The Portland daily press., 1880-04-20
AGRICULTURAL.
When to Plant Garden Seeds.

Farmers are seldom at loss to know
when to plant the seed of leading field crops.
They understand that oats, wheat and bar
ley must be sown as early in the season as
the soil is in a condition to be worked. They
know that the planting of corn. pumpkins,
squashes, melons and fields of beans must
be delayed till such time as there will be
no danger that the young plants will be
killed by the frost. They also know that
the sowing of millet, Hungarian grass, and
buckwheat must be delayed till later in the
season. They are well aware that the lat
ter plant should not mature its grain till the
approach of cold weather in the fall OBJ
servation and experience have convinced
them that seed for the production of turnips
for winter use should not be sown till mid
summer.
Inere is, however, very general want of
knowledge on the part of both country and
town people in respect to the proper time to
plant garden seeds. 1t is usual to have the
ground for the garden all prepared at once
AS rule the ground is put in condition at
about the time corn is ordinarily planted In
the country, where the garden is priced less
highly than it should be, no attention is
paid to it until the earlier field crops are all
put in the ground. A general assortment
OF seed is then procured, and they are all
planted at nearly the same time. The seed
OF late and early, hardy and tender plants
are often sown on the same day without any
regard to their habits OF their period of ma
turity. The seed of radishes is often sown
after the time crop should be ready to
pull.
A greater difference of time is required in
sowing seeds in the garden than in the field.
There is no month when frost is out of the
ground, in which the seed of sonnet kind of
vegetable may not be proftably sown. The
value OF most vegetables depends on the
time of sowing their seed. MANY things
raised in the garden are only seasonable
very short time. Spinach is not in demand
after lettuce is sufficiently large to eat,
while lettuce loses its value when green
peas appear. Radishes are wanted as early
in the season as it is possible to produce
them, but the appetite for thew disappears
after cucumbers become PLENTY. An effort
should accordingly be made to raise a crop
OF radishes and lettuce as early in the season
as possible.
Among the other vegetable seeds that
should be sown very early in the season, are
those of cress, kale, endive and parsley. as
they are wanted as soon as they can be pro-
duced. The seeds of onions, beets, carrots,
parsnips, celery, cabbage and caulifower
should also be sown early, because it takes
considerable time for the plant to mature,
Onion sets should also be put out as early as
possible, as the object of planting is to Sc
cure crop in advence of that produced by
planting seed. The seed of all varieties Of
gourds should be planted very early. 1t is a
good plan to start them in beds or small
boxes in the house, and TO place the plants
with the earth about them in the ground
where they are to grow, when the weather
becomes sufficiently warm Gourds are
highly ornamental as well as useful, and
they are worthy of a place in every garden
ri c1, oil &c
converted into dippers, drinking-cups and
other useful articles and are much in use iu
all parts OF the South. Gourd vines require
some support. They may be trained to a
trellis SO as to make very fine appearance,
or be made to attach themselves to strings.
brush or the branches of trees.
The seeds OF nearly all other vines, as
pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, citrons
and all kinds of melons should be planted
quite late in the season. There is nothing
gained by planting them in the open ground
till the weather is quite warm. Their growth
may be shastened by planting the seed in
hills and covering them with small boxes
having glass on top. The soil NAV be mois-
tened from time to time by removing the
boxes. The boxes protect the young plant
from the cold when they are quite small,
and from the insects that are very certain to
make their appearance little later in the
season. The young plants may be gradually
hardened by removing the boxes during the
warm days and by replacing them at night
and on the approach of cold rains and
winds.
Nasturtians, peppers, okra, tomatoes,
sweet corn and all kinds of beans should be
planted quite late in the season. Sweet
potato plants should not be put in the open
ground in this latitude before the LIST of
June. AS rule, all vegetables having
southern origin should be planted late. If
planted early they become stunted and nev-
er make vigorous growth.-Chicago Trib-
une.