March, 1914 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
21: 
first weeding must be attended to 
promptly. You can begin to use them 
as soon as they are large enough, but 
their quality is greatly improved by a 
good, hard frost. Part of the crop may 
be stored in the same way as beets, but 
the rest may be left growing in the 
ground or stored in a pit outside to use 
in spring. 
Potato: The potato is entirely distinct 
both in character and culture from the 
preceding crops, and should not be 
planted until danger from hard frost is 
over. An extra early crop can be ob¬ 
tained, however, by selecting a peck or 
so of some early variety, such as Irish 
Cobbler, and cutting to pieces containing 
one or two strong eyes, and in some¬ 
what the shape of a section of an orange, 
so that they may be packed together on 
end in a flat of sand. In moderate 
warmth and light these will form a dense 
mass of roots and very short, strong 
sprouts. If these are set in rich furrows, 
a little later than you can safely plant 
outdoors, and covered two or three inches 
deep they will be above ground in a few 
days, and will make a surprisingly rapid 
growth. For the main crop, open up fur¬ 
rows with the hoe or cultivator to two 
and a half to three feet apart — the for¬ 
mer width could be used much more 
often than it is — and drop pieces con¬ 
taining one or two strong eyes about 
twelve or thirteen inches apart in the 
row. If the seed is at all scabby, soak 
the seed before cutting in a solution of 
1 pint of commercial formolin in thirty 
gallons of water for about thirty min¬ 
utes. Keep cleanly cultivated and the 
ground loose. As the vines begin to 
spread, draw the earth about each plant 
lightly, making a broad, low hill. Spray¬ 
ing with Bordeaux mixture and arsenate 
of lead every ten days or two weeks, 
keeping the new growth covered, after 
the plants have attained a height of six 
to eight inches, will keep off both blight 
and potato bugs. The part of the crop to 
be used for storing should not be dug 
until late fall after the vine dies out. 
Salsify (oyster plant) : When this is 
properly cooked it is the most delicious 
of all vegetables. It should be grown in 
the same way as parsnips, but the root, 
being even more long and slender, it re¬ 
quires a thoroughly prepared, deep soil, 
in order that the roots may grow smooth, 
as it has a tendency to “spangle.” 
Radishes: To have these widely ap¬ 
preciated little appetizers in prime condi¬ 
tion, the sowings can hardly be too fre¬ 
quent or too small. Specially manured 
soil should be avoided, and the ground 
should not be too rich, although plenty 
of potash is desirable. It is also a good 
plan to have a small pail or box of gyp¬ 
sum or land plaster on hand, and to strew 
a few handfuls of this along the row in 
which the radishes are to be planted, 
and work it into the soil before dropping 
the seed. There are innumerable varie- 
arden Full 
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put in water just as well as when in the 
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The culture of Gladioli is a simple one; bulbs may 
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