Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1880-11-25
AGRICULTURAL.
How to have an Early Garden,

Al Auullloa " WIG o"SSSES
our regular and very competent cor
respon dent, Mr.. Watson, we give the
following from one Of OAR Western
exchanges:
Thirty years experience rs a gar
dener has shown Inc that to be sue
cessful We must begin the work IN
autumn. One essential Of an early
garden, or might truthfully say a
profitable garden, is thorough drain
age; and as this work cannot be done
in winter, il you expect to have an
esrly gardea next spring, if not al
ready done, it should be thoroughly
underdrained before cold weather
sets in. Fall blowing, particularly on
upland .oilu, is absolutely necessary if
we would have an early garden. For
eight years past I have rracticsd fail
blowing, and have rarely been less
than two and often four weeks ia ad.
vance of my neighaors who do not
pillow till spring. In order to have
our gardea ready to plant early the
blowing must be properly dcne, and
YOU must not pillow in one wide fiat
land, but in narrow lands with deep,
dead burrows. These burrows should
run with the natural slope Of the land
so as to carry off the surplus water,
and then an open ditch or furrow
must be opened across the end of the
garden to receive and remove this
water. It's we'll in locating garden
to look for land with slope enough to
carry off the water, and if this slope
is TO the south or south east all the
batter. II is to often the case that the
garden il covered with weeds which
hsye ripened their seed, and in this
case I would not pillow them under,
but would put on liberal coating OF
straw and burn it; but the good gar
dener will not allow weed to 80 to
seed in his garden. If your garden
is not already rich, give heavy coat
ing Of manure before you pillow it, and
then top.tress again just before plant
ing; but if it is already rich the top
dressing will be sufficient. In No
vember pow your garden in lands
twelve feet wide, putting the pillow
down deep, and back furrowing, SO rs
to leave the lands as high as you can
in the middle, and then 80 through
with the gravel. shovel and shovel all
the loose soil from the dead burrows
on to your land, filling up any de
pressions, 50 as to have regular slope
from the center to the dead furrow.
The center of the land should be Mt
least eighteen inches higher than the
bottom of the dead burrows, and the
grade should be such that no water
would stand on any part of the gar
den. Unless your land is very fiat it
will not take more than half dav to
prepare a fourth sore. Either IN tie
fall or early winter you should pre-.
pare one or two loads of rich manure,
and make it SO fine that it can be
spread like sand, and have it ready
to tor.dress your early garden. There
is little danger Of getting garden too
rich, and most vegetables will be two
weeks earlier on a rich soil than H
poor one. Any time after the middle
IT February, when the land is dry
enough to work, you may plant early
vegetables. Long before the gardens
which were not plowed in the fall can
be touched you will find that your
ridges will be dry and mellow, and
merely passing over them once with a
one horse harrow will put them in
splendid order. l plant at this time
peas, lettuce, spinach, radshes. beets
and onions; and no matter how severe
the weather afterW ard, l have never
lost any Of them except occasionally
Of the radishes. see by referring to
my diary that for several years past
I have planted these vegetables from
February "a to March 7, and that
often the mercury has been as low az
100 and once down to % above zero,
and yet they have come through un.
hurt. Last spring we planted Feoru'
airy "a, and were using green peas from
this planting the 23d day Of May. |
plant at this early planting several
varieties Of peas for saccession-s
few Tom Thumbs tor extra early, and
McLean's Little Gem, and Champion