All lots of seed are carefully tested for germination and must meet with standards set 
for the current year 
SUCCESSFUL GARDENING 
Hints that may interest both commercial and home gardeners 
SOIL The growing of high quality, tender and succulent vege- 
tables requires quick and continuous growth. Good market 
gardening land is “quick’’; that is, it warms up early in the spring, 
comes speedily into workable condition after rain, is easy to keep 
in good tilth and responds quickly to fertilizing materials. A rich, 
sandy loam is best. Stiff clays are the least desirable. Heavy soils 
require deep plowing and frequent rotation with leguminous crops 
and the addition of plenty of fibrous material. 
Gardeners will find, when soil becomes unproductive for some 
particular crop that changing to another crop or seeding down to 
clover or alfalfa, will result in profit. Rotation tends to even up 
the demands on the soil, no one element of plant food being ex- 
hausted; leaves the land in good physical condition for the following 
crop and incorporates humus. Other advantages are distribution 
of labor, better use of irrigation water, less disease risk, encour- 
ages the keeping of livestock, controls weeds and helps to mini- 
mize risk of hail, insects and low markets. Where available, a 
liberal coating of manure should be given the ground. This should 
be thoroughly decomposed so that its plant food soon becomes 
available and many weed seeds killed. The use of fresh, rank 
manure is especially undesirable when growing such crops as 
onion and parsnip, as this is liable to result in soft bulbs, scallions 
and branched or misshapen roots. 
PREPARATION Remove all refuse of previous crops as early 
as possible in the fall. Spread the composted 
manure evenly and disc in before plowing. Fall plowing enables 
the gardener to be forehanded with his work, renders the land 
earlier in the spring and improves the physical character of the 
soil. Freezing during the winter slacks the lumps, making it easy 
to have a finely pulverized, mellow, deep seed bed. In irrigated 
countries, fall and winter irrigation is desirable. 
Disc the land thoroughly as early in the spring as it can be 
worked after which the entire surface should be made fine and 
level with a smoothing harrow, 
In the Rocky Ford district, the land is leveled by means of long 
narrow floats. These floats thoroughly pulverize the small clods 
in addition to picking up the soil on the high places and depositing 
on the low places, permitting better drill operation and easier 
irrigation. The more the ground is worked over before sowing or 
planting, the cleaner and better it will be. Care must be given 
never to work the ground when too wet or it will pack. 
4 D. V. Burrell Seed Growers Co., Rocky Ford, Colo. 
