The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-10-18
One-Acre Garden.

The secretary of the Maine board of
agriculture recently asked number of
correspondents, What is the value of
the product of good one-acre garden
to family?"
The replies ranged from $25 to $500,
and averaged $11S. A number who re-
piled did not give the exact figures but
such answers as the following: About
one-third the support of the family;
the most profitable part of the farm; a
value above dollars and cents.
The five most important garden crops
named were potatoes, peas, beans and
beets in their order named. Others
having a subordinate position were to-
matoes, squashes, melons, onions, Gu
cumbers, carrots, parsnips, celery and
berries.
The following time of planting a
number of early vegetables was given:
Time of planting: Peas, soon as the
frost is out of the ground to June 1;
sweet corn, from May Is to June s.;
squash the same; tomatoes started
March 1 and transplanted May % to
June s; beans, from May 25 to June g.;
melons, as early as possible for frost;
potatoes, for first crop, allowed to
sprout and planted as early as possible;
onions, from April Is to May 10; cab
bage, for early use, about April 20 for
late use, from May 25 to June 1; beans,
pole, from May 10 to June 1; cucumbers,
from May 10 to June 5; beets, from May
10 to June 10; turnips, at different times
according to quality; lettuce and rad
ishes successful planting after the first
Of May; celery, to be started at about
the same time as tomatoes, and trans
planted by June 1.
Thinning Root Crops.-In the twen-
tieth annual report of the Ontario ex:
pertinent station there are given the
results of unthinned turnips of the sew
eral kinds compared with those thinned
four, eight, twelve, sixteen and twenty
inches. For carrots, turnips and man.
gels the yield Of tops was greatest
when the roots stood nearest together.
Thus for turnips the tops weighed 1873
tons when unthinned and 1923 tons
when thinned to four inches, slowly de-
creasing to 7.25 tons for those twenty
inches apart. The yield Of roots was
least on those unthinned and greatest
for those thinned to four inches, and
decreasing in yield to those thinned
twenty inches for the turnip crop. For
mangles the yield for three years was
1905 tons for those unthinned and "a
tons for those thinned to eight inches.
From this point the yield decreased
with increasing distance of planting.
Unthinned carrots gave 24.7 tons, the
greatest nield of 1853 tons being Sc
cured foF those thinned to two inches
epart.
Knife Grinders.-There has been
some disappointment attending the
use of moving machine knife grind
ers, and in some cases misrepresenta-
ton in selling them. No grinder will
do good work on an old knife which has
the sections ground to many different
levels, some nearly worn out, and
others new without adjusting to
each section, which involves too
much time and trouble. If farm
er will get good grinder, and starting
with new or nearly new knives adjust
them to the right bevel, and mark the
grinder plate so It can be set at the
same place any time, he can keep his
knives in perfect order with straight
bevel, and keen cutting edges. The
grinder should be used carefully, and
the sections brought lightly against the
wheel, which should be of free cutting
emery. The temper will not be drawn,
and the grinder will pay for itself
many times over. t