DREN'S GARDENS EVERWHLRE 





WHY not try something different in 

 planting this year ? Instead of having 

 a garden of flowers and vegetables only, set 

 aside a portion of your garden space for small 

 fruits. They are worth trying because there 

 is money to be made in small fruits and 

 because there are problems to work out 

 along with the cultivation. 



Perhaps, for a first year, it would be the 

 wisest plan to try but one kind of fruit and 

 give up only a small space to this experiment. 

 It is surprising what you can do on just a 

 bit of land. 



Strawberries would be the best small 

 fruit to start with. You see you can have 

 not only a strawberry bed on a given piece 

 of land, but other things too. Suppose a 

 little spot 6 x i\ ft. is chosen. On this ten 

 plants can be put in two rows of five each, 

 and in between the rows radishes may be 

 sown. Along the edges of the bed is space 

 enough for lettuce. This is all any one 

 could expect to get from a 6 x 2 J ft. strip of 

 ground. 



Now let us get down to the strawberry 

 business. Strawberries should be planted 

 just as soon as the ground can be worked in 

 the spring. The plants had better be pur- 

 chased from some one, right there in your 

 own town, who has had success with his. 

 Then you will doubtless have success too. 

 Calculate on paying two cents for a plant. 

 So for twenty cents the ten plants are 

 bought. 



Choose a spot in the garden not shady 

 but sunny. If there is a moist spot, take 

 that. Mind you, a moist spot does not 

 mean a place with water standing on top 



IT IS TIME TO WORK IN THE GAR- 

 DEN ; BUT THE GARDEN MUST BE A 

 PAPER ONE — WORK OUT THE PLAN 

 AND BECOME MASTER OF IT SO 

 THAT WHEN OUTDOOR GARDENING 

 COMES, NO TIME SHALL BE WASTED. 



Conducted by 



ELLEN EDDY SHAW 



New York 



of it! This would never do. After choosing 

 the place, work into the soil some well- 

 rotted stable manure. Spade this in thor- 

 oughly and rake the earth until perfectly 

 fine. 



It may help in planting to mark off the 

 garden, thus getting distances just right. 

 Measure in 6 inches from each corner of the 

 garden along its width, driving in stakes at 

 these points. Now stretch strings length- 

 wise of the bed, tying to stakes. This gives 

 two strings just i\ feet apart and 6 feet 

 long. On one line measure down 9 inches 

 from the stake, along the other line 15 inches, 

 placing stakes; then from each of these points 

 put stakes along the lines one foot apart. 

 This gives the exact spot for each one of the 

 ten plants. And in this way the plants 

 alternate down the rows, giving plenty of 

 space for spreading, without interfering. 



Now set the plants. Dig a trench. Hold 

 the plant against one side of the trench as 

 shown in the picture on page 94. Then push 

 the earth in from the other side, cover the 

 root and press firmly in place. Be sure the 

 plants are neither above nor below the sur- 

 face of the ground, but exactly on the level. 

 If during the first few days the sun is very 

 hot, the plants should be covered lightly 

 with some straw from the barn. 



As the plants grow they will send out 

 shoots called runners. All these runners, 

 as they appear, should be cut from the 

 plants. This way of handling is spoken of 

 as " hill " culture. If not cut off, the runners 

 twine in together and form what is called 

 a "matted row." Such a method as this is 

 field culture. But for this, the rows should 



be placed three feet apart. You boys and 

 girls had better choose the hill culture. 



It is possible to get strawberries from 

 these plants the very first year under high 

 cultivation in rich soil; but it is better to 

 wait for a second year's yield. You will 

 gain by it in the end. So, if you decide to 

 wait, pinch off the strawberry blossoms, as 

 they come. Perhaps you'd like to leave 

 just a few blossoms to see the sort of berry 

 you have. 



These ten plants may be as good as a 

 puzzle for you. For some of you might 

 like to work out other good varieties for 

 your locality. If so, try ten different 

 varieties. Or try two plants each of five 

 varieties; or five plants of two varieties. 

 Twelve plants instead of ten offer a greater 

 number for combinations. In choosing 

 varieties, choose those with perfect flowers 

 and so be sure of fruit. 



You will understand that there is real 

 need for working out varieties for the locality 

 when such a berry as Marshall is considered. 

 For, although this is of the finest quality, it 

 will only succeed in certain very heavy, rich 

 soils. Although this might be a good one 

 to experiment with, yet it would not be wise 

 to choose it for all ten of your plants. Gandy 

 is a variety which thrives on sandy soil, and, 

 produces a late crop. Mitchell Early should 

 be used for early crops. Nick Ohmer, 

 Brandywine and Sharpless are other good 

 varieties to try. We shall offer a prize to 

 any one working out from ten varieties the 

 one best suited to his locality or conditions. 

 A prize for the best specimens from a first 

 year bed; also from a second year bed. 



SOME SMALL GARDENING PLANS THAT WORKED 



IT MAY seem early to consider garden plans. 

 But it is not. For just a little later when the 

 ground is workable things come on with a big rush. 

 So you will be glad then if the working plans for the 

 garden are made. 



Much depends upon the amount of space avail- 

 able for garden purposes. But plans for large 

 spaces can be made over to fit smaller spaces. 



In general a good rule to follow is this — have as 

 simple an arrangement as possible. 



Some bright pleasant day it will be possible to 

 get out and measure the space you are going to use 

 for garden purposes. Do this in order to make a 

 working plan so that you may work out just the 

 number of rows of seeds you are going to use for 

 different things in the garden. Thus a good, 

 general working idea of the garden is obtained. 



If it is a school plan, it is well to hand the general 

 scheme directly to one of the upper grades to work 

 out. Have enough big plans of the entire garden 

 to put up one in each room. The single grade can 

 work its own smaller, individual plan from this 

 big one. For your home gardens do the same thing. 

 Choose an easy scale to work from. Suppose 

 your garden is to be 20 feet long; then if J inch 

 is taken for the scale, this 20-foot line in the plan will 

 be 5 inches long. If the garden is 12 feet wide, 

 then make the plan-width 3 inches. This is 

 quite simple. When the bare outline is drawn the 

 rows of vegetables and plants may be put in with 

 dotted lines. Then here is the entire garden 

 before your eyes to work from. Later, when you 

 go outdoors to really plant, this plan will be 

 invaluable. 



91 



A number of plans are shown this month. From 

 them you can see just how to make your own. You 

 will also get points on arrangement of space and 

 perhaps some on things to plant. 



The explanations of these gardens, as given by 

 the directors or assistants, will have in them sug- 

 gestions for others, especially teachers. The feature 

 of management has been touched on. 



The Poughkeepsie garden was a city garden where 

 space was unlimited. It was not a school garden. 

 New Paltz represents a country school garden. 

 But it's connection with the Normal School gave it 

 certain advantages of supervision, possible for any 

 Normal School having a location in a small place, 

 where school land is not limited. Typical country 

 school conditions are represented by the Alford 

 Garden. It was entirely managed by the teacher 



