GARDENING 



GARDENING 



A VILLAGE BACKYARD AS IT FREQUENTLY APPEARS 



Among the insect foes of the garden are 

 those that actually devour the plant and those 

 that injure it by sucking its juices. The 

 weapon used against the eating insects is poi- 

 son, such as Paris-green or Bordeaux mixture, 

 which is sprayed on the leaves. The sucking 

 insects have to be deluged with liquid or 

 powder; lime, soot, tobacco dust and kerosene 

 emulsion are among the usual remedies. The 

 cutworm, which comes early and does fearful 

 damage all summer, is best conquered by feed- 

 ing it poisoned bran mash; the rose-borer is 

 fought with hellebore. The different vegetables 

 have special enemies, each of which is sus- 

 ceptible to certain poisons and not to others. 



In a small garden the insect population can 

 generally be kept down by going over the 

 patch systematically every day, particularly 

 early in the season, picking off the bugs and 

 dropping them into a can of kerosene. A 

 weedless garden has few insect invaders. And, 

 of course, the birds and toads are constantly 

 cooperating with the garden's owner, so that 

 by encouraging the presence of these allies he 

 will find his labors greatly lightened. A bird- 

 house and a drinking basin will attract the 

 winged helpers (see illustration, in the article 

 BIRD). A dark, cool corner fitted up with a 

 few stones, or a box lying on its side under a 

 bush, will furnish the toad a home in which 

 he will live contentedly as assistant gardener. 



Making the Garden Pay. There is profit in 

 gardening, even for a boy or girl who has only 

 after-school and vacation-time to give to it. 

 Many an unattractive backyard or empty lot, 

 such as the one shown in the accompanying 

 illustration, which has been a mere dumping- 

 ground for rubbish, has been transformed by 

 the children of the family into a commercial 

 success like that shown in the second picture. 

 Such a transformation pays cash dividends on 

 time and effort, besides making the home sur- 

 roundings pleasanter and more healthful. 



It is an easy matter to find customers for 

 the surplus garden produce, for there is always 

 a demand for home-grown vegetables and ber- 

 ries. A boy who goes into gardening as a 

 business should concentrate en one or two veg- 

 etables; first, in order to have a sufficient out- 

 put for the market, and, second, because it 

 means less effort and greater returns. When 

 he has mastered these he can add others to his 

 list. Specializing has good profit in it, how- 

 ever, and many experienced gardeners prefer 

 to devote their entire time to a single crop. 



The young gardener may work up a route 

 of private customers in his own neighborhood; 

 he may sell to the town grocers or hotels; or 

 he may dispose of his produce by shipping to 

 outside points. The parcel post offers an ideal 

 rapid delivery service for garden products. He 

 should consult with an experienced shipper in 

 order to learn how to prepare his vegetables 

 most attractively and how to pack them in the 

 best way. Good advice is contained in the 

 United States government bulletin on Market- 

 ing by Parcel Post. Many a boy has in this 

 manner made his vacation pay for the fol- 

 lowing year's work in college. There are indi- 

 rect profits, too. Prize specimens of garden 

 art often win worth-while cash rewards at state 

 or county agricultural exhibits; and more than 

 one amateur gardener, branching out into gen- 

 eral farming, has found his early experience 

 in the home garden a valuable asset. 



Girls as well as boys can make money by 

 selling flowers to florists or to people who lack 

 flower gardens, or by raising young plants in 

 hotbeds or flats for supplying neighbors who 

 might not otherwise be tempted to make gar- 

 dens. Pansy plants, especially when they have 

 begun to bloom, are very quickly disposed of. 

 Seeds and bulbs can be sold in a small way. 

 Boys and girls may also do garden service, 

 charging for their work by the hour and thus 

 turning their knowledge into cash. 



