16 



WAR GARDENING 



If plants are grown in seed flats, hotbeds 

 or cold frames, follow the directions for 

 transplanting given on pages 9 and 10. 

 Plants suitable for setting out should be 

 4-6 inches high, having a thick stem and 

 dark green leaves. Begin cultivation as 

 soon as the plants are set. Cultivate deeply 

 and close to plants at first but later cultiva- 

 tion should be more shallow to prevent 

 injury to roots. Cultivate frequently to keep 

 the soil loose over the surface, so preventing 

 evaporation. Always cultivate after a rain. 



When preparing seed flats, hotbeds, or 

 cold frames for tomato seed, use soil which 

 has never grown tomatoes. This insures 

 plants free from disease. It is not advisable 

 to plant tomatoes on land which has been 

 planted the previous year with white potatoes, 

 melons or tomatoes. To plant on such soil 

 increases the danger from disease and pests. 



It is always advisable to train the plants to 

 stakes or other supports. They may be 

 trained on wires or on poultry wire fastened 

 on posts set about fifteen feet apart in rows. 

 Barrel hoops a foot apart fastened to stakes 

 eighteen inches apart are some times used. 

 To tie plant to support, loop the string 

 around the support and tie it under a leaf 

 stem. Remove all side branches at the axil 

 of the leaves as soon as they appear. Do 

 not remove flower clusters. When the plant 

 has reached a height of 5 feet cut off the top. 



When three or four clusters of fruit have 

 formed and some of the fruit is as large as a 

 silver dollar prune the leaves at the base one 

 half. This hastens ripening. 



Once a month apply a little commercial 

 fertilizer or compost around each plant. 

 Avoid the use of fresh or unrotted manure 

 as this produces too much leaf growth, the 

 fruit does not set and disease is encouraged. 



Turnips 



For early spring, plant % ounce of seed 

 to 50 feet of row, sowing them y? inch deep, 

 in rows 1 foot or more apart. For fall crop 

 % ou ice of seed to 50 feet of row, K" inch 

 deep, or make the rows 8 to 10 inches wide 

 and scatter seeds thinly in broad rows. 



Vegetable Marrow 



Plant 6 or 8 seed to a hill, one inch deep, 

 in hills 8 to 9 feet apart. Thin to 2 plants 

 to hill. Give the same care as for pump- 

 kins. The young and tender vegetable 

 marrow may be baked whole like sweet 

 potatoes or may be sliced and fried like 

 eggplant, or boiled like summer squash. 



Watermelon 



Plant 1 inch deep, 8 or 10 seed to each 

 hill, the hills 10 feet apart. Later thin to 

 2 plants to each hill. 



Watermelons require much room and are 

 not recommended for small gardens. 



DISEASE AND INSECT PREVENTION 



Every garden is subject to attack from 

 insects and diseases. Your garden may not 

 be attacked, but it is wise to take advance 

 precautions. Spraying at occasional in- 

 tervals from the time the plants have made 

 their start until they are harvested is worth 

 while. A hand sprayer should be used to 

 distribute the necessary solutions on the 

 plants. Such sprayers may be bought in 

 various types. Some of them may be bought 

 for a dollar or less and others range up to 

 the neighborhood of $10 for the small, 

 compressed air type. The simplest and 

 cheapest type is the small atomizer sprayer 

 with hand pump and with glass receptacle 



for holding mixture. (Figure 21.) Another 

 type, costing a little more, is the bucket pump. 

 (Figure 21.) If you have no spray pump a 



Fig. 21 Some of the best types of sprayer. At the left is a hand sprayer, which is one of the most satisfactory for 

 the small garden. The glass receptacle is better than metal. This sprayer can be bought for from 50 cents to 

 $2.00. In the center is a bucket sprayer which costs about $5.00. At the right is a compressed air sprayer, which 

 is highly efficient and costs from $5.00 to $10.00. One sprayer may be used by several families, or by community 

 gardeners, reducing the cost to each user. 



