DREER'S GARDEN CALENDAR. 



ESCULENT GARDEN. 



Preparation of the Ground. — To secure a fair return in seasonable 

 crops, for the labor and outlay invested, it is essential that the soil of 

 the Esculent garden should be well under-drained, thoroughly trenched 

 or subsoiled, and enriched by a judicious application of fertilizing material. 

 It is still the current opinion, based on experience, that for all purposes, 

 •well-composted barn-yard manure, when available, is the best material. 

 We do not deny but that several of the concentrated manures, now manu- 

 factured, are useful and convenient, especially for a succession of crops. 



The exposure of a garden has much to do with the early maturity 

 of the crops ; an exposure to the morning sun is desirable. The soil 

 must be in a friable state to secure the prompt vegetation of the seeds, 

 and the destruction, or rather the prevention, of weeds, is one of the most 

 desirable results of frequent stirring of the surface. Soils are suscepti- 

 ble of alteration and improvement in texture ; heavy clays can be ren- 

 dered open and porous, and light sandy soils may be consolidated and 

 rendered more retentive of moisture. For all such details we must 

 refer the amateur to more extensive treatises on these subjects. 



Garden Requisites. — There are several aids to the economical 

 management of the garden, which are almost indispensable ; one of 

 these is the hot-bed frame, for the forwarding of plants for early plant- 

 ing. A frame such as is shown in the cut, may be made of various 



sizes, according to the size of garden, from four sashes upwards. The 

 length of sash is generally seven feet, by three and a half wide, making 

 the entire frame of four sashes, fourteen by seven feet. The frame should 

 have a southern or southeastern exposure, should be made up with stable 

 manure, and a few leaves mixed with it ; this must be laid in a heap 

 preparatory to being used, and when in a proper state of fermentation 



