El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-06

for use and a liberal application OF
this will greatly increase the product-
ivity Of the soil
Commercial Fertilizers.
Commercial fedtilizers may be used
to good advantage in most soils, They
are especially valuable for the sandy
soils. No definite rule can be given
for the kind or quantity of fertilizer
to be applied, as this varies with the
crop and with the soil A safe plan
is to use a good, high grade, complete
fertilizer, one that contains about four
percent nitrogen, eight percent of
phosphorus, and ten per cent OF
potash; and apply at the rate of three
or four pounds per 100 square feet
Crops used for salads and greens re
quire especially nitrogen and potash,
while those grown for their seed or
seed pods use more phosphorus
Preparing the Soil.
Having given the plot a heavy ap-
puCattOn Of manure. turn 1t under Dy
spading or forBinc over the soil to the
depth of eight on ten, inches. Pulver-
ize all clods whom spading and smooth
down the surface with a rake the
same day the soil is turned, Care
must be taken not to spade the plot
when too wet. II the soil is worked
when too wet it puddles and becomes
hard to work and unproductive This
does not mean that the land must be
left 70 dry out or worked late. Pre-
pare your plot early and prepare II
well, but do not work the soil i'm
mediately after heavy rains.
What to Plant.
Definite instruction as to what TO
plant canot be given to all alike. Condi-
tions and circumstances will largely
determine this. in the city garden
and whenever the space for the garden
is small, paintings must usually be
limited to those vegetables which pro-
Of cd
for the space occupied. If the garden
err expects to dispose Of the bulk OF
his produce, the market demands
must be taken into consideration when
making up the planting list. II the
garden is to supply food for the family
table, the likes and dislikes Of the
family should be taken into cOnsidera-
ton. A study Of these things and Of
the planting table may aid the contest
ant in deciding upon what to plant
Buying ana Testing The Seed.
Even before it is time to plant the
earliest spring vegetables the stock
Of garden seed should be bought and
Eerminition test made of them. This
test viii enable the gardener to detect
poor seed and thus avoid bad stand,
and the loss of much time in replanting
not to mention the fact that his crop
will be later and poorer, probably. as
a result Of poor seed. The germina-
ton test is very simple and easily
lnauH. OnG OF the easiest IuGLnOGS OF
testing the seed is to fill a soap box
with about three inches of sand, mark
1t of into three inches squares and
plant ten or twenty seed of each kind
in a square Place the box in the liv-
ing room or other warm place where
the temperature is just about the
same as that Of spring time out Of doors
and keep the sand moist. Should the test
show that certain kinds of seed germ
mate poorly allowance should he ]
made for this Joy planting an extra I
amount. Very poor seed should not
be planted at all. Tt is a waste of
time. Always purchase and use the :
best seed to be obtained.
Seed Boxes and HOfbeds.
1t viii be possible to steal a march on /
the weather man if certain kinds of
vegetables are started in the |
hotbeds or seedboXes where they can
be protected from injury by late |
frosts- This is particularly desirable |
with the members Of the cabbage fam |
lily, tomatoes, peppers, egg plant, head /
lettuce. onions, etc. Another advantage
Of the hotbed and seed box is the saving
Of time as well as garden space. BY /
starting the plants here while another /
crop is growing or maturing in the |
garden, and then transplantiuE them /
10 the garden as soon as the other /
crop is removed, the required time for /
the growth of the crop may be short |
sned from four to six weeks. Every /
farmer should have a hotbed. Their