1877.1 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



59 



Soil. 



It is a mistake to sii|)])Osc that somo specific 

 soil is iiidispensaljlc to success. Good i^anlciis 

 liave been made on i-ocky liillsides, on arid 

 sand banks, and on lieavy clay s(tils, but 

 neillier of tlie.se are desirable, and there are 

 very few farms in Minnesota Unit cannot 

 furnish us a lietter. Tlie very hest soil is a 

 sandy loam which will work easy, dry ofl' 

 (piieklv after a rain, and yet ri'tain sullieieiit 

 moisture to withstand drouth, and the soil 

 should be brought into a liiL;h state of fertili- 

 ty by deep plowiiiij and the incorporation of 

 animal manures. If sand predoininates to 

 excess, it will he benefited hy the addition of 

 lime, ashes, clay and muck. If too still' a 

 clay it will become more arable by suh-soiliu!.; 

 and the application of ashes, sand and man- 

 ure. On clay soils jjood drain.Mt;e must be 

 secured or it will t)ecome sour and sodden, 

 and seciu'c hut little benelit from fertilizers. 

 Every fall after the cro|) is gathered in, all 

 rubbish should be cleared off, and a liberal 

 coat of well rotten manure spread over, and 

 Iilowed under. Plow again in the springwhen 

 dry enough to work well. During the sum- 

 mer no weeds should he allowed to grow and 

 mature (heir seeds and afford lierbs.for nox- 

 ious insects. 



We will now sujipose that we have located, 

 fenced, and manured a spot for a garden. 

 What shall we plant in it, and how sliall we 

 manage it V I would lay oil a border all 

 around next the fence, six or eight feet wide, 

 separate from the rest of the garden by a 

 walk three or four feet wide, and u|ion this 

 bonier I would make permaneut plantation 

 of fruits, etc., as follows : 



First, on the north side commencing at the 

 end nearest the dwelling. leave room for hot 

 beds, cold frame, and early lettuce and rad- 

 ishes, plant a few roots of horseradish, rhu- 

 barb or pie-plant, and occupy the rest of the 

 border with grape vines, set three feet from 

 the fence and ten feet apart in the row, finish- 

 ing out the border with an asparagus bed. 

 East and west borders I would plant to cur- 

 rants and strawberries, and the south to 

 strawberries and ra.spberries. Through the 

 centre one way leading from the house I 

 would have a road or walk six or eight feet 

 wide, and this walk I would have bordered 

 with shrubs and flowers, always keeping it a 

 straight and narrow and flowery way, so in- 

 viting that it would tend to lead my children 

 to virtue and peace, and also tempt the feet 

 of visitors. This arrangement will leave an 

 amijle plat on each side hetween the borders 

 ami the walk for the raising of the supply of 

 vegetables. These plats after each spring's 

 plowing may be laid off according as fancy or 

 convenience dictates, and planted with such 

 vegetables, and in such quantities as the 

 wants of the family may ie(piire; and always 

 bear in mind that it is more pleasure to cul- 

 tivate a tasty, well laid out garden than one 

 where things are mi.\ed up and hap-hazard. 

 The essential vegetables for the farmer to 

 grow are, string beans, Lima beans, beets, 

 cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, 

 sweet corn, lettuce, radishes, early potatoes, 

 onions, tomatoes, turnips, etc., in some of 

 their varieties. 



Hot-Beds. 



It is aggravating to know that one's neighbor 

 has radishes, lettuce, cucumliers, tomatoes, 

 etc., before us. Market gardeners fully ap- 

 preciate the importance of being the tirst in 

 the market with these things, and use every 

 available means to hasten tliem forward, and 

 resort to artificial shelter and iirotection as 

 atlbrded by liot beds, cold frames and hand 

 glasses. But few farmers are able or willing 

 to incur the expense and use the time that is 

 necessary for their construction and success- 

 ful management; but even a cheap and rude 

 hot-bed, that could be watched and attended 

 by the younger members of the faniih', would 

 bring forward a supply of lettuce, cucumbers, 

 cabbage and tomato plants several days in ad- 

 vance of those started in the open ground. 

 Sashes about two and one-half by five feet are 

 a convenient size to use for covering the bed, 



and they can be made by any ordinary car- 

 Iienter, or purcliased at a sash factory, and 

 ought not to cost, gla/.ed and painted, more 

 than $l.M each, and if housed when not in 

 use, will last many years. Four of them will 

 cover a bed of sullicient size to start all the 

 plants that will lie reipiired for a half acre 

 garden, and furnish a few messes of lettuce, 

 besides starting a few flowers for the wife and 

 daughters. A frame of inch-hoards is re- 

 (piiied which the sash will just cover— the 

 front side to he twelve inches high and the 

 back eighteen, to give slant for carrying off 

 water and admit the more direct rays of the 

 sun. The frame being ready, dig out a i>it 

 (which should always face the south) six or 

 <ight inches larger eveiy way tlian the frame 

 and about mw foot deep. Fill this pit wilh 

 fresh litter and manure from tiie horse stable, 

 that has commenced heating and has been 

 lireviously forked over, shaking it on evenly 

 to the depth of twenty iiiclu'S or two feel, 

 tramp the whole down (irmly with the feet, 

 put on the fr;inie and sash, and hank \i]i the 

 outside with c<iarse manure. After tlu' heat 

 is up, which will be in a day or two, cover 

 the bed inside the frame at least six inches 

 deej) with good mellow soil, and after raking 

 out the lumps put on the sash again, and in a 

 day or two more it will be warmed tlirou<:h 

 and ready to receive the seed, which should 

 be sowed in rows about three inches ajiart, 

 scattering a littk! lettuce seed along the lower 

 edge of the bed where other iflanls would be 

 spoiled from the shade and drip of the sash. 

 The fermenting manure will kec]) the soil 

 warm at the bottom and the sun will warm 

 the surface, furnishing a congenial iilace 

 where the seeds will come u|i quickly and the 

 plants will grow strong and thrifty, an<l be 

 ready to transplant by the time they could be 

 brought uj) if planted in the open ground. 



In this lattitude about the first of Ajiril is 

 early enough to start a hot bed. The bed will 

 need watering whenever it begins to get dry, 

 and the water should be applied through the 

 fine nose of a watering pot, and should be as 

 warm as it would get by standing in the sun 

 during the day. The sash must be opened or 

 taken off upon bright, clear days, and replaced 

 at night. Keep the bed closed in cold, stormy 

 weather, unless the bottom heat is greater than 

 the iilants will bear. About a week before 

 the time to take the plants out for transplant- 

 ing, keev> the bed open night and day, to 

 harden up the plants. If sash and glass are 

 not available, a few days' time may be gained 

 in raising plants, by making a bed of fine rich 

 soil well filled with warm compost, under the 

 shelter of a close board fence, wall or huililing, 

 covering it nights and during cold storms with 

 boards or matting. Another method which 

 may be adopted to get plants of early toma- 

 toes and, where hot beds are out of the ques- 

 tion, is to sow the seed about the 20tli of 

 March, in good soil in .shallow boxes, keejiing 

 tliem in a warm jilace near the stove until thej- 

 come up, and then set them on a bench or 

 table inside, and close to a. south window, giv- 

 ing them air whenever the weather w-ill iier- 

 mit, transplanting the plants about two or 

 three inches apart into other boxes of fresh 

 soil, before they begin to get crowded and 

 spindling, and if when they are large enough 

 for the garilen, the weather is not favorable 

 for planting them out, another transplanting 

 will be found beneficial. They should be 

 transplanted at evening, or shaded for a few 

 hours, to allow the roots to take hold of the 

 soil. Such plants if properly hardened off, are 

 sniicrior to hot-bed plants, and if carefully 

 taken up with the soil adhering to the roftts, 

 can be transfered to the garden and scarcely 

 feel the change. 



Season or time for Planting. 



Peas, onions, beets, lettuce, and radishes 

 for the earliest crop, should be jilanted as ear- 

 ly in the spring as the gnmml can be worked, 

 and they will come forward faster if under 

 the .shelter of a fence or wall. The fall crop 

 of onions will do better if sowed early and a 

 few early potatoes should be planted as soon 

 as the frost is out of the ground; 



It is useless to plant beans, corn, cucum- 

 bers, s<pi;ishes, and tomatoes in tlie oi>en 

 ground until about the first week in May, or 

 until the ground beconies somewliat warm 

 and dry. ('ncmnbers may be hastened a few 

 days hy in'otecting them with hand gla-s-ses or 

 a box without top or bottom, ten or twelve 

 inches scpian^ and six inches deep, covered 

 with a light of glass for each hill. (.'ucuin- 

 bers, melons, and Lima beans for early use 

 may be started hy taking quart Iwrry boxes, 

 filling them with .soil and planting in each 

 four or five seeds, and setting them in the 

 hot bed, and afterwards transplanting 

 them ill the open ground, cutting the l)ot- 

 toms of boxes away to allow the roots to run 

 out in search of nourishment. Carrots and 

 Jiarsuips do the best when planted early in May. 



Ueets, peas, string or snap beans, sweet 

 corn, radishes and lettuce, should Ik- jilanted 

 at intervals of two or three weeks until the 

 first of .July. 



('abbage and caulillower for early use may 

 usually be transplanted as early as the plants 

 are ready, and lor late and winter use, about 

 the -JOIh of .lune. Celery from 1.1th of .lune 

 to l.">tli of .Inly. Tomatoes from loth of May 

 to lidth of .June. Turnips may be sown in 

 July after ]ieas and early potatoes. 



The following according to my experience, 

 which extends over thirty years as a market 

 gardener, are the best varieties to grow for 

 family use. 



y>'c((.v. — Egyptian Turniit Rooted, Dewey's, 

 Early Hed and I.oiig Blood. 



Biaus for snaps. Early Valentine, Hlack 

 Wax, and .Striped Cranberry. For shell 

 beans.— Large Wliite Lima, Dutch Case 

 Knife. 



Cabbmie. — Early Jessie, Wakefield, rol- 

 ler's Improved Drundiead, I'remluin Flat 

 Dutch, Silver-leaf Drumhead. 



Carrol. — Early Horn, Improved Long 

 Orange. 



Cauh'Jliwcr.—VMr\y Dwarf. Erfurt, and Le- 

 norniand's Short Stem. 



Celery. — Sandriiigham, Dwarf White. 



Corn. — Early Minnesota, or Campbell's 

 Sixty Days, an<l Stowell's Evergreen. 



CttCKmhcrs. — Early White Spine, Short 

 Green, and (iieeti Prolific. 



Leidftc— Early Curled Simp.son, and Large 

 India. 



Musk Melons. — Green Citron, Casaba, and 

 Yellow Canteloupe. 



Waltr Melon. — Mountain Sweet, Phinncy's 

 Early, and Black Spanish. 



O/u'ox.v. — Top Sets, Extra Early Bed, 

 Large Bed AVethei-sfield and Yellow Danvers. 



Parsnips. — Student and Guernsey. 



Peppers. — Sweet Mountain, Long Red Cay- 

 enne. 



Peas. — Carter's First Croi>, Champion of 

 England, and Marrowfat. 



Potatoes. — Extra Early Vermont and Early 

 Rose. 



Eadish. — Early Short Top, Long Scarlet, 

 and French Breakfast. 



.SV;»a.s/i.— Yellow Bush, Scallop, Boston 

 Marrow and Hubbard or Marblchead. 



Tomatoes. — Canada, A'ictor, Trophy and 

 Green Gage. 



3iinii'/<.s-.— Early Red-Top, Strap Leaf, and 

 Yellow Scotch. 



Asa garden is not comjilete without sweet 

 and pot herbs, .sage, caraway, fennel, dill, 

 sweet marjorum, summer savery, tanzy, and 

 thyme will be found among the most useful. 



The tools used to the best advantage in 

 garden work are the usual ])low and harrow 

 of the farm, a bright Ames spade, a spade 

 fork, a manure fork, steel rake, .steel hoe, 

 wheelbarrow, garden trowel and a line and 

 ten foot pole and a few stakes. 

 Fruits. 



If a few varieties of fruit are to havea place 

 in the iHirder the following are recommended 

 as most likely to prove the liest : Concord and 

 Delaware (Jrapes ; Red Dutch and White 

 Grape currants; Doolittle or Seneca Blai-k Cap 

 and Turner's or Philadelphia R<-d Raspberries; 

 Wilson's Albany, and Charles Downing 

 Strawberries. 



