298 A YEAR IN AGRICULTURE 



Thinning vegetables. Plants must have sufficient room if 

 they are to develop property. All excessive plants are noth- 

 ing less than weeds. With many vegetable crops the plant- 

 ing is done in such a way as to give the plants room. Cab- 

 bage, tomatoes, sweet corn, and beans are examples. With 

 most of the small seeded crops, however, the seeding is usually 

 liberally done on account of the weak embryo and the sus- 

 ceptibility of the young plants to the weather and soil con- 

 ditions. Market gardeners even go so far as to test the seeds 

 in advance and plant accordingly, so as to insure a good stand 

 and yet prevent overcrowding. In this way little thinning is 

 necessary. 



The vegetables commonly planted in drills in the field and 

 which require thinning are beets, parsnips, parsley, salsify, 

 and onions. Melons and cucumbers are often planted thickly 

 in the hill and thinned when the plants have become well 

 started. The thinning of plants which are started indoors 

 and transplanted to the open field is accomplished by shift- 

 ing the plants to other fiats or pots, as already explained, and 

 planting them in the field one in a place. The thinning of 

 all crops should be done as early as the size of the plants 

 will permit. In case of onions, since some size will be reached 

 before the plants will pull out without breaking off, the 

 thinning may be delayed. Thinning of the crops insures 

 specimens of larger and more uniform size, and a much 

 greater percentage of the product is marketable or usable. 



Cultivation. The control of weeds and the provision of a 

 soil mulch is the most important work in the cultivation of 

 the garden. Some people even doubt if cultivation has much 



