The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1916-01-28
FOUR-YEAR GARDEN
COURSE FOR GIRLS

COURSE FOR GIRLS.
Washington, ID. G.. Jan. 25.-To
meet the demands of thousands of
Southern girls who have been sue
ceSSful in raising a tenth-acre of to-
matoeS and who want to "go on" the
representatives of the Department of
Agriculture and the State colleges in
charge of the canning clubs in the
Is Southern States have worked out
what might be called a progressive,
four-year practical garden and cam
ming course for girls. The purpose of
this course is to start the girls with
one crop and from year to year add
new annual crops, encourage them to
run winter and glass-frame gardens,
and finally in the course of their work
to lead them to plant perennial small
and orchard fruits. 1t is hoped that
under this system the girls will gain
knowledge of how to handle a wide
variety of garden vegetables and
trees and that the member by the
time she gets ready to go to high
school or college will have garden
of perennial fruits that readily can be
cared for by other members of her
family.
The first year of girls club work
thro Lghout the Southern States con-
sists in raising tomatoes in tenth
acre gardens. 1t is believed by those
in charge that every girl should first
master this plant and learn how to
utilize or sell its products before she
takes up other vegetables and fruits.
In sections where tomatoes suffer
from blight and wilt, however, it is
sometimes necessary to substitute an
other garden crop.
The second-year girls continue to
grow tomatoes on one-half of their
garden space and devote the other half
of the space to one other crop, prefer
ably beans, peas, peppers, okra, beets
or onions. The girls also are encour-
aged to start winter gardens in the
late summer and fall on one-fourth to
one-half of the tenth-acre plots. Let
tuce, spinach and kale are the crops
recommended
The thirdyear girls grow three
crops, continuing the two that have
been grown the second year and add
ing cucumbers, eggplant, fig tomatoes,
satisfy, parsnips or horseradish. In
each case those in charge of the work
select the additional vegetables with
reference to local agricultural condi-
tions, market demand and suitability
for canning. Many garden combi-
nations other than those suggested
are possible. For instance, if the com
munity is interested in canning soup
mixtures and Creole sauce, they must
secure from their gardens tomatoes,
peppers, okra and onions. In fruit
growing sections the girls are ad-
vised, when conditions are right to
substitute from IS to 10 fruit trees
for one of the vegetable crops. The
member then becomes responsible for
the pruning, spraying and general
care of these trees.
The development of crops of peren-
nial vegetables and fruits is insisted
on at the end of the third year, and
in many cases the work is begun at
the end of the second year. The peren-
mails are substituted for scme of the
annual vegetables and the girls are
given credit for the condition of their
bushes or trees which are not vet
bearing and therefore do not vet Weld
product that can be counted in the
canning score.
1t is hoped that as result of this
planting of perennial fruits and vege-
tables several thousand of the girls,
before many years, will have at the
end of their junior garden permanent
gardens containing some such profit
able combinations as the following:
Strawberries, asparagus and cher
ries.
Raspberries, rhubarb and plums.
Gooseberries, currants and peaches.
Strawberries, asparagus and
ounces.
Strawberries, rhubarb and pears
Dewberries, figs and pecans.
Currants, asparagus and grapes.
Blackberries, figs and scuppernongs.
Strawberries, figs and oranges.
Asparagus, strawberries and kum-
quats.
To enable them to use the pro-
ducts OF these permanent gardens,
the agents give the girls special in
struction in making preserves, jelly,
marmalades, pickles, etc.