The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-09-16
The Garden In August.


If one desires TO measure the ability
of gardener, writes Edmund Hersey
in The Boston Journal, there is no bet
ter time to visit his garden than in the
month of August. During this month
the crops will show whether a good
selection of varieties has been made,
also if each variety has been fed with
the right kinds of fertilizers, and if the
necessary cultivation has been kept up
to secure vigorous growth of plants.
The weak point with many gardeners
is in laying aside the hoe when the
plants get large enough to nearly cover
the ground; the idea is altogether to0
prevalent that weeds will do no harm
to the growing crops after they get
nearly grown, but this is a. mistake;
weeds in garden are injurious at any
time, for when the crops do not en-
tirely cover the ground the open spaces
will bake so as to injure the crops UNI
less stirred often enough to prevent the
weeds from growing. 1t is only by
keeping the surface Of the soil loose
and light that vigorous growth OF
plants is kept up. The gardener who
lets the weeds grow the last part of
summer and the soil bake must be con-
tent with z small harvest of the late
crops: ;,
There are many garden crops, if we'll
cared for, that will furnish q succession
Of crops; the cncumh II is one of them:
1t can be made to bear abundant crops
by good treatment, but by neglect it
will cease to bear and ripen its foliage.
The bean is another; when picked for
string beans, by keeping the pods pick
ed as fast as they grow, the vines may
be made to bear continually for from
four to six weeks. The soil must be
frequently stirred to prevent it hecom-
inc hard, as it naturally will by tread
ing on it to gather the crop; when rains
are not frequent watering must be re-
sorted to, or the vines will cease to
grow and will ripen their leaves. In
watering 1t il best not to shower the
vines, but water by making a shallow
ditch each SIDE of the row and letting
the water in. When il is believed that
the ground is thoroughly wet through
tn ditch should. bel filled up and the
ground all leeeled" off In this way a
row of beans four rods long may be
made to supply large family oil the
string beans they would care to eat for
six weeks. The black wax bean Is one
of tho best varieties, the pods being
White and yeyy tender even when the
beans Are nearly full gpawni It must
not be forgotten that Il a successien,s ct
crops is to be kept up the pods must be
kept picked as fast as they grow
whether they are wanted ~ not. The
SQUASH vines must be looked after it
planted as late as the 10Th or'2oth ct
! saRs, ,i - they :hsglld have been, they
will not be very likely t8 be injured
very MUCH by the borefs IT tAe gopts %
kept well covered with earth; if dry so
much the the better; this also will pre-
vent the black bugs from injqring the
vines by eating the bark off around the
stalk near the roots. as they often will
if not destroyed when the vines afa
small, as they should be, by trapping
them under shingles or boards laid near
the hills.
The early potatoes should be dug as
soon as full grown and the land. thor,
,oughly cultivated to kill the weeds aud