The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-04-04
The Vegetable Garden.


The success of the garden depends
largely upon the quantity of the seeds
used; many other conditions, however
are necessary, as we'll as some degree Of
knowledge and skill, without which even
the seeds must fail to give the desired re-
suits.
The most favorable soil for a garden is
a light, rather dry, loan, with sufficient
admixture Of vegetable matter But sit
uaticn and nearness to the house arc
often Of more importance in the choice OF
location than the constitution of the soil
A heavy. wet, clay soil is not suitable to1
a Vegetable garden; yet, if no other
ground is available, underground drains,
deep working, and Il covering Of sand
and muck or peat will transform even
such an unpromising soil iato fair
garden. A slight sloping snrlace, other
conditions being equal, is more favorable
than dead level, as 1t admits Of bet
ter drainage, and if inclined toward south
or south east all the better. A deep soil
is very desirable, but care must be taken
not to deepen it too much at time Not
more than one inch of subsoil, which has
not been plowed or spaded up before,
should be brought to the surface in a
season. Whenever possible, all the
ground intended for garden purposes
should be plowed or spaded before win
ter.
Much dissapppoint is caused by sowing
too early, before the sell is warm and dry
enough. Even if the seeds terminate in
such cases little is gained and much riskcd
as the plants cannot make a vigorous
growth before their proper season; and
seeds sown later will often give better re-
suits than earlier sowings.
Another frequent cause of failure is the
too deep covering of the seeds. As rule
the smaller the seeds the lighter they
should be covered. The smallest seeds,
such as celery, sweet maj, joram, thyme
and other herbs, require hardly any Gov
cring at all; and when the ground is fine
and too not dry,sowing on the surface and
gently pressing down with board is suf-
ticicnt. Medium,sized seeds should be
covered one-half to one inch, and the
largest, such as peas, beans and corn, two
to three inches, and deeper in dry weather.
Most seeds, to give the best results,
should be sown thinly, except such kinds
as have feeble sprouts, as parsnips, car
rots and bects. These, it sown too thin,
and the surface becomes baked, cannot
break through the crust, while many
sprouts together can, and it IS but little
trouble to thin out the supcriluous plants.
Cucumbers, melons. sluashes and all
plants subject to the ravagcs Of insects
should also DO sown thickly, and after
ward, when the leaves are hard enough
to defy the attacks Of their enemies, thin
ned out properly.
Beginners often err in making the
rows or drills too close to each other
The taller the plants the more space
should be given them; put even the
smallest herbs should not be planted 90
close as to prevent the free use of the hoe
or weeder between the rows.
Thorough cultivation and loosening of
the soil arc among the principal condi-
tons of success in the garden. A good
boeing in the dry weather is often better
than watering. When the latter is re-
sorted to, it must be done thoroughly,
and not so as to moisten the surface only.
This superficial sprinkling does generally
more harm than good; it causes the plant
the form rootlets near the surface, instead
of below These surface roots are dried
and parchcd by the rays of the sun as
soon as the moisture becomes evaporatcd,
and leaves the plants without nourish
ment.-Bruinards Seed Catalogue for
1878.