CHAPTER 29 



The Farm vegetable Garden 



By Paul Work 



Superintendent and Instructor, Department of Vegetable Gardening, 



Cornell University 



In the rural sections the vegetable gardens adjoining the homes of the 

 farmers show marked differences. In some sections almost no attempt is 

 made to supply the home table with home-grown vegetables. In other 

 districts the gardens are of good size, well planned and uniformly well 

 cared for throughout the whole season. Those who devote no attention to 

 the home garden little realize the advantages missed through this neglect. 

 The diet of these families is usually not well balanced. Meats and cereals 

 probably predominate and the elements which are supplied in vegetable 

 food are lacking. These elements are not so much concerned in furnishing 

 energy and building body material as they are in supplying the flavoring 

 and mineral requirements. Moreover, man, as well as animals, requires 

 a certain amount of more or less bulky feed. These factors in the diet are 

 seemingly of minor importance, but are, nevertheless, absolutely essential. 

 Just as no animal can thrive without a small amount of salt, so the absence 

 of these elements from the table results in the weakening of the whole 

 system and the undermining of the general health. The old-fashioned idea 

 that one must necessarily be in poor physical condition when spring opens, 

 is based upon the absence of vegetables and fruits from the old-fashioned 

 winter diet. Nowadays, when canning is much more economically prac- 

 ticed and when the products of the garden and orchard are to be had during 

 every month of the year, the old-time spring tonic is less in demand. 



The value of the home garden must be further considered in its contri- 

 bution to the joy of living and to the relish of a good table. Much can be 

 said in praise of the endless array of delicacies which may be provided by 

 the skilful housewife who is in league with the skilful gardener. 



The economic value of the products which the home garden offers has 

 been investigated by a number of experiment stations. At the Illinois 

 Station it was shown that the average annual gross return from a half acre 

 amounted to $105 through a period of five years, with an average cost, 

 including all labor and materials, of $30. Some contend that the ordinary 

 farmer cannot afford to devote the requisite amount of time and energy 

 to the cultivation of the garden. It makes demands upon him which conflict 

 with the demands of his fields and crops. It is true that a delay of a day 



(403) 



