214 



GARDEN GUIDE 



Useful Pointers for the Vegetable Grower 



Don't be discouraged by failures. Keep 

 at it and you'll win out. 



Poor germination is often due to the 

 fact that the seeds are loosely covered in 

 the soil. See that the earth about the 

 seeds is well firmed or packed. This pre- 

 vents air-spaces and the seed is brought in 

 close contact with the soil. 



If transplanted during cloudy or showery 

 weather, or in the early evening, plants will 

 take hold more quickly. 



Tomatoes, Celery, Egg Plants and 

 Peppers become more stocky and vigorous 

 by being transplanted a second time, 

 preferably to pots, before being set out 

 in the open ground. 



Precautions to keep vegetable plants 

 healthy and robust, especially by frequent 

 cultivation, weeding and watering, will 

 repay both time and expense. 



Where artificial watering is necessary, 

 a good rule is to "water much and seldom 

 — never little and often." Light watering 

 in hot weather results in a baked surface. 



Always aim to procure seeds of the 

 best quality. Poor seeds are expensive. 

 The very best culture cannot make up 

 for inferior seeds. 



Green Peas and Sweet Corn, freshly 

 picked and eaten, yield all their delicacy 

 of flavor and sweetness. These two, alone, 

 will well repay for all your work on the 

 vegetable garden. 



Aphids usually congregate on the under 

 sides of the leaves. Direct your spray 

 accordingly. 



Vegetables should be gathered before 

 they become too ripe. This will ensure 

 better quality and prolong the yielding 

 period of the plants. 



Rutabagas, or "Swedes," have a richer 

 flesh than ordinary Turnips and are better 

 Winter keepers. 



Such vegetables as Tomatoes, Beans, 

 Peppers and Egg Plants are heat lovers 

 and grow much faster in the warmth and 

 moisture of June than if an attempt is 

 made to start them in the open ground a 

 month or so earlier. 



All vegetables respond readily to good 

 treatment. The more quickly they are 

 grown the more tender, crisp and nutri- 

 tious they are. 



Don't transfer young plants to the open 

 ground until soil and weather conditions 

 are favorable for them to start and to 

 keep on growing. 



It pays to raise and eat Beans. They 

 contain more food elements than most other 

 crops. Fine canned, too. 



Plant food in the form of liquid manure 

 accomplishes wonders in a garden during 

 mid-Summer. 



When Onion tops begin to fall it is a sign 

 that they are ripe for gathering. The bulbs 



should be pulled, laid in windrows until 

 thoroughly dried and then packed away 

 for the Winter. 



To promote the success of garden crops, 

 the soil must be finely prepared and the 

 operation of seeding carefully and properly 

 done. Select seeds that are of high vitality 

 and facilitate germination and growth by 

 providing continuous moisture, keeping the 

 surface of the soil from baking or crusting. 

 Practice early and persistent cultivation. 



Parsnips may remain in the ground all 

 Winter without injury. 



On hillsides, be the slope ever so slight, 

 plant rows across the hill, not up and down. 

 They will thus escape washouts by heavy 

 rains. 



Commence cultivating as soon as the 

 plants appear above the ground. Give 

 close attention to thinning and pack the 

 soil around the roots of the plants to 

 remain in the row. 



Potatoes may be dug any time after the 

 vines are dead. Do not allow them to lie 

 exposed to the sun. 



When ants appear in the garden you can 

 get rid of the nuisance by smothering 

 them in the nest. Pour into it a little car- 

 bon bisulphide, cover with damp cloths, 

 and the fumes will do the rest. 



Swiss Chard and New Zealand Spinach 

 are among the most profitable vegetables 

 of the home garden. They furnish delicious 

 greens and from early Summer till frost are 

 inviting the gardener to "cut and come 

 again." Excellent canned. 



Crops should be rotated annually. By 

 following one crop with another of an 

 entirely different nature the soil is benefited 

 and plants are not so liable to suffer from 

 disease and injury by insects. 



Potato crop cultivation should cease 

 when the vines are in flower. The small 

 Potatoes are then developing and tne culti- 

 vating tool might damage them. 



If possible, arrange the rows in the gar- 

 den so that they run from north to south. 

 Each row will in this way get its share of 

 sunlight. 



It is impossible for plants to grow to per- 

 fection unless they are properly thinned 

 or transplanted. 'Thinning should be done 

 when the seedlings are very small, but if 

 wanted for transplanting they may be left 

 until large enough to handle. 



Kohl-Rabi is at its best for family use 

 when young and before the skin of the 

 bulb toughens. It is then tender and of 

 fine flavor. 



Plant everything in rows. This is better 

 than sowing seeds broadcast. The weeding 

 and cultivation will be much more easily 

 and effectively done. 



