The Holly chieftain., 1909-02-05
HORTICULTURE
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HAVE A GOOD GARDEN.
II Will Pay Both from Health and
Money Standpoint.

What we eat is about half our living
expenses, and what can be grown in
the home garden may make up large
share of what we eat. 1t is simply
surprising to find how many and how
much good things can be grown in the
garden with good soil, good plants and
good cultivation.
remember one year my mother
counted up the value of our garden
products and found it to be about $125
on an eighth of an acre. That is at
tho rate of $1,000 per acre for single
season, but it is possible in almost
any place with right fertilization and
cultivation.
Many vegetables should be grown in
the garden for both summer and win
ter use. We need "a green vegetable
diet in winter just as much as in sum.
mer and people in general would be
more healthy II they would eat more
green food during cold months.
Right now in winter farmers with
the very best conditions for good gar
dens are buying cabbage and onions
from the stores when they could have
grown them. with only a little labor.
Many others are doing without them
entirely: ! It seems that every farmer,
ought to grow all the vegetables for
the family needs each year. and for all
the year. and have some for, sale,
rather than be compelled to buy.
Many gardeners never have crop
of celery, egg plant, asparagus, horse
radish, parsnips, carrots and many
other wholesome vegetables, simply
because they think they are not able
to grow them. 1t is true that some
people seem to have more "luck' than
others with garden plants. However,
luck, in gardening, is simply the re.
suit of earnest and intelligent work.
The trouble with many people is that
they do not actually love, garden work
or any other work for that matter. will
never succeed at 1t. But the one who
loves plants and loves to grow them
can grow anything in the garden
liae.
A good gardener is always en-
thused with his work and in winter
reads the seed catalogues and dreams
of spring. When spring comes he is
ready for the work with full supply
Of seeds on hand. The poor gardener
must be driven into the garden and
the good gardener can't be driven out
of it. That makes the difference.
Some people go south for winter
gardening, but winter gardening can
also be done in the north. The soil
can be fertilized, plans laid out, seeds
selected and purchased, hot bed Suilt
and started and everything got in read
kess for the seasons planting Be-
side, there are always perennial vege-
tables-rhubarb, asparagus, horserad-
ish-which under the mulch are dor
mant but full of life and ready to grow
with the first signs of coming mild
weather. Parsnips are left in the
ground till mid-winter and longer in
central latitudes and are not at their
best till after dozen or more good
freezings. and thawings in the garden
soil. They can be dug and used fresh
from the cold soil from January to
March. Horseradish is not at its best
till the latter part of February. Freez-
ing and thawing do not injure, but add
flavor to the pungent roots. The bed
of winter onions begin to show
shoots Of tender green up through the
straw or sawdust covering amid the
light freezes of early spring, leading
yhe long march Of less hardy yegeta-
0es that are to come