78 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1906 



comes you may lose some from decay, but not often. This way 

 lengthen out your year. The sooner you begin operations the 

 sooner you get a crop along and another crop growing. 



The after cultivation is as important as all other things. We 

 need to begin as soon as we can see where the plants have 

 started. Many of the best farmers go through with the harrow 

 before the plants can be seen. If you start before the weeds 

 start you can keep ahead of them. This should be carried out 

 throughout the season. Just as soon as you can see the rows 

 the horse harrow should be started. It is so also in your field — 

 keep the harrow moving. This is needful also because by 

 keeping the soil stirred you admit the air and the fertilizer is 

 more easily freed. The harrow keeps the ground stirred up all 

 the time and the crop will grow much faster. If you don 't get 

 the air into your soil the seed will not grow. The earth needs 

 to be aerated. 



Before speaking of the varieties I will say something about 

 the harvests. The way the gardeners do is to harvest the crop 

 when the market wants it. Take early crops like spmach and 

 lettuce and if it sells high, that is the time to sell it. In har- 

 vesting any of your crops harvest when they will bring the 

 most money. If for your own use pick when they are best. 

 Another thing in regard to harvesting for market — be sure and 

 wash your vegetables that go to market. There is an advantage 

 in this. Spinach should always be washed. If cut when the 

 sun is shining it wilts but after washing it comes up and is 

 green and crisp. Wasli your vegetables and put up with care 

 in neat attractive packages. Apples are sometimes sold in New 

 York for 25 cents apiece. They are ]iot worth it but they are 

 attractive. About the varieties for a small garden, there may 

 be some difference of opmion in regard to the varieties I sug- 

 gest. 



Beginning early in the spring : 



Lettuce : White Seeded Tennis Ball, will make a close head. 

 For fall culture, Black Seeded Tennis Ball ; this is a nice let- 

 tuce, will head in warm weather. Mistake is sometimes made 

 of having lettuce too thick and then you wonder why you can- 



