1740 



KITCHEN -GARDEN 



KITCHEN-GARDEN 



layer of manure placed in the bottom of the new ditch. 

 Thus the work progresses to the other end of the divi- 

 sion. Here the soil from the adjacent block of the 

 second division is thrown into the last ditch of the first 

 division, and then the work proceeds as before to the 

 starting-point. The last trench is filled with the soil 

 from the first. One or two years later the process is 

 repeated. The layer of manure at the bottom is now 

 well rotted and is thoroughly incorporated with the 

 soil as the work progresses. The soil may be gradually 

 deepened from year to year. This is a very desirable 

 method of soil preparation, when the necessary hand 

 labor is available. 



Lime at the rate of perhaps a ton to the acre should 

 be added every two to four years. It is useful in making 

 clay soils more friable and in binding together very 

 sandy soils, in correcting acidity, in freeing plant-food, 

 and in rendering conditions unfavorable for certain 

 diseases, although it is favorable to others. It makes 

 little difference which form of lime is used, although 

 quicklime is not conveniently handled. Either gi'ound 

 limestone rock or hydrated lime may be apphed. About 

 one-third more of the latter must be used than of the 

 former. 



The term tillage is often applied to the working of 

 land previous to the planting of crops, and the working 

 of soil after planting is spoken of as cultivation, 

 although tillage properly includes all these operations. 

 Tillage, as used to denote preparation of the land, 

 improves the physical condition of the soil, rendering it 

 more granular; it is useful for the improvement of the 

 moisture relation as regards reception, retention, and 

 transmission of moisture, it makes aeration possible, 

 it assists in the incorporation and freeing of plant-food 

 and in the destruction of weeds. If a soil is shallow, it 

 should not be worked too deeply at first, but each year 

 a bit of the subsoil may be incorporated in the surface 

 soil, thus gradually deepening the root pasturage. The 

 utmost care is necessary to avoid handling soils, espe- 

 cially the heavier sorts, when they are wet. The clayey 

 types may be spaded or plowed with good results only 

 at a certain stage of dryness. Experience only can 

 teach this stage for a given soil. The work should be 

 performed when the lumps crumble readily, as they 

 are turned over. They should be neither plastic nor 

 hard-baked. 



When the ground is plowed or spaded in autumn, it 

 should, as suggested above, be left rough over winter. 

 In the spring it may be gone over with the disc-harrow 

 or with the hoe. If plowed in the spring, the lumps 

 should be worked down with plank drag, harrow, or 

 rake, according to the circumstances, and a loose soil- 

 mulch should be maintained until planting-time. If 

 this is neglected, moisture may be lost so rapidly as to 

 waste the equivalent of a half inch of rain a week. In 

 very small areas, where these horse tools cannot be 

 used, the hand implements that accomphsh the same 

 results on the soil may be employed. 



For very early plantings it is well to prepare a few 

 raised beds or ridges in autumn. The.se should have a 

 southern or southeastern exposure. They will thaw out, 

 drain and become warm much earlier in the spring 

 than soil at the ordinary level, although they will dry 

 out more rapidly in midsummer. 



Planning. 



The first task in each year's garden operations is 

 the preparation of a good plan. This first phase of the 

 garden work is often neglected. It should receive care- 

 ful attention long before the season opens, in order 

 that space and effort may be economized and that 

 seed, fertilizer and other supplies may be provided. 

 The materials for the work consist of a few good 

 garden books and bulletins, a few catalogues of reliable 

 seedsmen, together with paper, pencil, and ruler. A 

 fund of experience in home-gardening is an asset of 



incalculable value. The aim should be to produce an 

 abundance of vegetables of high quality, in wide 

 variety, and as evenly distributed as possible through- 

 out the year with a minimum of unprofitable labor and 

 expense. 



The first step is to decide what is wanted. Make a 

 list of crops, bearing in mind the likes and dislikes of 

 the family, even distribution through the season, 

 adaptation to climate and soil, and the space available. 

 List too few rather than too many, especially if the 

 garden is small. 



Avoid an over-large garden. An area 40 by 50 feet, 

 well kept, will give greater satisfaction than a half 

 acre neglected through press of other work. A half acre 

 will yield a full summer and autumn supply for a large 

 family, together with ample quantities for canning and 

 storage. The beginner should avoid allowing his 

 enthusiasm to lead him into deeper water than that in 

 which he can swim. Better begin simply and let experi- 

 ence teach the best lines of development than to suffer 

 failure and discouragement on account of an over- 

 complex plan. 



No area is too small to be utilized. A plot 2 feet 

 wide and 12 feet long will yield, if well tended, as many 

 as twenty bunches of radishes, thirty heads of early 

 lettuce, and forty to six-ty pounds of tomatoes. A fall 

 crop of lettuce and radishes may even be matured in 

 addition. 



The larger garden should be longer than wide, in 

 order to make the care easier. A ratio of two to one is 

 frequently used. The rows of most crops should be far 

 enough apart for horse cultivation. In a garden of 

 limited area, where small amounts of many vegetables 

 are sought, crosswise rows may be desirable. In such 

 plots rows may be closer together, dependence being 

 placed upon the wheel-hoe and hand-hoe for cultivation. 

 Permanent crops, as asparagus and rhubarb, should 

 be placed at one side to avoid interference with tillage. 

 The hotbeds and coldframes should be in this same part 

 of the garden. Early crops should be kept together, 

 in order that a considerable area may be cleared up 

 at once for later plantings. The same plants should 

 not appear in the same part of the garden year after 

 year. Good taste will suggest a neat arrangement, and 

 some attention should be paid to symmetry and balance 

 of appearance. 



Three good garden plans are shown herewith, in 

 Figs. 2035, 2036, 2037. They are by Albert E. Wilkin- 

 son, Cornell Reading - Course Bulletins. They are 

 intensive plans, — made to utilize the land to the utmost 

 and assuming good care, liberal fertilizing, and other 

 close attention. With larger areas and horse labor, the 

 distances may be greater. 



The seed. 



With the general plan completed, the next step is the 

 choice of varieties and the preparation of the seed order. 

 Only experience will offer a satisfactory knowledge of 

 the sorts to be planted under a particular set of condi- 

 ditions. In the meantime, it is well to consult neigh- 

 boring gardeners on this as well as on many other 

 matters. Seed orders should be placed early to avoid 

 disappointment as to varieties and to allow time for 

 testing. The well-known seed firms are striving to 

 supply good seeds, clean, viable, and true to type. 

 Packet seeds found in grocery stores are sometimes 

 uncertain. Many local seed -houses are thoroughly 

 reliable. 



The only true test for seed is to grow a crop from it. 

 However, seed that will not establish in the soil a strong, 

 healthy plant will certainly not grow a crop. It is 

 accordingly well to test seed before it is planted. For 

 this purpose, twenty-five, fifty, or one hundred seeds 

 should be counted out and planted in a little box of 

 garden soil in the house. This should be kept moist 

 and at ordinary room temperature. Other methods of 



