The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1916-07-06
THE KITCHEN GARDEN.


Of Vegetables.
Prepared by United States department Of
agricu!iurel
II the garden WAS not broken In the
fall It should he plOwed ia the spring
as soon as the frost is out of the
ground. Small areas may be worked
with spade. pushing the blade into its
full depth and turning the soil to break
up the clods. Heavy soils should never
be worked when wet Ovcrzeal0us
gardeners, ready TO seize the first
warm spell as a favorable opportunity
10 go out and work the heavy clay soil
before II is dry. are not only wasting
their energy, hut are doing damage to
for 1t to recover. To determine when
heavy soils are ready for blowing q
handful OF earth should be collected
from the surface and the fingers tightly
closed on II. If the ball of cOmpacted
earth is dry enough for cultivation 1t
will fall apart when the hand Is opened.
A garden spot near the house is often
more desirable than plot which is In
better filth. but located at an incon-
venient distance. A garden which Is
near the house Will receive mnny a
spare hour of care from adults and
children which would otherwise be
wasted. Where there Is ample room
for the selection OF n garden site the
slope OF the land should he carefully
considered. A gentle slope toward the
south Is most desirable for growing
early crops, while 1t is decided ad-
vantage TO have the plot protected on
the north and northwest by either a
hill, a group of buildings or board
fence.
Drainage of the garden Is Of great
Importance. The land should have
sufficient fall to drain Off surplus water
during heavy rains and yet not he so
steep that the soil will be washed or
quilted. The surface should be nearly
level so the water will not stand I'm
hollows. Where the natural slope of
the land does not provide sufficient nat
ural drainage bitches may be dug or
tile drain put In. This will prevent
waste water from the adjoining land
from washing over 1t. Such water may
carry weed and grass seed into the
garden, which are later culled out with
difficulty
The soil in the average back yard Is
not only lacking In plant food. but also
has been packed until II IL hard and
unyielding. To loosen up such soil and
make Il suitable for garden produce re-
quires that careful attention he given
10 its preparation. After spadlng the
Enclosure thoroughly, the upper three
inches should be made fine with the
use OF hoe and rake. Stones and rub
bish should be removed and clodS Of
dirt broken. The surface should be
made even and as level as possible. II
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 1t furnishes both
plant food and humus. An application
at the rate Of from twenty TO thirty
tons TO the acre OF well rotted manure
70 very satisfactory. This should be
applied after blowing or working with
q spade and distributed evenly over
the surface and later worked in with
hoe and rake. On many soils II is ad-
visable to apply commercial fertilizer.
especially phosphate, In addition to the
manure. An application Of 800 to 900
pounds Of acid phosphate to the acre
is usually sufficient. II additional pot
ash Is needed. which is often the case
with sandy soils, this may be economi-
cally supplied In the form OF wood
ashes. II the wood ashes are un-
leached they should be distributed
over the garden, using 1000 pounds to
the acre. II they have been wet or
leached 1900 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 be-
fore the nitrogen In the manure has
become available 1t should be borne
in mind that commercial fertilizers
will not yield good results unless the
soil is well supplied with humus. Sod
or other vegetation which has over
grown q garden spot may be used to
advantage.