The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-06-19
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
THE PHILOSOPHERS EXPERT.
ENCE AS A GARDENER.
Tells OF His Success in Raising Fine
Vegetables.

nave earned lt-Workeu Tor 1t bodily
and wanted it. But have heard folks
say they were never hungry and not
even the odor of cucumbers and onions
in the dining room would excite their
appetite. L have heard others say
they had the appetite, but were afraid
to indulge it because of digestion.
Such folks are to be piticd. They have
my sympathy. But 1 sincerely believe
that work or physical exercise is Il
remedy for both. L suppose that
Shakespeare suffered in this way, for
he says, "Now, let digestion wait on
appetite and health on both" Certain
it Is his death was sudden and prema-
ture, for he lived only fifty years.
Milton understood this trouble too,
for he says that Adams sleep was sweet,
being bred from pure Indigestion.
That's the secrct-working in the gar
den-I inherited that trait from the
old mup-Adam, L mean--and / sleep
sweetly, too, after l have worked in
my garden. There is no insononia
about me, but Mrs. Arp suffers from
st sometimes when am snoring like n
hippotamus.
/ was ruminating about the value of
n good garden to tho family-wo had
m excellent dinner today, and l
counted up the cost. We have five in
the family and the dinner cost us only
5 cents apiece, aud there was enough
left for two or three more. We had Il
small piece Of middllny meat, about
half n pound, that was boiled with the
beans, and there were seven different
L., .l, &C l,l. I
The butter and buttermilk were home
made. The rice and cornmeal and
hucklehcrrics cost n little-not much.
Everything was we'll cooked, and all
that was wanted was an appetite and
good digestion.
am reasonably proud of my gar
den, for it is all my own work. Ipre-
pared the ground and dressed it and
opened the burrows and planted the
seed and cultivated the plants and
killed the weeds, and it is my especial
pleasure to watch everything us it
grows, and gather the vegetables and
wash them at the back door and call
the good wife and children out to see
them and listen to their compliments.
We have had a long drought, but I
had fortified against it. Every hill
was first spaded out n foot deep and
filed with water, and after it had
soaked into the ground filled up the
hoia with mixture of top soil and
barnyard scraping, ana rirtco asnos
ard put on some more water. Every
furrow l opened for beans and peas
and bcets L let water run in it. and
then put tho fertilizer in and
planted tho seed. l had eighty holes
To dig for tomatoes and forty for
squnshes, and rs many more for Gu
cumbers, and Notwithstanding the
drought, everything has grown vigor-
ouSiy. 1t is hard work, and takes pa
thence to lay the foundation in this
way, but it pays. My squash vines
cover space of four feet square to
each hill, and my tomato plants are
five feet high and full of healthy fruit.
Well, now, to tell the whole truth. 7
have hydrant in the center Of the
garden, and when tho dry, hot weather
was ut its worst Iopened small trenches
close by the roots of the plants and
turned the water on and let it run
slowly and soak in, and afterwards
covered the trenches with dry dirt.
This too. is trouble. but it paid we'll,
Some folks sprinkle, but that does
harm and no good. 1t bakes
the surface ard never reaches the
roots. Sprinkle nothing but grass.
Where water is plentiful and conven-
lent there is no excuse for poor gar
den. 1t is better to dig deep an fer
tll!Ze and cultivate square rod we'll
than to skim over half an acre "nigger
fashion AID see lt all dr: .p when Ine
dry drought, as Cobc calls it, comes.
The intensive system is the best for
gardens, know from long experience.
1t made me sad to see the crops on the
railroad between Marietta and Atlanta
tho other day. Acres and acres of
corn not six inches high and cotton
almost invisible. 1t did | Dok like per-
ishing to death in the name of the
Lord. 1t is poor country, I know,
but they could SOW it down in reas
and gradually improve it so that n
Georgian wouldn't he ashamed for
travellers to look o::t of the car window
as they ride through it.
1t Is astonishing how much influ-
enco one good farmer has over the
ncighborhood in which he lives. They
are very envious of each other and will
try to keep up with the best. I hear
somo say that their oats crop is n total
failure and will not be fit to cut. 1
see few acres of oats in a field not
far from me that will make good crop.
or course there is something in the
land, but there is more in the farming.
Deep plowing to begin with is abso-
lutcly necessary in farming. / don't
mean deep turning, but deep plowing.
L know a farmer who always follows
the turn plow with n bull-tongue in
the same fnrrow. and he makes good