xviii PREFACE 



millenium has not yet come. Even where I have given 

 specific directions, it is to be remembered that these, for 

 extensive gardening, will always be modified by soil- 

 conditions. 



For the general subject of fertilizers I refer my 

 readers to Professor Edward B. Voorhees' standard book 

 upon the subject, to his Farmers' Bulletion No. 44, and 

 to the reports of himself and others in the bulletins of 

 the New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, 

 and Rhode Island experiment stations. The study of 

 the question of home-mixed fertilizers I commend to 

 all who are interested in fertilizer economy and the im- 

 provement of their crops. For general gardening pur- 

 poses they will find Professor Voorhees' "basic fertilizer 

 mixture" (nitrogen 4 per cent, phosphoric acid 8 per 

 cent, potash 10 per cent) one of the best. I assume 

 that even the beginner will master the difference be- 

 tween high-grade and low-grade fertilizers. 



Manure is a necessity for successful vegetable gar- 

 dening. The general subject of Barnyard Manure is 

 treated in Farmers' Bulletin No. 192. (Farmers' Bulle- 

 tins may be obtained free, by applying to the Secretary 

 of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.) For a fall dress- 

 ing fresh manure may be applied, but usually only 

 well-rotted manure, or what the English call "short" 

 manure, is proper to use in the garden. Good manure 

 is valuable; the man who owns horses or cows will cure 

 his manure carefully under cover, while the man who 



