Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1910-06-24
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association

not done we'll rotted manure can be
scattered on the blowing in the spring
and disked in well. Where the ground
was not plowed in the fall the manure
should be applied before blowing in
the spring. There is no fertilizer so
good for the garden as well rotted sta
BILE manure. The average livery sta
BILE manure should be avoided, how
ever, as it is usually coarse and strawy
and full of weed seeds. Liberal
quantities should be used, as it is al
most impossible to make the garden
too rich.
Where manure cannot be obtained
commercial fertilizer with a guaran-
teed analysis of 10 per cent potash, 8
per cent phosphoric acid and per
cent nitrogen may be used instead.
One thousand pounds of this mixture
to the acre will be about right. 1t can
be scattered over the garden after
blowing and narrowed in, or the plan
of hill fertilization may be followed.
In this plan the fertilizer is mixed
! with the dirt in the bottom Of each
hill or furrOw Where this is done it
would be we'll to add a little nitrate of
soda for such plants as asparagus,
rhubarb and lettuce, as nitrogen pro-
notes leaf growth.
The garden should not be worked in
| the spring until the ground is thor
oughIy dry, as otherwise it will be
cloddy all summer. The blowing, disk
| ing and narrowing should be thorough
ly done. so that by planting time the
garden is in as fine a condition as it
can be made This thorough prepare
! ton will help warm the soil, and
warm soil means an early garden. If
! the soil of the garden is heavy and not
| naturally we'll drained it should be
thoroughly tiled.
The Hotbed and Cold Frame.
With many vegetables it is a great
| advantage to start the seed in hot
bed early in spring. Hotbeds are of
many kinds. The simplest is wooden
frame of any convenient size with the
| back side about eight inches higher
than the front. This can be covered
with a storm window or even with
frame covered muslin. The heat is
usually furnished by fermenting horse
manure. This should contain enough
straw so that it will be rather springy,
but not enough so that it will be too
loose The manure should be mois-
tened with warm water and piled up in
a conical pile after being mixed thor
Oughly. After it has started to fer
ment it should be mixed again. After
fermentation starts the second time
the manure can be spread out on the
south side Of some building in pile
| about two feet thick and two or three
feet larger each way than the hotbed
| frame. The frame should then be set
on the manure and about six inches of
dirt placed in it. - i
| A necessary adjunct to the hotbed is
the cold frame. This is made the
same as the hotbed, with the exception
that no manure is used and no heat
provided Plants grown in the hot
bed are very tender and are likely to
perish if removed Immediately to the
garden; consequently the plan OF
hardening off, is followed. After the
plants get a good start they are &C:
customed to outside conditions by
leaving the cover up longer time
each day. After few days Of this
treatment they are transplanted to
some extent, especially at night, while
they are gradually hardened by leav-
ing the cover of as much as possible.
.-- Planting. ..
As soon as the garden is in shape for
planting seeds of the harder vegeta-
bles should be put in. In this class
will come lettuce. radishes and early
potatoes A little later the early cab
bage plants can be set out and the
onion seeds planted. Then come the
early peas and beans, carrots, parsnips,
beets and other like crops. Crops that
are sensitive to frost, such as melons.
cucumbers, squashes, tomatoes and
eggplants, should not be planted until
all danger Of frost is past. Late p0ta-
toes and sweet corn should be planted
about the same time. In order to ex-
tend the season Of crops like peas and
sweet corn fresh paintings should be
made at intervals of about week and
a half up to the latter part Of June.
To secure early vegetables early varie-
ties must be used for the first plant
ings. but the bulk Of the planting had
better be done with late varieties, as
they are better yielders and are usual
~ of better quality. r. =
E.. In planting the garden a string and
! a couple of stakes should be used to
; insure straight rows. The aim should
be to put the seeds in just deep enough
10 get them in contact with moist soil.
Small seeds especially should not be
planted deeply. Potatoes. which are
not really seeds. should be planted
deeply enough to make killing unnec-
essary. After the seeds are planted
the soil above the rows should be
compacted. A light garden roller is
handy for this purpose. A loose mulch
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