The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-21

poor moisture contact. Allowing a
freshly spaded bed to settle for a few
days before planting is often a good
thing. If rain intervenes so much the
better.
Locate the Garden.
The best place for the kitchen garden
is not far from the house Located near
the dwelling, the garden, with its va
riety of interesting plants growing I'M
der ideal conditions, affords q conven-
lent place for study and rest. 1t is al
ways refreshing to go into the well kept
garden in the morning or evening at
leisure moments just to watch the
plants grow. 1t becomes a good plant
testing object lesson for all members
Of the school or family. Children inn
bibe garden knowledge when they grow
up in immediate garden atmosphere. At
an early age they will acquire a love
for digging in the soil and planting seed
when they constantly see the work go
ing on in their presence. How to do
things is acquired by unconscious activ-
ity, and in older years the work be-
comes automatically accurate.
Where flowers are grown in the kitch-
en- garden. the garden should be located
near the dwelling so that the flowers
may be enjoyed by members of the
family and easily seen and appreciated
by passers-by. In such cases the flow
ers should be planted in spaces adjacent
to the dwelling and 20 the public road
or street, SO that their beauty will not
be hidden by less attractive plants.
Plan the Garden.
A good garden may be of any size or
shape, but one that is considerably
longer than wide can be taken care of
with the least labor. The rows should
run lengthwise, so that cultivation can
be done with horse or hand cultivator
with the least amount of turning at the
ends
Gardeners advise us TO draw a def
mite plan each spring and change it
every year, so as to provide for a rota-
ton. They say that vegetables of the
same sort or family should not follow
each other. except onions, which may
be grown for several years on the same
spot.
The distance between the rows will
vary with the size of the garden. as well
as with different vegetables. In small
village or city lots where the work
must be done by hand or with garden
cultivatoT. the rows should be clos
er than on the farm.
4 horse Cultivator is not practicable
in rows nearer together than twenty
four inches, nor can the hand cultivator
be used TO advantage where the rows
are closer than twelve inches.
Soaking Seed 10 Gain Time.
Time is saved in the termination of
seed if it is soaked before planting
This is often done with large seeds, but
with small ones is seldom practiced ex-
cept by market gardeners.
IL l.
much better for the treatment. Put
them in water that can be kept at a
temperature of s. to 90 degrees all day
then pour off the water and cover the
seed with a thick cloth and place them
where they viii be only a little below
100 degrees all night. Some -erS
plant them the next day, er
wait till the seed shows signs "a sprOut-
ing.
Market gardeners often plant a mix
ture of soaked and dry seed. in equal
quantities. They claim that this makes
a difference of several days in the ma
turity of the crop, thus practically Sc
curing two crops at one planting.
Making Hotbed.
Buy three OF four hotbed sash 3x5
feet. They are quite cheap and will
prove q good investment. Make a small
p1Q the SIZE 1aCEQtitlF Soy tWu ASEt Afti sci
each way than the sash measure, and
build it up two feet from the ground in
some sheltered locality, placing the
frame on top, made just large enough
to receive the sash. Put in about five
inches of good sandy loan, wait few
days for the heat to pass off, then
plant the seed and give a little care.
March 1 OF April l viii be a good
time to commence Put in a few early
radish and lettuce. Sow tomatoes, cab
bage. etc, for early setting in the field.
Leave a plant or two Of cucumber and
melon in the bed to give something
early.
Sometimes the ground is still frozen
when one is ready to dig the pit for
the hotbed. When this is the case,
place the frame in position with the
sash on IL over the spot where the
excavation is to be made. A sunny day
will usually thaw 1t an inch or two,
and the soft earth can be taken out at
night. The sun thaws a layer every
day. and soon the pit Is ready for the
heating material, often many days be-
fore the bed could otherwise be made
The Life in the Seed.
In some respects, seeds are among
the most wonderful things known. They
look dead and helpless, but have
marvellous and invisible mechanism
within, through which works the mys-
terious force of life.
Why one seed produces corn while
another produces beans: why the small
seed Of the elm should develop into q
large tree, while the large seed of the
gourd gives rise to only a short-lived,
weak-stemmed plant; why some orchids
with immense blossoms should bear
seeds that are dust-like in minute
ness, while the small flowers of the box
elder should produce seeds SO large:
why the oak should live thousands of
years, the mushroom only a day or
two; why the seed Of the coffee berry
should refuse to grow unless planted
Just as soon as il has ripened, and the
willow seed should retain it's vitality
for only a fortnight after il has ma
tured, while melons have been known
to terminate after being kept wrapped
in paper for thirty years-these are
facts that belong to the mysteries of ma
ture not yet explained by man.
Cases have been known in which very
small seeds have retained their vitality
for centuries; and DR.. Lindley raised
raspberTies from seeds found in Brit
ish Celtic mounds that were perhaps
1000 years old.
The oft-reported cases Of the great
vitality of the mummy wheat. how
ever, are without foundation: for the
grain of wheat being entirely uupro-
tected except by thin husk, loses all