GARDEN MANUAL FOR THE SOUTHERN STATES. 23 



Tlie 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 trenchiug 

 the roots of this pest will get so deeply incorporated with the soil that trouble will be met 

 with afterwards to g*t 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 CVU*ry, 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 grouud 

 should be well drained, otherwise it will be impossible to raise good vegetables. The 

 most reliable manure for general purpo=es 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 1^ bushels to the acre, and 

 when large enough they are turned uuder. When the land is very sandy, Cotton Seed 

 Meal has the most lasting effect. For quick growing crops, such as Melons, Cucumber*, 

 etc., the Commercial Fertilizer and Guano applied in the hills are very good. Soap Suds 

 are good for Celery; it is astonishing to perceive the difference in the size of those 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 dressiug when the Peas just 

 come out of the ground, or else sprinkled iu 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, goo I 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 

 siaould be destroyed as soon as as they appear. Hoeing and working the young crops 

 during dry weather is very beneficial, because the weeds are then easily killed, aud 

 hoeing the grouud will make it retain moisture better than if were left alone. 



Solving; Seeds. 



Some seeds are sown at once where they are to remain and mature. Others are sown 

 iu 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 : Wriukled 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 grou'nd. Seeds which are 

 sown during summer in the open ground, sueh as Beets and Carrots, should be soaked 

 over night in water and rolled in ashes- or 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; andTemoveagain.early in the afternoon so the plants may become sturdy. If 

 too much shaded they will be drawn up, long-legged, aud 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 sowiug 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 

 directions given for June. 



To sow Turnips on a large scale during the late summer and early fall months ; the 

 ground should be prepared in advance and the seed sown just before or during the rain. 

 Small pieces of ground, of course, can be sown at any time and watered afterwards. For 



