The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-22
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
continued dom Fifth Page.

gardens year after year. and yet never
have such an one, simply because they
neglect the first matter of Importance,
which is t0make a good soil. A garden
soil is something like poet, only the con-
verse of the axiom is true, and it is made
and not born. There are, of course, ex-
ceptions to this rule, but it does not often
happen that one finds just the best soil in
just the spot where he wishes tc have the
garden. Some are discouraged by this
fact, so do not try to have a garden at all.
Others put up with what they find ready
to their hand, and spend much labor con-
tinually in the effort to produce good
crops from poor soil when, if they would
expend a portion of their labor in build
ing up the SOIL they would accomplish
much better results in the end, with a
great deal less trouble than they now
have.
The first thing to be considered in To-
eating the garden is to have it in con-
venient place. If it is put off in some dis
tant corner, where it is never seen except
by special effort. there will be too much
of tendency to let it shift for itself
and such treatment is not conducive to
good crops. Having located it, next ex-
anime into the quality of the soil If this
proves to be good rich loan, you are
very fortunate, for you have the best ba-
sis upon which to build. If it is heavy
clay, you must give first attention to i'm
proving the mechanical texture, so as to
make it friable and workable This
can be done by hauling on coal ashes or
cinders from factories and blowing it in.
By this means we have made stiff clay as
friable as an ash heap. But if you would
find light and sandy soil, then bring to
it all the refuse vegetable matter that
you can-leaves, straw, coarse manure,
etc, and plow it under and let it decay
beneath the surface.
Whatever soil you have, and whatever
the initial treatment, you must not lose
sight of the fact that it is very far from
the ideal soil for garden, because it does
not contain, naturally sufficient available
plant food to enable you to grow the very
best crops, and such crops alone as you
can find the fullest satisfaction and profit
in producing. To bring it to this stage,
you must manure, and manure, and ma
nure Remember that you have not a
whole farm TO enrich, but only a little
garden plot of few square rods; so you
can afford to apply manure in such guam
titles as might well brighten you if under
taken on a large area. OF course you are
going to apply it beyond the needs of the
crops which you expect to grow this year,
but your purpose should be to impregnate
the soil so thoroughly with plant food,
that whatever seed you place there will
for its perfect growth. A load of
manure on the garden is not
enough. A half dozen loads are not, I'M
less the garden is very small indeed.
The entire surface should be covered to a
depth of at least six inches, and this not
with coarse, green manure, but with a
fine and well-rotted product. Put it un-
der the surface this fall if you can. If
not put it on the top, and let it mellow
nd fbrO11prh ruiu in
the spring put on more, and continue the
| operation every spring and fall as long as
you have a garden there. When you
plant in such thoroughly enriched soil
there is no hesitancy about the germina-
ton of the seed. The plant springs
quickly into vigorous life and makes the
rapid growth which is the warrant of q
boun tiful maturity.
We have too many starved gardens.
My neighbor has one, in which he tolls
industriously every year; but l have
never seen load of manure or fertilizer
of any sort put upon it, and the result is
what you might expect. / am not pre-
! pared to say that such treatment as
| have here indica ted would pay for the
whole farm, but the garden is conducted
on different principle from that of the
meadows and grain fields. If the garden
will pay at all, it will pay to treat the
soil after this fashion. Most gardens dC
not pay. They produce few peas anC
| beans in the early summer, later on some
| cabDages, and then the potatoes mot very
many nor very large) about complete the
tale. But the garden should have in il
every vegetable that will grow in YOU
climate, from radish and lettuce up t.
pumpkins and watermelons. 1t should
not be given up and left for the weeds t.
overruR in August, but celery and late
cabbages and turnips should keep it:
memory green to the very verge of win
ter. If the soil has been put into such
condition that all these things can be
made to grow easily and well, it will bt
quite natural to have a succession o.
crops; but if strenuous effort is required
in order to produce anything, the garden
will have little attention after it has
given the first few messes of green veg
etables in the early summer.
1t would De a good idea to make uL
your mind about the garden now, so that
you could be building the soil, as occasion
offered, all through the winter; after you
have begun it, do not stint your work, but
bear in mind that it is just as necessary
to have a good foundation on which tC
build your garden as for your house OF
your barn. | was once accused of ex
travagance in this matter by an ole
farmer, who waded ankle deep in the
manure which covered my garden plat If
the late autumn; but next summer he
paid me for vegeta bles enough to balance
the total value of the manure which hi
thought I had wasted. 1t is quite posi-
bile that in growing farm crops there is a
limit to the profitable application o
manure, and it may be that there alsC
is such a limit in the garden, but have
never found it. nor do think many other.
have. The danger is wholly on the Other
side.