May 22, 1889.] 



Garden and Forest. 



245 



Early 



Fig. 107. — Brodiaea Palmeri. — See page 244. 



When land is very valuable, and in small gardens, of course, 

 vegetables must be planted closer and cultivated with hoes. 



It is a good practice, on a large scale, to lay out the rows 

 with a plow and sow the fertilizer thickly therein. A furrow 

 is then thrown from each side, making a ridge immediately 

 over the first furrow. This ridge is then chopped off flat with 

 a hoe and the seed sown in a furrow marked thereon with a 

 narrow hoe, or a seed-drill may be rim through. After sowing 

 the seed, cover and roll each row with a light hand-roller, so 

 that the earth is well packed on the seed. The young plants 



on the ridge are not so easily drowned out by rains, 

 and can be worked earlier by horse-power. It is always 

 easy to follow up one crop witii a later one by splitting 

 the rows and clearing up the remains of the first crop or 

 burying it in the soil. 



In I)uying fertilizers amateurs should always deal with 

 the manufacturers, and never buy less than a 200-pound 

 sack, even if the garden is very small. The manufac- 

 turer can supply a first-class superphosphate for $30 to 

 $35 per ton, probably the latter price if bought by the 

 single sack, Init the little packages of fertilizers sold by 

 seedsmen usually cost about four prices. In one of the 

 recent bulletins of the Cornell University it was shown 

 that an article sold by a leading seedsman imder the name 

 of "Economic Seed Manure" in fancy packages at the 

 rate of $2,000 per ton was really worth but little over $30 

 per ton. It is best, therefore, to buy seed from a seeds- 

 man whom you are sure you can trust, but buy your 

 fertilizers from a reliable manufacturer, and let some one 

 else pay for the fancy packages. A superphosphate made 

 from raw bones or bone-black is preferable to one made 

 from South Carolina fossils. This last can be bought for 

 $15 to $16 per ton ; the raw bone phosphate at $30 is 

 more satisfactory for vegetables. 



A rank odor in a fertilizer is often deceptive. It does 

 not require a large percentage of ammonia to exhale a 

 strong smell if it is in a volatile condition, and the fertilizer 

 which has the most pungent ammoniacal smell is the one 

 to avoid, because it is rapidly depreciating in value. But 

 there are other and more worthless substances used in 

 many fertilizers merely because they offend the nostrils, 

 for manufacturers know that so many people judge this 

 article by the smell, that they gratif_\- this prejudice with okl 

 leather, fish scraps and the like. Shun "ammoniated" 

 superphosphates; you can ammoniate it more cheapl\- 

 and better yourself by adding nitrate of soda, and you can 

 add the sulphate of potash for such crops as the Legumes 

 and leave out the nitrogen. It is, therefore, desirable 

 and cheaper to get these three materirds separately. 

 Crozet, Va. IV. F. Massey. 



Tomatoes. 



IN the market-gardens of this latitude early Tomatoes 

 are in the ground by the first of June, but in the 

 family garden they can be often set out earlier with safety, 

 as special protection can be given to a few plants when it 

 cannot be used for a larger nimiber. I remember an 

 instance where Tomatoes had been set in the ground for 

 a week when a frost threatened ; the plants were nicely 

 lifted on a wheel-barrow, rolled into the barn, and the 

 next day set again in the ground and they went on grow- 

 ing", while others left out were killed. When set against 

 a fence or building they are usually safe from frost. A 

 temperature below 34° kills the leaves and the tender 

 stems, but the plant will live and sprout again from the 

 root if left, but will produce fruit late. The best plants 

 are those grown four inches apart in Hats. They are, in 

 a measure, stunted, but not drawn up into spindling 

 form, and if set in rich earth they will grow with great 

 vigor. Tomatoes like warmth and moisture, and frequent 

 waterings will keep them a growing. 



As to varieties for the home-garden, I consider Dwarf 

 Champion as good as any, as the bush is compact and 

 the plant is easily staked. A barrel-hoop, raised a few 

 inches above the ground by stakes nailed to it, will make 

 a sufficient support for it. If the crimson color is an 

 objection, the Volunteer or Perfection, indeed, any of Liv- 

 ingston's seedlings may be substituted for it. There is 

 little to choose among varieties as far as earliness is con- 

 cerned. All of the early kinds wil.l ripen within a period 

 of ten days. The commercial fertilizers seem well adapted 

 to the Tomato, and a pint of any standard brand, well 

 forked through the soil where the plant is to stand, is 

 almost certain to bring large, smooth fruit. 



Whether it pays to stake Tomatoes is a question. In the 

 home-garden it is well to stop the growth of the vine by 

 pinching, to encourage early fruit ; but for late fruit I let them 

 run at will. Thinning out the laterals to give free circulation 

 of air is good practice, and helps to prevent rot, but the fruit 

 often scalds if exposed to full sunshine. The best specimens 

 of fruit will be found on the well-fed vines that have abun- 

 dant room. Plants of Dwarf Champion can be set less than 

 three feet apart, but the lustier growers would find themselves 

 crowded at this distance. ^y ^ j^nU^ 



West Spiinglield, Mass. 



