138 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
May, 1917 
No Vine Crops in Small Plots. 
It does not pay to grow the vine 
crops in very small gardens unless 
they can be trained on trellises 
at the side of the garden or plant- 
ed on the area which has matured 
an early crop like lettuce, early 
peas, spinach, or radishes. 
The vine crops are all warm 
season crops and cannot be 
planted in the field usually before 
June 1st. The growing season is 
so short that only the earlier var- 
ieties of muskmelons and water- 
melons can be matured from seed 
started outdoors. Cucumbers and 
squash usually mature if started 
the first week in June, but even 
they should be started in the hot- 
bed if an early product and a 
large yield are desired. 
Starting Vine Crop Seeds. 
The seeds may be started about 
April 25th in berry boxes, four- 
inch paper pots or on four-inch 
squares of sod. From four to 
six seeds are planted in each box. 
The hotbed should be kept warm 
as the vine crops do best at a tem- 
perature ranging from 75-85. 
Thorough ventilation is neces- 
sary. Care must also be taken to 
water frequently enough to pre- 
vent the soil from drying out or 
the leaves from wilting. 
The plants are hardened by ex- 
posing them to outdoor condi- 
tions and withholding water for 
five or six days before they are 
set in the garden. 
In setting the plant, dig the 
hole and place the plant in it, 
drawing the soil around the plant, 
being careful not to disturb the 
roots. If the plants are grown in 
a berry box, it should be removed 
before planting. 
The training of vine crops dif- 
fers from tomatoes in that the ax- 
illaries are nipped off beyond the 
second node instead of being re- 
moved altogether. The fruit is 
borne in the first node of the ax- 
illary shoot. With cucumbers 
this method of pruning is contin- 
ued as long as they bear fruit, but 
with muskmelons all the growing 
tips are pinched off after the 
plant has made a growth of five 
feet and set two or three fruits. 
Vine Crops Seldom Cross. 
Many gardeners are afraid to 
plant muskmelons and cucumbers 
together for fear of their crossing. 
These two crops never cross, and 
if poor quality melons are ob- 
tained, this condition must be as- 
cribed to improper cultural condi- 
tions, poor seed, or the attacks of 
disease or insects. Varieties of 
cucumbers or of muskmelons 
cross readily among themselves, 
but never with each other. 
Neither do either of these crops 
cross with watermelons, squash 
or pumpkins. Winter squash 
and pumpkins will not cross, but 
summer squash and pumpkins 
may cross. 
Varieties for the Home Garden. 
Beware of using “Wonder 
Plants,” with promise litho- 
graphic, 
For hauling in the yields from 
such Never blocked the traf- 
fic. 
Quality should be the first con- 
sideration in selecting varieties 
for the home garden. Only those 
varieties possessing high quality 
should be grown. Adaptability 
is also of prime importance. It 
is useless to attempt to grow some 
varieties at certain times because 
they are unable to stand the un- 
favorable conditions to which 
they are subjected. Thus the se- 
lection of a high quality Avrinkled 
pea for the earliest crop would 
result in failure, as it could not 
withstand the unfavorable condi- 
tions. 
Use the Old Stand-by Kinds. 
Confine your selection largely 
to standard sorts. We are often 
tempted by the glowing descrip- 
tion in the seed catalogue to dis- 
card a variety which has been 
entirely satisfactory for a new 
and untried one. Better depend 
largely upon the tried variety 
and plant the new one sparingly 
until you have established its 
worth for your conditions. One 
cannot afford to risk the loss of 
a crop merely to satisfy his curi- 
osity. 
Work With Tomatoes. 
The home gardener should 
start his tomatoes about the 
middle of March for the early 
crop. After they get their first 
leaves, they should be trans- 
planted into two-inch paper boxes 
and later into four-inch paper 
boxes. They may be set into the 
gardens as soon as all danger of 
frost is over and the ground is 
warm. A succession of tomatoes 
may be provided by planting an 
early and a late such as Bonny 
Best and Stone at the same time, 
or by making two plantings of 
the early variety, three or four 
weeks apart. 
The yield in the home garden 
may be greatly increased by 
staking the tomatoes. The vines 
are trained to two stems by cut- 
ting out all the axillary shoots 
except the first one which is al- 
lowed to grow. They are tied 
with raffia to a five-foot stake. 
( Continued cn P. I ’/O) 
