to see how neatly the plants slip through the teeth. Young 
onions, radishes, beets, cabbage, tomatoes, etc., can be quickly and easily 
gone over. In plowing radishes, peas, potatoes, corn, etc., when young, 
they often have to be uncovered. I used to stoop to uncover each plant, 
but now I take the rake and can uncover almost as fast as I walk. 
