The Springfield herald., 1913-04-18
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-Proper Care Of the Gar
den-Notes on Horses-Mid-
summer Paintings.
BY PROF. JOHN WILLARD soLTE.

BY PROF. JOHN WILLARD BoLTE.
With proper soil treatment. the
average garden will produce a half
more than 1t now does,
Most amateur gardeners have neith-
er the time nor the inclination to mas
ter the fundamental principles of gar
dening, as 1t involves too much re-
search work and the unavoidable study
Of = lot of unimportant matter. in or
der to get to the important facts. For
this reason this series of articles is
designed to present actual concrete
facts regarding this and allied lines
and they will be presented In such a
way as to be Immediately applicable
to the everyday problems of any of
our readers who may be interested.
The garden plot should be we'll
drained and 1t must not be shaded to
any extent. Drainage takes away sur
face water rapidly and keeps the soil
water away from the surface. SO that
the roots can grow deep and the air
can enter the soil and aid in decom-
posing it. All soil is composed of a
mineral. rocky body. usually clay or
sand. and varying amount Of or
ganic matter, that is. decomposing
plant and animal remains.
The growing plant lives principally
on oxygen taken from the air. and nj
trogen, phosphorus and potash which
are taken from the soil. The nitrogen
is produced from the organic matter
in the soil and is liberated by the ac-
tion of bacteria, which rot this or
ganic matter. These bacteria cannot
work unless they get air. hence. the
necessity for drainage. The same
principle holds good for the liberia
ton of the potash and phosphorus, al
though frost action is more potent
than bacterial action here. The neces-
sary phosphorus and potash are de-
rived from the mineral element of the
soil, and all three of these soil foods
are sucked up into the plant through
the roots with the water. This water
is evaporated through the plants
leaves and the plant foods are retained
and digested in the leaves and stems.
This digestive process is carried on
in the little green cells which give
color to the leaves. These cells, called
only with the help of the sunlight. II
shaded too much they lose their color,
go into a decline and the plant dies.
Again let US state that good gar
den must be sunny and well drained,
and now you know why.
The next feature is fertility. AL
most all soil contains an immense
amount of plant food. Ordinary vir-
gin clays, mucks and loans contain
enough potash and phosphorus for
hundreds Of years.
Why, then, do such soils peter out
and fail to produce good crops after a
and the bacteria cannot decompose
the soil fast enough to get the plant
foods into such shape that the plants
can take these foods up and use them
1t also may happen that continuous
growing of the same crop will poison
the soil as far as that crop is con-
cerned
The nitrogen gives out first. usually.
and 1t is most easily renewed by u.s.
ing stable manure. This will also help
by releasing other elements and is all
most gardens ever need. The need
is shown by low growth and pale col
or in the plants. 1t helps to loosen
the heavy soil, gives light soil body
and water holding capacity, prevents
surface washing and introduces vast
quantities of beneficial bacteria Phos-
phorus is secured in the form Of bone
meal or mineral phosphate and pot
ash comes In various commercial fer
tilizers.