July, 1906 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



331 



For a family that enjoys pickles even 

 tomatoes are worth while sowing after 

 Fourth of July. My seed was planted July 

 5th, and, of course the earliest variety ob- 

 tainable was used. In spite of the handicap 

 of transplanting, I had green tomatoes in 

 October that measured over eight inches in 

 circumference, surely large enough for 

 pickles. 



For winter use, beets are sowed in June, 

 so the July 7th planting did not yield full 

 sized roots, still young tender beets are the 

 best of all and even very small ones make 

 a good dish cooked with the leaves as greens. 



Kohlrabi is supposed to be one of the best 

 vegetables for late sowing, but mine were 

 not started soon enough. July 20th did not 

 give the bulbs time to form before the growing 

 season was over. Next time I shall sow 

 them the first of July. 



A CULTURAL NECESSITY 



An important element of success in July 

 sowings is pressing of the soil into close con- 

 tact with the planted seeds. This is essential 

 for it causes the young plants to come up 

 promptly, regularly, vigorously and straight, 

 instead of feebly, unevenly and slowly, or 

 else not at all, as often happens in mid- 

 summer when the soil is left loose and dry 

 above the plantings. The later growth 

 and even the maturity of the crop also share 

 in the good effects. The seedlings get a good 

 start before the weed seeds, in the unrolled 

 soil between the rows, have sprouted, so that 

 the germinating vegetables can be cultivated 

 before the weeds gain a foothold. In moist 

 or heavy soils, or in early spring or late fall, 

 when rains are probable, and the atmosphere 

 is cool, this pressing of the soil is not so nec- 

 essary, but in the loose, dry, crumbly soil, 

 in which most of our summer planting must 

 be done, it is important to firm every inch 

 of soil above the seeds. It is not necessary 

 to firm more than a narrow strip, except in 

 the case of broadcast sowing. After firming 

 lightly scratch the surface with a rake to 

 form a mulch which helps to retain moisture 

 and to prevent the formation of a crust 

 through which it would be difficult for the 

 seedlings to push their way. This principle 

 applies to all kinds of seeds, and to trans- 

 planted plants, which can thus be protected 

 from the wilting and burning that so often 

 follow careless transplanting, in hot dry 

 weather, when the soil is not properly firmed. 

 The soil may be pressed in various ways : by 

 the foot, throwing the whole weight at every 

 step ; by pounding with the flat side of a 

 spade or hoe; with a board which may be 

 walked upon till the soil is firm; or with a 

 roller. 



Experiments were made to prove the wis- 

 dom of firming the soil. Patches of celery 

 and cabbage were sowed, and part of each 

 planting rolled. Where this was done the 

 crops were good, but in the loose soil not one 

 celery seed in a thousand germinated, and 

 not one in a hundred of the cabbage seed. 

 Corn and beets, sowed the first week in July, 

 and rolled, came up in four days and per- 

 fected their crop before the season ended, 

 while the unrolled ones took twelve days 



These tomatoes were photographed on October 9th. The seed was sown July 5th 



to germinate and did not mature before frost 

 checked their growth. In August spinach 

 and turnips were sown and a portion rolled. 

 The rolled portion came up at once and 

 yielded a good crop while those which were 

 not rolled burned up because the loose soil 

 allowed the dry air to penetrate to the roots. 

 As will be seen by the table, a harvest of 

 nearly three months will come from vege- 

 tables sowed at Fourth of July, beginning 

 with squash and wax beans about the 

 middle of August and ending with carrots 

 that do not mind the first frosts and can be 

 left in the ground until November when 

 the season is suitable. Where I have 



added the word "frost" the vegetables had 

 not run their course and would have con- 

 tinued bearing if the frost had been delayed. 



TABLE OF FOURTH OF JULY GARDEN. 



Vegetable 



Date p 



anted 



First 



Picking Last 



Bush Lima 



July 



6th 



Sept. 



23rd Oct. 30-Frost 



Cucumbers 



July 



■Jth 



Aug. 



29th Oct. 9-Frost 



Crookneck Squash July 



<;th 



Aug. 



19th Oct. II-Frost 



Carrots 



July 



6th 



Sept. 



26th Nov. II 



Wax Beans 



J^y 



6th 



Aug. 



21st Oct. 21-Frost 



Corn 



July 



<th 



Sept. 



26th Oct. 7 



Potato 



July 



list 



Oct. 







Pole Limas 



July 



5* 



Oct. 



2 1st Frost 



Beside these were six other vegetables 

 for which I do not have the exact dates. 



Full grown pods of Extra Early Jersey lima beans, from sowing of July 5th. Photographed October 9th 



