The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-02-24
THE FARM GARDEN, I

Everyone enjoys diet OF nice fresh
vegetables or garden sass as our dear
old .grandmas used to call it, though
compared with what we have nowadays
/ or what we might have if we would,
| Itheir zlistAof varieties was a very short
one. @
Any farmer may have good supply
| of all garden truck, if he will and Of
Icourse he ought to have it for the bere-
Lift of both his health and his pocket.
Ibook. No crop can be raised that pays
any better if rightly started and prop
lerly cared for. 5slas
But what is the true history of the
average farm garden? John IS too busy
with his seeding to think Of such small
Ithing. But after a whole lot of persist
ent coaxifg, Mary gets him to pillow a
I.small patch, whiles she takes the odd
Ihorse and the old buggy and goes to-
1.-THE village store for seeds, unless John
has traded the crown of his manhood
Ibis Vote--for some with his member
lof congress. @ S
Now both of flthese kinds of seeds are
about as worthless as a last years bird $,
lnest or rotten egg. But poor Mary
| soWs them with that hope which springs
leternal in every human heart. digging
lthen in among the hard clods whence,
I.every trace Of moisture has departed
IWhile John was busy seeding that quar-
i ter of wheat, Then come days, weeks
and months OF watching for that which
|never comes, and Mary pretty. nearly
Icries while looking at her blistered
fhands, while John tries to cheer her
and keep back the unprintable words
THAT fill his mind. Or possibly, this.
Hope deferred that rnaketh the heart
sick, starts words of fault finding that.
strain or break the love and peace of
years. And the weeds grow and grow,
mot only IN what was to have been the.
garden, but II n two human hearts as,
Long before the frost IS out, MARY
should send a few postal cards to some
| OF the nearest and most reliable seed,
houses that advertise in the farm pa
lpers, for of course they take one or
more. and The Dakota Farmer surely.
IsWhen the, catalogues come, ais they
Twill, they both should make out good
Iorder to the nearest and best scotsman
/ just what they want of the very best
|seeds, and send it right off before the
rush. And unless YOU have garden
drill or your neighbor has one you can.
borrow, send for drill, too !; John has
his drill and Mary should have one
too Then unless the ground was plow-
I ed in the fall, which is by far the best,
|ploW deep as early as possible, and disc
and harrow, and harrow and disc, until
YOU get the sub-surface so solid that
your horse will not wallow in it, but
will only make shallow tracks ia the
fine dirt on the surface.
That extra good gardens can be rais-
led in Dakota has been often proven in
|nearly every locality. The essential
|requisites are good seed sowu early.
with cultivation both before and after
sowing as will tend to save all moisture,
tovwit Deep plowing and solid pack
ing OF the lower part Of the furrow,
with mulch OF solft fine earth or dust.
about two inches deep .oi, the surface.
The very best plan is to have two gar
deIls. Summer plow and thoroughly
[cultivate No. to prepare it for next
years crop, thus virtually doubling the
available moisture and plant food III
the soil Then when you plant N /,
prepare No. 2 and so on: This is not
only correct theory but well proven
fact Seeds that have been honestly
tested by an honest dealer are the best.
but no really honest dealer will war:
|rant his seeds to grow under any and
every condition. Store seeds often sold
very cheap are the worst. They are sold
on commission, the wholesale seed house
taking back all unsold seeds. possibly
to send them again next year and So on
indefinitely.
OF course, and from three to three
and one-half feet apart, and where small
seeds are sown set few small stakes
lin the line Of the row so light ctllti-3
vator can be rsin over the ground be-
fore the plants are up enough to show
plainly. BY this plan all weeds can BE-
killed jtst before they come up, which
IS BY far the easiest time to do il, and
(which should be done all through the
season Never let the weed get rp So
as to show green above the ground.
Choice varieties Of beans, peas and
sweet corn may well be kept for seed
from year to year. but the seeds of all
roots and vegetables, except potatoes,
are best bought fresh of reliable deal
er every year When any manure Is
FUSED. ploW il under on The off year
when the land IS idle and Use only that
which IS well rotted and free from weed
seeds. KS