The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-09-02
HORTICULTURE.
The Importance of the Gart'er, i;eoartmei'.
to the iF:l..nnr.

to the Farmer
How many of the great mas of Our
population unGerstand or appreciate
the Importance OF horticulture? How
many farmers eppr ciate il valie IN
the economy OF the family? Probably
not one in ten Of the latter elias: and
yet through horticulture We receive all
our fruits, all our vegetables. al! that
pelt5;.a~ to tise forest, all that Goes TO
b,;@-.iy cur hones-our lawns. land
sea, - ado!nIEenJ,, beautiful shade; trees.
lovri> G,,Ner~. all these are hu; depart
mvlg, 81 the art that Shakespeare ,s;ys.
dot mend nature Hort :ctituse
MAJ 1--WE half fhc living Of the family.
and. + well understood. at a cost tritijng
to tie farmer n comparison with tae
benefit derived. The farm garden OF
an acre viii supply not only ali i!lc veg
etables considered 80 necesSar.. To cool
living ~ citizens. rich and poor. and
daily u-..,i b. them on their tables as
indispensable 10 health ana comfort
These know little about the art. except
that the ,iaily supply OF Vegetables costs
money. and that fruit is Il luxury which
they enjoy in proportion to the length
of the purse. The farmer may have all
only he goesabout the acquire
ment in the same common-sense way
in which he cultivates his farm.
Yet, how many farmers cultivate farm
Systematically? How few there are may
easily be seen by looking over the gar
den patches of even well-to-do farmers.
A well cultivated garden is oftencr
lacking than possessed. Yet within the
kitchen garden may be found more
prime necessities of everyday life than
on all the rest of the farm. 1t will give
variety to the daily fare, and sustenance
at less cost than can be procured in any
other way. The mistake made is i'll
puttering at gardening instead of cult
Eating a garden.
Three-quarters of all the work of the
garden may be done by horse power if
The work is commenced right. Let the
strip be long rather than square. Land
is cheap; use 1t literally. Asparagus
and Hubbard are better four feet be-
tween rows than at any other distance.
Beets. carrots, parsnips, cabbage, cauli-
flower potatoes and bush beans may
all have three feet between the rows.
Pole beans require four feet, tomatoes
and summer squash five, muskmeIons
six, watermelons ten and winter squash
twelve feet. If you do not want full
row of some of these, il is easy to COM
3bine varieties and thus piece out rows
so the horse cultivation may be con-
stant. If the garden is kept as free of
weeds as is a good cornfield, the weed
ing by hand is light. All market gar
deners understand this, and act upon
it. Why should not the farmer? The
reason is, he does not properly know
the money there is in a garden.
hy-y thn ar,1a al no
the small fruit orchard of the farm?
Blackberries and raspberries should
have five or six feet between the rows.
Gooseberries and currants are better
four feet apart than closer. Four feet
is not too wide for straw berries. Grapes
may properly have eight feet Ii grapes
are trained to stakes, as they should be,
and if the other plants are kept prop
erly pruned, there is no difficulty in
horse cultivation here 4 row of cherry
trees will not hurt the looks of the gar
den, and they will make the heart Of
the wife glad. The farmer rarely. if
ever. refuses cherry pie, or cherry
sauce, or any other fruit, if some De
else raises it for him. Why not raise It
for himself? Don't know how? Then
you don t know how to farm. You 60
not putter at raising corn. Why putier
at gardening? Really 1t Is THIS lt!lt
that gardening is puttering work that
deter>. A farmer does not like his
neighbor to find him working in the
garden. But if "a single acre. highly
MANFRED and kept clean, will produce
more good living than twenty acres of
corn viii bring, the laugh is on the side
of the farmer who gardens also: and
the neighbor who laughs will not DC
averSe to shipping around. Just for u
visit, you know.' He will bring 5
wife and children to help you enioS .4e
fruits and vegetables your sagacit, As
provided in their season. Perhaps in
time his wife may succeed in shaming
him into cultivating garden. Chicago
Tribune,
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