The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-03-17
KITCHEN GARDENING.
MRS. ALICE II. s1ee1Ns.

kitchen is a good garden, and there never
was a time when there was greater
necessity for raising and producing in
dividually that which adds luxuries to
= the table. The reason for this is that in
the last forty years we have built nearly
three hundred thousand miles of railroad,
the grading, the ties, the iron and the
rolling stock had all 10 be produced. We
chased the Indians and the buffalos from
a vast portion of our territory, and we
covered the land with towns and cities,
some of which exceed in population
more than one million. A rapid grow tn
which has never been known elsewhere
on the face of the earth. We found
a portion of this ground already
cleared and most of il very productive.
1t was plowed and sowed with our mod
ern facilities and harvested with machn-
cry OF our own invention, which sur
passed everything which before had been
introduced. At present a lady with
gloved hands can reap and bind in day
more than twenty men could have done
in that length of time forty years ago.
The rougher portions of this land were
covered with sheep and cattle. Mean
time the geniuses of America had
brought forth the trolley car, the bicycle
and i'm fact thousand other inventions
which have taken the place of hand
work. No one would think of saying
that we can find in this land this work TO
do over again in the next forty years.
This great internal maket which we have
enjoyed has produced facilities for man
ufacturing and producing, which, l am
sorry to say, we are unable to maintain
to-day. AS we have lost this labor we
must turn our attention to producing and
providing for our actual needs. And the
first step in this direction is to have con-
nected with every household a produc-
tive gardenl 1t would be impossible for
me to detail all the things necessary to
have and to do in order to procure a
good garden. But ! viii mention the
most necessary things and cite you to the
books which will give you the fullest
particulars.
The first consideration is a suitable To-
cation for your garden. If the ground is
not naturally dry it must be drained
then properly fertilized. The most sue
cessful gardens we have had have been
the results of fall blowing, followed 10y an
early spring plowing which gave the
frost chance to pulverize the ground
more thoroughly than spring blowing
alone could do. And by this means
: many injurious insects are brought to the
surface and destroyed by the frosts.
E The next thing in order, if possible, is
to have a good seed drill and wheel hoe
as these will enable one to accomplish
4 twice the amount of work in a giver
0 time that he could do with the old meth,
d ods. Nearly all of the garden vegetables
g can be put in with the drill, about all car
= be worked with the wheel hoe For this
: work we use the Planet Jr. drill aud hoe
One must know the most profitable
things TO plant and acquaint himself with
the best varieties. He must be able t
n take advantage of the most improved
vegetables.
But you must not ruin your gardens by
II constantly experimenting with things
advertised by men who are anxious I,
e make money at your expense. TIL,
'' United States Government has now ovel
e fifty experiment colleges located in al
d most that many states in the unio,
- which do all the scientific experimen
: work of agriculture that can be required
by people. They are in reach of ever,
II farmer who will ask for information con
e cerning progress or improvements. One
e of the best helps published is BulletiI
Il No. l5, entitled Handbook of Expert
a ment Station Work" which you can OBJ
a tain, free of charge, by addressing tn
e United States Department of Agricul
e ture, Washington, d. C. 1t will be foun,
o to be of great value to farmers, stock
s raisors and gardeners.
II The first seed to go into the ground ar
e the peas-early and late-and they mus
IS be planted as soon as the ground is sui
IS ticently dry, and if planted early car
II must be taken to have them well GOV
10 cred.
n Onions may be set about this time
n Some of the newer varieties are more at
n tractive and seem to be more palatabl
s. and productive.
p A few rows of potatoes should be pu
II in early, and they will require a deepe
N covering than would be necessary late
4 in the season. They may be Early Rose
IS Beauty of Hebron or Early Ohio or on
i of half dozen other good varieties.
read somewhere that Road Island gar
l. dener had cut tubers into four piece
s. lengthwise and after giving them plent
W of fertilizer wrapped each piece in news
Is paper and set it endways in a box {
re earth. They We're then put in war;
D. place where growth soon started and the
he were set out in three weeks with root
es well under way and the new crop wa
to gotten more than two weeks earlier b
g. this treatmen. About the middle of las
e. April we had the sprouts rubbed frOr
re potatoes which had been wintered in
I'd cellar, and placed in a hole which wa
I'd dug in dry place, three feet deep an
ly lined with straw. The potatoes were pr
sh in twelve inches deep, boards were lain o
st top and earth was thrown i'm to the levt
o. of the ground. Two or three weeks be
n fore potatoes were ready 10 be used th
r hole was opened and a portion taken ou
ad 1t was found the sprouts had not starte
ty again and they were of an excellent qua