Osage Valley banner., 1880-04-08
Farmers Gardens.

Farmers Gardens.
FARMERS generally have poorer gar
dens than people In villages have, and
the gardens Of Western farmers arc
poorer In every respect than those Of
farmers living in the East. The gardens
on most Western farms are not laid out
with any reference 10 beauty or economy
In management. Fhpy r9rtriu e,~eIl
number OF vegetables, and they are iil-
differently cultivated, Those vegetables
that are regarded as luxurious are very
rarely found in them. No effort Is gem
erally made TO secure succession Of
peas, beans, lettuce and radishes. As a
rule, there is no hot-bed or cold-frame
for starting early vegetables. Nearly if
not all the plants raised In the garden
are sown at the same time, without re-
gard to othe period of their maturity, and,
in a majority Of instances, they receive
substantially the same kind of cultga-
ton.
For a farm or garden to be a source Of
pleasure and profit it must be laid out
in regard to good taste and economy of
working, contain plants valuable rs
relishes as well rs those that are priced
as articles of food, and receive attention
from the time the soll is in n condition
to be worked in the spring till the frost
closes it i'm the fall Many farmers OBJ
iect TO gardens because they require so
much work continually during the
larger portion of the year. They
prefer 10 raise field crops that
can be planted, cultivated and har-
vested by machinery. They are con-
tent to have their tables supplied with
smaller variety Of articles since to
! produce them involves comparatively
little labor They willingly allow city
and village people 10 enjoy all the lux
uries that the garden is capable of pro-
ducing
BY selecting a suitable piece of land,
/ by laying it out in a proper manner,
and by procuring n hand-drill and small
cultivator, garden vegetables may be
raised as easily as ordinary field crops.
A farm garden should contain an acre
of land This space will produce all
the vegetables the family win want for
consumption, aud generally a consider
able amount for sale or for feeding to
stock and poultry. For convenience in
working the ground for garden
should be nearly square in shape.
There is no advantage in having IL
fenced, and fence greatly interfcres
with working it. If fowls are kept
near the house the garden should be at
some distance from It., so that the birds
viii not injure the vegetables in any
stage OF their growth. There is less
trouble in going several rods 20 IA gar
den than in keeping fowls from one
near the house.
Most garden vegetables, as beets,
carrots, parsnips and turnips may be
sown in drills far enough apart TO allow
small horse cultivator 10 run be-
tween them. When this is done they
are raised with almost as little hard
labor rs corn and potatoes. II there is
no fence around tho garden the plow
and cultiyator may be run from one
side to the other, and the team turned
! on ground that WAS not piowed, In
planting seeds that are slow in coming
! up il is well 10 drop q radish, cabbage,
or caulihower seed every five or six
inches in the row. They germinate
very quickly, show where the row is,
and allow the ground 10 be marked
before the weeds get start. II the
, rows are quite straight the cultiyatol
may be run close 10 the plants, render
ing but little hand-work necessary
The radishes win be large enough 20 eat
! and the cabbage plants OF a size {,
| remove by the time the other plants ar
p ready 10 thin out,
: Late cabbages and turnips may b'
e raised on the same spot of ground from
| which early peas, beans and lettuc,
1 were harvested II is best 90 keep nj
= the ground in garden well occupies
n by growing plants during as large
!, portion of the season rs possible, 81
a that weeds viii have poor chance e
i take root Manure that has been in
/ heap for year, and has become thor
Is oughly decomposed, Is best for yege
table garden, as it imparts no bad layo
o to roots. while It is generally free iron
IS foul seeds. Ashes and commercial fer
tilizers are desirable for the garden, q
g they contain no seeds. IL is general
n undesirable to raise garden vegetable
a on the same piece Of land many year
e in succession. A well-roited clo
Ie yer or pasture-sod, mamred tn
II previous fall, will produce fine veg
IS etables without the expenditure Z
,e much labor in killing weeds. Chicdg
X Times.