CHAPTER V. 



HOW TO PLANT. 



A GARDEN should not be planted until the soil is thor- 

 oughly prepared. It is better to plant a few days late 

 than to put the seed or plants into poorly prepared soil. 

 A sandy loam can be planted a week earlier than a medium 

 or heavy loam. A southern slope of 45 to 6o°, increases 

 the earliness of the soil a week over the same kind of soil 

 on level ground. 



Thus radishes, which should be planted about May 

 1st, in medium or heavy loam in the latitude of Hartford, 

 could safely be planted on April 16th on sandy loam slop- 

 ing to the south. Large seeds germinate quicker if they 

 are soaked for a few hours in warm water at temperature 

 not exceeding 120 F. They should not be soaked longer 

 than twelve hours and the soaking of the seed should im- 

 mediately precede the planting. With the land thorough- 

 ly prepared, the plans decided upon, planting should be- 

 gin as soon as the temperature is suitable. 



PLANTING DIRECTIONS. 



Beans, Bush. Dwarf Horticultural Shell Beans, 

 Cranberry Beans, Wax String Beans, and Giant Pod 

 Valentine String Beans. 



These are among the best. These grow from 12 to 30 

 inches high and have pods which enclose the seeds. In 

 the Shell Bean varieties the seeds or beans are taken out 

 of the pods and boiled and eaten alone, or with corn as 

 succotash. The Horticultural beans are picked when the 

 pods are striped with red. The pods of the string beans 

 are eaten and should be picked before they become tough. 

 A good way to tell when they are ready is to bend them in 

 the shape of the letter U, they should snap. 



Plant all Bush varieties in rows not closer than two 

 feet apart. Dig a furrow three inches deep and sprinkle 



