Vol. LXVII. No. 3053. 
NEW YORK, AUGUST 1, 1908. 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PER YEAR. 
A FARMER’S GARDEN. 
Making Good Use of Horse Labor. 
The larger majority of farmers’ gardens here in 
west central Ohio arc always cut up more or less with 
paths, the entire garden 
being divided into beds 
varying in size to suit 
the owner. These beds 
are spaded or turned 
over each year, none of 
them being large enough 
to be found practical to 
plow with a horse and 
breaking plow. By this 
method it is at once ap¬ 
parent that there is 
much valuable space 
lost wherein some vege¬ 
tables might well be 
grown. The possessors 
of these gardens which 
are cut up, simply have 
acquired this method 
and seem to be satisfied 
with it, apparently not 
giving any thought to 
bettering a little thing 
like the garden, and 
making two vegetables 
grow where one form¬ 
erly grew. 
The most desirable 
location for the farm 
garden when it can be 
obtained, is on a rise, 
not a hill but a gentle 
incline, where the soil is 
not mucky but loose and 
easily prepared for the 
seed; but for conven¬ 
ience sake it is not al¬ 
ways possible to get just 
this kind of a location, 
and a more undesirable 
one must be selected. 
The garden, for best re¬ 
sults when such a loca¬ 
tion can be secured, 
should slope to the 
southeast or south, that 
the garden may get as 
much of the morning 
and forenoon’s sun as 
possible. Fig. 269 shows 
how one farmer’s garden 
was transformed from 
one of deep paths, 
spaded and cultivated 
entirely with hoes, into 
one with no paths and 
is now plowed with a 
horse and breaking plow, 
then kept clean with a 
cheap garden plow 
which is shown in the 
engraving. This garden 
slopes to the west, and 
is shaded very much on 
the east and southeast 
as shown, but yet it is a most desirable garden, and 
all who see it are its admirers. With a ratlicr unde¬ 
sirable location it is kept perfectly clean with the 
little plow and a few hours’ work each week. The 
garden supports vegetables enough for a family of 
eight, and has in it, beginning on the left, cucumbers, 
endive, radishes, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, salsify 
or vegetable oysters, cabbage plants, cabbage, a short 
row of beets, onion sets, onions, peas, beans, four 
rows extra variety potatoes, sweet potato ridge, beans, 
cabbage, muskmelons, and a row of celery will soon 
induce others to. try this method of garden making 
and eliminate the old path system. The owners of 
this garden would not, under -any circumstances re¬ 
turn to the old system of gardening. Further dis¬ 
advantages of the paths are that valuable time is lost 
in keeping them clean, 
and it is far easier to re- 
t a i n moisture without 
these paths, as moisture 
evaporates much more 
rapidly in these solid 
trodden paths than where 
the soil is kept culti¬ 
vated. 
IRA G. SHELLABARGER. 
Ohio. 
CULTIVATING A CORNFIELD TO KILL QUACK GRASS. Fig. 268 
A GARDEN CULTIVATED BY HORSE POWER. Fig. 269. 
be planted. When the lettuce and onions are gone 
turnips will be sown. Around the edge of this garden 
are currants, raspberries, rhubarb and some favorite 
old Teas. This garden is one that can be possessed 
by any average farmer on any average farm. The 
object in presenting this article and picture is to 
FIGHTINC QUACK 
GRASS. 
Mr. D. E. Palmer, of 
Lenawee County, Mich., 
sends us the photograph 
shown at Fig. 268. He is 
cultivating corn grown 
on a quack grass sod, 
the date being July 7. 
The sod was plowed, 
then it rained two or 
three days; dragged 
once, except where it 
was hardest it was 
disked and dragged 
again. Planted, dragged 
twice, and cultivated five 
times. There is still 
some “quack” in the 
hills. 
I have been reading 
with interest the articles 
on destroying quack 
grass, and pity the man 
who attempts to kill it 
out with plow and hoe. 
So far we have had an 
excellent season in this 
section for doing this. 
The only way I know of 
doing it successfully is 
to get a 5A double-act¬ 
ing Cutaway harrow. 
Cut the hay as early as 
possible, not later than 
the last of June, and as 
soon as off hitch' a pair 
of good horses to har¬ 
row and start for the 
field. When I have team 
enough I set it at the 
greatest angle, and when 
very tough weight it; 
give the' piece a 
thorough going over at 
least once a week until 
the first of September or 
later, and if it has not 
been too wet there will 
be but little of the quack. 
But don’t think you 
have an easy job even 
with this, the only prac¬ 
tical machine I know of for doing this work. If the 
season should be very wet one might not be able to 
eradicate the quack in one season, but if one has as 
much love for that grass as I have it will do him 
good to ride along and hear the gangs tear it out 
and throw it up to the sun. edmund Parker. 
