The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-22
Ny One-Acre Farm" and What 1t
Was Worth TO Ne.

call it my farm" You will call it
garden. and so perhaps ought /, but merely
from the fact that 1 have never grown
cotton. or wheat. or tobacco and like staple
crops on it, But it matters little what we
call it, whether farm or garden, or truck
patch I know it has been a joy and a
blessing to me these many years, this one
acre farm. Yes. 1 will stick to that word
It is my one-acre-farm. How many thou
sands of hours of supreme pleasure 1 have
derived from it in the past % years
would not attempt to calculate. During
that time it has been as a fountain of
health to myself and likewise to my fam
ilv 1t has time and again put money in
my purse, no large sums at any one time,
but nice little Jumps of pin money that
otherwise would not have been available
40 one is apt to deny that vegetable
diet is conducive to health and vegetables
fresh from your own garden or farm, are
altogether of different value and quality
than those obtained from market stand.
Believing that it viii be of some interest
TO your readers, 1 propose to set down on
|paper and give without eXaggeratlon an
average years experience of my one
NV land to start with was not very
rich. Half of it from having been used
for years as a garden was fairly so. l
enlarged IL and fenced in an ODlOng ~
yards east and west and 81 yards north
and south. This gave 40 square yards more
than an acre. The entrance to the farm was
a gate large, enoughh for a cart or wagon
10 enter at the northwest corner.
To start with a bed feet wide was
made entirely around the garden. Then a
walk 4 feet wide was likewise laid all
around next to the bed. This took feet
from the length and Z feet from the width,
Leaving an area of 73 yards long and 04
yards wide. This was divided in half the
long way by a walk or roadway 6 feet
Ia los x-ffap finally . nlntE each "a bV N
Yards which reduced to rows gave teach)
% rows, aggregating 1858 lineal yards, for
the plats
In the preliminary preparation of the
soil ] have always followed the plan OF
.plowing and listing off uniformly at a
distance of three feet. This Is the proper
distance apart for four-ntths OF the Varl-
Gus crops grown, and when plant, such
as the cucumber, melon and the ike, re-
quired more distance than TINS L would
give il the distance of two rows, plant
ing some upright grower between. A dis
tance of three feet apart between rows
is ample for cabbage. But potatoes, on
ions, corn, squashes (bush. etc, and
there were no plants grown in my small
farm that required a greater distance than
six feet.
The cold frames We're. of course, To-
Gated along the north fence, commencing
with only two frames, each three by 6
feet; gradually they We're increased until
the whole length of the north bed was
occupied by them--the whole 70 yards, il
frames IN all, edtn o&D IttA- <ApOuN olle-
third of the frames had glass sash and the
remainder Vanished cloth, which an
swers fully as well as glass in protecting
Young plants from frost, and there is
not very much difference in the quality
of terminating the seeds. 1t is only in
very severe weather that the glass has
any marked superiority in this respect. 1t
is desirable, however, to have some glass.
These frames are kept in constant use
from December to April in growing plants
Of one kind or another. 4 frame after
supplying plants of cabbage. lettuce, on
ions beets and the like for setting out
in January and February are sown again
10 tomatoes, pepper, egg plant and celery
Immediately after being vacated by the
hardier plants. To have early plants
and, consequently. early crops, cold
frames are Indispensable and no intelli-
gent farmer would attempt to cultivate
one acre on the intensive plan without
having them in full supply
Raising plants for sale was a good part
Of my business on my one-acre farm. My
q square yards of plant beds more than
paid all the expenses of manuring and
cultivating the whole acre.
As it will take a dozen or more chap
ters to describe the management of my
one-acre farm, / will cut this off here and
leave until the next a, description of the
making and management of the cold
frames. !. Nanhoe.