282 Effective Farming 



be grouped along one side to be out of the way of the tillage 

 operations of the portion to be devoted to annuals. 



Enriching the soil. The character of the growth of vege- 

 tables is very different from that of general farm crops. Vege- 

 tables do not have elaborate root-systems, their period of 

 growth is short, and to be of good quality they must make a 

 rapid growth. Thus it is an advantage to fertilize the garden 

 heavily, more so than for field crops. Annual application of 

 twenty to thirty tons of manure to an acre are often made 

 on garden soils and in addition commercial fertilizer at the 

 rate of a half ton or more to the acre may be used to advantage. 

 After the manure is spread the soil should be plowed to a good 

 depth and harrowed until a fine, mellow seed-bed is made. 

 If the soil is inclined to be sour, apply lime. One hundred 

 pounds of ground limestone to every hundred square feet of 

 area is a usual application. The lime may be spread after 

 the land is plowed and before it is harrowed. Lime and 

 manure or lime and fertilizer should not be applied at the 

 same time, as a chemical action meaning loss of plant-food 

 would result. 



Tools for farm-gardening. It is economy to plant and cul- 

 tivate gardens with modern tools. A combined seeder and 

 cultivator is a good implement to use. The seeder will plant 

 more cheaply and better than can be done by hand and the 

 same implement with a different attachment will, if used 

 frequently, keep the soil mellow and free from weeds. 



For some vegetables the rows may be made wide and horse- 

 power used to cultivate the garden, but in the case of others, 

 string beans and peas, for example, too wide planting is not 

 advisable as the weeds are not easily kept down unless the 

 plants shade the ground between the rows. 



154. Planting-table for vegetables. A very complete plant- 

 ing-table for vegetables for conditions both in the North and the 

 South is given in Table IV, pages 284-5. This will be especially 

 handy for reference. 



