l60 PRIZE GARDENING 



but half a head at seven and one-half cents per hour. 



The bare land itself, including water right, would 

 sell for three hundred dollars per acre (the contestant 

 having a mortgage of two hundred and twenty dollars 

 per acre on ten acres). It would rent at about twenty- 

 five dollars per acre. Interest at eight per cent per 

 annum net. The whole garden equals eighty-nine- 

 one-hundredths of an acre, value two hundred and 

 sixty-seven dollars. 



The work of vegetable growing in California is 

 mostly in the hands of Chinese, who are behind the 

 times in regard to methods of work, which makes their 

 competition less keen than is usually supposed. The 

 climate of southern California is not quite so favorable 

 for vegetable growth as for trees. Plants take much 

 longer to come to maturity than in the south or east, 

 owing to the cold nights through the spring, causing 

 the ground to warm up very slowly. 



The planting season in this almost winterless 

 climate began the preceding October, when cabbages 

 were sown in seedbed for early transplanting. Garden 

 work during December, January and February was 

 much like that of March, April and May in the east. 

 Asparagus, rhubarb, turnips, radishes and onions were 

 ready to be gathered in March. Tender plants were 

 set in April and grew slowly because of cool nights. 

 Tomato seeds were drilled in the open ground, April 

 12, setting the drill the same as for radish seed, which 

 proved about thick enough, and the plants were ready, 

 for setting May 25. 



Rainfall from December 20 to November 21 was 

 only seven to eight inches ; a rather dry season for the 

 locality. The time spent irrigating was twenty-two 

 and one-half hours, charged at one dollar and sixty- 

 nine cents or seven and one-half to eight cents per hour 

 for the water, half a head being used for the garden. 



