242 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



For the Kew England Farmer. 

 THE GAKDEN IN MAY. 



"Btautiful is spring — cheerful, ln-iijiit Kprinif, 

 Enlivfiiiiig scunery ; mild pleasant wuitlur — 

 The face of creation, each created tliiiij,', 

 To praise the Creator, uniting together." 



Again returns the season of busy out-door 

 operations in the garden ; and if we expect 

 or desire to have a good garden we must be 

 up and doing, — take old Father Time by the 

 forelock, and lead him through the season. 

 Gardening is not only an innocent, healthy 

 and profitable ot-oiipation, but was the ])rimi- 

 tive employment of the first vian ; and we 

 find among his descendants that the first mm 

 have always been attached to that occupation. 

 A good garden, to the farmer, of all other 

 persons, is the most profitable, and of all 

 others they ought not to grudge the necessary 

 labor and time, as it may be done at odd in- 

 tervals. 



The first act in out-door operations, is the 

 preparation of the garden soil to receive the 

 seed, by manuring and ploughing. In order 

 to insure rapid germination, growth and ma- 

 turity, too much pains cannot be taken in fer- 

 tilizing, mixing, fining and deepening the soil, 

 as the finer and more intermixed the soil and 

 the manure, the better the plant food is im- 

 parted to growing plants, the more rapid their 

 growth, and the sooner they mature, contain- 

 mg much greater succulence, tenderness and 

 nutrition, than in poorly prepared soil. 



But the first essential of all towards a good 

 garden is good seed — thoroughbred seed. In 

 some kinds of seed there is little opportunity 

 for deception or mistake ; but in others there 

 is every chance, and little to guide in the 

 choice. If you do not grow and save such 

 yourself, you should buy only of the most 

 carefid, reliable growers, or dealers, and even 

 such men may be deceived, where they do not 

 produce all tiie seed they sell. There are 

 many contingencies regarding seed, such as 

 genuineness, soundness, &c., any one of 

 which wanting will often defeat our anticipa- 

 tions. 



AsPAR.voi^s. — The beds should now be 

 yielding their best; and cutting shcjuld be in a 

 regular successive order. As the shoots rise 

 to the lieight of two, three, four or five inches, 

 at most, above the surface, while the bud re- 

 mains close and plump, they are in the best 

 condition. Cut them off below the surface 

 with a suitable knife, running the knife nearly 

 straigiit down close beside the sh(jot, cutting 

 off with a sloping cut, being careful not to 

 wound the crowns or advancing buds. In new 

 beds, cut only the largest and strongest shotjts. 

 Old established beds may be cut from as fast 

 as the shoots attain suitable size, and clean 

 througli the month, 



Bean.s. — Dinnf. — Plant in rows 2h feet 

 apart, dropping the seed two to three indies 

 apart in the drill ; cover two inches deep. 

 Pole or Runniitij. — These should not be 



planted till danger of late frosts are ])ast, as 

 they are more difficult of protection than the 

 Dwarfs. INIake the hills ;> 1-2 to four feet 

 apart, each way ; put a shovel full of well 

 rotted manure, compost, in each hill, cover 

 one inch and set a pole, rising six feet, firmly 

 in the centre of each hill, and drop six or 

 eight beans, in a circle four or five inches 

 away from the pole, cover one inch deep, 

 except limas, these be jjarticular to stick 

 e}es down and cover so the top of the beans 

 will have only half an inch of fine soil over 

 them ; if the soil crusts hard, break and pul- 

 verize so the plants can get up. 



Beets. — A deep, rich sand, drv' and light, 

 rather than moist, is the soil the beet delights 

 in. Sow in drills sixteen indies a])art, drop- 

 ping the seed one inch apart to be thinned 

 when up. The sooner the seed is put in after 

 the ground will work well in spring, the better. 



Rkussels Sprouts. — Sow seeds in a rich, 

 well prepared seed bed ; drills ten inches apart 

 best. 



Cabbage. — Sow seed in seed beds for me- 

 dium and later crops ; transplant early plants, 

 for the early crop ; salt, lime and ashes are 

 good, worked into the surface on well en- 

 riched mellow soil, for the cabbage. Set the 

 roots deep, half or two thirds the length of 

 stem down. 



Carrots. — A light, mellow, rich soil, con- 

 siderable sandy, and deeply worked is essen- 

 tial for a good crop of carrots ; sow in drills, 

 across four foot beds, twelve inches apart. 



Cauliflowers. — Transplant early, into 

 rich, early, mellow soil 2 1-2 feet apart each 

 way. 



Celery. — Seed may be still sown in beds 

 of light mellow soil, and lightly covered. 



Coriander. — Sow seed in twelve inch drills, 

 in beds of sandy loam. 



Cress. — Sow seed in beds of fine mellow 

 soil, well prepared, in drills six to eight inches 

 apart. 



CucuMBi RS — Early cucumbers require a 

 warm rich ^(Jil, somewhat sheltered from cold 

 winds, etc. Frepare the hills 4^ or five feet 

 apart, by excavating a hole two feet across and 

 six inches deep ; put in half a bushel of good 

 strong compost hog pen manure, cover one 

 inch with fine soil, and scatter a dozen seed 

 thereon, covering half an inch. Plants started 

 in the hot-bed may be transferred into such 

 hills after frosts are past. 



Egcj-Plaxts. — Near the last of the month, 

 plants may be taken from the hot-l)cd and set 

 in rich, warm soil, two and one-half feet apart. 



Lettuce. — Sow seed in eight inch drills 

 across four feet wide beds, when the plants 

 grow to the size of three or four indies across, 

 transplant into rich soil, ten niches apart each 

 way. 



Melons. — Watermelon, Citron, and Nut- 

 meg melon seed, may be planted in warm 

 sandy soil, well exposed to the sun, in hills 

 jirepared as for cucumbers ; watermelons six 



