Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1917-07-28
Timely Suggestions
For Vegetable Growers

Most vegetable crops are looking
very fine except for the fact that
weeds and plant lice of all kinds are
quite prevalent in some sections.
Early tomatoes are going out of
Swedesboro by the car load, but the
crop is ten days late. Early potatoes
are being dug, but the yield, as a
rule, is not so heavy as the general
condition of the vines indicated it
would be.
Root Crops for Winter Use
Many acres of carrots, beets,
turnips, ETC., are now growing for
winter use. Where they stand too
thickly they cannot develop to a de-
sirable size; therefore, when pulling
the weeds it is advisable to pull out
few plants wherever they stand ex
cessively thick. This may seem to be
a lot of extra work, but at harvest
time every root will have to be
pulled and have the top cut off of it.
This work must be done in hurry
quite often; therefore, to thin out
now will make less topping and pro-
duce a more desirable product.
Early Potatoes
Amateur gardeners are much con-
cerned because their early potato
vines are dying. DR.. Mel. T. Cook,
State Plant Pathologist, replies to
these anxious writers saying that in
most cases the early crop has made
it's growth and is ready to be dug,
and that it is perfectly natural for
the vines Of the early crops to ripen
up during late summer.
Saving Seed
AS an additional war measure many
vegetable growers are saving seed
this season from their best produc-
ing, most healthy vigorous plants.
Earliness is to be especially consid-
cred. The following vegetable seed
may be saved to advantage without
special effort-Beans Gree from
rust) cantaloupes, cucumbers, sweet
corn, elephants, peppers, pumpkins,
squash, tomatoes and watermelons.
All of these are left to grow until
they are fully developed so that the
seed will be large and strong. Cab
bage, turnips and onions and the
other root crops must be stored over
winter and forced into seed growth
the next spring. By saving their
own seed the successful growers have
something to plant the next year
which they know is full Of vitality
and will grow true to name.
Circular on TOmatOe Diseases
The New Jersey Agricultural Elk
pertinent Station, New Brunswick,
N. j., has just issued new circular,
No. II, on Diseases of Tomatoes. 1t
is free upon request. 1t explains
which diseases Bordeaux will check
and those which it is useless against.
Blossoms frequently fall off without
setting fruit, due to excessive nitro
gen or to excessively wet weather.
Head Lettuce
Every housewife is anxious to get
solid heads of tender crisp lettuce.
The demand for the fall crop has
developed very rapidly during the
last few years. Lib fact six different
growers in New Jersey usually have
a total acreage amounting to two
hundred acres devoted to the late fall
crop. The soil is prepared by appli-
cations of well rotted manure before
oroyfter blowing Then broadcast
ing of fertilizer is narrowed into the
SOIL If the grower has any reason
for supposing that the soil is sour,
lime should be applied and worked
into the plowed soil. Frequent har-
rowing gets the soil into most splen-
did condition. The Big Boston variety
or the Salamander is used for the
IL crop. The seed is drilled any
v,me up to August fourth in the
vicinity of the State College in rows
twelve to fourteen inches apart and
when it comes up it is thinned out
so that the plants stand at least ten
inches apart in the row. Frequent
hard cultivation saves much weed
ing out. Irrigation or damp, cool
soil is essential and no one should
think of planting lettuce unless they
are sure their soil is rich and in ex-
cellent condition.
Strawberries
There is a general tendency among
the growers around the state to have
their rows narrower and closer to-
gether because wide matted row
produces the best berries along each
side, and inferior stuff where the
plants are thickest in the middle of
the wide rows.