ORCHARD AND GARDEN. 



49 



will usually put it in good condition 

 for growing vegetable plants. 



Both the soil and manure should 

 be procured in the fall before the 

 hard freezing weather and stored i:i 

 the dry where they will not be frozen 

 hard when wanted for use, probably 

 in mid-winter. The neglect of this 

 matter is certain to cause annoyance. 

 It is best to store the soil during Sep- 

 tember when it is quite dry and may 

 be screened if necessary. A oonvend- 

 ent way to do this is to place a screen 

 with a half-inch mesh over a low wag- 

 on, slanting it so the stones and coars- 

 er parts will run onto the ground. 



Sterilization is being practised 

 more and more by plant growers. It 

 destroys troublesome weed seeds and 

 greatly reduces losses from fungus 

 diseases. There are two common me- 

 thods, by steam and formaldehyde. 

 There are various ways of applying 

 the steam. One of the most thorough 

 is to place the soil in tight tanks, ad- 

 mitting steam at high pressure. The 

 soil should be subjected to very high 

 temperature for not less than an hour, 

 and a longer period is an advantage. 



When formaldehyde is used the soil 

 is soaked with a solution made by 

 adding one and one-half quarts of this 

 solution to fifty gallons of water. One 

 gallon of the diluted solution should 

 be applied to each square foot of the 

 soil. 

 Sowing the Seeds. 



The grower should know the vital- 

 ity of his seeds before sowing. This 

 may readily be determined by making 

 a simple test several weeks before it 

 is time to make the main sowings. 

 Count one hundred seeds of each var- 

 iety to be tested and plant in separate 

 rows. The number of plants which 

 come up may then be counted and the 

 germinating power accurately deter- 

 mined, and the thickness of sowing 

 regulated accordingly. 



Seeds may be sown in rows or 

 broadcast. The row method takes 

 more time, but it is preferable. The 

 plants then come up with greater reg- 

 ularity. They are likely to be 

 straighter and can be handled more 

 rapidly. When the seed is sown In 

 .rows the plants help each other in 

 reaching daylight, and this is an im- 

 portant point if there is much clay in 

 the soil. The plants from rows may 

 he lifted more rapidly and are kept 

 in better order when transplanting, 



and these advantages more than offset 

 the extra time required in sowing. 

 Length of IdSe of Various Seeds 



Vegetables. Years. 



Cucumber 8 — 10. 



Pumpkin 8 — 10 



Melon 8 — 10 



Squash 8 — 10 



Cauliflower . 5 — 6 



Artichoke 5 — 6 



Endive 5 — 6 



Pea 5 — 6 



Radish 4 — 5 



Beets 3 — 4 



Cress 3 — 4 



Lettuce 3 — 4 



Mustard 3 — 4 



Akra 3 — 4 



Rhubarb 3 — 4 



Spinach 3 — 4 



Turnip 3 — fi 



Tulip 2 — 2 



Asparagus 2 — 3 



Bean 2 — 3 



Carrot 2 — 3 



Celery 2 — 3 



Corn 2 — 3 



Leek 2 — 3 



Onion 2 — 3 



Parsley 2 — 3 



Parsnip 2 — 3 



Pepper 2 — 3 



Tomato 2 — 3 



Eggplant 1 — 2 



Herbs 3 — 4 



Anise 1 — 2 



Caraway 1 — 2 



Savory 1 — 2 



Sage 2 — 3 



Time Required to Germinate 



Vegetables. Best temp. Days. 



Bean 75° 5 — 10 



Beet 60' 7 — 10 



Cabbage 70° 5 — 10 



Carrot 60° 12 — 18 



Cauliflower 70° 5 — 10 



Celery 60° 10 — 20 



Corn 75° 5 — 8 



Cucumber 80° 6 — 10 



Endive 60° 5 — 10 



Lettuce 60° 6 — 8 



Onion 60° 7 — 10 



Parsnip 60° 10 — 20 



Pea 65° 6 — 10 



Pepper 80° 9 — 14 



Radish 60° 3 — 6 



Tomato 80° 6 — 12 



Turnip 70° 4 — 8 



Bearing Years of Fruits 



Years. 



Apple 25 — 40 



