SECTION XXXII. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



THE products that a half -acre garden affords are gener- 

 ally worth more than those produced on several acres of 

 common field. From a half acre of land a man whose 

 business is gardening sometimes sells enough vegetables 

 to bring him $100 to $200 or more. To make a garden 

 productive, treat it as follows : 



(i) Manure it heavily, using 20 to 40 wagon loads of 

 compost or manure per acre each year. (2) Keep every 

 part of it busy, growing two or three crops a year on 

 the same rows. (3) Plant such vegetables as will furnish 

 something for the table every week in the year. (4) Plow 

 the garden deep in the late fall or winter and keep it 

 always so clean that a crop of rank weeds and weed seeds 

 will not need to be plowed under. The garden will pay 

 well for all the manure put on it. Vegetables are more 

 tender and better, as well as earlier and more abundant, 

 when grown on rich land. 



Planting seed. In planting garden seed, cover the 

 large seeds, like beans and peas, with several inches of 

 earth. The small seeds must be covered very lightly. 

 Seeds will not readily germinate in rather dry, loose soil 

 unless it be pressed closely against them, so that it may 

 bring up moisture, just as a wick brings oil to the lamp 

 flame. Many gardeners tread on nearly every seed they 

 plant, walking on the open drill on top of the seeds. The 



185 



