The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-28
no. FOR THE HOE.

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The one garden question I am called
unon to answer most %frequntly is How
la YOU get such results from your
limited time"' In addition 10 my veg
ctablc garden. which included every
thing ordinarily grown with the ex-
ccption OF potatoes. | usually grow
about 100 a%stors, 800 or 600 gladioli
900 dahlias and about 400 c~hrysanthe-
NUNS in my garden.
Along with these I have been in the
habit of growing about ffty-odd varie-
tics ~ annual flowers In smaller
quantities in small beds scattered about
III" yard, Altogether my ground
covers about one-half acre. My an
swer to the question is by careful
planning and sticking strictly to the
plan; by planting everything in lonc.
straight rows, allowing for cultivation
with a hand wheel hoe and by frequent
regular cultivation, paying little or no
attention to watering. the cultivation
raising n dust mulch. making watering
unnecessary.
When I say plan I mean a plan OF
the land to he planted. drawn to scale.
usually one-auarter inch equalling one
foot. Thus in planting dahlias. for in
stance, the rows three feet apart and
tile plants three feet apart In the rows.
my plan looks like q checker board,
lines drawn three-Quarters Of an inch
apart, each way. this leaving room
enough AZ the intersection Of the lines
I" write the name Of tho variety. dis
pensing with labels. One look At the
plan At towering time will show at a
glance the name Of any particular
plant n.any row instead Of hunting
around at the base Of the plant for a
label that MAJ have been shifted dur.
ing cultivation.
In planning for the Vegetables. some
Of vhith do not require the whole
growing season and will allow for a
succession I mark on the line early
peas, TO he followed by celery. at the
same time giving the name OF each
variety and the date Of planting.
l. Is surprising what a valuable help
such a plan Is for the following season.
making it a very simple matter to look
after proper crop rotation. no w root
crops on the same ground to perpetuate
disease.
Much valuable time may he saved ny
planning through the winter months
when time hangs heavy" Then when
planting time arrives it takes hut n
minute 10 lay a rule on the plan.
measure from tine starting point 10
where. We'll say. peas arc planned to
go, put your tape measure on the
stake at the starting point in the gar
den and plant away. knowing that
three days later when you desire TO
plant cabbage and before the peas be-
gin 10 show they won't all come up in
the same row.
For both planting and c~uitivating |
find tho single wheel hoe the handiest
and greatest labor saving implement
ever invented for tho garden. With II
the furrow for the seed may he opened
and covered and By planting IN straight
rows the same implement may be used
for all OF the cultivating.
once the seeds are through the
ground, 7 start my wheel hoe. cultivate
all the ground at least once each week
and following every rain as soon as
the ground has dried sufficiently.
Under this plan every weed is extermi-
We VI VIM dIIONNu " ~ W
seed, establishing a family OF a few
million and laying up all kinds of
trouble for the future.
This regular cultivation Is kept up
usually In the care Of the flowers UNI
I'll the first flowers begin to appear.
From this time on II Is kept up at longer
intervals. about once In two weeks.
except when rain falls. when invari-
ably the cultivation takes placs In
order to conserve the moisture IN the
ground. am obliged to leave home
in the morning about s o'clock, re-
turning from the Office at about s BY
getting u in the garden at 5 O'Clock
in the morning gives me two good
hours for work before breakfas. and
in the coolest time Of the day, and per-
haps two hours In the late afternoon.
Need of regular exercise induced me
at the outset to undertake the cultiva-
ton of flowers and vegetables. Ex-
perience has taught that both the
flowers and myself are the better for
the regularity; instead of being a bur
den. as II was for a short time, y
has become a pleasure looked forward
to from season to season. The family
has fresh vegetables in great guam
tity. with plenty to spare for the neigh
bors: cabbage. beets. carrots. onions,
parsnlps and celery ara stored away
in sufficient quantity to last through
the winter, the house Ia decorated from
one end to the other from the tire Of
the coming OF the hrst peony and iris
until cold weather has killed the last
OF the hardy chrysanthemums. With