American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-02-03
GROWING TREES, FLOWERS AND
GkRDENS ON DRY FARMS.
BY E. r. Parsons, Dry Land Expert

iuShy IL lhey a raise crops without
worrying about garden; but the meth
DDS that will grow crops will also
grow a garden, trees, flowers, lawns
and everything necessary TO beautify
the home.
Every once in a while we are asked
this question; My garden wilted bad
ly; how a l prevent it," The gar
dens that wilt are planted in shallow
land, and sometimes the roots are too
near the surface on account of hand
watering too early in the season.
The rule is-dig your garden as
deeply as possible Of pillow it in the
fall. SO as to conserve all the winter
moisture for the vegetables and flow
ers. If you water at all, don't do it
until you have to, and then as soon as
! the Soil dries a little, hoe around the
plants.
/. SONG make the mistake of, ferilizing
with ~barnyard manure. This does not
do. at all in the dry farm garden. 1t
lifts the soil; lets the afr.fn, and the
plants burn out.
The, best. fertilizers is leas; mould
from a neighboring grove. When thts
ISL not to be obtained, the next best Is
black corral dirt. This is the black
dirt or humus that we find in every
old corral about a foot below the sur
face; but even this is rather light and
airy, must not be used too extensively,
andfshould be turned under deep. = ,
The 1apd fog the garden should be
plowed so as to leave a dead furrow
every five feet. After blowing, this
furrow should be still further deep
ened by working it up and down with:
the pillow, and then practically filling
with top soil, using a drag. and riding
on it if necessary.
The rows of vegetables are planted
in the dead burrows, which may be
fortified with leaf mould, and the five
feet of space between the rows will
act as a drainage area-a small water
shed to supply water to the rows when
it rains, like the roof of a house wat
ers the creepers which cling to the
side of it.
This dead furrow may also be used
to advantage in the field for such
crops as squashes, melons, etc.
In using this method failure will
result unless the dead burrows are
we'll and deeply worked and partly re-
filled with topsoil. In order that the
.lo,tc ,nou houa p1aptu IF unona m nx.
plot for moisture, they must be plan
ted far apart. In making a garden,
for some reason or other, women more
than men, plant things too close.
The secret of obtaining lettuces
which will head is 20 transplant them
from a seed bed, setting them six
inches apart. Cabbages make the bes,
head when planted two feet apart
Carrots should be planted in the
spring, but turnips usually do bes'
when seeded about July LIST. and in
some states ever later. AS soon as
the heat of summer comes, lettuces
should be shaded with sticks'or q
board.
The trick in getting peas is to plan
the early sorts and put them in as
soon as the frost Is out OF the ground
Pole peas are not usually as good AZ
the dwarf varieties, which bunch vi
and protect themselves from the sun
Perennial vegetables. like rhubarb
!, and asparagus, do particularly well oil
the farm, because they come up ever!
year from the root like alfalfa, ant
q do not die out.
) On the dry farm there are so man,
Y enterprising women who raise goo'
I gardens by deep digging and plent.
Of hoeing while their husbands ar
r scratching the prairie a few niche
and getting a little chicken feed and
r few nubbins. We have seen some o
t these ladies even carrying water iron
the well. A little water a be mad
S to go a long way. First, by plenty o
e hoeing after the application; second
by putting it into the soil instead o
{ upon 1t. This is done with such plant
5 as tomatoes, c~ucumbers, melons. ett
i DN Silhiub OH th'PN P
can close to the stem Of the plant I
g receive. the water. A few holes in tn
8 bottom of the can allows the water I
q go down and the roots follow 1t. N
V whiting then.
y The worst Of pests is the cut worn
= II you feed him on wet bran. with
little arsenic and Paris green In J
he will die. II you dissolve n ounc
y of arsenate Of lead paste In a gallo
of water and anoint the stems OF tn
e little cabbage plants with 1t, the Gu
d worm will leave it alone. II lei
p tuces are watered with a little sal
le peter in the sprinkler (about a spoor
l. full the cut worms will usually leav'
The arsenate Of lead mixture may
te used on he stems Of any plant.
Another annoying pest is the RAJ
ct lsh hopper, which punctures the see
a. leaves. They also attack turnips. b'
Is late planting saves all trouble. as, III