THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Watering and Succession 



THE usual July condition in the vegetable 

 garden is merely a survival of the fittest — 

 the weather ,is both hot and dry. If possible, arti- 

 ficial watering must be done. Of course, there is 

 nothing to equal a good natural rainfall, but rather 

 than let the crops die, give them plenty of water 

 at any or all times of the day, even though it be 

 cold spring water. When you do give water, give 

 freelv. Plants are like animals; when they are dry 

 and thirsty they want a real drink and not a mere 

 spoonful; therefore,. if the weather warrants it, keep 

 the sprinklers going all the time. The heat-loving 

 vegetables, such as egg plant, corn, etc., can get 

 along with very little water; but celery, lettuce, 

 cabbage, etc., must be watered abundantly, and not 

 being heat-loving plants, will not be shocked in 

 any way by cold water. Keeping the cultivator 

 working incessantly will lessen the labor of water- 

 ing by preserving the moisture already in the 

 ground. 



If any of these last-named vegetables were planted 

 in the seedbed and later dibbled in a bed made 

 for that purpose, they must now be transplanted to 

 their permanent places in the garden. In shifting, 

 always use plenty of water and thereby avoid club 

 root. If the plants are seemingly a little large for 

 transplanting, and there is any danger of their suf- 

 fering from the shock, cut off the outer leaves, but 

 do not cut the heart. 



The one crop to be given most attention now, 

 however, is celery, especially with the idea of suc- 

 cession for later use. Keep the early celery well 

 watered, and cultivate frequently. An application 

 of nitrate of soda (one ounce to three gallons of 

 water) will keep it growing fast. Keep hilling as 

 it grows, but be careful not to get the soil above the 

 heart. Do not wait for blight to appear before you 

 spray with Bordeaux mixture. Keep right on set- 

 ting out late celery as fast as you can find room for it 

 in the places left vacant by early vegetables. 



Onions are not deep rooters and stand an abun- 

 dance of water and feeding. Give them twice a 

 week, using alternately, manure water and nitrate 

 of soda or sulphate of ammonia in solution. If you 

 use the chemically pure a 6-inch potful is suf- 

 ficient for a barrel of water. In order to have big 

 stringless parsnips never let the plants suffer for 

 water. Give them a good shaking up occasionally 

 with some soda. 



Asparagus plants will now be building crowns for 

 next season's growth, and the bed needs attention, 

 because the better the crowns the better the cut 

 next year. Give one application of salt during the 

 month at the rate of one pound of salt to every twenty 

 square feet, or 500 pounds to a 60x180 ft. bed. 

 If the bed looks poor and hasn't a healthy dark green 

 color give one application of nitrate of soda, using 

 one pound to 100 square feet. Apply it during 

 a rainfall so that it will dissolve at once. Look 

 out for asparagus beetle; if it appears, dust the 

 plants with hellebore powder, early in the morning 

 when they arc still wet with dew, or spray them 

 with Paris green or arsenate of lead. 



KEEPING THINGS GOING 



Xow is the critical stage in the growth of a melon 

 vine, for the fruit is swelling fast. Use Bordeaux 

 as a preventive against any possible blight and if 

 dry weather is bothering the vines water the roots 

 thoroughly. Do this in the morning after the sun 

 gets strong. Toward the end of the month some of 

 the melons should be ripening. Look over them 

 carefully but never pull a muskmelon from the vine 



— it will part easily from the stem when ripe. If 

 you have a good place in which to ripen them, such 

 as a hotbed or an empty greenhouse, pull the melons 

 from the stem when they are just starting to crack 

 where the stem joins the melon. " Placing them in 

 a dry heat of about 120 to .130 degrees for a few 

 hours puts flavor into them and ripens them to the 

 outer skin. In looking over your melons, always 

 pick off any leaves that are diseased and, when the 

 melons are about the size of baseballs, lift them 

 and place them on boards so as to have them ripen 

 evenly. Use a shingle cut in two. One good 

 application of nitrate of soda when the fruit is 

 swelling will help the plants considerably. 



Watermelons require very little attention, as they 

 are robust growers and very free from attacks of 

 insects and diseases. If the vines show any signs 

 of flagging give an application of manure water and 

 follow with nitrate of soda, but do not do this until 

 the fruit is set. If you do it will start growth anew 

 and you will lose a couple of weeks. 



Keep the tomato vines trimmed. Cut off the 

 laterals except two on each stem if it is necessary 

 to cover a trellis; but only one stem if you have 

 planted them close together. Never let the plants 

 get dry nor excessively wet at the roots, for either 

 extreme will cause the tomatoes to decay in the 

 centre and drop off. 



Keep the potatoes growing by good cultivation 

 and spray with Bordeaux. Use Paris green in case 

 there are any bugs on the plants. Give the final 

 hilling when they are in flower. I prefer flat culti- 

 vation until then. Look over the squash and pump- 

 kins for leaf eaters and spray with poison. 



Go over the sweet potatoes and keep the vines 

 from rooting. Just lift the vines and pull up the 

 roots that are forming. This should be done every 

 week or ten days at this time of the year because 

 if they are permitted to root the result will be a crop 

 of very small tubers. 



what to sow 



Early corn will now be ready for use. Look at 

 Golden Bantam first and use care in selecting the 



Give plenty of water during July. The parsnip 

 on the right did not get water when it was young 

 and growing and so was ruined 



A practical way of growing strawberries. On the 

 right the old patch with solid rows ; on the left the 

 newly set bed 



ears. I can tell by feeling an ear whether it is 

 ready for the table or not, while some determine it 

 by the silk, which is not so sure a sign as the firmness 

 of the ears, as some varieties ripen the silk earlier 

 than others. Get acquainted with the other 

 method. It is safe to sow corn as late as July 1 5th. 

 Use two varieties, the early and second early; if one 

 does not mature the other will. Sow the rows of 

 the early variety about two feet apart and two and 

 a half feet for the second early varieties. It will 

 then be an easy matter to protect some from early 

 frosts. 



The spring crop of peas is almost gone, but 

 toward the end of the month you can start sowing 

 again, using early varieties. Remember that the 

 secret of success with late peas is never to let them 

 suffer for water. 



Make the last sowing of cucumbers about July 

 15th. If you take care of these by spraying with 

 Bordeaux mixture they will last until frost. Pick 

 off any diseased or blighted leaves when you are 

 going over the vines. Egg plants and peppers 

 should now be ready for use. If the plants get tall 

 and the garden is exposed to winds, stake them to 

 prevent breakage. 



Sow endive twice during the month. The best 

 variety is the broad-leaved Batavian, which the 

 French call escarolle. When the young seedlings 

 are large enough plant out in rows the same as 

 lettuce. 



Keep the leeks hilled up as they grow and feed 

 constantly with liquid manure and nitrates. 



Make two sowings of bush beans during the 

 month. Keep the early sowings well hilled and if 

 the ground bakes to any extent, mulch. Keep the 

 leading shoots of the lima beans tied to the poles 

 until they start climbing of their own accord. Look 

 over the bush limas for an early picking toward the 

 end of the month, and do not let the beans get hard 

 and dry. Lima beans should be green and not 

 white when cooked. 



Sow lettuce three times during July and keep 

 the young seedlings well watered. In fact, all let- 

 tuce should be kept very moist to prevent them from 

 running to seed too quickly. If you haven't planted 

 them in a shaded place, build a cheesecloth frame 

 over the plants that are beginning to head up and 

 make a habit of spraying them night and morning 

 during the warm weather. This is the secret of 

 good crisp lettuce. 



Make two sowings of beets and carrots during 

 July. Keep all the sowings well thinned and see 

 that this is done when the seedlings are small. Keep 

 these two vegetables well watered, especially the 

 beets. 



Sow rutabagas for winter use during July. The 

 early part of the month is the best, but if you are 

 short of space it can safely go for a week or two. 



SETTING OUT STRAWBERRIES 



I strongly urge the use of pots for this purpose. 

 The two-inch size is inexpensive, and they will last 

 a number of years. Select the strongest runners, 

 cut them from the old plant and pot them, using 

 a fairly good soil. Place them where they can be 

 shaded from the strong sun for a day or two until 

 they start to make roots; after they are established 



