The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-02-19
No Farm Complete
Without a Garden

- den. In fact, no farm can be
complete without well-managed gar
den. There Is no surer way to cut
down the high cost of living than to
nave all the vegetables the family
can consume. Growing vegetables for
nome use Is quite different from rails
ing vegetables on larger scale for
the market. Market gardening can
be carried on profitably only where
the soil and climate are favorable
and the transportation and market
ing facilities are accessible. In the
home garden the aim is to furnish
the family a supply of fresh, whole
some food all the year around and
add an attractive feature to farm liv-
ing.
1t has been shown that the farmer
gets a larger return from the time,
money and land devoted to a vege-
table garden than from any other
expenditure on the farm, provided it
is intelligently managed vege-
table garden is valuable, not merely
because 1t produces foodstuff worth
so much money, but also because it
furnishes at all seasons of the year
the fresh, green foods that are nee
essary for the best health and work.
ing efficiency. Meat, bread and mo-
lasses all the year round do not give
q balanced ration. The human sys-
TEN needs for its best development
the fresh foods with phosphate and
acid juices in them, just as the plant
needs phosphates. With a properly
planned garden and suitable berry
bushes, grape vines, nut and fruit
trees, all Of which take only an acre
or so, the farmer has half of his food
supply at very low cost, and has 1t
fresher and better than it could be
bought at any price.
Half Acre Enough.
For the average family half acre
will furnish an abundance of vege-
tables all the year. The garden should
be near the kitchen for convenience
In gathering the vegetables. A we'll
drained spot somewhat protected
from the high winds should be
chosen. The soil should be sandy
loan or a clay loan. Coarse sand
or heavy clay makes poor garden.
II such must be used, the character
should be improved at once by the
addition of manure. green manure,
well rotted chips, leaf mould, ashes,
lime, sand or whatever is needed to
make loose, rich, finely pulverized
soil. The soil must be given humus
enough and be broken deep enough
to hold moisture well. When prac-
ticable, the garden should be located
where it can be irrigated from the
tank. Often a very small amount Of
water will save vegetable crop. The
garden spot should be thoroughly
broken and we'll rotted manure added
to the soil in Winter. Before the
seeds are sown the soil should be
plowed and replowed, disced, har-
rowed and dragged until 1t is thor
oughly pulverized, settled down, and
the surface leveled and covered with
a fine mulch.
The garden should have a wide
gate to admit wagon and team, should
he oblong SO that the rows may be
long, and should be so planted that
the cultivation may be done largely
with horsepower. The rows should
extend the entire length of the plat,
and should not be less than 80 inches
apart for the use of the horse cultl-
vator Small square patches worked
by hand make gardening needlessly
burdensome and expensive. The
grape vines and berries are usually
planted on one side of the vegetable
garden. which is good arrangement.