BENEFITS OF VEGETABLE GROWING 19 



The dietetic benefit of vegetable food in variety has been demon- 

 strated both by individual experience and by the food studies which 

 are now being systematically pursued both in this country and 

 Europe. Working force, thinking force, the quality of success in 

 all lines of human effort, are all promoted by a generous, well-bal- 

 anced food supply. 



The hygienic benefit of food, including due amount of the suc- 

 culent, aromatic, tonic and assimilable characters which are inherent 

 in fresh and well-grown vegetables, is universally recognized by 

 authorities. The truth has particular force in a region of high tem- 

 peratures like California. The so-called cooling of the blood, the 

 development of resistance to malaria, the free and healthful opera- 

 tion of the various functions of the body, are unquestionably pro- 

 moted by vegetable food. 



The economic benefit of home-grown esculents has been most 

 clearly discerned during the last few years and the result is a grati- 

 fying increase of interest in farm gardening. More vegetables have 

 been grown recently on California farms than ever before. The 

 low market values of some of our most important special products 

 have given an impetus to diversification of crops which a century 

 of exhortation could not have compassed. California farmers have 

 recognized as never before that sound farm policy generally requires 

 the home production of most food supplies. Those who have en- 

 dured with least hardship financial stress of beginning a farm enter- 

 prise are those who have had least to buy and not those who had 

 most to sell. Many a farm has been saved from the mortgagee by 

 the yield of subsidiary products for home use and for exchange for 

 essential home supplies. In this most important service the vege- 

 table garden has done its full share and has thus commended itself 

 to the attention of many who formerly looked upon the growth of 

 "garden sass" as a sort of ignoble pothering. The farm garden 

 saves money and makes money if it is given adequate thought and 

 generous effort. 



This exhortation can be given forceful concreteness by the fol- 

 lowing actual instance which occurred in one of our warmer coast 

 valleys : 



"My garden consists of one acre of good river bottom land, and as a mat- 

 ter of course is under good tilth. Besides what we used at home and gave 

 away, we sold to our neighbors as follows: 



Green onions $16.00 Cauliflower $7.00 



Spinach 4.00 Green corn 10.50 



Early cabbage 12.00 Squashes 8.00 



Lettuce 2.25 Tomatoes 18.00 



Beets 3.00 



Turnips 4.00 Total $84.75 



"What can be more profitable? Any farmer can do as well if he will only 

 try. How did we do it? I will tell you. Early in November we planted top 

 onions on one-half acre, and on the other half we planted spinach, beets, let- 

 tuce, turnips, and carrots. Our seed beds were made in December, and as 

 soon as the onions were ready to pull we replaced them with cabbages, pulling 



