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NOTES FROM A PPOAfAA'S GARDEN— JUL \ . 



All western Washington is particularly favored for the 

 farmer, and nowhere on the continent is money so easily 

 made on a few acres. But for fruit and vegetable grow- 

 ing Orcas Island stands pre-eminent as the garden of 

 Puget Sound. There is no malaria, no sickness of any 

 kind beyond the common ills of the flesh. The death 

 rate for the past year has only been two in a thousand. 



Six years ago there were only a few settlers compared 

 with the present number, and it is only recently that the 

 people have been stirred to see the value of their lands 

 for fruit culture, and they have been willing to sell all 



they could not use, in small tracts. Very few families 

 can attend to more than ten acres of fruit land, and cer- 

 tainly twenty acres is more than one family can manage. 

 One acre of strawberries, one of blackberries, one of 

 some specialty, such as rhubarb, or celery, or cauliflower, 

 three acres of prunes, five of apples and pears and two 

 of peaches and apricots would tax the largest and most 

 hard working family to its utmost ; but the income from 

 such a farm would probably be more than that of most 

 professional men in the cities. 



East Sound. S. R. S. G. 



NOTES FROM A WOMAN'S GARDEN— JULY. 



The white heat pales tlie skies from side to side ; 

 At noonday all the living creatures hide." 



— H. H. 



jULY we have our hot- 

 test weather, and the heat 

 in our garden, which is 

 almost entirely surround- 

 ed by trees and buildings, 

 is something "truly aw- 

 ful." It is only early in 

 the morning and late in 

 the afternoon that we can 

 spend much time there. 

 But old Levi never com- 



plains ; on being questioned, he will sometimes al- 

 low that it is " purty considerable warm, " or ' ' there's 

 a tolerable hot sun ter-day," but he works steadily 

 on. We notice that he chews a little more tobacco, 

 and his visits to the old-fashioned well are very 

 frequent. 



The poor garden does dry up ; we cannnot help it. 

 It is sad to see the plants parched and wilted, but we do 

 what we can for them, by watering every night the most 

 tender and precious ones. Pouring water over them is 

 of little use ; pour it closely around the roots. Some- 

 times we make small, deep holes with a dibber or iron 

 bar close to the plants, and by filling these holes with 

 water, none is wasted, but reaches almost at once the 

 thirsty roots. For the rest of the garden the frequent 

 " stirrin' of the sile " has to answer, and Levi's constant 

 hoeing does do a great deal of good. True, the soil may 

 seem almost as dry as ashes, but if the top of the ground 

 is not allowed to become caked hard, the heavy dews 

 and the slightest showers will penetrate it somewhat. 



" It is good weather for corn to grow," so the farmers 

 say, but for almost everything else, heat a little less tor- 

 rid would be preferred. Of course, the weeds grow 

 finely ; there's no season too dry, no season too wet for 

 their well being. Do not let any go to seed. 



We have fine peas for our Fourth of July dinner, but 

 few " messes " after this date ; the peas grow hard very 

 fast, and we haven't space for many plantings. Watch 



the peas closely that are to be saved for seed, or the pods 

 will open and the peas sprout and spoil from lying on 

 the ground. If the squash vines are large enough, oc- 

 casionally we help the children celebrate the "glorious 

 Fourth " by making squash-vine trumpets ; but as we 

 have to cut a great many stalks before we can find one 

 that will " toot," we are rather chary of this indulgence. 



During the first week in July we have the last of our 

 strawberries, and the first raspberries and currants. If 

 the raspberries and currants have sufficient mulching, 

 they will usually last through the entire month — rarely 

 longer. Our gooseberries, no matter whether in sun or 

 shade, loill mildew, and are generally gathered and 

 cooked while yet green. 



The beans which old Levi carefully planted on the 

 "decrease of the moon," and with due observation of 

 all the other old rules (in which he is a devout believer), 

 grow fairly well. We like the old-fashioned green string 

 beans, so use a bean we call the "Early Purple " for 

 that purpose. The lima beans want to run off from, in- 

 stead of on their poles, in spite of old Levi's having care- 

 fully notched each pole with his hatchet; but he patient- 

 ly ties on each vine with bits of string until they "get a 

 good holt." Green Mountain, yellow eyes and black 

 beans, are doing very well, in spite of the heat. The 

 black beans are grown especially for soup for winter 

 use ; they seem tender, and ripen late. 



We have our first good sweet corn the last week in 

 July. The tomatoes should be provided with low trel- 

 lises, or in some way arranged so that the fruit will not 

 lie on the ground. The seed peas having been gathered, 

 all the vines are pulled up, the ground spaded, well en- 

 riched, and the late turnips are planted here. 



There are no vacant spots in our garden ; every foot 

 is utilized, and whatever the season may be, cold or 

 warm, wet or dry, we find the garden does pay, and in 

 spite of much croaking and dire forebodings, we always 

 secure fair crops. 



The captain doesn't believe in it, but we thin out the 

 fruit somewhat on the apple and pear trees, and do a 

 little pruning and thinning out on the grape vines. The 

 plum trees should be shaken often, and all the diseased 

 and bitten fruit that falls, burned. If you can catch a 

 curculio, burn it, too ; we have never seen one. Even 



