KITCHEN-GARDEN 



KITCHEN-GARDEN 



1743 



to greenhouse is very simple, some houses being con- 

 structed with two rows of hotbed sash for a roof and 

 using manure for heat. Other types may be built in 

 all degrees of complexity. Fig. 2037 (p. 1747) shows 

 how completely a hotbed space may be utilized. 



In plant-growing, relatively low temperatures, free 

 ventilation, sparse watering and abundant sunshine 

 make for stockiness, hardiness, good root-systems, 

 vigor and freedom from disease. Plants should be 

 carefully hardened before they are placed outdoors by 

 increasing the ventilation, lowering the temperature, 

 and keeping them relatively dry. 



Transplanting. 



Soil should be in excellent physical condition if 

 plants are to be set in it. A good degree of moisture 

 should be present, and if possible, the work should be 

 performed in cloudy weather or in the evening, in 

 order that the plants may have opportunity to recover 

 before being exposed to strong sunshine. It is not wise 

 to undertake setting warm-blooded plants like the 

 tomato exceedingly early, as they may be severely 

 stunted by cold weather, even though there be no 

 frost. Some gardeners, however, like to set out a few 

 plants very early, expecting to replace them if necessary. 



Most plants ought to be moved with a good-sized 

 ball of earth. If the soil is in proper state of moisture 

 and is compacted firmly about this earth ball, the plants 

 will hardly be disturbed. Plants should ordinarily be 

 set just a little deeper than they stood in their pre- 

 vious place. 



Cultivation. 



By cultivation is here meant the maintenance of a 

 loose mulch of dry soil on the entire surface of the gar- 

 den throughout as much as possible of the growing 

 season. The maintenance of this mulch is of great 

 value in retaining moisture, in keeping the soil in good 

 physical condition, and in destroying weeds. In the 

 small gardens, the hand-hoe and hand-weeder will meet 

 every requirement without undue labor. A man- 

 power wheel-hoe is useful in medium-sized gardens, 

 usually when the rows are 40 feet or more long. The 

 farm garden should be cultivated as far as possible by 

 means of the horse-cultivator. When wheel-hoe and 

 horse-cultivator are used, it is necessary to go through 

 afterward and loosen the earth and destroy the weeds 

 in the rows themselves. There are many types of 

 weeders, hoes, and cultivators. Selection must be 

 made according to the character of the soil, of the 

 crops, and the individual fancy of the gardener himself. 



Mulching. 



The general effects of cultivation may be attained, in 

 the case of thoroughly well-prepared soils, by mulching. 

 A coat of comparatively coarse manure is spread on the 

 soil between rows of vegetables. This practice has 

 proved very satisfactory with celery and tomatoes. It 

 is especially desirable with the latter crop, because it 

 keeps down the weeds and conserves the moisture after 

 cultivation is no longer possible. 



Watering. 



Hardly a summer passes in which the garden does not 

 suffer from lack of water, in some month or other, in 

 spite of the utmost care in cultivation. Water may be 

 applied to small gardens by means of hose or by allow- 

 ing it to flow into the furrows between the rows. Hose 

 irrigation is usually superficial. Gardeners often think 

 that they have watered the garden when they have 

 merely moistened the surface. It is better to water 

 thoroughly and less frequently than to water lightly 

 every day. Of recent years, overhead sprinkler sys- 

 tems of irrigation have been devised. Those that are 

 equipped with whirling sprays are not thoroughly satis- 

 factory because they do not water evenly. Another 



type consists of pipes supported over the garden in 

 which are inserted tiny nozzles at distances of about 3 

 feet. With forty pounds pressure, these nozzles will 

 throw water for about 25 feet. The pipe is supported in 

 such a way that it may be turned to throw a spray far 

 to the side or directly overhead. Thus a belt 50 feet 

 wide will be covered by a single line. The question is 

 raised as to whether this type of irrigation would be as 

 successful in home gardens with their many crops as it 

 is in large commercial plantings of single crops. There 

 seems to be little definite knowledge at present on this 

 point, but the plan would seem to be thoroughly feasi- 

 ble. Nature does not water one crop at a time. Prac- 

 tice in the handling of garden irrigation has not been 

 studied as fully as it should be. See Irrigation, p. 1682. 

 In warm summer weather, it is usually best to water 

 in the evening so that the foliage will be well dried off 

 by morning. It is not likely that watering in midday 

 in the summer does as much harm as is ordinarily 

 supposed. 



Other work. 



The summer work of training, pruning, blanching, 

 pest control, and the like, is considered under the differ- 

 ent entries in the Cyclopedia and under Diseases and 

 Insects in Vol. II. 



The last task of autumn is one of the most impor- 

 tant, cleaning up the garden completely. Many of 

 the diseases and insects are wintered over in the refuse 

 that is left on the soil. 



The garden-lover who is interested in making the 

 greatest possible progress from year to year will keep 

 careful record of his operations. He will preserve the 

 plan that he has drawn up for each season's operations, 

 and, while avoiding an elaborate or cumbersome 

 scheme, he will jot frequent notes as to dates of frost 

 and other weather conditions, dates of planting, trans- 

 planting, and maturity of crops, behavior of plants from 

 seed from different sources, and countless other points 

 that will occur to him. Such a record requires but little 

 time and is of almost incalculable advantage in future 

 operations. 



Books and bulletins. 



There are many good bulletins and books on vege- 

 table-gardening, some of them specially adaptable to 

 the needs of the home gardener. The reader should 

 consult the list on page 1553. The following are useful 

 for the beginner: 



"Home Vegetable Gardening," by F. F. Rockwell. 



"The Home Garden," by Eben E. Rexford. 



"The Vegetable Garden," by Ida D. Bennett. 



"How to Make a Vegetable Garden," by Edith Loring Fullerton. 



"Book of Vegetables," by Allen French. 



"Manual of Gardening," by L. H. Bailey. 



"The Home Vegetable Garden," Farmers' Bulletin No. 255. 



"Hotbeds and Coldframes," Cornell Reading-Course Bulletin 

 No. 30. 



"Home-Garden Planning," Cornell Reading-Course Bulletin 

 No. 34. 



"Planting the Home Vegetable Garden," Cornell Reading- 

 Course Bulletin No. 58. 



"Summer Work in the Home Garden," Cornell Reading-Course 

 Bulletin No. 92; and others. 



"The Home Vegetable Garden," Illinois Circular No. 154. 



"The Farmer's Vegetable Garden," Illinois Bulletin No. 105. 



"Farmers' Home Garden," West Virginia Bulletin No. 122. 



Tables and lists. 



The home-gardener will soon acquire sufficient 

 experience to be independent of rules and lists; and 

 yet even the oldest gardeners like to have such lists 

 and tables at hand to refresh the memory. The 

 beginner is likely to follow these tables and lists sla- 

 vishly and without imagination; but if he uses them as 

 suggestions to be modified and applied in his own work, 

 he should find them much worth the while. The remain- 

 der of this article comprises tabular material from Albert 

 E. Wilkinson, Cornell Reading-Course Bulletin No. 34. 

 The suggestions are for the state of New York; the con- 

 sultant should know how to apply them elsewhere. 



