DUEER S GARDEN CALENDAR. 



VBGBTABLE GARDBW. 



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

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

 soil of the Vegetable 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, however, that several of the concen- 

 trated manures, now manufactured, are useful and convenient, especi- 

 ally 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, prevention of weeds, is one of the 

 most desirable results of frequent stirring of the surface. Soils are 

 susceptible of alteration and improvement in texture; heavy clays 

 can be rendered open and porous, and light sandy soils may be con- 

 solidated 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 

 planting. A frame, such as is shown in the cut, may be made of vari- 



ous 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, the 

 eize of glass six by eight inches, making the entire frame of four sashes, 

 fourteen by seven feet. The frame should have a southern or south- 

 eastern exposure, should be made up with fresh horse manure and a 



