Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-06-27
BACK YARD FARMER
Interesting Pointers on Garden
ing for the City Man or
Suburbanite.
WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN
Advice by an Expert on Agricultural
Matters-A Back Yard Orchard
Tools for the Garden-coId
Frame for Fall.
BY PROF. JOHN WILLARD RoLTE.

BY PROF. JOHN WILLARD BoLTE.
Why not have an orchard of your
own? Why spend your leisure mo
ments for the next few weeks, day
dreaming of pink and white blooms,
and sun kissed peaches, too ripe and
luscious to ship, and just good enough
for city visitors to eat and eat until
their teeth are on edge.
Let us see what we can do by way
of an orchard in that back lot of yours.
There is hardly a back yard in this
whole town that would not grow fruit
OF some kind if handled in the right
way. The main thing is to have the
desire to grow it and then to find out
that highly essential thing, the right
way.
OF course, what you grow is a mat
ter of choice, as there are several
kinds of fruit for every set of condi-
tions.
II your space is very small, but is
well exposed to the sun, you can GER
tainly grow currants and most of the
bush berries nicely. Besides beautify-
ing your back yard, they will yield
you crop every year, and will furnish
you with an abundance of fresh fruit
and delicious jellies and preserves.
One nice thing about these low shrubs
Is that they require very little work,
they are inexpensive to plant, and
they grow well in practically any soil
and climate. They can be transplant
ed successfully at almost any time of
year, although the spring or fall are
preferable. They come into bearing
quickly and do not have of years as
do many of the tree fruits.
If you have rather rich, yet light
soil which warns up quickly in the
spring, a strawberry patch will give
you more keen pleasure and profit
than any other patch of ground on the
whole place. 1t should have the warm
est and dryest, sunny spot in the yard
April is the best month to set out a
strawberry bed in the north, and care
should be taken to secure plants from
some bed that was set out the previ-
ous spring. This bed will not have
begun to bear yet, and the plants will
be strong and insure you of healthy,
productive plants for your new bed.
1t is an excellent scheme to have
at least one row of grapes. They can
well be planted along the west or
south side of fence or house, and may
be trained to cover the entire fence.
When this is not possible, set up a
row of fence posts, string three
smooth wires between them, and tie
the young grape vines to the wires
in order to keep them off the ground.
Besides their edible virtues, grape
vines possess the highest decorative
qualities, and should be planted more
generally, If for this reason only. The
Concord is one of the best varieties
for Northern states, and if part of
them fail to ripen before frost, they
can be made into excellent pickles,
preserves or home made wine.
In the tree fruits, nothing is more
popular than the sour red cherry. 1t
is hardy, prolific, subject to few pests
and it makes the best pies in Ameri-
ca. All one has to do is to plant the
young tree and let nature take her
course. You will find the fruit great
treat.
Peaches, plums and apples can all
be grown successfully, and the last
two are almost Independent of eli
matte conditions, but peaches are not
so universally successful in the north.
Pears do excellently under proper
treatment, and magnificent pears can
be grown by following the English
fashion Of training a pear tree fiat
against the south side of brick wall,
where it receives the reflected as
well as the direct heat of the suns
rays.