THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



213 



and a medium or late 

 variety about the 

 first of each month 

 through the season; 

 in July a larger 

 planting can be made 

 for Winter use. While 

 the tender seedlings 

 are very small when 

 they first come up, 

 they grow very rap- 

 idly, and unless thin- 

 ning out is done at 

 once, it is likely to 

 give the crop a severe 



setback when it is attended to. Freshly manured soil should be 

 avoided, and if there is a spot in the garden which is light and sandy, it is 

 apt to produce roots of a milder flavor than heavy soil. 



Vegetable Marrow is another member of the curcubit family, very 

 similar in habit of growth to the Summer Squashes, there being also bush, 

 dwarf and running varieties. It is planted and grown in the same way. 

 The fruits should be used while comparatively young. 



White Milan Turnips 



WATERCRESS 



There may be opportunities for the cultivation of fresh young plants 

 of this delightful, pungent, and health giving salad. It delights in a slow- 

 running brook, but may be also cultivated in beds where there is a very 

 sUght flow of water. It is easily raised from seeds, but more generally 

 perhaps from cuttings. A good method of propagation is to sow the seed 

 broadcast in a box or pan of very moist soil, covering about }/i in. When 

 the seedlings are well started they can be transplanted near to the edges of 

 a running stream or in the brook or pond. A bunch of the stems one buys 

 from a greengrocer, stuck in the wet soil, will root readily, and the young 

 tender sprouts from these will furnish the supply throughout the Summer. 



WATERMELONS 



The requirements of Watermelons are in general the same as those 

 of the other curcubits already mentioned, except that much more space 

 is demanded by them. The hills are put 6 to 8 ft. apart each way. In a 

 small garden space can sometimes be saved by putting Watermelons (the 

 same idea applies to ^^'inter Squash and Sugar Pumpkins) near the edge- 

 of the garden where tlie vines can be allowed to run out over the grass, or 

 supported on old Pea Brush or something similar along a fence, thus saving 

 space. Plant only a variety adapted to your locality. In the Northern 

 States the season is not long enough for any but the early varieties to 

 mature, while tliis advantage can be overcome to a great extent by starting 

 the plants in paper pots in frames two weeks or so earher than the seeds 

 could be planted outside. 



