The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-02-07

The Kitchen Garden.
To every one whose business is in townLin
the shop, the Office or the store-one OF luz
pleasantest associations with home is the
garden, and among the pleasantest hoars
those spent morning and evening tenalng IL
in the company of wife and chlldren-unless
il be still more pleasant to show to calling
friend the straight, clean rows, the tidy paths
and beds. and the thrifty, promising crops.
None but a participant knows how pleasurea-
bic is the pride with which one sends tosa
neighbor the first mess of peas or potatoes,
or pulls the earlist radishes, or beats the town
on early tomatoes, or sweet corn. But
there is one view of the case in which the re-
suits are no less pleasant and quite more sub
stantial. If any family will, for season,
keep an account of the value of the products
used from their garden, at the price at which
they are furnished at the house or the nearest
grocery, they will certainly be astonished at
the amount they have saved, aside from their
increased freshness and quality.
Perhaps few hints upon the management
of the kitchen garden may not be untimely.
In the Fall, if possible, the garden should be
heavily MANFRED, and the whole plowed, and
the surface left as rough as possible, both to
receive benefit from the action OF frost, and
also because if left in this shape it can be
worked two or three days earlier than other
wise, and quite usually these two or three
days are succeeded by a week or two OF cold
wet weather, during which the ground can
not be touched. Peas, onions, radish, let
tuce-in fact, quite all the hardy vegetables
terminate at little above freezing, and will
be decidedly in advance of any late planting;
and if seed has already been planted, it
sprouts and is making growth all this time.
The plow usually does better work than
the spade, and saves deal of hard work.
For better looks and easier tillage, the whole
garden should be planted in long rows. and
reel and line will many times be found con-
venient. The currants raspberrys and straw
berries should be il similar rows, so that
horse and plow or cultivator can be got
through them if need be. Put your chip ma
nure and yard refuse around the currant
bushes, and leached ashes about the raspper-
ries, and manure about everything. In fact,
don't be afraid of manuring anything too
much. If your land seems to be heavy or
soured from years of manuring, and the crops
do not respond to applications of manure,
then, for one season, apply air-slacked lime,
say bushel to three square rods, and it will
produce wonderful effects, loosening plant
food, releasing the stores of years, and light
ening up the heavy soil. Upon old rich gar.
den soils its effects are often wonderful, but it
should not be applied to poorer soils, nor Oft
en- repeated.
Don't try to get large crops by close plant
ing but, on the contrary, give abundance OF
room, since the soil is so rich that the growth
will be large. But if it is desired to get doub-
lie or triple returns, then in the abundant
spaces between the rows, plant second crops
Just before the first natures. For instance,
between the rows of radishes, lettuce or peas,
can be planted, late sweet corn late cucum-
bers, for pickles, melons or beans tor late use,
or tomato plants may be set out for late
crops. Between hills of early potatoes, late
cabbages may be set-Winningstadt being
excellent for that purpose. Between the
rows of early corn, if wide apart, very
rich shallow trenches may be made, and celery
set out. The shade of the corn is an actual
benefit until the plants are rooted and favor
able weather occurs. Later in tie season, as
fast as the ground is cleared, turnips can be
sown, and often large crop is raised in this
way at little expense. Flat turnips also fire.
quently produce crop, if sown between the
corn rows after the last hoeing. In sowing
parsnip seed in easily Spring, radish can be
mixed with it and help to trace the rows till
the more slow growing parsnip appears, and
may be left till fit for table without injury.
Every one desires to keep his ground clean
from weeds, and thus double cropping is little
additional labor.
For accessibility and good looks, one or
more paths should run the length of the gar
den, and both profit and pretty. appearance
will be secured by sowing border OF Tom
Thumb peas, or some other dwarf sort. In
early June, two weeks before the peas need
to be pulled, beets may be sown Immediately
alongside ofthem to take their place. Beside
good crop they pay in the pretty border
their highly colored leaves make in Autumn.
In fact, if it were not that beet is only a
beet, it would be regarded as pretty foliage
plant.
Most of our earliest vegetables, Ike radish,
lettuce, and peas, quickly perfect themselves
and pass beyond the stage in which they are
palatable, and repeated sowing should be
made, to keep up a succession.
Interest is usually added to the work in the
garden, if pretty full variety is tried, even
though but small packet of each be sown.
Of course, fancy prices should not be paid
but the various sorts of established worth can
as. well be tried as to confine yourself to one,
and no little pleasure will be found in watch
ing their growth and noticing their develope'
ment of the individual qualities Of EACH
Roots Garden Manual.