The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-05-08
AGRICULTURAL.
The Farmer,s vegetable Garden.

line - HFIucES vCktthUAc eSaEuCns
There is no patch Of land on the farm that
Yields 80 much comfort to the family, and
elbows so much profit on the ledger, as the
garden, provided 1t is properly managed.
Few farmers apparently believe this certain
ly the great majority do not give such atten-
ton to their gardens as will secure the best
results. They seem to regard gardening as
fancy work, suitable for women and children,
out TOO small business for men aud it must
De confessed that the old fashioned farmers
garden was pent up Utica that contracted
his powers. With a hundred acres around
him, the farmers fashion was and is still in
many places-to fence off lite patch five or
/ six rods square, with high picket fence 90
as to keep out the hens, plant some currant
bushes by this fence, and lay out the re-
maiDder in small plats for vegetables, with
walks running between them, that occupied
good share of the ground, and required no
small share of attention. A fraction of the
garden was devoted to flowers, and here was
displayed much fancy work, the flower beds
being made in the form of triapgIes, circles,
crescents, ellipses, &C., as though they we're
intended to teach the children geometry.
In all this there is much work and little
profit. Such garden may answer for a
village amateur, but the farmer needs gar
den OF more size-an acre or more-wIth no
fence around it, so that he can cultivate by
horse power, and change the location coca
sionally. 1t should be strictly vegetable
garden, and the vegetables should be cult
waited in long, straight rows, with no walks
between them. except foot paths for the
horse. flowers are all right In their place,
but this place is on the lawn. There the
wife can show her taste and knowledge OF
geometry without intrudng upon the prov
lnce OF the husbaDdman. 1t was the extra
LABOR upon the walks and flower beds, which
necessarily done by hand, as horses cannot
WORK well In contracted triangle, that dis
gusted our fathers with gardening. Let the
flower and vegetable gardens be divorced, and
the latter 30 located that the vegetables can
be cultivated as field crops commonly are.
and the housewife will not have to complain
that she has nothing but potatoes, cabbages,
aud turnips to grace her table. In the old
style garden there was little opportunity for
rotation OF crops, and that little chance was
poorly improved. Cabbages and potatoes
were raised on the same ground year after
year, till the former became clubfooted, and
the latter few in hill, and small at that.
The farmers wondered that with garden Gull
tivation the crops were so light. The trouble
was, there was no exchange of locality
among the few vegetables cultivated, and the
land became exhausted of the peculiar food
which each crop demanded. Locale the gar
den in the field where there is plenty of room
Tor variety of vegetables, aud let corn,
beans, potatoes, &c, follow each other in re-
tation, and exhaustion will ensue more slow
ly, even with the same quantity of fertilizers.
Such location may necessitate little more
travel for the housewife, but she will be COM
pensated for her trouble by better vegetables
and plenty of them. The hens, also, will sell
dom trouble a garden located in the field;
certainly not if it is hedged around with a
1uxuriant crop of grass. After an experience
OF years with little, contracted, fenced-n
garden near the house, and with longer ex-
peiieDce with a large one in the field, 1 am
satisfied that an acre of vegetables can be
cultivated more economically by horse
power, than can twenty square rods by man-
ual labor. ET
Farmers should cultivate greater variety
OF vegetables than has been their custom.
They will find tat large garden win go far
towards the support of a large family. Not
only so, but they will find the health OF the
family improved by diet OF vegetables and
less of beef and pord. 1t is not to the credit
of tillers ofthe soil that the denIzees of cities
should enjoy the comforts of fruits and Vege-
tables to much larger extent than the pro-
ducers OF these things. The farmer is con-
tent with a half dozen messes OF green peas,
one sowing of lettuce, and one planting of
corn, while the izen has supply of these
vegetables raised by market gardeners, for
six months, and while the well-to-do farmer
has one or two varieties of vegetables on his
table, the well-to-do citizen has half a doz-
en-. 1t is mistake to suppose that the far
mer Can afford nothing TO his family but po-
tatoes, cabbages aud The more common vege-
table. Vegetables are far cheaper than
meat. Jhe latter is made from the former,
and it requires pile of the one to make
little OF the other. 1t is is estimated that
one hundred pounds of pork are the result of
feeding fifteen bushels OF corn, or the equiva-
lent OF this corn in some other form OF vege-
table food, but were this vegetable food led
directly to man it would sustain life four
times as long and in much healthier condi
ton than the pork. With little pains in
sowing succession of crops OF lettuce, peas,
corn, DC, the farmer can have green vegeta-
cles on his table for half the year, and with
little more pairs in canning them, they can
aa~--> h. *ehia- il 49, -vruJor as wei as in
summer Corr. Country Gentleman.