The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-01-31
pennsvlunni. Du,cb Gnrden,nc.

O.
dening in the west. we give the follow
ing description by a Pennsylvania
Dutch woman of her way OF managing
a garden. IL will be interesting read
ing. She said:
81 you want to have a good garden
YOU must have good soil. Our family
have titled this farm for over 100 years,
and the soil is growing richer instead
of poorer. 1t is limestone land. We
give it plenty of well-rotted %barnyard
manure and lime. l never allow my
garden to run down.. You can't take
everything off the soil, put nothing on,
AMI raise good crops. Besides barn
yard manure and lime. l fertilize my
garden with the s%wcepings from tho
poultry house. l always slack the
lime before l put it on. You can't
make a garden too rich, and it is a
great secret to thoroughly understand
the soil.
My garden is small. Many persons
would think it was too small to feed a
large family out of and to sell from, but
it pays me better than a large one
would. The trouble with some people
is that they think they must have a
large garden, and they don't half cul-
tivate it. If you raise too much, a
great deal is apt to go to waste anyway.
The principal object of the garden is to
supply my own family. Again, ex-
p%erience has shown me exactly what
varieties of vegetables suit this soil and
climate. never try to grow fancy
varieties just for the novelty of tho
thing.
"We grow some of our seeds, and we
know just what they are. What we
don't grow we get from our neighbors.
1t is a good plan to exchange seeds with
your friends, for if the same seeds are
continually grown on the same ground
they are apt to degenerate. Our seeds are
al! carefully selected in the fall, put up
in papers, labeled and stored away in
the garnet. l never use seeds that have
been kept over for several seasons.
never use hot beds for the reason hat it
doesn't pay mo. ! plant the seeds in
crooks and boxes, and keep them in the
house, in the sun or by the fire. We
make garden in April, when l put the
young plants in the beds. 1t is a custom
among the Mennonites and the Dunkers
that the women, in addition to attend
ing to the housework, shall take entire
charge of the dairy. fowls and he gar
den. My girls generally spade the soil;
they dig it deep, rake and work it we'll.
You know that the vegetable-producing
qualities are locked up in the clods
Of earth, and We break them all
up fine, and after the plants are
set out the ground must be constantly
cultivated. Plants are like human be-
3 .--- 4l.,, ,,1N Loot, - c1sr1t nrI
air to thrive; l know that much. We
of us, the beds being kept perfectly
| clean. There is a great deal in that.
We go over the beds nearly every day,
and We try not to nave a single weed in
the entire garden. My girls divide the
work, one taking charge of the currants,
gooseberries and raspberries, including
picking the fruit; another takes entire
charge of tho tomatoes, cabbage and
beans; another Of the peas, beets, rad
ishes, onions, herbs, and SO on. In this
way, if there is any neglect, l know
who is to blame. The garden Is thor
oughly watcred with watering cans.
The young children can help at this. L
try to keep everything in as neat a con-
dition as possible. Yes, it costs a great
deal of labor, but in gardening. as in
everything else, you must take pains If
you want good results. l work hard,
and my children must do the same.
During the harvest season the girls
assist at field work, and at that time
they work from sunrise to sunset.
"Whatdoes my garden pay me? Well,
that is hard to tell. 1t is something to
supply a family of twelve persons with
vegetables, and besides this ! sell every
year about $3.50 worth. That would
seem very little to persons who raise
truck on a large scale, but it is q great
deal from such a small patch. ! pay
more attention to the dairy and the
poultry. What do they pay me n year?
Well. have six COWS of common breed
and about 1870 fowls, and l realize from
them about 5000 Il year. l could not
make this much if ! did not attend mar
ket twice a week in Lancaster. Market
is held before sunrise, and I can attend
md return home in time to do a days
work. l have a light spring wagon, and
drive there in about n hour; the
distance is seven miles.
What do | sell? Well, in summer l
have butter, buttcrmilk, smearcase
tsome people call it cottage cheese or
cnrds}, poultry, eggs. maybe a few
pigeon squads; then | have a variety of
fresh vegetables and some fruit. like
raspberries and currants. Il few pears
and some apples which the children
have picked up in the orchard
Church lott ,ries may be wrong, but the
'horister gets his money by chants.