The Suburban Garden 
found that a sandy soil is deficient in the essentials 
of plant food; that a clayey soil contains them in 
abundance, and a limestone soil is likely to contain 
a considerable proportion of phosphoric acid. There¬ 
fore, what is a good fertilizer on a given soil for one 
crop may be very unsatisfactory for another; the 
matter of fertilization must after all be very largely 
a matter of experience from observing results. 
As a general rule lime may be applied to a soil with 
good results. It corrects acidity, makes clay soil 
more friable and holds sand closer together. Nor is 
it possible to go far wrong in the application of 
humus, a name applied to any thoroughly rotted 
vegetable or animal matter. Humus forms the 
richness of nearly all good land, and rarely is there 
too much of it. In close-grained, sticky soils, which 
have a tendency to bake, the humus produces a 
looser texture and a better balance in the reten¬ 
tion of moisture. On a loose and leachy soil it 
brings the grains closer together and promotes 
chemical activity and at the same time supplies 
plant food. 
Leaves, garden refuse, and barnyard manure 
made into a compost and allowed to decay make 
good humus. Wood ashes are a common and ready 
source of potash, and in addition improve the mechan¬ 
ical condition of most soils. The lime in them tends 
to correct sourness and to promote the important 
chemical process of nitrification. Ashes are usually 
found to render light, sandy soils more moist. 
Cotton-hull ashes are also very useful, furnishing 
potash and phosphoric acid. In the use of com- 
merical fertilizers care must be taken that a wrong 
use is not made of them. Chemical fertilizers may 
be applied much nearer the time at which they are 
to be used by the plant. A French authority says 
for deep rooted plants, fertilizers should be put on 
before breaking the ground; for shallow rooted 
plants, after breaking. 
SEED AND TIME OF PLANTING 
The ground prepared and fertilized, then comes 
the selection of seed and planting. 
It is usually considered enough to buy seed of 
some reputable dealer and depend upon him for 
quality. But it is so important to have good seed, 
and mistakes are so easy, that careful examination 
of the seed some time before planting is advisable. 
Large, heavy seeds produce stronger plants than 
do small, light seed. It is a mistake to plant old 
seed. 
The time for planting in any locality is only known 
by experience, if early vegetables in the open air are 
sought. The blooming of the peach is assigned as a 
time for seeds that will germinate in a cold soil and 
resist a slight frost. Among these are peas, spinach, 
and onion. When the oak leaf breaks from the 
bud is suggested for beets, turnips, corn and tomato. 
Seeds that thrive only in warmer soil, as beans, 
cucumber, cantaloupe, watermelon, squash, and 
okra, may be planted when the blackberry is in 
bloom. The planting must be made, of course, 
with due consideration of the date when the vege¬ 
table is expected to be ready for use, and if a continu¬ 
ous supply is desired through the season, several 
plantings at different dates must be made. These 
are known as successional plantings. 
MAKING THE ROWS 
Wheel tools will be found of great advantage in 
cultivation and for this reason the rows should be 
long and continuous. If enough of one kind of 
vegetable to make a row across the garden is 
not wanted, several kinds may be put in the same 
row. 
Let the rows run east and west when practicable, 
so as to obtain the best sun effects. A line should 
be used to keep the rows straight and parallel to each 
other. But little extra time will be consumed in 
using the line and the better results, aside from the 
appearance, will more than repay the additional 
trouble. 
CONDITION OF THE SOIL 
The soil should be moist when the seed are put in. 
The earth should be firmed above the seed by patting 
it lightly with a hoe. This is to make sure that the 
soil is brought close against the seed. Small, weak 
seeds must not be put in ground that is not thor¬ 
oughly prepared. It is well to sow some large seed 
of vigorous growth, such as radish or turnip, with 
celery and other small, weak seeds. The added 
seed come up, breaking any crust which may have 
formed. The radish or turnips must be pulled 
out as soon as the other plants appear. Sow the 
seed much thicker than the plants can be success¬ 
fully grown and when the first true leaves appear, 
thin to the proper distance and avoid loosening the 
roots of plants that are left. 
DEPTH OF PLANTING 
The depth of cover depends upon the size and 
strength of the seed, its habits of germination and 
early growth, the soil, and the season of planting. 
Planting too deep is frequently a cause of failure to 
come up. Warmth, air and moisture are necessary 
to germination. In the early spring moisture is 
usually abundant, while warmth is lacking. The 
soil is warmest near the surface, hence the cover 
should be shallower than in summer, when warmth 
is abundant and moisture is lacking in the surface 
soil. Weak seeds should have less cover than 
vigorous seeds. As a general rule the depth of 
planting is indicated on the original package by the 
seedsman, and it is safe to follow his directions in 
that respect. 
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