Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-17
THE GARDEN PATCHES
Four Hundred Dollar Crop Raised
 on a Quarter Acre.
Vegetables of Various Kinds Pro- duced from Small Flats of Ground Amidst the Busy
 Metropolis.

| Metropolis.
 Hundreds of acres of vacant land l under the control of the bureau o1 charities have been aPportioned to | families who will make kitchen gar | dens on them. Families are general l ly given quarter-acre plat. The expense of blowing and seeding is borne by the county. An expert gar | dener has been employed to advise | those who have secured garden patches, says the Chicago Tribune. 1 What can family raise on an acre of land?
 An acre of land consists of about 40,0O0 square feet of usable land for cultlvating purposes, deducting the 3,560 square feet for fences, paths, ditches, etc.; therefore, the usable area would be 200 feet square, or about one-half of 300 foot block 15o feet deep. An acre of land plant ed in vegetables, such as radishes, carrots, lettuce, celery, cabbage and caulifower, brings surprising crop results.
 Experienced Chicago farmers say that they plant radishes in rows about six inches apart, which would make 400 rows 200 feet long, and each lineal foot containing about rad- ishes. Thus, the total average of rad ishes would be 72O,000. These rad ishes, tied up in punches containing about Is radishes in bunch, are sold for say cent bunch, and | vun111d
 The farmers say that they plant carrots in rows about six inches apart and about eight carrots in a lineal foot, the number of carrots raised in one crop being about 64O,- 900 to an acre. These, in punches of 14 carrots, are sold for a cent g bunch, being about $427 to an acre.
 The same authority asserts that head lettuce should be planted about ten inches apart each way, thereby making 24O rows and 24O heads oa let tuce in each row, altogether making about 57.6Oo. heads of lettuce. Let tuce is sold in boxes, each containing 20 heads; thus there would be about 2,S80 boxes of lettuce. Sold at 40 cents per box, this would make sell ing value of about $1,1528an acre.
 Cabbages ought to be planted about IS inches apart each way, which would make 133 rows, each row containing little more than 133 cabbages, making total average of about 17,6S9 heads of cabbage. Cab bage is sold at five cents head. Thus an acre of cabbage would sell for aboutE$ss4.
 Potatoes sweet corn, tomatoes and green beans are much less profitable crops than cabbage, but, we'll man. aged, make good returns Skilled farmers say that caulifower may be planted .aboptu15 inches, apart each way, making 16os rows each contain ing 160, heads,Ithe, total average being about 25,6O6 heads of eaulifiewer to an acre. They also state that the early crop is sold for 10 cents head At this price an acre of caulifower would bring the astonishing total of $2,500 to the acre.
 The farmers cultivate celery be- tween the rows of cabbage and by the time it is ready to be bleached the cabbage is out of the way, and the field cleared of the cabbage leaves, which are used for fertiliza- t1on the next year. If cultivated be- tween the rows of cabbage the rows of celery would be the same distance apart as the cabbage. The stocks of celery are cultivated about three inches apart. There being about 800 stocks of celery in one row, and in 133 rows there would be 1o6, 400 stocks. This, put up in punches con- taining 12 stocks, would make 8,ae6 punches, sold at 25 cents a bunch would bring $2,216.50, allowing $21e.5o or the waste and the outside row,
 hich, if the celery was planted be- ween the rows of cabbage, would be lacking, would leave $2,00o an acre for celery.
 The total product of one acre of land, if the vegetables mentioned above be skillfully cultivated and marketed, would be about $1,5oo. A quarter-acre would thus be capable of producing vegetables worth at whole sale nearly S4oo; at the price which consumers pay the value of a quar- ter-acre crop under favorable condi- tions of raising would be perhaps $500. Thus those who have got a quarter acre are not without pros pect of good result if they are in- dustrious and skillful. It must be remembered that the vegeta b1es get cheaper as the season advances and that the first crop brings the high est figures. It must also be remem- bered that success depends largely on the care of the gardener.
 
 FOREIGN ECHOES.