The Arizona copper camp., 1918-02-16
February 10Th.
Early Planting.

With busy hand, while all men sleep;
In Europe now, from sea to sea,
The nations bless me as they reap
James Russell Lowell, 1848.
lT =
Ours must be the busy hand" if we
would do our bit, little as it may seem
to us in comparison with the great un-
dertakings going on around us. a
small garden this year, with proper
care and attention, will lead to 4
larger garden next year with only half
the amount of work, and results far
more than doubled. Try it and see.
These balmy days invite us into the
garden. The soil is warmed by the
sun. More rains are in store for us,
to give the moisture necessary for
early growth of the small plants and,
when the warmer days after the rain
appear, the seedlings grow apace with
the suns rays. If we delay too long
the ground becomes so dry that the
seeds do not sprout readily or some
times fail to appear.
Good seeds are a requisite, but even
these may prove a failure, if careless
ly planted. After deciding upon a
definite plan for planting, take accu-
rate measurements for the rows and
make each row straight. Two meth
ho n inc fhic
sired feature: (1) Measure for the
first row; mark by stake at either
end and, laying the edge Of a twelve
inch board against these markers,
draw line with a large nail or stick,
along it's edge. When the seeds are
in place, cover and firm" the ground
over them by turning the board on
edge and pressing down. Completing
the semi-revolution of the board puts
it in place for the next row, if a
twelve-inch space is desired. A little
loose soil scattered over the frmed
ground of the finished row will pre-
vent it. from drying out too quickly
(2) If a board is not available or
practicable, tie string firmly be-
tween the markers at the end of the
row; pull upwards and release. II
springing back, it will mark the loca-
tion of the row, if the soil is in good
condition. Definite directions for
depth will be found on the seed pack
cts; shallow paintings in cool, moist
weather; deeper in the dry weather;
also shallow paintings for small seeds,
deeper for the larger ones, are gen.
eral rules to follow.
Seed is very scarce this year and
we are urged to avoid waste. Most
of the directions call for q generous
planting in order to overcome care
less preparation of the seed bed and
other inefficiencies. If the seeds have
every advantage of a good start we
can do more with less seed and later
in the season save ourselves the
trouble of thinning
For the early paintings SOW peas,
radishes, lettuce, parsley, beets, car
rots, cabbage, cauliflower, Spinach,
turnips, satisfy and onions. For the
small garden, radishes, lettuce, pars-
ley and the root crops give the best
returns for the space required. Peas
necessitate more space and labor than
the root crops, but they amply repay
in pleasure derived. There are two
classes: The early and the late, and
both are found in either the dwarf or
climbing varieties. Some gardeners
recommend successive sowings, one
or two weeks apart, to insure a con-
tinuous supply during the season. Ex-
cellent results may be obtained by
sowing both the early and the late at
the same time; the early ones bear
while the late ones are blooming, and
the late ones bring forth their fruit
as the early ones are in bloom for the
second time Thus the two kinds.
alternating each other with their two
distinct crops, keep the table supplied
until the June sun dries out the vines.
With the vines out of the way, the
ground is available either for new
crop or for the spread of adjacent
vegetables. If the ground is to lie
fallow, the soil will be greatly bene-
flied by turning under these vines,
which are rich in nitrogen.
To plant peas, make a trench six
inches deep; place, seed (soaking for
one or two days hastens the growth)
two inches apart and cover with two
inches of soil. AS the plants grow,
fill up the trench, thereby gradually
giving them additional support,
Double rows twelve inches apart and
twenty-four inches from the next row,
give ample room.
Parsley is easy to grow, requires
little or no care, continues throughout
the year and longer, if not allowed to
go to seed. If it does go to seed, it
spreads and becomes as Objectionable
as any weed