The Editor will he glad to answer subscribers’ queries pertaining to individual problems connected with the garden and grounds. 
direct personal reply is desired please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. 
When a 
January 
HP HIS garden business is a good deal in 
the nature of a race—a race against 
conditions, weeds, insects and seasons— 
or, to combine them all, against time. If 
there were but time enough in spring, 
summer and autumn, what splendid gar¬ 
dens each of us would have. But there 
is not, it’s always too short. The only 
way to get ahead is to save the minutes 
in every possible way, and anyone having 
or intending to have a garden, no matter 
on how small a scale, who wastes spare 
hours even in mid-winter, is accepting an 
overwhelming handicap. 
There is no greater saver of garden 
time than the planting plan. It means 
that when things open up in spring, every 
minute can be put into actual work and 
that everything needed—seeds, fertilizers, 
plants, etc., will be on hand and in the 
proper quantities. No waste of time or 
materials. But more than this, it means 
vastly better results. Perhaps, if you 
have been following the advice of this ma¬ 
gazine, you are already using a planting 
plan for your garden. But don't stop 
there. 
Plot the Whole Place 
I FOUND that the planting plan was 
such a help in garden work that I 
extended the idea to farm crops on one 
hand and work under glass on the other. 
To make a plan of a place of sixty-four 
acres was the work of several Sunday 
afternoons, but it was very good fun, and 
only the beginning of more pleasures to 
follow. Now, whenever I have a half- 
hour to spare of a winter’s evening, I 
find a great deal of enjoyment in working 
out still further details, for as yet it is but 
a rough-hewn model of what I aim to 
make it. But it is the most interesting 
game I ever played. 
'The Vegetable Garden 
P ERHAPS you have not as yet done 
anything to your place except keep¬ 
ing the front lawn cut and planting a few 
vegetables; but even so, even if you have 
but a 20 x 20 ft. garden, make a plan now 
for the coming season's plantings. This 
should be made to scale, using a T-square 
and triangle for convenience, and should 
indicate the locality and amount of each 
vegetable wanted. Keep such vegetables 
as will remain in the ground all season 
(onions, beets, carrots, etc.), in one sec¬ 
tion, as far as possible; and tall-growing 
varieties, like corn, to the north of more- 
dwarf ones. House & Garden for Feb¬ 
ruary, 1910, contains a more elaborate de¬ 
scription of the preparation and use of the 
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Make a plan now for your vegetable garden— 
it’s half the battle. Numbers indicate rows 
or hills. Scale in feet is shown at top and 
left 
planting plan, and also a list of the best 
standard vegetables. In preparing your 
plan, make careful use of the seed cata¬ 
logues. Obtain several, and study them 
thoroughly — only be sparing in your use of 
novelties until you have tried them out. 
Towards the end of this month you will 
want to start the first lots of cabbage, let¬ 
tuce, cauliflower, beets and onions. The 
onions may be started now, and set out in 
the spring, as soon as the ground is dry; 
they will surprise you and astonish your 
friends, both in size and quality resembl¬ 
ing the giant Spanish onions at the gro¬ 
cers. Use for this purpose Prizetaker, 
Gigantic Gibraltar or Mammoth Silver 
Skin. Plant in “flats,” in rich, light soil, 
in rows about three inches apart, and half 
an inch deep. When well started, thin out 
so they will stand about eight or ten to 
the foot. They should be about the size 
of lead-pencils when set out (about the 
first part of April). 
In the Flower Garden 
I F you have no regular flower garden, 
devote a small part of your vegetable 
garden to flowers this year. Or, better 
still, make a long, narrow bed or border 
for flowers along some path. Very many 
of the annuals and hardy perennials are 
as easily grown as carrots. You can start 
them yourself in the house with your 
early vegetables, or else in a hot - bed, 
which should be made this month. A few 
hours’ work will see it an accomplished 
fact. Select a warm, sunny, sheltered 
spot on the south side of the house, or 
adjacent to some outbuilding. Clear the 
ground off level and if it isn’t frozen too 
hard, dig it out to the depth of a foot or 
eighteen inches, six feet square. This will 
give room for two 3x6 standard size 
sash, which you can buy either glazed or 
unglazed for a few dollars. Nail a 2 x 2 
in. scantling along the north wall at a 
height sufficient to give an inside depth in 
front -of two or two and one-half feet, 
at the same time allowing a six-inch drop 
for the glass. In other words, the scant¬ 
ling should be six inches higher than the 
front. For the front and sides use ordin¬ 
ary boards, supported by posts, and banked 
on the outside with earth or rough ma¬ 
nure. If no building is available against 
( 46 ) 
