DREER'S GARDEN CALENDAR. 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEH, 



IF practicable, a vegetable garden should have a warm 

 and southeasterly exposure. But when the ground 

 slopes to the north and west, it is important to have 

 the garden located on the sunny side of an orchard or 

 outbuildings. Every person, previous to building, should I 

 select the most desirable situation possible for the vegetable 

 garden, as the exposure has much to do witli the early ma- 

 turity of the crops. The soil must be in a friable state to 

 secure the prompt vegetation of the seeds and the proper 

 growth of the plants. Soils are susceptible of alteration and 

 improvement in texture ; heavy clays can be rendered open 

 and porous, and light sandy soils may be consolidated and 

 rendered more retentive of moisture. 



PREPARATION OF THE GROUND.— To secure a 

 fair return in seasonable crops, for the labor and outlay in- 

 vested, it is essential that the soil of the Vegetable 

 Garden should be well drained, thoroughly 

 trenched, and enriched by a judicious applica- 

 tion of manure. It is still the current opinion, based 

 on experience, that for all purposes well composted barn- 

 yard manure, when available, is the best material; but 

 several of the concentrated manures, now manufactured, 

 are useful and convenient, especially for a succession of 

 crops. A very efficient liquid manure, for promoting the 

 growth of vegetables already started, is made by dissolving 

 one pound of pure Peruvian guano to ten gallons of water ; 

 it should not be applied oftener than once a week. 



tage. The centre beds may be planted with all kinds of 

 vegetables; the outer or fence border, for raising the ear- 

 liest fruits and vegetables, also serves for raising and 

 pricking out such young plants, herbs, and cuttings as re- 

 quire to be screened from the intense heat of the sun, and 

 the very early vegetables which can be protected from 

 slight frosts. 



The mode of laying out the ground is a matter of taste, 

 and may be left to the gardener himself to determine, the 

 form being of little importance in the production of useful 

 vegetables ; and it matters not if the ground is laid out in 

 beds of 4 or 10 feet wide, jn-ovided it is well worked and 

 kept neat and free of weeds. 



IMPLEMENTS. — The nece-^sary implements to work 

 the garden are a spade, spading fork, shovel, rakes, hoes, 

 trowel, garden-line and reel, watering-pot, wheelbarrow, 

 and combined seed-drill and cultivator; ])riees of which 

 will be found in the Tool Denartment of this catalogue. 



ROTATION OF CROPS'.— As different plants appro- 

 priate different substances, care should be taken that deep- 

 rooted plants, such as Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, etc., are 

 not planted successive seasons on the same soil, but should 

 be followed by those plants whose roots extend but little 

 below the surface, such as Onions, Lettuce, Cabbage, 

 Spinach, etc.; plants of the Brassica, or Cabbage tribe, are 

 apt to become diseased at the roots (club-rooted, as it is 

 termed), if too frequently planted in the same ground. 



The above ilhistratifin represents a satisfactory manner 

 of disposing of different kinds of plants and vegetables, 

 and can be varied to suit the fancy or convenience. 



Laying out the ground, a border may be formed around 

 the whole garden, from 5 to 10 feet wide, according to the 

 size of your ground ; next to this border a walk may be 

 made from 3 to 6 feet wide, and divide the middle in 

 squares or fancy beds, as may be desired, on the sides of 

 which a border 3 to 4 feet wide may be laid out, in which 

 the various kinds of small fruits may be raised to advan- 



A rotation of crops is as essential in vegetable gardening as 

 in farming. 



HOT-BEDS. — There are several aids to the economical 

 management of the garden, which are almost indispensa- 

 ble : one of these is the hot-bed for growing early plants or 

 vegetables. A frame, such as is shown in the illustration, 

 may be made of various sizes, according to the size of gar- 

 den, from two sashes upwards. The length of sash is gen- 

 erally 6 feet by 4 feet wide, the size of glass 8 by 10 inches, 

 j including sash bearers; the entire frame of four sashes is 



