38 The Principles of Vegetable' Gardening 



years of cultivation almost free from stones and noxious weeds.' 

 The tools used comprised a lot of miscellaneous garden imple- 

 ments, and a Planet Jr. seed drill and a combined wheel-hoe and 

 cultivator. I believe in raising as many different varieties of 

 vegetables as my limited space permits. * ^ ^ It has been 

 customary with me for several years to use barnyard manure and 

 Bowker's fertilizers alternately, so in November (1898), after 

 clearing the garden, a good layer of manure and an application of 

 lime were plowed under. Every inch of ground is utilized. As 

 soon as one crop disappears another one makes its appearance 

 and takes its place. This enables me to always have something 

 new for the table and plenty of it. 



"Water was supplied for irrigation during dry weather by 

 rigging up an old rotary pump and hose and connecting with the 

 cistern: Bordeaux mixture was used for spraying tomatoes, 

 beans and other plants to prevent rust and blight, and a little 

 Paris green was added to it for potatoes. Freedom from cut- 

 worms was attributed to the use of lime and plowing in the fall, 

 as an adjoining garden was badly troubled. A row of old bean 

 vines was left as bait for green worms, and cabbage plants 

 planted near by escaped. Squash vine borers were removed 

 with a knife by cutting open the vines, lengthwise, where 

 they appeared. The vine was then carefully bandaged with 

 a wet rag and a fair yield obtained. The Bordeaux-Paris 

 green mixture used on potatoes proved fatal to eggplants, 

 but hellebore proved quite satisfactory for keeping off the 

 potato bugs. 



" One hotbed 3x6 feet was used in which to start the seeds 

 of early vegetables. Plantings were made in the open ground as 

 soon as the weather permitted, and were continued at intervals 

 throughout the season whenever there was a vacant spot in the 

 garden. The following varieties of vegetables, mostly in five- and 

 ten-cent packets, were planted: Pole and wax beans, beets, 

 borecole, kale, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, celeriac, 

 corn, cucumber, corn salad, endive, eggplant, kohlrabi, lettuce, 

 muskmelon, onions, peppers, peas, salsify, radish, spinach, 

 squash, tomato, turnip, rutabagas, escarole, chives, shallot, 



