The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-06-16
Various Questions.

L w I've, Nv. cOuhoDuly " lhdhOo
the following enquiries:
l. What is the best artificial fertil-
izer for sandy garden?"
Answer.-The ground raw bone and
hardwood ashes mixture so often ad-
vised. In addition, some heterogeneous
material, such as hen manure, or sui
phate of ammonia, should be applied
To make good garden at once from
ordinary soil, even with dung, is hardly
possible; but by applying the bone and
ashes, at the rate of half a bushel to the
square rod, well mixed with the soil by
deep blowing or spading, and sowing
on the surface and narrowing in peck
of good hen manure, or one pound of
sulphate of ammonia to the same area,
will give good crop under most cir
cumstances.
2. CT have two cords of dry leaves
on the garden. Shall plow in or can
1 improve them by mixing with some
thing?"
AnSUer.- Crude vegetable matter,
like unrotted dry leaves, is apt to pro-
duce fungus and mildew in garden
crops when plowed in. The best way
is to mix strong ashes and little moist
soil with the leaves and make snug,
square pile of the mixture, keeping the
pile moist until the leaves have en-
tirely decayed. A bushel of ashes and
a wheelbarrow load of dirt is enough
for five hundred pounds of leaves. Lay
some pieces of plank on the top to press
the mass together. When rotten, this
makes an excellentmanure for any crop.
3. els lime or plaster a good thing to
put on a sandy garden?"
Answer.-Common quick or air-slaked
lime is excellent for an old, overrich,
sour-soiled garden, especially if the
soil is rather heavy; but on a new gar
den of sandy nature it would be injuri-
Gus. The effect of lime is to neutral
ize acids in the soil caused by an accu-
mutation of vegetable matter, and to
hasten the decay of the latter. In a
light soil vegetable matter rarely accu-
mulates to excess, even when heavy
dressings of dung are annually applied.
Plaster (gypsum) does not have the
same action as lime. 1t is often very
valuable on grass, but on a garden
otherwise we'll fortified it rarely has a
noticeable effect.
a. Should seed be planted in raised
beds or on level with the garden?'
Ans,oer. Raised beds in gardens are
an English notion which it has taken
Yankee gardeners two hundred years
to outgrow. On clay soils they some
times answer well, especially in wet
season, but on sandy land we should
prefer, if possible, to depress the beds
little below the general surface. AS
a rule, perfectly level culture, in long
rows, is the best for all ordinary gar.
dens.
5. elbow soon can I ordinarily plant
corn, squashes, cucumbers and melons
with safety?"
AnSWer.-We never know what is be.
fore us in the way of late spring frosts
Sweet-corn may be risked in early plant
ing-say the first of May-in a warn
soil and exposure, because light frosts
do not kill it, and it is easily replantet
or replaced. In small garden, where
the plants can be covered, cucumbers
squashes and melons may be planted
May 18th Cor under glazed boxes a littl,
earlier), but if to be left unprotected
it is not quite safe to plant before Jun,
LIST. Nothing is gained by crowdin!
the season with these tender things.
6. Does the use of glass in an or
binary garden really pay?"
Ans0er. -Rarely, in money, but some
times much in beating your neighbors
where horticultural rivalry is enjoyed.
The Rural New Yorker on