1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



171 



roots and a swamp of weeds, whose only re- 

 deeming I'eature is the presence of winter 

 birds in search of a daily meal of seeds. 

 Without a garden, the winter diet of the fam- 

 ily must be mainly contined to bread, meats 

 and potatoes. When warm weather returns, 

 the system requires less stimulating food and de- 

 mands cooling and juicy vegetables fresh from 

 the soil. There are many farmers who have no 

 garden — not even an apology for one. We knew 

 a case where the wife of a famier worth ten 

 thousand dollars, went to a neighbor's garden 

 to beg a few fresh vegetables when company 

 was expected. Thousands of farmers' tables 

 are rarely graced with early vegetables, such 

 as lettuce, radishes, early beans, potatoes and 

 peas, when they might be crowned with all the 

 vegetable luxuries peculiar to each season by 

 a little labor and systematic care. 



An observing gentleman from another State 

 in writing us on this subject says : — 



"No part of the farm pays as well as the 

 kitchen garden, if well taken care of. I do 

 not mean by this that every farmer can make 

 money by raising vegetables for market, be- 

 cause that is impracticable, but it is a self-evi- 

 dent fiU't that the farmer must procure the sup- 

 port of his family from his farm, and a well 

 conducted garden will produce more towards 

 this than any other part of the farm of four 

 times the extent. 



The use of vegetables and fruit as a diet is 

 said by medical men to be conducive to health, 

 and as most people, and especially children are 

 fond of garden fruits, it is policy for every far- 

 mer to provide a plentiful supply lor home con- 

 sumption. It would seem that people having 

 all the conveniences that farmers have, as re- 

 gards land and plenty of leisure time to take 

 care of a garden, would be the ones that would 

 consume the most of such things ; but it is true 

 that the people of cities and villages use more 

 vegetables than the same number of land own- 

 ers. Take a look among the fiirmers, and you 

 will find that one-half of them have no garden 

 at all, or at most, a little corner in the grain 

 field which is overrun with weeds. Others 

 have a place set apart for the purpose, but do 

 not get time to do anything in it until all the 

 spring fiirm work is done, thereby making it 

 too late to secure any of the vegetables requir- 

 ing early planting, and destroying the possi- 

 bility of getting early kinds. This is a great 

 loss, when we taki; into consideration that such 

 things are relished a great deal more in the hot 

 weather of June and July, than later in the 

 summer. What is more aggravating than to 

 know that one's neighbor has green peas, new 

 potatoes, string beans and the like, and his 

 own but just up, and all through his own ne- 

 glect by not planting in season. 



And so the farmers' wives and daughters, 

 who, during the first two or three months of 

 summer, have to rack their brains to think of 

 something to get for dinner, wiiich the men 

 can eat — ibr when they come in from the field, 

 weary with labor, tlu'ir stomachs are apt to re- 

 volt at salt pork and old potatoes. But if there 

 are early potatoes, peas, beans and other veg- 

 etables in the garden, they know just what to 

 get for dinner, and when the workmen come 

 in, they eat with a relish, and nothing does the 

 faithful wife more good than to see her hus- 

 band eat the food she has cooked for him, as if 

 it tasted good. 



The garden should be near the house, as 

 housekeepers do not always have time to go 

 far ; and if it is close by a great many leisure 

 moments can be spent in weeding, &c., which 

 could not be done if it is remote." 



The garden should also be enclosed, so that 

 fowls and other stock cannot enter it. No 

 success can be reasonably expected if fowls are 

 allowed to range in it, as their instincts lead 

 them to the freshly-moved soil for some of 

 their most essential food. They are, there- 

 fore, always ready to scratch where the gar- 

 dener has just fashioned his new beds, planted 

 his choice shrubs or scattered his early seeds. 

 If enclosed, the space alongside the fences may 

 be occupied by raspberries, blackberries, toma- 

 toes and other climbers, which will also serve 

 the double purpose of a shelter to more ten- 

 der plants. If there is a path between these 

 and the more central portions of the garden, 

 these chmbers can be conveniently cultivated 

 from it, and their spreading easily prevented. 



"The manure for the garden should be well 

 rotted, and if allowed to remain in a vault or 

 cellar through the summer, all seeds would be 

 killed, thus saving a vast amount of work in 

 loading. Apply the manure in the fall, and 

 plow in immediately, plowing again in the 

 spring, which thoroughly mixes it with the soil. 

 As soon as the weather will permit, plant early 

 potatoes, peas and all kinds of early vegeta- 

 bles, which are not liable to be killed by frost, 

 putting in others along as the season will per- 

 mit, and when they come up, keep them weU 

 hoed and free from weeds, and you will have 

 the satisfaction of having something good as 

 well as your neighbor." When this work Is 

 performed early and faithfully it will be alto- 

 gether more easy to continue planting as the 

 season advances, and to keep the whole in good 

 order. Indeed, when the commencement is 

 thorough, it greatly aids all future opera- 

 tions. 



