Morris tribune., 1891-03-04
Unat rarmsr smith Saws About Gardens.

What Farmer Smith Says About Gardens
EDITOR TRlBUNE:-As the time fol
making hot-beds and gardens Is near
and as / have had some experience
and very good success in that indus
try, thought perhaps it might be OF
some benefit to others and especially
to farmers if give my experience III
gardening through the columns OF the
TRIBUNE. / take pride in having u
good garden and the amount of land l
use for that purpose is usually about
an acre. THIS includes garden veget-
ables, sweet corn and early potatoes.
| ain often asked how it is or how l
manage to have such good garden.
Well, the first item of Importance Is
good seed, which can be obtained oil
any reliable scotsman, such as Bnrpee,
Gregory, Wick, or if you want North
ern grown seeds, send to De Cou Co..
st. Paul, or Northrup, Braslin & Good
will Co., Minneapolis. The next item
is good deep rich soil, well manured.
Droppings from the hen roost is the
best, for two reasons: First, it is the
best fertilizer that is made on the
farm, and second, 1T has no foul seed
in it. and if the droppings of 4O or oO
hens are saved and spread on the gar
den every year it will keep the land
in fertile condition. But if the drop
pings of the hen roost are not to be
had compost stable manure is the
next best fertilizer. Always plow
deep, not less than 8 or 10 inches,
and always select a level piece of land.
or very little slope to the south. The
width of garden should he about one
fourth the length, and the length rum
ming north or south, and the rows
running the same way and three feet
apart In the absence of hand seed
er, stretch II line the length OF the
garden and mark the line, thus you
will have straight rows. l object to
beds in the garden with rows 10 or IL
inches apart. 1t makes to much hand
hoeing. by having the rows three
feet apart most of the work can be
done with horse and cultivator. One
or two of these long rows can be used
for vegetables, such as beets, carrots,
parsnips, onions, ETC., and the work
is less than short rows or bed culture.
When cultivating the garden, run the
cultivator very light. Never allow
more than three or four days to pass
without going through the garden
with hoe and thus stop the growth
of every weed that starts to grow. A
way to plant garden is to plant
one OF two rows of potatoes on one
side, then as many rows of vegetables
as is needed, next save one row for
celery, cabbage, tomatoes, ETC.; then
Il row of early peas, late peas and sweet
corn. l plant nearly one-half of the
garden IN corn for the pigs, planting
all the rows at one end with early,
then the second early, and the other
end late. Vines, such as melons and
cucumbers. can be, planted on the op-
posite side from the potatoes. think
it is better to plant squashes by them
selves, away from all other vines.
After man has done all he can tow
ards having good garden. he will
learn that success depends largely on
the season. He must have rain and
sunshine in order to have good sue
cess. There are few that can subsist
on pork and potatoes, but large ma.
jority of the people are fond efFeget-
ables, and there is no good reason why
farmers should not be supplied with
vegetables, fresh from the garden.
This article is written with the hope
of inducing farmers to take more in
terest in this industry. You need not
say that you have no time to attend
to the garden. Where there is will
there is q way. IF you will to have a
garden and take the same interest in
it that you would in a field of corn or
wheat, you will have it. The will and
the wont have much to do with the
garden. ! should as soon think of neg
lecting to sow wheat or plant corn as
to neglect to plant garden. / intend
ed to have given my ideas of hot
bed, but this articlei already too long.
so will reserve that for another art.
icle.
S. B. SMITH.