Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-30
Formation and Management of We
getabIe Gardens.

getable Gardens.
From D. ". Perry& Co.'s Descriptive Catalogue.
SITUATION AND EXPOSURE.-The vege-
table garden should never be in an or
chard, or have trees or shrubs within it.
If the space must accommodate both fruit
and vegetables, it is better to set the fruit
at one end so as TO leave the portion for
vegetables unbrOken and unshaded, even
il it is much smaller. On the farm, it
should be so placed as to be easily reached
from the barn, to facilitate horse cultiva-
ton. Abrupt slopes in any direction are
to be avoided. A gentle inclination to the
south and east is the warmest, will give
the earliest vegetables, and be best for
corn, melons, tomatoes, etc, but il suffers
more from a spring or early fall frost, be-
cause of receiving the direct rays of the
m lrning sun. An inclination to the north
and west is later, suffers less in a drought,
and is the best for peas, cabbage, lettuce,
etc. So it is an advantage, in a large gar
den, to have both these exposures, but for
small gardens, gentle inclination to the
south and east, or level surface, is the
best.
SOFIA good garden can be made on
any soil, but that best suited to the pur-
pose is a deep, rich, friable loan; and the
more nearly other soils can be made to
approach this the better. This may be
accomplished in tenacious clays (and
must be for good GARDEN by good drain
age, deep and judiciOus cultivation, use
Of coarse manure, and liberal applications
of leached ashes, sand and in some cases
of peat. If the soil is naturally too light
and sandy, it may be improved by rolling
and the use of large quantities of we'll
cOmposted manure and muck, and dress
ings of clay.
SIZE AND FORM.-A single bed ten feet
square, we'll MANFRED, well spaded and
thoroughly cultivated and cared for, will
produce more good vegetables, be more
profitable and give better satisfaction than
an acre unmanured, half pre- pared and
poorly cared for. Our golden rule for size
is, make your garden no larger than you
can prepare and care for in the best pos
slble manner. If it all has to be done by
hand, it will take the entire time of one
man to keep in good order a garden of one
acre, but II it is so arranged that the horse
cultiyatOr can be used, he can care tor
four times that area. In village gardens,
the form is usually determined by that of
the lot, but where there is a choice, rec
tangle several times longer than wide, the
sides running from north to south IS the
most economical; if this can be so placed
that space eight feet wide at both ends
or along both sides can be left for horse
to turn in, it will be great advantage.
OIaAA ANEs ANOtulllS Is ulOIG GSStulldl
for good garden than good drainage. 1t
is impossible to raise supply of fine We
getables without it. If the soil is at all
wet it should be well drained with tile,
but if this is not possible something can
be gained by blowing or throwing the soil
up into beds from six to thirty feet wide.
with smooth bOttOmed trenches between
them to collect and carry off the surface
water.
MANUREs.-For garden purposes there
is nothing better than well-rotted stable
manure, with which tobacco stems. bones
(Which after few weeks in fermenting
manure will crumble to powder, leaves
or any refuse vegetable or animal matter
may be compOsted with advantage. This
should be plOwed in unless the soil is quite
sandy and the manure very fine, when it
may be applied on the surface and simply
narrowed or raked in. Plaster, salt, wood
ashes, guanO, ground bone, all are Valua-
BILE and can be used to advantage in con-
nection with the stable manure. Plaster
should not be applied until the plants are
well up. Ashes and salt should not be
mixed with the other manures, and NAV
be s0wn broadcast and raked in lust be-
fore planting. GuanO, ground bone and
superphOsphate give better results if one
half is sown broadcast at planting and
the balance when the vegetables are half
SIONus III SOLle cases, Sdlu. lGached
ashes and peat on clay soils, and clay and
muck on sandy soils will prove as valua-
bic as manures. Occasionally a spot
which as been used for a garden for
many years will become unproductlye in
spite of liberal manurings. We know of
no other remedy than to abandon it for a
garden, seed down to clover and allow it
to remain two years, when it may be
pl0wed under, and the garden will be
found to have regained its original fer
tility.
PREPARATION OF THE GROUND.-Thor-
Ough preparation of the ground is of vital
importance in raising good vegetables; if
this work is well done all that follows will
be easier. The garden should be well
plowed or spaded, taking care if it is a
clay soil that the work is not done when
it is too wet. If a handful from the bot
tom of the furrow moulds with slightpres-
sure into ball which cannot be easily
crumbled into fine earth again, the soil is
too wet, and if Dl0wed then will be hard
to work all summer. The surface should
be made as fine and smooth as possible
with the harrow or rake, and in the case
of sandy soils, it should be rolled with
heavy roller. 1t is generally necessary TO