GARDEN MANUAL FOR THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



25 



The Vegetable Garden. 



The size depends upon the purposes for 

 which it is intended; whether the family is 

 large or small, and the time which can be 

 devoted to its cultivation. The most suitable 

 soil for a garden is a light loam. When the 

 soil is too heavy, it ought to be made light 

 by applying stable manure and working up 

 the ground thoroughly. Trenching as done 

 in Europe, or North, is not advisable, at least 

 where there is any cocoa, as by trenching 

 the roots of this pest will get so deeply incor- 

 porated with the soil that trouble will be met 

 with afterwards to get rid of it. Exposure 

 towards the east is desirable. If there are one 

 or more large trees in the garden, or on the 

 immediate outside, their shade can be used 

 in which to sow Celery, Cabbage and other 

 seeds during the hot summer months, which 

 will be an advantage. The seed beds for this 

 purpose should be so arranged as to receive 

 only the morning and evening sun. It is of 

 the greatest importance that the ground 

 should be well drained, otherwise it will be 

 impossible to raise good vegetables. The 

 most reliable manure for general purposes is 

 well decomposed stable or barn yard manure. 

 Cow manure will suit best for light, sandy 

 soil, and horse manure for heavy, stiff clay 

 lands. For special purposes, Peruvian Guano, 

 Commercial Fertilizer, Raw Bone, Cotton 

 Seed Meal and other commercial manures 

 may be employed with advantage. Of late 

 years most gardeners who work their land 

 with a plow, use Cow Peas as a fertilizer with 

 excellent results. They are sown broad-cast 

 at the rate of H bushels to the acre, and 



when large enough they are turned under. 

 When the land is very sandy. Cotton Seed 

 Meal has the most lasting effect. For quick 

 growing crops, such as Melons, Cucumbers, 

 etc., the Commercial Fertilizer and Guano 

 applied in the hills are very good. Soap Suds 

 are good for Celery; it is astonishing to per- 

 ceive the difference in the size of these stalks 

 which are watered every few days with the 

 suds, and others on the same ground which 

 are not. Wood ashes are best for Peas, either 

 used as top dressing when the Peas just 

 come out of the ground, or else sprinkled in 

 the rows when planted. The New Orleans 

 market gardeners raise as fine vegetables as 

 can be produced anywhere; in fact, some 

 varieties cannot be excelled, and very few 

 gardeners use anything but stable manure, 

 which can be had for the hauling. 



Rotation of crops is another important 

 item. Beets, Carrots and other roots should 

 not be grown in succession on the same 

 ground, but should be changed to those which 

 grow above ground, such as Lettuce, Beans» 

 Peas, etc. Good seed, good ground and 

 good cultivation are essential in order to raise 

 good vegetables. When plants are up, the 

 ground should be stirred frequently; weeds 

 ought not to be suffered to go into seed, but 

 should be destroyed as soon as they appear. 

 Hoeing and working the young crops during 

 dry weather is very beneficial, because the 

 weeds are then easily killed, and hoeing the 

 ground will make it retain moisture better 

 than if it were left alone. 



Sowing Seeds. 



Some seeds are sown at once where they are 

 to remain and mature. Others are sown in 

 seed beds and transplanted afterwards. Seeds 

 should be covered according to their sizes, 

 a covering of earth twice the size of the seed 

 is about the maximum. Some seeds, such 

 as Beans, Corn and Peas, can be covered 

 from one to two inches, and they will come up 

 well. Here is a difference again: Wrinkled 

 Peas and Sugar Corn have to be covered 

 lighter and more carefully than Marrowfat 

 Peas or the common varieties of Corn. It 

 depends upon the nature of the soil, season 

 of the year, etc. For instance, in heavy wet 

 soils, seeds have to be covered lighter than 

 in sandy light ground. Seeds which are 

 sown during summer in the open ground, 

 such as Beets and Carrots, should be soaked 

 over night in water and rolled in ashes or 

 land plaster before sowing; they will come up 

 quicker. When they are sown in a seed bed, 

 the ground should be light enough not to 

 bake after a rain. Some varieties of seeds 



require shade when sown during summer, such 

 as Cauliflower, Celery and Lettuce. Care 

 should be taken to have the shade at least 

 three feet from the ground, and shade only 

 after the sun has been on the bed for two or 

 three hours; and remove again early in the 

 afternoon so the plants may become sturdy. 

 If too much shaded they will be drawn up, 

 long-legged, and not fit to be set out in the 

 open ground. The most successful Cabbage 

 planters in this neighborhood sow their seeds 

 in the open ground, towards the end of July 

 and during August, and give them no shade,, 

 but water and keep the ground moist from 

 the day of sowing until the plants are trans- 

 planted. Seeds should be sown thinly in the 

 seed bed. If plants come up too thickly 

 they are apt to damp off. 



Lettuce seed should be sprouted during the 

 hot months before sowing, according to direc- 

 tions given for June. 



To sow Turnips on a large scale during the 

 late summer and early fall months, the ground 



Poultry Punches for Marking Chicl^ens. 



