Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-05-03

not hard to see why any man objects
| to working garden when they arr
! laid out in this old-fashioned style
In such scheme every bit OF worl
has to be done by the worker getting
! down upon his knees and reaching
from one side Of the bed to the cen.
ter. Such plan makes work instead
OF getting away from it.
The proper method in laying out E
garden, Is to lay 1t out In rectangular,
fashion, having it much longer thar
wide. A very good proportion IL
three to four rods in width and six
teen or more rods In length. Or
many farms, the garden 50 laid ou'
is fenced, having the end portions O.
the fence removable. This allow.
the blowing to be done with team
/; Practically ali the preparation worl
may be so done. After the ground Il
thoroughly prepared, and everything
Is In readiness for seeding, the fences
may be set back by simply wiring tn.
ends OF the panels together, and per
haps driving few temporary stakes
The following points should b,
kept In mind in laying out the farm
garden. It should be so laid out a,
to economic on hand labor l.
should be located convenient to tn,
house. 1t should, be located conven
lent to the barn or driveway, from
barn to field. 1t should not be chang
ed from place to place, year after
year. fa
II the garden IS laid out as above
suggested. the blowing may be done
with team, and the surface may
then disked and narrowed with 4 q
team, and the cultivation may be
done with one horse or team
Probably the best practice ls to ffaI
plow the garden. 1t should have
dressing Of manure before 1t is fall
ploweG, and another light top dress
ing in the spring Just before 1t IL
worked up. This light top dressing
in the spring may be worked In with
the disk or cultivator and put In good
Shape When one wishes to put, IN
the earliest paintings, such rs radisn.
es, lettuce, onions, smooth peas
beets, carrots, early turnips, spinicn
and satisfy, he may use the disk OF
cultivator to work up the garden
plot. Early potatoes will also Be
planted at this time, instead Of stop
ping the work at the edge of the por.
ton to be planted, and one should
continue the cultivation over the
whole plot. A little later on, when
the machinery is brought in to work
up the portion that should be plant.
ed in the medium crops, the working
should again be continued on to the
further side of the plot. Some time
later the machinery will again be
brought in, and the last portion
worked up for the warm weather
crops. These three workings Of the
last part OF the garden make It =
much better place for the warm
weather crops. They have also
killed millions OF little weeds and
have helped the farmer to be fore.
handed in the garden work for the
whole season.
A word or two further may be
dropped here regarding the location
Of tho garden plot. 1t was mention
ed above that 1t should be handy to
the house and to the barn or drive
way. Being handy to the house
makes the crops which are grown
easily available to the housewife.
have seen gardens where the house
wife had to tramp across the farm to
Eet mess of lettuce for dinner. It
Is needless to say that such farm
went without garden vegetables upon
the table, even though 1t had good
supply Of them in the garden. II the
garden Is also handy to the driveway
from the barn to the fields, fraction.
al parts OF the day may be used by
the hired hand, or by the farmer, to
do the garden cultivating. 1t is
much easier to get such work done II
tho garden lies in such a position.
Cultivation Essential for Good Gar.
den.
Continuous shallow cultivation. IL
cess in garden work. Most gardens
suffer in the latter part of the sum-
NOR season for moisture, even though
there may have been plenty Of rain
earlier. Keeping mulch Of fine soil
over the surface Of the garden re-.
tains this carly moisture that 1t may
be available for the crop later on. The
surface Of the garden should never
be allowed to bake or dry out. The
wheel or the horse hoe or some
type Of harrow or cultivator, should
be run after every rain. The cultiva-
hon Is probably not 80 essential al
lar as weeds are concerned, as 1t is
10 cope with the problem cf a contin.
rous supply Of moisture.
Planting the Garden.
If the plot has been laid out a.
suggested. it is good plan to plan
early, small-growing crops along on
side If one does not want full rows
IF some of these crops, it Is an easy
matter to combine two or three into
one long row. For instance, all OF
he root crops require about the
same treatment and could be COM
Dined in rows. Beets, turnips, rad
shes, carrots and satisfy could con.
stitute one long row or more as de-
sired. Such an arrangement makes
Tor economy in labor when 1t comes
% cultivating and taking care of the
,rop. After sowing the rows with
Iery early stuff, there would be sew
sral rows Of medium crops, such as
Early potatoes, early cabbage, early
omatoes, onions, wrinkled peas, ear
sweetcorn, celery, etc. Farther
>ver in the plot would come the late