What Amateurs Can Do in April 



'HE first work in the vegetable gar- 

 den should be to attend to the as- 

 paragus bed. Take off the covering 

 manure it received last fall and fork 



parsnip row so that cultivating may be 

 done between the rows if necessary. The 

 lettuce can be used before it interferes 

 with the crop of parsnips. 



.^^^^ 



A Back Yard that a Little Labor and Expense Improved Greatly Last Season 



.Vliiriy back yards appear worse than this iri spring arid remain so all suiiiiner. A few niiiiufes work each 



day would make them plHCCs of beauty. This photograph was taken at the 



residence of Mr. Artliur lil »kely, Toronto 



the soil over lightly around and about 

 (lie plants. Do this as soon as the frost 

 is out of the ground and the soil is fit to 

 work. If manure was not applied last 

 fall a light dressing may be given now 

 and worked in. 



Every garden should have an aspara- 

 gus bed. It is the earliest and most 

 acceptable of early vegetables. A bed 

 may be started by sowing seed as early 

 s the ground can be worked. Sow in 

 'irills an inch deep and three feet apart. 

 If you can secure two year old plants, 

 liiey will give better results than by sow- 

 ing seeds. Plant them eight inches apart 

 in rows three feet apart. Have the as- 

 I)aragus plot on deep, rich land, where 

 water will not stand in winter or spring. 



Among the first vegetable crops to 



'>ow or plant are peas, spinach, lettuce, 

 irirsnips, parsley, leeks and onions. Al- 

 ways have the seed bed well prepared, 



particularly for onions. A little frost 



i>r snow after these seeds are in the 

 ground will not hurt them. 

 Parsnips and parsley seeds are slow 



in germinating, often taking four or five 



weeks. It is a good plan to sow a few 



seeds of lettuce with these. The let- 

 tuce will come up quickly, marking the 



A week or two later, beans, beets, 

 carrots and salsify may be sown. Never 

 sow seeds when the ground is wet and 

 sodded. 



If you sowed seeds of early cabbage 

 in the hotbed last month, the young 

 plants may be transplanted about the end 

 of April or early in May. Seed of late 

 varieties may be sown in the open ground 

 about the end of May and transplanted 

 about the first of July. 



Sow the seed of egg plants in a seed 

 box or hotbed about the middle of this 

 month and transplant to the open when 

 danger of frost is passed. 



Sow early varieties of radish as soon 

 as possible and at intervals of two weeks 

 for a succession. Good varieties are 

 Rosy Gem and French Breakfast. Do 

 not forget a few early turnips, such as 

 Golden Ball, for table use. 



WITH THE FRUITS 



All small fruit pruning should be fin- 

 ished before the middle of this month. 

 If not already done, conclude the work 

 on your currant and gooseberry bushes 

 at once as they break into bud early. 



If you have peach and plum trees and 

 there are mummied fruits hanging upon 

 them, remove the mummies at once and 

 carry them away or bury deeply. Give 

 the trees a good spraying with Bordeaux 

 mixture and Paris green. 



The mulch on the strawberry bed 

 should be taken off. Leave a portion of 

 it between the rows to conserve mois- 

 ture. Dig out and remove all perenhi.il 



The Same Back Yard as it Appeared the Following September 



Many perennials were planted that nuike simiily a stjirt the first year. They shoulil jcrow yitroiously ""d bloom 



profuHely this Hiimmcr and fall. 

 .81 



It is worth while to clean up and plaid. 



