10 D. M. Ferry &. Cos Descriptive Catalogue. 



The number of rows of each vegetable and the relative proportion of each may be varied according to the wants 

 of the family, but the proportion given here will be found to suit most families who depend upon the garden for 

 both winter and summer vegetables. 



If necessary, the turning ground at both ends may be filled with Winter Squashes, as these are planted so late 

 and at such a distance apart that they would not seriously hinder the turning of a steady horse with a careful 

 driver. Whatever the arrangement followed may be, we earnestly urge that every effort be made to secure straight 

 and perfect rows. There is perhaps no one thing that will make the subsequent cultivation easier, or contribute 

 more to the owner's satisfaction in his garden than this, and a little extra effort in this respect at the first will give 

 pleasure all through the season. 



Sowings tlie Seed. — There is no more prolific source of disappointment and failure among amateur 

 gardeners than hasty, careless or improper sowing of the seed. A seed consists of a minute plant mmus the roots; 

 with a sufficient amount of food stowed in or around it to sustain it until it can expand its leaves, form roots, and 

 provide for itself, the whole enclosed in a hard and more or less impervious shell. To secure germination, moisture, 

 heat, and a certain amount of air are necessary. The first steps are the softening of the hard, outer shell, the de- 

 veloping of the leaves of the plant from the absorption of water, and the changing of the plant food from the form 

 of starch to that of sugar. In the first condition the food was easily preserved unchanged, but the plant with its 

 undeveloped leaves and no root v.'as incapable of using it, while in its sugary condition it is easily appropriated; but 

 if not used it speedily decays itself and induces decay in the plant. A seed then may retain its vitality and remain 

 unchanged for years, while after germination has commenced, a check of a day or two in the process may be fatal. 

 There is no time from that when the seed falls from the parent plant until it in turn produces seed, ripens and dies, 

 when the plant is so susceptible of fatal injury from the overabundance or want of heat and moisture, as at that 

 between the commencement of germination and the formation of the first true leaves, and it is just then that it 

 needs the aid of the gardener to secure favorable conditions. These are: — 



First — A proper and constant degree of moisture without being soaked with water^ This is secured by making 

 the surface of freshly dug soil so fine that the smallest seeds may come in immediate contact on all sides with the 

 particles from which thej- are to absorb the required moisture, and the pressing of the soil over the seeds so firmly 

 with the feet or the back of the hoe that the degree of moisture may remain as nearly as possible the same until 

 the plants are up. 



Second — A proper degree of heat, secured by sowing each variety of seed when the average temperature of the 

 locality is that most favorable for its germination. This may be learned from a careful study of the following 

 pages and the experience of the most successful gardeners of your vicinity. 



Third — Covering the seed to such a depth that while it is preserved at a uniform degree of heat and moisture, 

 the necessary air can readily reach it, and the tiny stem push the forming leaves into the light and air. This depth 

 will vary with different seeds and conditions of the soil, and can be learned only from practical experience. In 

 general, seeds of the size of the Turnip should be covered with half an inch of earth pressed down, while Corn may 

 be an inch. Beans two or three, and Peas two to six inches deep. 



Fourth — Such condition of soil that the ascending stem can easily penetrate it, and the young roots speedily 

 find suitable food. We can usually secure this by thorough preparation of the ground, and taking care never to 

 sow fine seeds when the ground is wet. Occasionally a heavy or long continued rain followed by a bright sun will 

 so bake and crust the surface that it is impossible for the young plant to find its way through it, or a few days of. 

 strong wind will so dry the surface that no seed can germinate. In such cases our only remedy is to plant again. 



Cultivation. — Every weed should be removed as soon as it appears, especially while the plants are 

 young; this will require almost daily attention, but if well done early in the season, the later work will be light, but 

 mere destruction of weeds is by no means the only object of cultivation. A. J. Downing, who was perhaps the best 

 horticulturist America has known, said: " If I were to preach a sermon on horticulture, I should take as my text, 

 ' Stir the Soil,' " and certainly the text would contain much of the gospel of successful gardening; frequent and 

 deep stirring will enable one to grow fine vegetables on comparatively poor and slightly manured soil, while with- 

 out it one fails to gain much advantage from the richest and finest soil. Care should be taken that the cultivation 

 is not done when the soil is wet, or Peas, Beans and Melons stirred when the leaves are wet with dew, as such 

 disturbance is liable to injure the leaves, and make them susceptible to injury from rust. With this exception, cul- 

 tivate as often and as thoroughly as possible. 



For early vegetables, some provision for starting certain plants earlier than can be done in the open air is 

 necessary; for this purpose nothing is better than a good hot-bed, and its construction is so simple and the expense 

 so light that every garden should have one. A hot-bed proper not only protects the plants from the cold, but sup- 

 plies bottom heat; by this term the gardener means that the soil is constantly kept several degrees warmer than 

 the air above, that being the condition so far as heat is concerned which is most favorable for rapid and vigorous 

 growth. It is evident that to produce this we must in some way apply our heat below the surface, and it is usually 

 done by making a compact pile of some fermenting material and covering it with the earth in which the plants are 

 to grow. 



Heating' Material. — The best heating material that is easily available is/resh horse manure, con- 

 taining a liberal quantity of bedding, which may be straw, shavings, or best of all, leaves. Such manure, if 

 thrown into a loose pile, will heat violently and unevenly and will soon become cold. What is wanted in the hot- 

 bed is a steady and moderate but lasting heat. To secure this, the manure should be forked over and thrown into 

 a loose pile, which should remain undisturbed for a few days and then be forked over again, piled and allowed to 

 heat a second time, when after a few days more it will be ready for use. The object of this repeated forking over 

 and piling is to get the whole mass into a uniform degree of fermentation. 



Sash. — Gardeners commonly use sash made especially for hot-beds and glazed with small lights cut from 

 odds and ends and so furnished at very low rates. Such sash can usually be procured in any of our large cities and 

 cost much less than if made to order. For garden use, however, we much prefer a small size that can be easily 

 handled, and the use of larger and better glass. We would recommend that the sash be three by five feet, and 



