The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1898-05-05
Waldo County Gardens.

MONROE. A good garden is great
help to the farmer, but he does not need
the ''acre garden that some advocate.
A small garden well cared for will pro-
duce all that is needed by the average
farmer and his family. Probably a quar-
ter of an acre is as much as the farmer
can afford to devote to garden crops, in
Guiding small fruits, for the family. Even
this amount may be too much for the fam
lily garden. When more is done, it be-
comes market gardening, which is an
entirely different matter. A small piece
of ground well cared for will produce a
large amount of garden truck. General
ly, the manure should be spread and
plowed in and good brand of fertilizer
hsed at time of planting. Nowhere is it
more true that ''tillage is manure than
in the garden. AS for what to plant, it
can only be said, plant what you want
after it grows. Consult the family taste
III making the family garden; consult the
market taste in making the market garden.
Vegetables for winter use should not be
planted too early. f. C, Dow.
of about one half acre on which we pro-
duce all the vegetables needed in the
family. The ground on which we raise
peas, potatoes and radishes is sown with
strap leafed turnips which are fed to the
sheep during the fall, They are pulled
and thrown into the pasture which ad-
joins the garden. We raise from sew
enty-tive to one hundred bushels of car
rots, feeding most of them to horses and
COWS. Onions and small cucumbers for
picking are raised to sell. We raise
enough of small fruits for family use and
sometimes have laSpberries to sell. Has
rape been raised in this State, and how
does it compare with flat turnips, fed
tops and bottoms, as feed for sheep?
Lambs are dying with diarrhpa. They
seem all right until about twenty four
hours old. They die in five OF six hours af-
ter they are taken sick. One man has lost
twenty-four. Can you tell the cause?
~. G. Harding.
Note-Rape has peen raised at our Ex-
pertinent Station Tor feeding sheep and is
esteemed highly fall feed, the sheep
beng allowed to run on it and feed it off.
For this purpose it is superior to fiat turnips
but for winter feeding the turnips are pre-
ferable. More food can be raised on given
area in turnlps than in rape. The trouble
with the lambs is without doubt due to some
unhealthy condition of the mothers. Would
advise removing them to new quarters which
have been made clean, and feeding the
sheep IN such way as to insure healthful-
ness, If they have been having a large
amount Of ensilage or roots, that may have
been the cause, OF some sudden change of
feed may have affected them untavorably.
lSecretary.
MORRILL,. | think l appreciate the
value of a good farm garden, and have
been quite successful for many years with
the usual garden crops. Have used the
same plot of land for ten years at least. l
usually plough under a liberal dressing of
barn manure in the fall land after thorough
ly narrowing and smoothing the surface
iii the spring, use liberal quantity of
some standard fertilizer in hill or drill
For onions, which occupy part OF my
garden, SOW the fertilizer and rake it in.
L intend to get my onions, peas and early
potatoes in by the LIST day of May, and
make it point to use none but fresh seed
Tor garden purposes. Beets, carrots, 'tur-
nlps, paIsnipS, sweet corn and cranberry
beans go in about May 10Th. | SOW my
cabbage in drill about the same time,
and transplant, some drilling wet day, in
june on July. ! handle my garden with
voted to onions, which | keep weeded
with a long handled scuffle hoe. Now, 10
matter how much the field crops may be
calling for help, the garden receives at
tenton first. Weeds must be kept down
and out. | made the mistake several years
ago of using one end of my garden for
blackbelIies aud straw berries They in
terfeIe with an economical handling of
the garden. | think black berries can lust
as well be cultivated along 10y the side of
some stone wall or on waste land, and if
handled rightly, be made to produce more
than II planted III the richest garden. The
same is true of the raspberry and currant.
The latter flut is easily grown, and Te-
celVeS lar too little attention generally
Daniel o. Bowen.
MoNTTILLE. The garden is an essen
tai part OF tarm economy. In it many
different vegetables may be raised which,
considered as food products, are very es-
sential to a change of diet, and also nour-
lshlng. Cranberry beans, squashes, peas,
sweet corn, carrots, cabbages and beets
all help to make change, are beneficial,
and can be raised on a small piece of land
well cultivated and dressed The first
important thing is to keep the weeds I'M
der control, ard also frequent cultivation
is requisite to insure a good income.
Many farmer. neglect this important crop
Gu account of its taking too much time
and care, but f well attended to it will
yield good returns. Therefore, plant a
garden and take care OF it. Cultivate
frequently, the oftener the better. 1t
keeps the soil moist in dry weather, and
is, therefore, benefit to the ground. |
think there should be an increased acre
age III this direction from previous years.
T. Hahn.
MoNTVILLE. | think the garden a very
important part of the farm. Every farm
ought to have & good garden, with good
variety of garden crops. Small fruits, in
GLIDING strawberries and raspberries,
should have place upon the farm. We
are apt to let what we think to be more
important work delay the work in the
garden until the last moment. This is a
mistake; give the garden fair show and
you will be surprised at the amount and
value OF crops raised on small plot of
ground, and the large part of our living
which they furnish. B. F. Foster.
From rlcTaggart at Fort Bennett.
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