THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



January, 1915 



Atters as Grown by Mr. J. Gadtby, Hamilton, 



It may then be applied with a watering 

 can as desired. During the past hot 

 season we found more response to ani- 

 mal than artificial manures . 



WATERING 



We are not satisfied unless blooms are 

 produced with stems from ten to eigh- 

 teen inches in length and with flowers 

 from one and one-half to two and one- 

 half inches across the standard. We 

 cannot get this class of sweet pea unless 

 they have plenty of moisture both above 

 and below ground. A regular supply of 

 water will tide them over a spell of 

 drought, but no artificial watering will 

 take the place of a sufficiently moist at- 

 mosphere. However, if we do not neg- 

 lect them during the adverse period of 

 drought when we can no longer take 

 pride in their appearance, and if we do 

 not lose patience, we shall find them 

 after a good heavy rain once more re- 

 turning to their spring-like form. If you 

 have a copious supply of water in your 

 hydrant and can stand the expense, a 

 system of galvanized iron piping ar- 

 ranged along the rows with holes drill- 

 ed in the piping every six inches and a 

 hose coupling attached to one end of 

 your system will do away with the labor 

 of watering a large number of peas. We 

 have only tried this on a single row, but 

 found it a great labor saver. The pasl: 

 season was, however, an example of our 

 helplessness without the beneficent aid 

 of nature. Several prolonged spells of 

 drought, commencing so unusually early 

 as May, disappointed the hopes we had 

 formed in the early spring of a very suc- 

 cessful season. Other much more ex- 

 perienced horticulturists have told us 

 that their experiments in sweet pea cul- 



Ont. How Did Your* Compare With These? 



lure carried out under the most favorable 

 conditions and with the help of skilled 

 gardeners, have likewise been very dis- 

 appointing this season. However, as 

 one swallow does not make a summer we 

 must not be downhearted but look for- 

 ward to better fortune next year. Al- 

 though under such conditions our peas 

 may not be up to exhibition standard, we 

 may be sure always of an abundant sup- 

 ply of delightful bouquets for ourselves 

 and our friends. 



The Amateur Vegetable Garden 



Geo. Baldwin, Toronto, Ont. 



IN outlining the possibilities of vege- 

 table growing in a small space, by an 

 amateur grower, the three principal 

 points to be considered are the prepara- 

 tion of the soil, the selection of varieties, 

 and proper cultivation. If the ground 

 was not dug deeply and manured in the 

 fall, do it just as soon as the frost will 

 permit, using rotted manure or artificial 

 fertilizer, or both, raking it over smooth- 

 ly, having the garden raised a little high- 

 er in the centre, tapering off to the sides, 

 so as to shed off heavy rains. 



About the loth of May, weather per- 



niiuiiig, how the .seed.b tor onions, red, 

 white and yellow "Southports" for pre- 

 ference, putting the rows eighteen inches 

 apart, so as to permit cultivating in be- 

 tween, then two rows of beets, flat Egypt- 

 ian being the best, two rows of parsnips, 

 Hollow Crown, one row of carrots, Ox- 

 heart, and one row of carrots. Early Nan- ■ 

 tes. Take a rest until May 24th, and ^ 

 then recommence operations is earnest 

 by putting out four rows of cabbage 

 plants, two feet apart, and plants eigh- 

 teen inches apart in the rows. Hender- 

 son's early summer cabbage is the best 

 all-round cabbage for either early or late. 

 Next put in three rows of Wardwell's 

 Kidney Wax Bean, rows eighteen inches 

 apart. Put in lots of beans, and thin out 

 to eight inches apart. Next to this leave 

 a space of four feet, and when you get 

 more time, prepare a trench ready to 

 receive celery plants June ist. Next to 

 this put in two rows of Telephone pe is 

 two feet apart, training them up sticks, 

 chi'.ken retting, or brush. 



Now comes the tomato patch. Put 

 your plants three feet apart each way. 

 Stagger them in the rows, so that they 

 will not shade one another. If your lot 

 is twenty feet wide, this will give you 

 six plants to a row, and having five rows 

 you will need thirty plants, which is 

 plenty for an ordinary family, if attended 

 to and trained properly. 



If your lot is fifty feet long, you still 

 have nine feet four inches on which to 

 plant two rows of Golden Bantam corn 

 and two rows of Country Gentleman 

 corn for late variety. Put the rows 

 twenty-eight inches apart and the hills 

 two feet apart staggered the same as for 

 the tomatoes. Put in about twelve seeds 

 to a hill and thin out to five, putting here 

 and there two or three seeds of squash, 

 cucumbers, or marrows. Sow some 

 radish seed broadcast amongst the corn, 

 which will be ready for the table before 

 the corn shades it too much. 



When your planting is all done, start 

 at the top of the garden, cultivating and 

 thinning out where necessary. Watch 

 for cutworms and caterpillars. Throw 

 the earth out of the celery trench along 

 each side. Put in lots of well decayed 

 manure in the bottom. Put in two rows 

 eighteen inches apart, with the plants 

 eight inches apart in the rows. Sow 

 lettuce seed on top of one ridge and rad- 

 ishes on the other. 



I have not mentioned the varieties of 

 celery or tomatoes most suitable, for the 

 reason that we have not yet decided whe- 

 ther we will make a hotbed and grow 

 our own plants or buy them from the 

 corner grocery. Both ideas have points 

 in their favor. If you haven't got the 

 time or facilities or feel you are not com- 

 petent, buy from the store and plant 

 whatever varieties you can get, but if you 

 intend being an amateur in practice as 



