The evening times., 1899-05-27
MPOR9ANCEEOF fBB
VEGETABLE GARDEN
Pays the Farmer Better Than
His Other Land.
Interesting Report From the De-
partment Of Agriculture.
Expert Advice That VIII Prove VAL
unble to the Suburbanites of
the Capital City.

The Department Of Agriculture has Is
sued a treatise on the importance to the
farmer of the vegetable garden. The au-
thor Of the work is Charles H. Greathouse.
Of the division Of publications. 1t is his
opinion that the farm garden pays better
than any other land on the place. Ac-
cording to the last census. the average
value of garden stun to the acre was
$147.17, while for wheat, the average was
only $11.65. 1t is argued that recent sta
tistics show that the average for wheat.
corn. oats and hay is only $7.75 an acre.
Mr.. Greathouse says that 1t seems clear
that market gardening is more profitable
than farming. But the home garden pays
even better than the market garden, be-
cause 1t is not subject to the heavy losses
incident to marketing perishable crops. Its
products are used directly at the home ta-
BILE and there need be very little waste. A
good garden will supply half the family's
living and when the field crops show
balance on the wrong side, it becomes
very important means Of support.
The author believes that In addition to
this the garden may be bountiful source
OF quiet pleasure A keener appreciation
of such natural joys Of the farm home and
skill to develop them would do much to
repress the craving for excitement which
draws young men from country life.
In the matter of location OF the garden.
the writer says. it should be chosen with
reference to the sun and wind. surface
that slopes gently to the south is to be pre-
ferred, and, IL the incline looks little TO
the east, 1t is the better for it. wood
land or high hill as protection from the
north winds and heavy storms is great
advantage, and equal or better will be
| wall or hedge placed as windbreak.
wire netting or high paiipg fence Will be
needed to keep out the chickens, if any
are on the place.
Finally, soil and natural drainage must
! be considered in selecting the location A
| light sandy loan Is usually preferred, but
| fine vegetables are grown with ordinary
! care on heavy dark soils, on sticky red
| clays. and on sands apparently no better
| than the seashorc. mellow rch soil
which will hold moisture well is easily
recognized, and should be chosen If avail
able; but hardly any soil need be rejected
as impracticable until tried. Good, natural
drainage should be sought Marshy or
even damp ground will call for much la
Dor and expense to make it fit for use. The
| character OF natural drainage can best be
determined by observation of the lay of
| the ground, of the appearance OF the soil,
and of the vegetation il has borne.
| The size of the garden plot should de-
pend on the size of the family and their
taste for vegetables: also upon what veg
etables are to be grown as field crops. A
quarter of an acre is considered sufficient
for a garden for a family of four. II po-
tatoes, cabbage. corn, and melons are to
be grown in it this estimate is hardly suf-
| fcient: but il these vegetables are put
| in the field. as they should be. usually
less than half an acre will be enough. CIV
| ing room for early potatoes and sweet corn.
The best shape is rectangular.
| When the size and place for the garden
| have been determined. attention should be
| given TO the drainage, unless it is natu-
rally very good indeed. The purpose is to
get rid of an excess OF water. which, left
alone, cuts of the supply OF air from the
roots Of the vegetables and stops their
! growth. The work must be done thor
oughly before planting; afterward no rem
edy can be found for failure.
| Surface drainage is frequently secured by
use of beds raised above the level Of the
| ground. While this plan has disadvant-
ages. il is commended where no other
seems practicable. But really effective
drainage must be underground, and tile
drains are usually most economical. Where
| tile cannot be had, stone, or brush may be
placed in the bottom Of the ditch For
most soils the bitches should be three to
| four feet deep and about thirty feet apart
They should have plenty of fall and be
carefully leveled at the bottom. When the
ditch is ready to fill. sods, straw. or pa
per should be put over the tile or stones
to keep out the loose earth. ditch can
| be dug in most soils with a spade alone il
the digging is done SO as to leave one edge
of the spade free. This method of digging,
of course. gives an advantage also in spad-
ing hard soil for beds or other use
xx-;n
drains. This consists of breaking up the
soil two spades deep instead of one From
| the top spadeful of earth is thrown out
and then the subsoil to an equal depth is
cut but is not taken out and turned over.
1t is only lifted up little and allowed to
drop back into its place. This must be
done. however. in a way to break up the
earth thoroughly. Trenching needs to be
done only every two or three years. II is
especially useful when the subsoil Is very
hard or comes near the surface Thorough
| subsoil plowing renders trenching unneces-
sary.
The ground is made ready for planting
by plowing. narrowing, rolling, and fer
tilizing. Spading may be done for a small
garden or where special preparation is re-
Quired for a limited space. The rake is
usually employed in finishing of the beds
The soil should be broken fine as deep as
the plant roots may be expected to go.
This is from fifteen to twenty inches The
earth is left fine, loose, and mellow far
down, SO the tender roots may grow
through it freely. 1t then holds moisture
and lies close to the roots, SO as to supply
them readily with food.
The time for the first planting In any To-
cality is only known by experience, il
early vegetables in the open air are sought.
The blooming of the peach is assigned as a
time for seeds that will germinate in a
cold soil and resist slight frost. Among
these are peas. spinach. and onion. When
the oak leaf breaks from its bud is sug-
gested for beets, turnips, corn, and toma-
to. Seeds that thrive only in warmer soil,
as beans. cucumber, canteloupe watermel-
on, squash, and okra, may be planted when
the blackberry is in blossom. The plant
ing must be made, Of course, with due
consideration of the date when the vegeta-
BILE is expected to be ready for use, and il
a continuous supply is desired through the
season several paintings at different dates
must be made. These are known as sue
cessful paintings The garden should be
planted, when 1t is practicable, SO as to
allow cultivation by blowing. Where this
cannot well be done. wheel tools will be
found a great advantage. Usually there
must be some hand wedding. but it should
be reduced to a minimum. For this reason
the rows should be long and continuous.
| CITY BREvIrIEs.
An alarm OF FIRE turned in from box 216 by