The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-05-11
THE FARM GARDEN.
Unne1rnly to Have Large Variety
Some of the Important Vegetables.

time and labor as a good family garden.
Not only does it pay in dollars, but it
pays in comfort and pleasure. We do not
live simply to get money, but we strive
to get money that we may get more out
of life. Applying this principle to the
farm garden, it would pay us we'll even
though all we raised cost its full market
value. The enjoyment of the crops the
garden yields, each in its season, adds
much to the pleasure of living. l plead
guilty to liking for good living, and
bread and meat, even though it be
tenderloin, does not appeal to me very
strongly in hot weather. + want the
green peas (which, by the way, is one OF
the most nourishing of dishes) the string
beans, the sweet corn, etc., as well as
the berries in their season.
| have heard it said that the average
farmer does not have good garden be-
cause he does not have time to plant and
care for it. | have also heard 1t SAID
that it doesn't pay. The latter statement
| have proved an error by years OF gar.
den growing on the farm; as Tor lack OF
time, | have never known OF a farmer
who might not have had garden II he
has only wanted it. | am not advocating
the regulation half acre garden, as that
is altogether too much for an average
family supply. 1t will not usually be
found profitable to combine market gar
dening with general farming, hence, the
farm garden should be only large enough
to furnish the family. The man who has
never grown good supply OF garden
stuff for family use will be surprised to
learn how small plot of good ground IS
actually needed to produce all the prlncl-
pal garden crops in abundance tor
family of five or six persons,
On many farms much OF the cultlVat-
ing can be done with a horse ana the
slow work of hand hoeing be reduced to
a minimum.
The idea seems to be more or less
nrevalent that a garden calls for much
wedding. transplantirg, pruning, etc. In
noint of fact. there need be little trans
nlanting. and if few of the minor crops
are left out, not any is necessary in the
family garden. No making up OF beds
need ever be done, as it is better to have
A level surface and long rows, and the
peas don't even have to be brushed. We
used to get brush for the peas, but found
the labor too much for the returns and
now let them grow at will. We get as
good crops, sometimes l think better,
and the work is much less.
What should be grown in the farm
garden9 Not everything that a good
garden is capable Of growing, as that
would call for too much time at the busy
season, besides, some garden crops need
so much attention that it is not best to
trv to grow them unless the family mas
strong liking for them, IN winch case the
desire should be gratitied II possible
First come in the peas. DO you know
that four quarts of peas planted at dit
ferent times in a good garden soil VIII
furnish the average family good supply
of this best of all hot weather FOODS
Twenty-Five hills of bush beans and as
MANY more of pole, will furnish bushels
of beans if kept picked as they keep
blossoming and bearing for long time. /
Sweet corn is as easily grown as weeds, /
or anv farm crop; and the man who does
not furnish his family with month S
supply of this.toothsome and nourlshlng
dish has no good right to call himself
good farmer. ,...,
A row of cucumbers needs little care
after they outgrow the bugs, and they
have a dietary value that makes 1t worth
while to grow them. Add to these things
a row of beets for summer use and an
other row for winter, with such other
things as the family likes, not forgetting
a row of early potatoes, and you VIII
have a farmer garden that VIII be
credit to you and pleasure to your Wlte, /
who gets so tired of cooking the same
old rations day after day. All these
things are quickly and easily planted, re-
quire no transplanting, little thinning,
practically no hand wedding and little
hoeing. They are all as easily grown as
any field crop and are worth more m
money and threefold more IN health and
pleasure.
Personally, put in some of the small
err things, like onions, lettuce, radlsh,
celery etc, but these require more time
and some hand wedding; hence, the very
busy man need not feel obliged to have
them. | would not omit to mention the
pieplant, which is easily grown and comes
in at time when nothing else can well
take its place. The man who has done
hard days work in the field and then been
treated to quarter of rhubarb pie tor
supper will be willing to go out and weed
in the garden half an hour after milking
the COWS. And the boy will not be half
so anxious to get away from home, either
A good garden is strong string with
which to tie the young folks to the farm
and its benefits. You cannot afford to
neglect the garden, even if you do have
to sometimes work over hours for the
sake of having it. 1t adds so much to
the living in every way and gives so much
pleasure to the wife and children that it
should be the first consideration on every
farm.
There are two sides to this garde
problem, and neither is complete without
the other. Thus far l have written about
the vegetable garden, but the fruit gar
den is of nearly as much value and may
be as easily had.
First in importance, because most
easily grown, stands the blackberry.
Once we'll established, patch of these
will last for many years, and need only
to have the dead ones cut out and an an
nual coat of manure. This can be done
any time between early fall and late
spring, so the time does not count. A
small patch will yield an abundant sup
ply Next in ease of growing and amount
of crop comes the currant. These need
little care when we'll established, and
last for years. One or two dustings with
hellebore will prevent damage by the
currant worm.
Gooseberries, if you care for them.
These have some outs, but they do not
i oft