Evening star., 1918-04-07
EXPERTS GIVE ADVICE TO
WAR GARDEN AMATEURS

Tomatoes, snap beans, beets. carrots
weeks cultural advice, furnished by
experts of the Department of Agricul-
ture for the benefit of back yard and
vacant lot gardeners, either amateurs
or of more extensive experience.
How to Grow Tomatoes.
The tomato is one of the most salts
factory of all the garden crops and one
that is found in practically every Vege-
table garden. No matter how small the
garden space available. it is always ad-
visable to have few tomato vines.
Tomatoes will grow in almost any
good soil, but the soil should not be
too high in nitrogenous matter as this
will cause the plants to go to vine,
rather than to fruit. The plans should
be started in the window box or in the
hotbed, some six weeks before time to
set them in the open. For best results
they should be transplanted at least
once. 1t is possible to secure crop
much sooner by carefully growing the
plants indoors in pots and transplant
ing to the open ground as soon as con-
ditions permit. They should not be set
in the open until about two weeks after
the last killing frost. II set sooner
than this, they should in all cases be
protected from frost with a muslin
cover or with DOXeS covered Win lass
or by other means.
The pot-grown plants are especially
desirable. as they may be brought to
the blooming period by the time it is
warm enough to plant them in the gar
den. If the plants are not to be trained,
but allowed to lie on the ground, they
should be set about four feet apart
each way. If trained to a single stalk
and tied to stakes or trellis. they
may be planted in rows three feet
aier I'M VI iv,f f1,.o
row. If to be used for table purposes
only twenty-five plants under good con-
ditions will supply the average family.
If for canning, from fifty to 100 plants
should supply sufficient tomatoes for
present use, and enough to can at least
100 quarts.
Under favorable conditions. toma-
toes will continue to grow and bear for
the entire season, and 1t should not be
necessary to set late crop.
How to Grow Snap Beans.
Bush and pole beans are among the
most valuable and dependable crops of
the garden. when in doubt what to
plant--plant beans"
Beans thrive best in a rather warm
sandy loan, but may be grown on al
most any kind of soil For the best re-
suits the soil should not be too rich in
nitrogenouS matter, or the plants will
run to foliage and stems at the expense
of the crop. Beans will not withstand
frost, and the first paintings in the
spring should not be made until about
two weeks after the average date of the
last killing frost. The soil should be in
good condition and the rows should be
laid out perfectly straight SO as to
make cultivation easy. One pint of the
seed of most varieties of snap beans is
sufficient for 100-foot row. When the
cultivation is to be done by horse, the
rows should be from thirty to thirty
six inches apart. When hand cultiva-
ton is to be employed. the rows should
be from eighteen to twenty-four inches
apart 1t requires from forty to sixty
days for snap beans to be ready for use
if the weather conditions are favorable.
Successive paintings of string beans
should be made at intervals of ten days
to two weeks throughout the growing
season. BY following this schemes con-
stant supply of tender beans will be as
Sured.