THE SEEDS OF VICTORY INSURE THE FRUITS OF PEACE 5 



cold-pack method as small a quantity as a 

 single can or jar may be put up in a short 

 time. With proper instructions it is possible 

 for the housewife to dry a handful of peas or 

 beans, sweet corn, a few sweet potatoes or 

 turnips, or small quantities of many other 

 vegetables with practically no expenditure of 

 her time. Explicit and simple directions for 

 canning and drying are given in the Manual 

 issued by the National War Garden Com- 

 mission. 



THE SOIL AND MANURES 



The back yard gardener must use the soil 



he has, but he can improve it if is poor, and 



he must do this as far as possible. Stable 



manure will help even the 



richest soil, and you are 



not likely to use too much 



of it. During a single season 



professional gardeners apply 



as much as six inches of it. 



From 400 to 600 pounds can 



be used to advantage on a 



plot 20 by 20 feet. Coarse 



manure should be applied 



and thoroughly plowed or 



spaded under in the fall. 



In the spring, fine, rotted Fis- 2 — This shows the construction of an outdoor cold frame. A hotbed is 

 .. *, . , built in the same way, except that for the hotbed a pit and manure are required. 

 manure is applied, just See page 7 for directions for making cold frames and hotbeds. 



containing 3 to 4 per cent nitrogen and 8 to 10 

 per cent phosphoric acid is about right for the 

 average garden. Your dealer will inform 

 you on this point. If the fertilizer also con- 

 tains potash, so much the better, but this year 

 potash is scarce and high in price. 



Where no manure is used the fertilizer 

 should be spread over the surface of the finely 

 prepared seed-bed at the rate of 5 pounds 

 for a plot 10 feet square, just before planting. 

 The surface soil should then be thoroughly 

 raked so as to mix the fertilizer evenly to a 

 depth of 2 inches. Never place seed or trans- 

 planted plants in direct contact with fertilizer. 

 Thorough mixing of the fertilizer with the soil 

 is essential to prevent injury of seed or roots. 



before plowing or spading, 

 preceding the planting of any crop. If the 

 ground is fairly rich, and well-rotted manure 

 is scarce, the manure may be .scattered in the 

 row only, and should be mixed into the soil 

 before the planting of seed. 



Loam is the best garden soil. Sand, with 

 manure, gives good results. Clay is hardest 

 to work, but is greatly improved by well- 

 rotted manure and vegetable matter — called 

 humus. These should be well worked in 

 with hoe and rake. Sifted coal ashes, en- 

 tirely free from clinkers, will help loosen up 

 clay when mixed into it, but will not remove 

 an acid condition nor increase fertility. 



Where manure has been worked into the 

 soil, reduce the fertilizer application ap- 

 proximately one-half. 



Tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, spinach and 

 some other crops requiring rather long growing 

 seasons, are materially benefited by a second 

 application of fertilizer when half grown. 

 Side dressings of thisjcind should be scattered 

 between the rows at the rate of four ounces 

 (one-half pint) to 10 feet of row, when rows 

 are spaced 2 feet apart; and pro rata for rows 

 spaced a greater or lesser distance. To insure 

 even distribution mix the fertilizer with fine, 

 dry earth just before spreading. 



Commercial Fertilizer 



Many gardeners experience difficulty in 

 obtaining supplies of well-rotted manure. 

 In such cases commercial fertilizers should 

 be used. Even where stable manure has 

 been secured and worked into the soil it is 

 well to supplement with moderate quantities 

 of quick-acting fertilizer in order to give 

 plants an early start and hasten maturity. 



It is safest to rely upon the ready-mixed 

 fertilizers usually obtainable at seed and 

 hardware stores. Several specially prepared 

 mixtures in convenient packages are now on 

 the market. For large areas, 100 to 200- 

 pound bags may be obtained. A mixture 



Compost 



Compost is especially desirable when 

 quick growth is wanted. Compost is thor- 

 oughly rotted manure or organic material. 

 It is prepared from six to twelve months 

 before being used, by putting the manure 

 and other material in piles having perpen- 

 dicular sides and flat tops. These piles 

 are usually from 2 to 4 feet high and 6 to 8 

 feet long. 



Besides the usual waste of garden rubbish, 

 there is a large waste of leaves, weeds and 

 the skins and other unused portions of fruits 

 and vegetables. These should all be thrown 

 on the compost pile to decay for use on the 



