DIFFICULTIES IN HOT-WEATHER GARDENING. 



" One thousand dollars annually for a banquet to the 

 trustees of the garden, and to the guests they may in- 

 vite — literary and scientific men, and friends and patrons 

 of the natural sciences; $409 annually for a banquet to the 

 gardeners of the institution, and invited florists, nursery- 

 men and market-gardeners of St. Louis and vicinity, 

 said banquet to be presided over by the director of said 

 Botanical Garden ; $500 annually for premiums or prizes 

 for any flower-show or exhibition that may be estab- 

 lished by amateurs and horticulturists of St. Louis ; 

 $200 annually to the Bishop of the Episcopal Church of 



this diocese, in consideration (if he approve of the same) 

 that an annual sermon be preached in such church, and 

 by such minister as he may select, on the wisdom and 

 goodness of God as shown in the growth of flowers, fruits 

 and other products of the vegetable kingdom — to be paid 

 annually out of the funds of the said Botanical Garden." 



Henry Shaw's great work and bequest — wise, gener- 

 ous and far-reaching in its effects — has made the memory 

 of him dear to the hearts of all grateful Americans. 

 His example stands as a noble one for rich men o*^ 

 our nation to follow. 



DIFFICULTIES IN HOT-WEATHER GARDENING. 



HOW PRACTICAL MEN OVERCOME THEM. 



NDER ORDINARY conditions of soil 

 and season, we have seldom 

 found it difficult to make seeds 

 germinate promptly, or newly 

 s t plants root freely, even in 

 July and August. This is the 

 secret : Always plant seeds or 

 roots in freshly-stirred soil, and 

 bring it in close contact with 

 them by thorough firming. Still, during prolonged 

 drouths, such as we frequently have in midsummer, old 

 methods seem to fail and we are grateful for any new 

 ones suggested. A number of practical growers tell us, 

 in this article, how they conduct their hot-weather gar- 

 dening. 



IRRIGATION IN WISCONSIN. 



In this latitude (44)'2)we can calculate upon little 

 growth of plants after November i. We generally finish 

 picking strawberries by July 10, and as we take but a 

 single crop of berries from our beds, they are turned 

 under immediately, heavily manured, and then set with 

 cabbage-plants. Henderson Summer is usually set for 

 a late crop until July 20. The soil must be rich and in 

 first-rate order to insure a good crop of cabbage when it 

 is set so late. From July 20 until August 10 we set 

 celery for a late crop, as fast as the ground is cleared of 

 other products. Flat Purple-top turnip-seed are sown 

 from August 10 to 20, and winter radish-seed sown as 

 late as September 5 will bring a good crop ; this finishes 

 our sowing and planting for the season. 



It is sometimes very difficult to insure prompt germin- 

 ation of seed during warm dry weather. We begin 

 plowing for spring planting as early as the ground is in 

 good condition for working. The ground is usually wet 

 at that time, and we get such seeds as onions, early peas, 

 radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, etc , in the 

 ground before it becomes dry. If the soil is very dry at 

 planting time, we wait a few days, keeping the ground 

 in the best condition possible, and then sow the seeds 

 immediately after a light shower. They must be sown 

 a little deeper when the soil is dry and hot, than when it 

 is damp and cool. 



Last season was more unfavorable to seed-germination 

 than any I have ever known. I had about four acres of 

 ground that I wished to plant with Hubbard squashes 

 early in June. The ground was so dry that we knew 

 the seed would never germinate without help of some 

 kind, so the following plan was adopted: I wished to 

 manure the squashes in the hill, and had a lot of nice 

 fine manure, but it was nearly or quite as dry as the 

 earth in the field. After the fertilizer was loaded upon 

 the wagon the hose was turned upon each load until it 

 would hold no more water without draining. The 

 squash-hills were dug out, and a large forkful of this wet 

 manure was thrown into each one, and then thoroughly 

 mixed with the soil. The seeds were dropped upon this 

 damp mixture, and covered an inch deep with damp 

 soil ; upon this was thrown, as a mulch to keep the soil 

 from drying out too quickly, half an inch of dust. The 

 seeds came up very promptly, and we had as pretty a 

 stand of squash-plants as I ever saw, although the 

 weather continued dryer than we had ever known it to 

 be. I believe that I owed my entire crop of squashes to 

 that extra care in planting. 



In midsummer we often set plants out in earth almost 

 as dry as dust, and rely entirely upon watering to get 

 them started. If we are setting out cabbage-plants in 

 very dry weather, we pour from a pint to a quart of 

 water about the roots of each plant. Unless it rains 

 within a day or two afterward, we go over the rows a 

 second time and give the ground about the plants a 

 thorough wetting, often putting on a quart of water to a 

 plant. Unless the drouth is very severe indeed, these 

 two waterings carry the plants along nicely until rain 

 comes to refresh them. Large tomato-plants, set out in 

 dry weather, are given two quarts of water each. The 

 usual trouble with plants set out by growers in dry 

 weather is, that they are not given a sufficient amount of 

 water at first. 



I have a system of watering by which I can irrigate 

 my entire garden. The water comes from an artesian 

 well nearly 1,000 feet deep. It is carried in pipes laid 

 below the frost-line through my garden, with laterals 

 from it in all directions. These lateral pipes have 



