THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 223 



crops, as the roots of many of the vegetables go deeply into the soil. 

 Subsoiling will be found advantageous in most cases, as the drainage 

 and general movement of the soil moisture will be improved thereby. 



Hand spading should be resorted to only in very small gardens 

 or where it is desirable to prepare a small area very thoroughly. 



Smoothing and Pulverizing the Soil. After plowing, the next 

 important step is to smooth and pulverize the sou. If the soil be 

 well prepared before planting, the work of caring for the crops will 

 be very materially lessened. It is not sufficient that the land be 

 smooth and fine on top, but the pulverizing process should extend as 

 deep as the plowing. Some gardeners prefer to thoroughly cut the 

 land with a disk harrow before plowing, so that when it is turned 

 by the plow the bottom soil will be fine and mellow. After the plow 

 the disk or cutting harrow is again brought into play and the pul- 

 verizing process completed. If the soil is a trifle too dry and con- 

 tains lumps, it may be necessary to use some form of roller or clod 

 crusher to bring it down. For smoothing the surface and filling up 

 depressions a float or drag made from planks or scantlings will be 

 found serviceable. 



TIME OF PLANTING. 



No definite rule can be given regarding the time for planting 

 seeds and plants in the garden, for the date varies with the locality 

 and the time that it is desired to have the crop mature. A little 

 practice will soon determine when and how often sowings should be 

 made in order to escape frost and mature the crop at a time when it 

 will be most useful. Certain crops will not thrive during the heated 

 part of the summer, and their time of planting must be planned 

 accordingly. 



THE SELECTION AND PURCHASE OF GARDEN SEEDS. 



In order to have a good garden it is necessary to plant good 

 seeds. It is not alone essential that the seeds be capable of growing; 

 they must be capable of producing a crop of the desired quality, 

 under the conditions existing where the gardening is to be done. 

 Some varieties of vegetables are restricted in their adaptations, while 

 others thrive over a wide range of territory and under widely differ- 

 ent conditions of soil and climate. If the behavior of different 

 varieties in a given locality is not known, the safe plan to follow 

 in selecting varieties for planting is to choose mainly those that have 

 proved themselves adapted to a wide range of conditions and have 

 thereby become recognized as standard sorts. The newer varieties 

 may be tested in small quantities until their suitableness for a given 

 place and purpose has been determined. Particular care should be 

 taken to select varieties that are capable of yielding a product of high 

 quality. Such varieties are numerous, and some are better for one 

 region than another. 



It is always a safe plan to have a little more seed on hand than 

 is actually needed to plant the area desired. Sometimes the first 

 planting of a given crop is destroyed by frost or insects, making re- 

 planting necessary. In such a case, delay in replanting could be 

 avoided by having the seeds on hand. The additional expense is 



