Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1880-05-13
AGRICULTURAL.
Vegetable Garden.

hH'l oCiel J, 'ho io'' ''' ~ P .
bic. A good covering at night, with
sun heat and plenty of air by day,
have made them nice stocky plants,
and they will not be over week later
than those sown in autumn. If onions
are wanted large from seed they should
be the first vegetable sown. Spinach
must likewise 60 in early. There is
some risk in sowing beets before tho
18TH, and but little advantage in SOW
ing peas or anything else before that
date. Level ground and rich soil
should be chosen for seed. beds. lnev.
er use labels, but instead make note
of the order in which the various ar
ticles are sown, and tako care to keep
varieties Of any particular vegetable
apart, by sowing something else be.
tween them. Thus, my first seed bed
OF last year, sown 2oth March, ran as
follows: Parsley, Hen1erson's dwarf
Celery, Leek, Golden dwarf Celery;
Fairly French Carrot London Red
Celery, Carrot, Hoods Red Celery,
Sage, Thyme, Asparagus. DOUBTLESS
csbbage plants could be raised at this
early date with less risk of annoyance
by the fly, but have always been
afraid that the plants would be too
large by Inc middle Of June. This,
they say, will not be fly year. | am
reminded Of u ncighbor who always
lad cabbage plants, even when others
had none; he sowcd his onion and cab
tsgo seed together, broadcast, in Ger.
tain proportions, the object being to
ward oil The fly. The onions certain
" did not suffer; I have never seen
heir equals, -hhe saucers every Que
Of them. made some alusion to them
before as being sown on ground mere
" scratched with the pillow.
Three hundred large loads from the
nigLtcart 80 annually into my manure
heaps, vet no one would ever suspect
it, SO we'll are they INCORPORATED lnthe
mass. Formerly this material was
dumped by itself, under a covered
shed and it required some coaXing to
got the men to remove it bat twice n
year. | believe in the rotation OF va
rous kinds of manure, or else i'll their
thorough mixture, which amounts to
the same thing.
The Importance Of good seed, bed
WAS strikingly shown in case that
once came under my notice. OF a
number Of cottaSerS, located on brick
clay land, only one could make his
garden flourish. lie split the drills
with sharp instrument, dropped in a
iins line as it were Of soft earth, and
sowed his seed IN it. Thus the plants
were nurscd until they were strong
enough to take care Of themselves.
Potatoes may be had a month earlier
than usual, by planting in small
squares Of inverted sod, and forward
ing in greenhouse or frame. They
nust be kept stocky by having plenty
flight and air.
Mr.. Massey has settled the cues
ton Of raising and keeping celery to
his own satisfaction, but | fear it is
one of those troublesome things that
will net stay settled, cannot agree
with your correspondent as 10 the COM
parative cost and labor Of the two
methods; my experience points all the
other way. No more convincing proof
Of TIE superiority Of the row and trench
system need be mentioned than the
fact that wherever that method pre-
walls, growers are able 10 ship the ar
ticle to distant cities mot forgetting
Baltimore } at good profit, whereas
the profits from beds are too meagre to
warrant much enterprise in that line.
Celery lifted and stored is, with pres
ent experience, more difficult to keep
than it is further North. but | see
nothing to discourage the belief that
we shall ultimately be nearl y equally
successful with those more favored
IN the meantime sound advice would
be to try both ways. Observation leads
me to think that the best method OF
storing will be 10 set up two rows Of
boards on edge, ten inches apart, kept
in place by sta kes, and we'll banked up
with earth Place the celery between
The boards and'rrotect from frost.
There being no thorough drained land
here, / can find no place sufficiently
dry for Il trench. Still.the celery in
rows last year was more satisfactory
in every way than that in beds.