The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-03-15
Making the Garden Pay.
Editors Progressive Farmer :

Ill NSoAO " oAC oCAAS - S~AOOA HAOAOoO4H
we will say we want our garden patch turned
early with a turn pillow; not too deep, but very
coarse. This will have a tendency to destroy
worms and insects. Being broken coarse, there
will be a continual crumbling or refining pro-
cess going on all the time during cold weather
and the soil will not become packed by the heavy
rains.
Time for planting varies with different localities.
Uplands should have a heavy dressing of barn
yard manure which has been finely chopped. It
may then be broken close and deep with a bull
tongue pillow to the depth of fifteen inches; then
harrow and reharrow until it looks like a seed
bed all over. Never stir the garden if it be the
least bit too wet, for you will do more harm
than good. 1t will take your garden years to get
over working it when wet.
We now have our soil and manure all in good
shape and ready for laying off rows. A very
liberal amount of commercial fertilizer may be
used in a drill, being scattered in the furrow
and followed with a small pillow to mix with soil,
or scattered in furrOW and on both sides of fur
row; either way will do. But it must be of a quick
acting nature for early maturing crops. If new
or bought seed are to be used, we will look at the
directions On packages, and SOW as near with dl-
directions as we think best.
A few rows of early garden peas, such as
Woods Lightning Excelsior or Alaska; also a few
rows of Adams early corn to meet the demand tor
EARLY roasting ears, which are rellshed by all.
Do not plant too sparingly. Plant a few rows
ABOUT VICE each week, COMMENCING 0d11J, duu IL
the first is killed only a few days later, there
will be another stand, hence a sure crop.
Seed some Irish potatoes and onions among
your first planting. Would suggest for Irish pota-
toes a fertilizer rich in potash. Lay off rows two
or three feet wide; scatter fertilizer as just sug-
gested. Lap two burrows over the first; then
reopen furrow, drop potatoes ten or twelve inches
apart with one or two eyes. Most of us like to
have a few onions for early use. which we make
a part of the garden.
There is much difference of opinion as to the
best way to raise the onions. They are very pro-
ductive on a rich soil not too muddy.
Early cabbage, such as the Early York or Jer-
sey Wakefield, make the surest crop, as late ones
are liable to sun scald and decay. It is claimed
by some that there is not any danger in blowing
the cabbage too deep nor getting your land too
rich. 1t is the king of garden plants in this
part of North Carolina. The need of the cabbage
is nitrogen and phosphoric acid. Distance should
be governed by size of cabbage. A simple and
cheap way for early plants may be had by con-
s%tructing a box twelve or eighteen inches wide,
three or four feet long, four inches deep, fitting
same with rich earth. Seed may then be sown
and watered at times and kept in sunshine when
not too cold. A slight freeze will not hurt
them. When there is any danger of the matured
heads being winter killed, the stalks may be turn
ed down where they stand. Cover head with
pine bark or straw; then lay three or four inches
of dirt on straw and leave unmolested until it
is to be carried to the dinner pot. We also like
to put some snap beans in the garden for early
use, and to have close to the house in case of a
hurried meal. Distance for the bean, too, must
be governed by the variety. Rows may be about
three feet apart, some dropped thicker and some
thinner, with a heavy dose of fertilizer, ranging
from two to four hundred pounds per acre. Some
times the beetle or bugs will sap the life out of
the bean if some preventative is not used, finely
powdered tobacco dust being the simplest and
cheapest we know of.
The foregoing are the most important crops
for the garden in our estimation and should be
very often; if dry weather sets in, the
oftener the better, but not deep. Of course the
women folks must have a few rows of beets and
radlshes: As my letter is getting too long. I will