The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-03-10
BETTER HOMES DEPARTMENT
The Republican Pays 81 Each Week for an Idea
ON What You Have Planned to Increase
Your Crop Yield or Make Home More
Beautiful--Cit Lot or Farm

am q new conner In this state and
my first experience In gardening on
dry land was in 1915. I had raised
many gardens in the east with good
success, SO much SO that ] was
awarded the first premiums at the
county fairs on beets, cabbage, car
rots. pumpkins, squash, tomatoes and
cucumbers. OF course, we had the
rains there and much different soil,
hut planted and cultivated the same
way here last year and did fairly
we'll with my dry land garden which
was on new ground and spring plow-
ing which should have been fall plow-
ed.
I planted my tomato seeds in boxes
about the first of March, kept them
in south window until the weather
was warm enough to set them out
of doors a few hours each day, TAX
ing them in at night to keep them
from being chilled or frosted, caring
for them in this way until they were
ready to transplant in the garden.
l covered them at nights with tomato
cans and milk pans to protect them
from frost until they were too large
for the cans.
in April planted radishes, lettuce,
onions, peas, beets, carrots, parsnips
and mustard-now you will ask why
/ planted mustard when Jim Hills
mustard is growing all over the
country. Well, lust for green's. F"
It is very good when mixed with
beet tops; better than beets alone.
/ also planted sweet corn and a
few early potatoes. Neither of them
amounted to anything. The corn
grew about 16 inches high and tassel-
ed, and even had silks on next to the
ground, but the wind and drouth
were too much for it.
irrigated my tomatoes by taking
tomato can and punching a small
hole in the side at the bottom, using
single nail and filled each can
with water, allowing it to leak out
at the roots of the plant. did this
in the evening and in the morning
the plant would be fresh and Wig
orous.
For the things that were planted
in rows or drills, made small
ditch along one side and filled the
ditch with water from the cistern.
In the morning I covered the wet
ground with dry soil or dust SO the
sun would not draw the moisture or
scald the plants. Plants should not
have water poured about them dur
ing the day, as it does them more
harm than good.
For flowers, / had sun flowers,
sweet peas, bachelor buttons, candy
tuft, Mexican fire bush, thistle pop
pies and fax. All of them grew and
blossomed nicely with the same treat
ment that / gave the vegetables.
I have gooseberry bushes, aspar-
agus, rhubarb, a lilac, several rose
bushes and box elder all doing
well.
I haven't any woven wire fencing
to keep the rabbits away, and did
not worry any about them. just
got can of cayenne pepper and
sprinkled quite plenty at the ends
VI LuO IOWO WAOIO tAOy WC1O AuOOt
likely to come. never knew whether
they tested it or not. don't think
that even a puppy would bother any
thing where it is used.
I succeeded in raising quite a
lot of green tomatoes, some of them
ripening in the house after being
picked. This year / am going to
raise a larger variety such as car
rots and cabbage but not on such a
large scale as to supply the man who
wanted two tons. I shall be salts
fed IL I raise enough for our own
use. / shall plant them in rows ex-
tending more nearly the way the
wind blows SO it will not get such a
wide sweep at them.
MRS. M. e. CHUTE,
Blackfoot r. F. d. 4.
1rpa ~