The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1916-05-05

age to the soil from which 1t win take
years for 1t to recover. To determine
when heavy soils are ready for pillow.
ing, handful OF earth should be col.
lected from the surface and the fing.
ers tightly closed on 1t. If the bali
of compacted earth is dry enough for
cultivation 1t will fall apart when the
hand is opened.
A garden spot near the house is of.
ten more desirable than plot which
is in better filth but located at an in
convenient distance. A garden which is
near the house will receive many a
spare hour of care from adults and
children which would otherwise be
wasted. Where there is ample room
for the selection of garden site, the
slope Of the land should be carefully
considered A gentle slope toward the
South is most desirable for growing
early crops, while it is decided adj
vantage to have the plot protected ON
the north and northwest by either a
hill, group of buildings, or board
| fence.
| Drainage of the garden Is of great
| Importance. The land should have
sufficient fall to drain off surplus wa
ter during heavy rains and yet not be
SO steep that the soil will be washed
or quilted. The surface should be
nearly level so the water will not stand
| in hollows. Where the natural slope
| Of the land does not provide suffi-
cient natural drainage, bitches may
be dug or tile drain put in. This
will prevent waste water from the adj
joining land from washing over it,
How to Fertilize.
The soil in the average back yard Is
not only lacking in plant food but also
has been packed until it is hard and
unyielding. To loosen up such soil
and make 1t suitable for garden prod
uce requires that careful attention be
given to its preparation. After spad-
ing the inclosure thoroughly, the up
per three inches should be made fine
with the use of hoe and rake. Stones
and rubbish should be removed and
clods of dirt broken. The surface
should be made even and as level as
possible. 1t may then be marked off
for planting in conformity with the
general plan of the garden.
Barnyard or stable manure is the
best fertilizer because it furnishes both
plant food and humus. An application
at the rate of from 20 to 80 tons to
the acre of well-rotted manure is very
satisfactory. This should be applied
after blowing or working with spade,
and distributed evenly over the sur
face and later worked In with hoe
and rake. On many soils 1t is adj
visable to apply commercial fertilizer,
especially phosphate, in addition to
the manure. An application of 800
to 600 pounds of acid phosphate to the
acre is usually sufficient If additions
al potash is needed, which is often
the case with sandy soils, this may be
economically supplied in the form of
wood ashes. If the wood ashes are
unleached they should be distributed
over the garden, using 1000 pounds to
the acre. If they have been wet, or
leached, 1000 pounds should be used
/ An application of 100 pounds to the
acre of nitrate of soda may be used in
the spring to start the plants before
the nitrogen in the manure has become
available.
Small Garden Plan.
In the plan illustrated all the vege
tables named are planted in rows
: across from the inside lateral rows
4 of strawberries. AS rapidly as each
I kind of peas natures and the crop IL
+ over, kale is planted in its place. The
a ground to be used for tomatoes is first
/ planted with onion sets. and these
onions are used as rapidly as needed
When the time comes to set out the
e tomatoes, some of the onions are dug
g to make space for the tomato plants
e When the tomato crop is over, the
ground is occupied by spinach as the
o third crop. Spinach is also planted al
o soon as the bulb onions from the side
d are gathered. The beans, carrots, an(
/ peas are succeeded by late cabbage
It and between the rows of late cabbag'
y 'potato-onion" sets are planted. Lat
y beans are planted between the row
t. OF parsnips after the radishes and let
l. tuce have been gathered.