The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1905-10-14
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE WINTER GARDEN.
Preparations should BE Pushed Fer
Securing the Winter supply
of Fresh Vegetables.

One of the most important winter
crops is spinach. We usually SOW 1t
in the carly part of September, and
then make another sowing about the
first of October, as this sowing will
usually just set enough Of winter, and
will be better for spring use than that
sown earlier.
We try to have large plot of spin
ach, for all that We can not use at
home finds ready sale. To make a
ton Of spinach fertilizer we mix 900
pounds OF acid phosphate, 800 pounds
of cotton-seed meal and 200 pounds
of muriate of potash. We use this at
the rate of ab)at coo rounds per eofe
on strong garden land. Our standard
mixture for truck crops is 900 pounds
of acid phosphate, 700 pounds of cot
ton-seed meal and 400 pounds of muri-
ate of potash, but leafy plants like
cabbages, spinach, etc, need a ferti-
lizer high in ammonia, and hence for
these we change the proportions. The
only winter crop of leafy nature to
which We apply the last-named mixture
Is lettuce, but Of late We have varied
this, and make ii 500 pounds of acid
phosphate, 800 pounds of dried blood
and 400 pounds of muriate of potash.
This is the result of many years of
experimenting in the growing of lettuce
in frames in winter. We found that
cotton-seed meal encouraged the
growth of the damping-off fungus in
the frames and We got higher per-
centage of ammonia with the dried
blood.
The winter lettuce cop is now the
most important one grown by market
gardeneds in the South Atlantic states
Most of our growers use cotton cloth
on their frames, and some have es-
tablished expensive steam plants and
run steam pipes through the frames.
While cloth is cheaper at the start
than glass, The glass .. in the Ions run,
cheaper, and no steam heat is needed
IL one has straw or burlap mats to
cover the glass on extreme cold nights.
use mats made six feet square, made
of burlap with waste wool quilted be-
tween. These are only used IL the
most severe weather, and mats that
have been in use four winters look
still as good as new. By their aid
keep frost out entirely, and do not
need the great expense of steam. With
cloth the grower is at times obliged to
keep the cover on sevral days, and the
plants suffer from lack of sunshine,
while the glass admits the sunshine,
and they grow sturdy and strong.
I have found that the best winter
lettuce demands a liberal amount OF
well-rotted horse-stable manure to be
used in addition to the fertilizer, for
we have found that the best lettuce can
not be grown with manure alone nor
with fertilizer alone. 1t is chiefly the
moisture retaining nature of the rotted
manure that aids in the solution OF the
fertilizers used.
We make our first sowing of lettuce
the last of August, and then another
late in September, and third sowing
is made in one of the frames after the
first crop of lettuce has been cut II
January. The August sowing can usu'
ally be headed in November without
the help of the frames. The second
sowing is set in the frames the las
of October, ard is cut during the win
ter, when plants from the same SOW
iIg that have been left in the opel
ground are used for replanting, and
mart of one frame. as we have said, Il
used for sowing seed. The plant
from this sowing are for setting in IN
omen ground the first of March for tn
last spring crop. We formerly use'
the Big Boston lettuce almost exclu
siyely. But while this is good for tn
winter crop. it has the bad fault
bolting to seed at the first breath
warm weather in the spring; then, toe
we have found that for the winter crol
the California Cream Butter lettuce !
MS good as the Big Boston. is less sub
ject to rot. and having smaller on
side spread of leaves can be plante
closed in the frames
Last Spring we tried the Giant Crys
tal Head. and the New Unrivaled, an
will use these two for the winter GRO
this winter. For the spring crop or 10
wintering outside for replanting ID
frames there is no lettuce that ca
surpass the Wonderful. 1t makes
very large and solid head, and is ps
culiarly crisp, and being one OF tn
hardest of lettuces. 1t is easy to winte
over outside even for the outside sprin
planting. Those who are growing lie
tuce for winter should always have a
abundant water supply. for 1t is ofte
essential to :rrigaIe the beds in on
dry fall weather to get the seed
terminate. and when glass is used
is equally important to have a suppl
for watering the frames so as Eot
be dependent on the rainfall
Another winter crop in which
take 2 lively interest is the wint'
radish crop. For this crop we use u
Rose Colored and the White Chimes
This Is heavily fortified with II
aforementioned mixture OF 81, an
four parts of acid phosphate, eottol
seed meal and potash al rate OF l,o'
pounds per acre, and the seed is SOW
in rows one foot apart, in Septembe