F. LAGOMARSINO & SONS, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 5 



Preparing the Soil 
Test carefully the physical character of 
your garden soil. A loose, loam soil can be 
turned early in the spring. A heavier soil must 
have longer to dry out or the soil will not make 
a finely pulverized seed bed. Dig deep! It 
aerates the soil and allows moisture to pene- 
trate and gives ample room for root crops to 
grow. Never plant until the soil is worked into 
a loose crumbly condition, with the top layer 
finely worked. 
Fertilizing 
Barnyard manure is an ideal fertilizer as it supplies 
both plant and food elements and organic matter to 
lighten the soil. If not obtainable, 2 to 3 pounds per 
square foot of commercial fertilizer scattered over the 
turned soil and worked in a few days before sowing 
the seed, is advisable. After the plants are up and 
well established, side dressings of fertilizer will accel- 
erate the growth. Do not place the fertilizer on or too 
close to the plants. 
Planting 
Sturdier plants for your garden can be obtained if 
the seed is sown in flats or shallow boxes of soil under 
glass sash (cold frames or hot beds). Under such con- 
ditions seed can be sown earlier, and earlier harvests 
result. The average home gardener may well be con- 
tent to sow seed in the months indicated by charts, 
directly into the garden plot. 
Scatter the seed in shallow trenches; long straight 
rows will facilitate later cultivation. Be careful not to 
sow too deep. If your seed bed is finely prepared, the 
smaller seed should be planted quite shallow—just 
deep enough to have moisture to germinate. Larger 
seeds up to 2 or more inches deep. Firm the soil after 
covering. 
arden Gro 


Cultivating 
Keeping the soil cultivated around the plants while 
they are still small, will keep out weeds and preserve 
the moisture in the layers of soil where the young 
plant's root system is feeding. Do not cultivate so close 
to the young plants as to disturb their root systems. 
A hand cultivator worked between the roots saves 
many hours with the hoe. 
Combating Pests 
Beetles, snails, worms and the larvae of many in- 
sects do countless thousands of dollars damage year- 
ly. Control methods are listed in the vegetable bul- 
letins of the state colleges. Many of the powders and 
sprays used are poisonous to humans and domestic 
animals and must be used carefully according to 
directions. 
Harvesting 
Pick all crops promptly when ready, thus insuring 
the maturing of the unripened fruit still on vines or 
bushes. Eat or share with your neighbor each suc- 
cessive crop harvest, and at the peak of each crop’s 
ripening, can or preserve the surplus. 
