The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1917-08-02
CARRYING THE GARDEN
THROUGH 10 SUCCESS
Midsummer Work in the Garden
Cultivation; To Keep Things Grow
ing; Succession Crops, Etc,

Abraham Lincoln used to tell q
story, BY way If illustrating what
the promises of some Of his political
opponents amounted to, of a splendid
boulevard he once came across in a
western city. It began as a fine ave-
nue., fianked with magnificent trees
on either side, and wide enough for
three coach-and-fOurs to drive abreast,
but just beyond the town limits it be-
came a dirt road, and then COW path,
and finally became squirrel path
that run up a tree and ended in a
knot hole!
Some of our "war gardens" are
going to end like that this year. Ev-
cry season, in fact, war or no war,
there are many gardeners who start
out most enthusiastically in the spring
and do excellently in getting their
gardens started, only to have their
good resolutions "peter out" toward
midsummer, and finally let things
slide entirely. This means that they
not only lose the opportunity to get
a fall us we'll as a summer crop from
thier gardens, but forfeit the benefits
of much of the work they have al
ready done, and by raising a crop Of
weeds waste the fertility of the soil
and SOW a lot of trouble for next
season. Weeds are always ready to
go to work and produce a crop of
seeds just as soon as the gardener
stops producing crops of vegetables.
Don't play into the hands of the
enemy! Even if you can't push this
years campaign any further, at least
hold what you have gained for next
springs drive.
Summer neglect of the garden is
caused more often by ignorance of
just what should be done than by
carelessness. 1t may seem a waste of
time to cultivate soil which you have
already succeeded in freeing from
weeds; or to pull weeds in the rows
of vegetables that have made their
full growth, and will be "gone by" in
a week or two.
But it is not. All the soil between
the rows should be cultivated or
stirred frequently until you are ready
to take out the first crop and plant
another Every weed that is left,
whether it is directly injuring any
vegetable or not, is robbing the soil;
and most Of them will have matured
seed and thus provided for many
hours Of tiresome labor on your part
before you suspect that they are half
grown, because the flowers and seed
pods are So inconspicuous.
How Dust Saves Water
Anyone can easily understand that
cultivation after wet weather - as
soon as the soil is dry enough to work
in without being sticky-will help to
loosen, it up and dry it out by admit
ting the air. 1t is more difficult to
explain to the beginner that frequent
cultivation, in a long period Of dry
weather also helps to keep the mois-
ture in the soil. That is, if the sur
face of the soil, all over the garden,
is kept finely pulverized and dry,
the moisture below the surface can be
saved. The dry "dust mulch" on the
surface acts just as a covering Of
leaves of strawey manure would do,
keeping the moist soil below it pro-
tected from the sun and wind, which
otherwise would cause it to be used
up rapidly by evaporation.
This frequent summer cultivation
should not be deep enough to cut or
break the plants roots. One to two
inches is deep enough. If you have
not got a wheel hoe, which is just
the thing for this work, get a slide or
scuffle hoe. This will cost but fifty
cents or So. will do the work much
quicker and better and will last for
years. A blade eight inches wide is
better than a wider one for general
use.
Keep All the Ground Busy
The quick growing crops, such as
radishes, lettuce, beans, kohl rabi,
early turnips and peas, which every
one plants in the spring, are often
absent from the fall garden. There
is no reason why you should go with
out any of these if you like them, as
there Is still time to plant them, and
plenty of room to fit them in
after early crops just as soon as the
latter can be got out of the way. Many
gardeners don't even wait for the first
crops to be wholly used up, but make
their succession planting between the
rows of such things as are nearly
harvested, so that they will be ready
to take their places without any lost
time in between. Use summer or
winter varieties of radishes for SOW
ing now, such as CHARTERS of White
or Celestial or Chinese
Rose. For turnips for quick use, the
old favorites, White Milan and Pc
are good. Use early varieties
Of peas or beans, such as Little Mar
vel or Alaska, and Stringless Green
pod and Longfellow.
Suggestions for fighting insects and
drouth will be given in the next artt
Gle on Summer and Fall Gardeninga
which will appear in Jour issue of
August 8. A full description Of the
varieties mentioned above, with many
others, and a great deal of other help
full garden information, may be had
by sending to W. Atlee Burpee & Co.,
Of Philadelphia, for their Midsummer
Garden Book, which will be supplied
free of charge to readers Of the Lead
er, if they mention the name Of this
paper when requesting it. Ask also
Tor their free book on Root Crops for
Stock and Winter Use.--F. f. Rock
we'll, author of "Around the Year in
he Garden, 'Home Vegetable Gar
lening", etc.
Copyright, 1917, by w. Atlee Bur
pee & Co., Seedgrowers, Philadelphia