238 
The Garden Magazine, June, 1920 
cold weather and stored in frames or under any cover, to be 
used throughout the early winter. 
Dwarf Curled Scotch kale is a splendid sort for earl} - in the 
season, while Siberian is by far the hardiest. South of New 
York, Siberian Kale needs no protection, and may be wintered 
right outdoors in the garden. In common with other frost- 
proof vegetables, the quality of Kale is improved by frost. 
Lettuce continues to offer the biggest problem to the home 
gardeners; and yet any one can raise perfect heads. Through- 
out July such sorts as Wayahead, Allheart, Salamander, and 
May King among the Butterheads, may again be sown and will 
yield a perfect product if the seedlings are thinned out as rapidly 
as they touch each other in the row. Wait until they are about 
three inches tall and then thin them out to stand four inches 
apart. Later on, remove every other one, and continue this, 
hoeing frequently and thoroughly between the rows and between 
the plants all the time. 
Fordhook and Fancy and Elephant Ear mustard should both 
be sown toward end of July, and they will then be ready through- 
out late August and September when they will afford splendid 
material for use in mixed Salads or cooked with Kale or Spinach. 
The best variety of spinach for immediate sowing is New 
Zealand. This is really no Spinach at all, but a broadly spread- 
ing plant with many succulent leaves and branches. In flavor, 
it is way ahead of the ordinary Spinach, and a dozen well grown 
plants will provide a peck of greens a week, from the middle of 
August until frost. The plants should stand at least a foot or 
two apart on rich soil, since each plant when fully developed, 
easily covers twenty-five square feet. As they are high and 
bushy they will intermingle and form a thick mat almost like a 
small shrubbery. This is the only exception to the rule that all 
of above Salad Plants should be sown thinly in rows two feet 
apart, and the seedlings thinned out as described for Lettuce. 
Of course this is the month to make the sowing of cucumbers 
for pickles. For this purpose, Jersey Pickling, Early Green 
Prolific, and Fordhook Pickling are unsurpassed for the produc- 
tion of small fruits, furnishing ideal material for Sweet Pickles. 
Where sour or dill pickles are the 
object, both Davis Perfect and 
Fordhook Famous are preferable, 
and these varieties have the addi- 
tional advantage of bearing fruits 
equally suitable for furnishing a 
handsome slicing product, when 
they reach their full length of 
eight to twelve inches. 
Sow Cucumbers in hills, three 
feet apart each way, thinning out 
the seedlings to four of the strong- 
est per hill. If the little striped 
Beetle bothers them useSlugShot. 
The recent discovery that sum- 
mer squash is rich in vitamines 
should help it draw the attention 
of all home gardeners. The vari- 
ety called Italian Vegetable Mar- 
row or Cocozelle Bush which oc- 
cupies very little space and bears 
an abundance of symmetrical 
Cucumber shaped fruits is a very 
good form to grow. A fifteen foot 
row of this, accommodating fif- 
teen plants a foot apart, will yield 
enough fruits to afford each per- 
son in a family of five, a dish of 
Squash with two meals a week 
from early August until late 
in September. Figure your re- 
quirements on this basis. 
Sow seeds of all bush varieties 
of Squash in rows, but place seeds 
of the very much ranker growing vining winter varieties in hills 
five feet apart each way, six seeds per hill, to be reduced to three 
plants per hill when danger of bugs destroying the crop is past. 
The Way to Do It All 
B EAR in mind that thorough preparation of the soil is 
absolutely essential to score any of the results promised 
above. Deep tillage is most necessary in connection with 
growing all the root crops, while additional fertilization is most 
desirable with all salad crops. So unless you can take time to 
watch your plowing done, it is preferable to have the garden dug 
with fork or spade; digging will give you at least 8 to io inches 
of loose soil, while most plowing merely skims the surface. 
But where a crop is put in now to follow an earlier crop, it is 
generally sufficient to turn the soil with a grubbing hoe or a 
small hand plow. 
The matter of crop rotation deserves watching. Do not plant 
Turnips where Cabbage has grown; maggots in a bed where 
early Onions grew will also attack late Radishes. By planting 
the right kind of varieties, it is still possible to make nearly 
every row yield two crops from now on. Thus Bush Beans 
sown up to June 5th will have borne the bulk of the crop by 
August first, which is the ideal time to sow seeds of late salads. 
Beets sown up to the middle of June will be ready for gathering 
by the middle of August, to be followed by greens such as 
Kale, Spinach, etc. 
Should the soil be dug in early June it is well to remember that 
a great deal of your success depends on the prompt sprouting 
of the seeds. You can’t afford to sow seeds and have them lay 
dormant for several weeks because of lack of moisture. If the 
season is dry, therefore either water your seedbed before plant- 
ing or plant deeper than usual. Deep planting late in the season 
also stands as insurance against midsummer drouths. 
Since it is next to impossible to secure either manure or 
fertilizers, make liberal use of commercial humus. This is 
available in any quantity. Pound for pound it contains as much 
plant food as any manure, is 
easier to handle and has the ad- 
ditional advantage of being de- 
void of weed seeds. Humus may 
be sown right into the rows with 
the seeds and several applications 
of it along the rows during the 
season will hasten along maturity 
of the crops. 
Keep the crops growing by 
frequent and systematic cultiva- 
tion. It is more important to 
keep the soil free of weeds and 
properly tilled than it is to water 
the garden frequently and hoe 
only occasionally. All vegetable 
crops need air at the roots quite 
as much as moisture and fertility. 
Many will thrive with surpris- 
ingly little moisture — Lettuce for 
instance — if thorough and con- 
stant cultivation is practised. 
The months ahead, besides 
being favorable to plant develop- 
ment, will bring favorable condi- 
tions for bugs, blights, and plant 
diseases. Be handy with the dust 
gun or spraying apparatus. Spray 
for prevention as well as cure, and 
remember that one diseased plant 
in a row or patch endangers the 
health of all the rest. Waste no 
sympathy on disease carriers. 
Remove them promptly. 
WHEN YOU HAVE SOWN YOUR BEANS SOW SOME MORE 
BEANS, AND THEN MORE! 
Not because they are the most delicious of vegetables but 
because they are one of the most nutritious and because food 
values are going to count for more than ever this winter 
