The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1903-06-10
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE. ]

There are many people VINO take
no interest in gardening, and who
never think of working in garden.
There are others who, having a gar
den patch, plant it every year, but
they do the work in a listless, per-
functory way, with 40 thought OF
Improvement in their methods, and
no pleasure is derived, To one who
has the necessary time to bestoW
aud is not afraid of the expenditure
of a little muscle, gardening on a
small scale is pleasant, profitable
and instructive. At this season OF
the year the human system is bene-
fitted by vegetable acidity, and the
vegeta bIes themselves are much
more wholesome and agreeable to
the taste when taken fresh from
your own garden than when pur
chased at a market place. The
work of gardening is highly bene-
| fetal as an exercise to one whose
occupation is sedentary, and if he
has a superiority of blubber there
is no better blubber reducer than
good, vigorous work with hoe and
spade. Again there are few pref
tier things in the line OF plants or
shrubs than a garden where the
rows are straight and where the
different varieties are SO arranged
as to produce harmonious combi-
nation of colors. There is also an
opportunity for one who is interest
ed in plant culture to interest him
self by experimenting with the diff
erent varieties of products. And
last but not least, good productive
garden, especially in the cities,
saves the expenditure of many a
dollar. Taking all these things to-
gether it might be said that man
is unfortunate who takes no inter
est in gardening, and he is still
more unfortunate if he does take an
interest and has no opportunity tc
crafty it.
In order to be practical and per.
haps instructive, at least to a few,
I am going to give, briefly, some Of
my experience in gardening.
purchased a place in a suburb of ST.
Paul which is noted for it's pictur
esque topography. On the rear O.
the lot good sized hill had been re
moved, leaving so little soil thai
even a weed would not grow.
= had never had any valuable expert
ence in gardening. I knew in {
general way that vegetables grew
J from seeds placed in the ground
: generally in the spring, and tina
was about all. But the exercise in
cidental to running a small garder
was needed, and there was desire
to ascertain the truth or falsity O
d the stories that vegetables fresl
from ones own garden, the produc
t of his own perspiration- producing
toll, were engulfed with a greater
relish than the stale stuff from th,
= city market which is paved owe
again and again by hands that hav'
scarcely been clean since the wash
ing given them by nurse at birth
A one wheeled automobile wa
: purchased and enough black dir
wheeled from a low place a bloc
away to make beginning. Tha
II year fair crop of the commones
j. vegetables was raised, though tn
ot work was done instinctively rattle
than scientifically or methodically
= Next year more dirt was wheeled
the soil we'll fortified, and more at
: tention given to methods as we'll a
to variety and quality of seeds
This brought much better results
I, and from that time forward rea1
live interest was taken in the work
The experiment had already show
that even a small garden, we'll har
i, died, was good thingaEfrom an
| standpoint. began to visit tn
i garden at the state experiment.
! farm, near by, also some OF the bes
/ market gardens about the twi
= cities. also read3 everything
could find which streatedI upon th
h ~ <.o,Io,,;n 4alo