MARCH 1, 1914 



199 



High-pressure Gardening 



HAVING THE GROUXD ALL OCCUPIED. 



After our " high-pressure " soil has been 

 carefully tile-drained, worked up fine, with 

 all trash plowed or spaded under, manui'e 

 and fertilizer worked in, it is of the utmost 

 importance that we have a plant of some 

 kind, wherever there is room for a plant. 

 Down here in Florida sometimes one hun- 

 dred dollars' worth of fertilizer is applied 

 to a single acre. Now just think what folly 

 it would be to have " missing hills " or 

 spaces where nothing is growing in the 

 rows ! worse still where only weeds are 

 allowed to gTow. I have recently spoken 

 about saving your own seed so as to have 

 eveiy kernel of corn that is planted come 

 up ; but this can not always be done. I have 

 also spoken of planting field corn, not only 

 the second time but even the third; but this 

 last i^lanting usually gives only fodder, 

 which is better than nothing. I have also 

 told you about what a crop of white beans 

 we secured, with no cost except the price of 

 the seed and the labor of planting them 

 when the corn failed, or when the croAvs 

 pulled it up. One season we raised several 

 bushels in this way, and they were sold to 

 our factory help for a good price as soon as 

 thej- ran out from the thrashing-machine. 



Well, 'in truck-gardening there have been 

 many attempts to grow something of value 

 wherever there happened to be missing hills, 

 or perhaps a space to get in a row of some- 

 thing. Cabbage-plants are often put in ; 

 but, as is the ease with white beans, when 

 the main crop is off, the cabbage or beans, 

 or something else, may not be ready to har- 

 vest. Let us consider a moment the impor- 

 tance of having another crop occupying the 

 high-priced gi'ound the very day the first 

 crop is removed. I remember, years ago, 

 telling Mrs. Root one morning to take a 

 good look at a fine patch of Early Wakefield 

 cabbage. Said I, " Sue, before sundown 

 every cabbage will be off, and the ground 

 covered with growing strawberries." We 

 did it; and by the aid of a transplanter I 

 had invented, scarcely a strawberry plant 

 wilted. The above illustrates finely the 

 advantage of filling vacant spaces with 

 something that can be all cleaned off the 

 " minute " the main crop is harvested. Here 

 cuTPf'^ in, " gentle reader," my latest " new 

 discovery." Dasheen will fill the bill, for it 

 IS always ready to harvest, the easiest thing 

 .0 transplant, and, if you want further 

 proof of the value of growing shoots for 

 food, read the following from a bulletin 

 just issued from the Department of Agri- 

 culture by our good friend Prof. Young. I 



have already spoken of the difficulty of 

 keeping the large central corms after being 

 dug, and tliis solves the problem. The bul- 

 letin is entitled " The Forcing and Blanch- 

 ing of Dasheen Shoots," and contains five 

 beautiful cuts. I quote as follows, omitting 

 the cuts : 



As the growing of the dasheen as a tuber crop 

 begins to assume commercial proportions, it seems 

 desirable to make available to growers and others 

 who may be interested the details of a special treat- 

 ment of the corms (large spherical tubers) by which 

 a delicate fresh vegetable for winter iise may be ob- 

 tained. Credit is due to Mr. P. H. Dorsett, of 

 the Bureau of Plant Industry, for the original sug- 

 gestion of raising the shoots in this way. Other 

 workers associated with the bureau have also- con- 

 tributed helpful suggestions during the process of 

 the experiments. Acknowledgment is also due to Dr. 

 J H. Kellogg, Battle Creek, Mich., for carrying out 

 the extensive greenhouse-bench experiments illustrat- 

 ed in this paper. 



The young blanched shoots of the dasheen make a 

 very tender and delicious vegetable and are used 

 much like asparagus. The flavor is delicate and is 

 suggestive of mushrooms. 



CULTURE. 



To obtain the shoots, corms, weighing 2 to 3 

 pounds or more, are planted in a fairly warm place 

 in very moist sand Or sandy soil. A half-and-half 

 mixture of sand and ordinary potting soil has given 

 good results. Wet sphagnum moss has also been used, 

 but the sandy soil is probably better. The corms are 

 just covered, the terminal bud being at the surface. 

 Provision must be made for keeping the shoots in 

 total darkness from the time they begin to grow. 

 Water should be supplied often enough to keep the 

 sand or soil continuously moist. 



Several ways of forcing and blanching dasheen 

 shoots have been tried, and all have been successful 

 in that satisfactory shoots were grown. In any 

 instance, however, in which the raising of shoots is 

 to be undertaken, the method best adapted should be 

 selected. In the first experiments made by the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, both sand and sphagnum 

 moss were used in which to plant the corms. In one 

 of these, blanching was accomplished by keeping the 

 shoots covered with sand, while in the others a frame 

 covered with several thicknesses of burlap was used. 

 The boxes in which these experiments were carried 

 on were placed in a warm greenhouse on a bench 

 that was supplied with bottom heat. 



Neither of the foregoing methods is adapted for 

 use where the production of shoots on a large scale 

 is desired. For such a case, provided the weather is 

 not too cold and a suitable greenhouse is available, 

 a bed may be prepared under a bench. The space 

 may be darkened by hanging several thicknesses of 

 heavy paper or burlap from the sides of the bench. 

 This plan is suited to the spring of the year, while 

 those methods by which bottom heat can be applied 

 may be used at any time after the corms become 

 available, in the late fall or early winter. 



The method which is probably best for large-scale 

 production is to use a raised bed provided with 

 bottom heat. A cover practically light-proof and 

 with sides 18 to 24 inches high, is required. The 

 temperature inside this should be about 70 degrees 

 Fahr. The soil (or sand) should be a little warmer, 

 say 80 degrees. To obtain this temperature it is 

 best to enclose partially the space beneath the bed. 



The first crop of shoots is usually ready for cut- 

 ting in 35 to 40 days after planting. From 6 to 10 

 cuttings can be made at intervals of 10 to 14 days, 

 depending upon temperature and the size of the 



