The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-05-22
The Farm Garden.

We are glad to find such an excel
lent agricultural journal as the Nep
England Farmer taking farmers to
task for neglecting the garden. Every
person who has any acquaintance with
the methods of gardening most in
vogue in country places will recognize
the following picture TOO many
farmers gardens are little enclosed
patches, surrounded by struggling,
| tumble-down stone walls, or old, rotten
rail fences, and filed with a miscella
neous assortment of trees, shrubs, herbs
and weeds, and when every spring,
after the heavy and more important
field sowing and planting are done,
they are ploughed and manured with
coarse stable manure, and then planted
in single day, TO all the various kinds
of garden vegetables relished by the
family. The hoeing is done sfter the
field corn and potatoes are finished,
unless the hired man is allowed to work
in the garden occasionally, before
breakfast, or when it it is too showery
to trust ones self far away from con-
venient shelter. The foulest and weed
lest spot on many farm is the kitchen
garden, with its thick mat of sorrel,
pusley, and other weeds too numerous
to mention" .. --..
The suggestions which follow are
worthy OF careful attention .r
Were planted fields not too far away,
we would recommend that the garden
be changed yearly, and be made on a
part of the corn or potato field, letting
the manure go on little thicker where
the vegetables are to he grown. Per-
haps half of the vegetables usually
grown in gardens will do to be on new
ish land, that which has recently been
in sod. Potatoes, corn, squashes, Gu
cumbers, melons, turnips and cabbages,
are among the number that flourish
better on well-worked sod than in old
garden soil, while peas, beets, onions,
and some others do best upon fine, old
land, provided it is kept from being
oyerrun by weeds. If the gar
den must be in permanent location to
be near the kitchen, let it be long and
narrow, rather than short and wide, so
that the ploughing and cultivation may
be done without too great waste Of
time in turning at the ends 1t is
often as much work to plough quar-
ter acre of enclosed garden, with its
trees and shrubs to work around, as to
plough an acre in the open field.
Every farmers galden should have
a few roots of rhubarb starting early
in spring, to help liven up the willing
apples 10 pies or in sauce, or to use
alone according TO taste. A row or
two OF asparagus few rods long, will
be the next to yield an ea'ly harvest,
and an excellent one, too, and many
claim, particularly beneficial as purl
fier of the system at this regular "spriug
cleaning" season, A bunch of tender
asparagus cut level with the surface,
boiled in salt water, aud spread over a
plate of dry bread, while still hot
enough to melt butter, will make many
a family happy whole day, while it
may be had every day by very little
effort OF the right kind, and at the pro-
per season. Strawberries, not many
years ago,were by many farmers deem
ed..an extravaganza not to be tolerated
unless the children could find them in
the fields or pastures, but now they
have, in many families, become as
much necessity as meat and potatoes,
and it would surprise some conserva-
tive old people to see how much such
fruit can be made to count in a family
as food. Blackberries, raspberries and
currants should find place in every
farmers garden. Give them good
land, set in rows wide enough for the
cultivator, manure well, and keep the
old wood thinned out, and the new
pinched in 30 the canes will be strong
enough to stand alone, and have plen-
ty of sunlight in which to perfect their
fruit. Set new rows often, as the old
roots get feeble after a few years. OF
all the garden crops a farmer can raise
we know of nothing tha. will pay bet
ter than an abundance of sweet corn.
1t should be on the table every day,
from the last of July to the middle of
September, or until severe frosts kills
it, There is nothing cheaper, aud
nothing better.