Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-07-04
Value Of Gardens.

| as well as TO the farmer. the garden
should be considered as an indis-
pensable adjunct of the home. An
agricultural writer justly remarks,
"Thc best-paying plot Oil any farm,
and the one yielding the most en-
joyment, too, is the vegetable gar
den" The same assertion might be
truthfully applied to many of our
suburban residences, even though
they contain but fraction of an
acre of ground that can be thus util-
lied. None but the vegetable rails
ers adjacent to some of our Eastern
cities know what can be produced
on small patch of rich ground, eff
GENTLY prepared and faithfully Gull
tivated. Many small traders and
mechanics continue to support large
families on the product of an acre of
ground, and thus lay up, from year
10 year, as reserve fund, their
earnings from other employments.
One acre of productive land, judi
ciously attended to, is worth twice
or thrice that amount carelessly and
negligently cultivated. Small Eng
lish farmers well know the true val
ue of concentrated labor. To say
nothing of what may he sent to the
markets, every year, good kitchen
garden is sacred to every household.
A well assorted supply of garden
products for the table costs less and
is worth more than the best that any
city market can afford, while its
healthfulness is an item not to be
lost sight of or ignored. Many of
our so-called best farmers need to be
thoroughly aroused on the subject Of
garden products for their own table
use. 1t is too true that the bill of
fare at many farmers tables amounts
to nothing more than tiresome,
stereotype sameness almost the year
round. Hot bread or cakes, salt
pork, corned beef, potatoes, cab
bagcs, hash and mush, constitute
the principal meal to-day as they
do, in nine cases out of ten, for
every one OF the three hundred and
sixty-five. No wonder that so many
sturdy fathers and mothers wonder at
the insidious approaches of disease in
their sons and daughters. Nothing
short of " land scurvy" must be the
result of such constant fare. Now
contrast such table as we have in
stanced with one abundaptly and
successfully supplied with such
things as asparagus, peas, beans
sweet-corn, radishes, carrots, beets,
parsneps, celery, lettuce, caulitlower,
tomatoes, onions, ETC., to say moth
ing of currants, strawberries, rasp-
berries, blackberries, grapes, apples,
pears and other fruits. 1t is need
less to say that The former style Of
living, while it costs much more
than the latter, induces dyspepsia,
scrofula, nervous debility, besides n
a hundred-and-one other mischiefs,
that, sooner or later, lay the foun-
dation of premature and incurable
diseases. The latter style of living
is, pre.eminently, health-inspiring
one, much cheaper and simpler in
its details, moro easily cooked, and
always within the reach of those in
humble circumstances. IL is not
going beyond the bounds of truth
to say that all the good things we
have enumerated may be placed
upon every farmers table with little
or no expense other than the man.
ual labor expended on the garden.
Every days work thus given will be
sure to rebound in several dollars
worth of valuable food products.
The American Agriculturist u.s.
serts that one quarter of an acre
of productive land will suffice to
furnish q common-sizcd family with
everything in the fruit and vegetable
line required for twelve months.
OF course, such declaration will
not be credited by those listless farm
ers who have several hundred acres
at their disposal. As we have said,
small operators and market.men we'll
know that every word we have said
in this connection is true to the let
ter. AS o parting Injunction we soy