The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-02-19
CHINESE IN GARDEN
Methods Which Have Brought
Large Financial Returns.
Two Crops a Year of First Quality
Tubers--Has Abiding Faith in Hot
and Cold Water-How He
Raises Potatoes.

A Chinese market gardener of our
town who has grown rich at his busl-
ness has some very unique methods
but which are WORTH copying, for MS
gardens, both artistically and financial
ly, are a great success, writes M. F.
RittenhGuse in the Rochester Herald.
EIe saves his squash and pumpkin
seeds for the next years planting by
the simple process of keeping the
squash or pumpkin that especially
strikes his fancy in a cool, dry place
until the next planting season. Then
he plants them with pieces of the
pulp adhering, and they appear above
ground with mushroom like promt-
ness.
His muskmelon seeds he ties up in
a bag of coarse burlap and covers this
loosely with rich soil, allowing the
seeds to sprout before planting them.
He also preserves his cucumber
seeds in the cucumber, which he coats
carefully with paraffin as soon as
pulled from the vine.
When he irrigates his potatoes (and
he raises two crops on the same land
each year, he waters long and deeply;
and his potatoes never grow near
enough to the surface to get sun
burned, as do those of the inexperl-
enced gardeners who lightly sprinkle
the surface Of their potato patch as
scantily and often as they sprinkle
their lettuce beds.
There is no question as to the SUI
periority in size and quality of the
deep grown potato over those grown
close to the surface.
His beet seed are soaked in water
for at least forty-eight hours before
planting. He sets them to soak in
warm water and during the daytime
keeps the vessel containing them as
much in the sunshine as possible.
have never yet seen him throw
away young plant of any description.
He merely transplants them, and l do
not believe it an exaggeration to say
that nine-tenths of the plants survive
and flourish, for he is surely past
master in the art-for it is an art-of
transplanting.
For example, when his lettuce plants
grow to about the height of two inch
es. he thins out the bed, and, clipping
off about an inch of the root tip of
each plant he pulls up, he replants in
long rows, and the transplanted let
tuce makes more rapid and larger
growth than the plants which he has
left undisturbed.
The replanted Cor rather transplant
ed lettuce, with it's clipped roots,
grows to such enormous heads that at
a short distance they remind one of
thrifty cabbage rows.
He never uproots the head lettuce
he markets. Instead he leaves the
stalks in the ground and assiduously
waters and cultivates them, whereup-
on they produce another head in about
half the time required for the first
head to reach marketable size.
His beet plants are transplanted
with clipped roots in precisely the
same manner as the lettuce.
His onions, which are invariably
started from the seed Che refuses to
use sets), are transplanted after hav-
ing their roots clipped and grow to be
larger in circumference than the or
binary saucer.
He also beheads his cabbage, leav-
ing the stalk to grow. He cuts slight
hicks or gashes in the growing stalk,
which. watered and tended, produces
second growth that are in appearance
fair limitations of brussels sprouts and
quite as good to eat.
His faith in the forcing powers of
warm water is sublime. / have known
him to heat water for his radishes in
the chill days of spring, testing its
temperature as carefully as if prepar-
ing a baby's bath.
He is equally expert in roofing rose
cuttings. This he does during the en-
tire year, but he considers August the
most suspicious month, though | doubt
If he could give reason for thinking
so.
For his cuttings he ties bits of Irvine
tightly about the branches just below
where they form "Y" with smaller
branch growing from them. He allows
this Irvine to remain below the joint
for three weeks, then removes the cut
ting by severing it just below the
twine.
He plants his cuttings by thrusting
his spade once deep in the soil. He
then slips the cutting in the opening.
draws out the spade, presses the earth
down firmly and the cutting is planted.
He plants his grapevine cuttings in
the same way.
Usinq Their Old Stamps.