Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-05-22

''The more I think of it," said John
the more confident am that / should
find market for my cIops, and l
will be the gardener for this market.
''The village has about five hum
dred inhabitants. Certainly twenty,
families have no gardens. They
market and buy all their food. Many
others have no early vegetables; and
others only a small variety, and they
would buy nice vegetables occasion
ally"
ssI feel no doubt in regard to a
market for all good common vegeta-
bles that you could raise" said Mr..
Jones ''but the difficulty is to raise
them. It takes several seasons to so
enrich ordinary land, and so pulver-
ize it that it is in character a garden,
OF . soil well adapted to vegetables.
Your land has been in grass several
years, and is not in condition for a
garden. This is against your sue
cess. Then the land is nearly level,
with a southern inclination free from
stone, and naturally well drained.
This is in your favor.
If you wish to be your own mas
ter, will help your by exchanging
work and l have about fifty pack
ages of garden seeds from the De-
partment of Agriculture, that you
may have for beginning"
"Thanks. The prospect improves.
Set me at work for as the season is
advancing, my acre must be plowed
by April goth, and l now engage
your team for plowing one day
Soon the active operations of John
Mills around the cottage at the vii
lage was the theme of conversation
at the grocery or hotel piazza, at the
depot just before train time, and at
the sewing society.
The women with manageable
daughters knew he must suffer for a
hOusekeeper. The men with scold-
ing wives commended his wisdom in
going alone. The young men were
glad to see western pluck and self
reliance tried in the East; but they
all knew he would not make a cent
by tilling one acre of land.
The land however, was nicely plow-
ed, and then John began to apply all
sorts of fertilizers. Barrels of leach
ed ashes, left from the annual soap
making were given him for the re-
moval also refuse salt from fish bar
rels at the stores, mortar from the
repairs of a house, air slaked lime
from the carpenters shed, and vari-
Gus heaps of stable manure of various
kinds.
| When it was found he was gather
ing such articles, the citizens were
glad to offer them for nothing, or for
small price. Then job wagon, or
farmers waiting team would get a
small job.
He decided to divide his land into
four main plots of one-fourth acre
each. No. l, he sowed to peas in
drills, all dwarf and early varieties ;
No. 2, he planted to potatoes No.
3, he decided to put into cabbage,
but he sowed the seed, in a bed to
start the plants No. 4 he devoted
to variety of common garden veg
etables, such as melons, cucumbers,
beets, turnips, sweet corn, and beans.
He had it in mind to remove the
peas in No. l, as soon as they could
be harvested, and leave the ground
to winter squash, which would be
seasonably planted, and ready tc
send out vines to cover the ground.
On No. 2, he would harvest the
potatoes in July, and then SOW strap.
leaf turnips, thus getting two crops
on half the land.
He fertiliZed the ground for peas
both broadcast and in the drill, ap
plying all he could gather at thai
time. The potatoes were put in ter
days later, and those he treated tC
all available plant food, and tucked
them away in their little beds under
very favorable conditions.
The cabbage quarter came to the
planting several weeks later, wher
more fertilizers had been gathered
Then thrifty strong plants were read,
to set, and each plant was given +;
good send Off by some application t'
it's root. This plot had rows boil
ways nearly three feet apart, so tina
the cultivator could run with horse
He had about thirty plants to tn,
square rod making twelve hundred
plants.
By the first of June, all the plant
ing was done except the second croI
on No. 2. On every plot the youns
crops began to appear; and the OLE
men that leaned on their canes a
they stood and criticised, admitted
that the prospect was good for
yield of produce, but there was N,
money in it.
His first income was from the sal
of few cabbage plants.
} June was busy month. Th
weeds were not especially abundan
on this inverted sod where ashes an,
lime were used; but wherever tn
manure from pig pen or stable wa
used, the weeds of every kind ap
peared.
All his crops were in rows; AM
the horse cultiyator was used seyera