January, 1910 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



279 



how she made her hot- 

 bed; Harvey Mc Arthur 

 how to make a garden in 

 wretched soil; and Roger 

 Perry, well — Roger Perry 

 has lots of practical things 

 about successful garden- 

 ing he will tell later. Now 

 you see that in a contest 

 we have to drop out 

 special stories and deal 

 with them by themselves. 



We had a hard time 

 under C division of Class 

 I, that is, for the best 

 vegetables raised in a home 

 garden. It was almost 

 impossible to decide. In 

 fact, no one person's work 

 stood out above another's. 

 So no first prize was given, 

 but several seconds and 

 thirds. The first prize win- 

 ners in the other divisions 

 had set such a standard 

 that no one left in C could 

 quite reach it. And so that 

 left a number of you closely 

 tied for a second place. You are the ones 

 to reach the top next year. See where you 

 can improve over this year's work. Some 

 have the weather, others poor soil, and 

 others yet the hens to thank for putting 

 them back. But it is your business to 

 conquer conditions. 



No one was permitted to enter more than 

 one race. In a contest where so many boys 

 and girls enter it is hardly fair to let one 

 person enter several classes. 



Some of you sent in your compositions 

 beautifully written and labeled for the 

 class and section you wished to enter. 

 Some others sent in 

 work unmarked, 

 leaving it to us to 

 place them where 

 we pleased. That 

 is not the way to do. 

 We did our best, but 

 it is not fair to us. 

 We wish you to en- 

 ter the race you 

 prefer to enter. So 

 learn a lesson from 

 this, and if you are 

 entering the bulb 

 contest write def- 

 nitely; for example: 

 One pot of six daf- 

 fodils; Van Sion. 



Some of you, like the Groton contestants, 

 had teachers testify to your good work. 

 Others had parents write a note with theirs. 

 When we cannot visit the gardens that is a 

 splendid way to do. Just as we write on a 

 check to stand back of its value, so have 

 some one write to us to stand back of 

 your value as a gardener. We are willing 

 to trust you, but the other way is better 

 business. 



One girl, you will notice, made out a gar- 

 den record, which was simple, and told the 

 story well. A boy sent in his largest prod- 



T 



The size of a boy does 

 not always determine the 

 size of his plants 



This garden is planted on land filled in by the boy himself 



uct, a tomato, a letter about his work and 

 a statement from his father. That made 

 it easy for us to judge of his work. 



Next year those having third place will 

 work up to first or second; those at first 

 will work for more books for their libraries. 

 Perhaps some of you will try to specialize 

 on one thing among the others you plant, 

 giving that a great deal of thought and care, 

 as one boy did with his asters and another 

 did with his melons. 



Would you like to know the very young- 

 est competitor? It was a little boy named 

 John, living up in Ardonia, New York. 

 John is five years old, and planted potatoes. 

 Of course he could not do quite all the work 

 on them. Another year perhaps he can do 

 it all, and win out against you big fellows. 

 One girl who had no garden spot, planted in 

 a box, so you see there are people who can 

 garden without a piece of ground. That is 

 plucky work. 



It is a good race which is closed now, and 

 you ran it well. Next year more of us will 

 get at it and you prize winners of this year 

 must help the others out. 



Below we print some of the most note- 

 worthy letters of the contestants : 



Saved by the Snow 



APRIL 5th I sowed my vegetable seed in a 

 hot-bed, 4x4 feet. 



April 27th, I transplanted 1,000 lettuce plants. 

 That same night it snowed and was very cold. 

 When I got up next morning I thought I had lost 

 all my plants, but later found out after the weather 

 became so cold this blanket of snow was sent to keep 

 my lettuce plants warm, and they were saved. So 

 I kept on, planting and transplanting. I have 

 raised forty-five varieties of vegetables this year, 

 and have made from them $42.53. 



I have carrots, onions, beets, tomatoes, winter 

 squash, pumpkins, red and Savoy cabbage, Brus- 

 sels sprouts; all my celery is to be sold this fall, 

 and my parsnips next spring. 



I am fifteen years old, and have had a garden 

 every summer since I was eight. 



Worcester, Mass. Roger Newton Perry. 



A Garden in Barry- 

 town, N. Y. 



ON May 1st I started my 

 garden work. 



I planted the seeds, which 

 consisted of beans, beets, rad- 

 ishes, and lettuce, and also a 

 few flowers; the seed was given 

 to me by the school. The rad- 

 ishes were large and lasted for 

 a long time. I also had some 

 very fine beets and beans. I 

 worked in the garden after 

 school, and during vacation. 



About June 22d I picked my 

 first beans, which were large 

 and green; the lettuce was also 

 excellent. Rose Van Wey. 



MyGarden on Rocks 



HE land where I have my 



garden was very rocky 



when I first started to work. 



I took out as many rocks as 



I could. 



There is a meadow near my 

 house, and from it I hauled 

 loam and leaf mould, and 

 filled it in. 



The garden is 13 J feet 

 square, and the edges are sod- 

 ded to form a terrace. 



There are nine flower beds 

 with paths between them. In the beds there were: 

 asters (five varieties), celosia (dwarf -giant-plumosa), 

 balsams (single and double), nasturtiums (single and 

 double), marigold (French-African), zinnias (giant 

 Red Riding Hood), carnations (raised from seed I 

 saved), schizanthus, sweet peas, dahlias, gladiolus, 

 candy-tuft (giant), lilies (dwarf), scabiosa, stocks, 

 salvia, tuberous begonia, snapdragon, Phlox Drum- 

 mondi, mignonette, four-o'clock, petunias. 



I weeded the garden a little every day, and thor- 

 oughly twice a week. I planted some of the seeds 

 in hotbeds and boxes early in the season and 

 transplanted into my garden during May and June; 

 and the rest of the seed I planted in the open. 



I enjoy working among my flowers and hope to 

 have a garden next year. 



Melrose, Mass. Harvey McArthtjr. 



My Vegetable 

 Garden 



THE dimensions of 

 my garden were 

 twenty feet long by ten 

 feet wide, containing 

 two hundred square 

 feet. My brother 

 plowed and harrowed 

 it for me, and I raked 

 it off and drew away 

 the sod and stones. 



May 24th I planted 



corn and squash 



seed, which cost me 



four cents. As the 



corn did not come up 



well, I bought eleven 



tomato plants for 



twenty-eight cents. 



I hoed my garden about twice a week. 



When my father thinned his turnips he gave me 



eighteen plants, which I set out in the spare space. 



I began picking my ripe tomatoes August 25th. 



I had twenty-five quarts. I received six cents 



a quart for twenty quarts, and five cents for 



the other five, and had one and a half bushels of 



green tomatoes, for which I received sixty-five 



cents a bushel. 



My squash weighed sixty-five pounds, the largest 

 weighing fourteen pounds. I received four cents a 

 pound for them. My turnips brought me twenty- 

 five cents. 



The cost of my garden was fifty-six cents, so it 

 left me four dollars and seven cents for my labor. 

 Lanesboro. Mass. Grace E. Chadwice. 



This lad raised twenty 

 three citron melons 01 



two hills 



