Sterling’s 1943 Catalog 
“Dreams and thoughts and deeds, 
Plants and bulbs and seeds, 
Frost and heat and soil, 
Tears and sweat and toil, 
Bugs and worms and blight, 
Joy, fulfillment and pure delight, 
That’s what a True Gardener is made of.” 
The above doggerel is more truth than poetry, but a T. G. must 
have three qualifications to make a real success. First, enthusiasm 
for his work. Second, good, hard, common sense and last, but by no 
means least, patience. 
Plans for your garden should be made in February or March, the 
location selected and the seeds ordered in proportion to the size of the 
garden. 
In buying seeds and plants do not be influenced by price alone as 
the proportionate price of your seed compared to the crop is so small 
that really the price is of the least consideration. 
Any good soil is suitable for your garden. If you can plow under 
a coat of manure so much the better. Also broadcast some fertilizer, 
not too much, and harrow in and then when seeds are up, a little 3-8-7 
Victory Fertilizer sowed alongside the row and cultivated and hoed in, 
helps to keep your garden growing as it is important that the plants 
be fed. One thing is of great importance and that is, do not set plants 
or sow seed directly into fertilizer. That is the cause of many failures 
as the fertilizer will burn and destroy the small rootlets of the seed- 
lings or plants. Another cause of failure, is planting your seeds too 
deep, especially in heavy soil. A good rule is to cover your seeds about 
five times their diameter and firm the soil well over the seed. 
Now you have your garden started, the more you can cultivate 
and hoe it, the easier to keep the weeds down and the plants growing, 
especially when small. 
Of course there will be bugs and worms and blights, quite serious 
if weather conditions are either too dry or too wet. A good dusting 
or spraying of Bordo Mixture will control the blights and Arsenates 
er Pyrethrum will take care of the bugs and worms. A Nicotine Spray 
or Dust takes care of Aphis if properly applied. 
Remember that most of your garden crops need a sweet soil, so 
a little lime applied right after plowing and raked thoroughly into the 
soil is well worth the effort and expense. Here are a few of the crops 
that need a 6 pH range or better, or in other words a sweet soil: 
Beans, Asparagus, Limas, Beets, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauli- 
flower, Carrot, Celery, Corn, Cucumber, Lettuce, Muskmelons, Onions, 
Peas, Radish, Spinach, Squash, Tomato and Turnips. 
In conclusion let me emphasize that second requisite, hard, com- 
mon sense. Then you won’t undertake more than you can accomplish. 
In other words, don’t forget the hot July weather, when it is much 
more pleasant to go swimming than to hoe weeds. After a happy 
Springtime of planning and planting, a sweaty hard Summer of hoeing 
and harvesting and a pleasant Fall of more harvesting and retrospec- 
tion, what more does a T. G. want? 
Seedtime and Harvest are two things we can be sure of, so forget 
News Commentators for a while, study seed catalogs and really enjoy 
being a True Gardener. 
—North Fork Life, Spring, 1942 
