The Yale expositor., 1913-04-17
Interesting Pointers on Garden
ing for the City Man o.
Suburbanite.
WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN
Ad.ce by an Expert on Agricultural
Matters-Proper Care of the Gar
den--Notes on Horses-Mi1-
summer Paintings.
BY PROF. JOHN WILLARD aoLrE

With proper soil treatment, the
average garden viii produce a half
more than 1t now does.
Most amateur gardeners have Meth
er the time nor the inclination TO mas
ter the fundamental principles of gar
dening. as it involves 100 much re-
search work and the unavoidable study
OF lot Of unimportent matter. IN or
der 10 set to tho important facts. For
this reason this series Of articles IL
designed TO present actual concrete
facts regarding this and allied lines
and they win be presented in such Q
way as TO be Immediately applicable
to tho everyday problems Of any OF
our readers who MAJ be Interested.
The garden plot SHOULD be wolf
drained and e must NOT be shaded 20
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 1t. al soil is composed Of a
mineral rocky body. usually clay or
sand, and q 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-
ton 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 COR the liberia
ton Of the potash and phosphorus, al
though frost action is more potent
than bacterial action here. The neces-
Eary phosphorus and potash are dc
rived from the mineral element of the
soil. and ell 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 or
In the little green cells which give
color 20 the leaves These cells, called
chlo-opbyii cells for short, will work
only with the help CT the sunlight II ,
shaded too much they lose tnoir color,
80 irto decline and the plant die..
Again let us state that @ coed gar
den must be cCnr- and we'll drained, !
and now you know why.
The naXt 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
Of years.
Why. then. do such soils peter cut !
and fail 70 produce good crops after a
while? Usually because the clements
and the bacteria cannot decomposo !
The soil fast enough TO get the plant
foods into such shape that the plants
can take these foods up and use them
Il 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 cut first, usually,
md 1t is most easily renewed by US
ing stable manure. This will also help
by releasing other elements and 10 ell
most gardens ever need The need
s shown by low growth and pale col
Or in the plants. II helps to loosen
he heavy soil, gives light soil body
and water holding capacity, prevents
surface washing and introduces vast
Quantities of beneficial bacteria Phos-
)horus is secured in the form OF bone
neal or mineral phosphate and pot
lsh comes in various commercial fer
ilizers.