The Arizona copper camp., 1918-02-09

10 that Dy Cn0 plOugn must thrive
Himself must either hold or drive"
Benjamin Franklin.
Preparation of the soil includes:
Generous addition of fertilizer (the
amount depending upon the quality of
the soiD; deep spading and mixing.
A good seed bed is obtained by thor
oughly pulverizing this soil. Vigor-
Gus raking Is necessary to produce
satisfactory results. Do not overlook
this most important point, as large
clods of earth around the tiny seeds
make air spaces, which cause a rapid
evaporation of moisture; this natural
ly hinders growth and may cause a
complete failure of the crop. Have
the garden plot level; you will be
amply repaid for any effort which may
be required. If the plot is not level
you will find yourself the proud pos
SCISSOR of marvellous crop of stones
after the first heavy rain, while part
of the soil which you have so care
fully prepared is washed down the
hill.
The first seeds to be planted are
those which grow quickly and which
will not rot in the ground. Among
these are: Radishes, lettuce, beets,
carrots, turnips, etc. Lettuce and
oh
so they should have an early start.
Twelve inches between rows is good
allowance for these seeds. When
planning for later and more perma-
nent vegetables, it is best to plant al
ternate rows of the early varieties
with those maturing later; the ground
will then be left free for the further
development and spread of the latter.
For example, plant lettuce between
tomatoes; radishes between cabbage;
beets between eggplant, etc. Cab
bages and cauliflower are among
those which do not thrive in hot
weather. So, if you are planning to
have these in your garden, plant the
seeds now-either in the ground or
in boxes. By using boxes you can
save some valuable time, as plants
grow more quickly in them than they
do in the ground. Do not plan for
cabbages and cauliflower in small
garden; these vegetables require
great deal of space for their proper
development.
To prepare the seed boxes, select
a shallow box, not more than five
inches in depth. On the bottom place
a layer of well-rotted manure. to fur
nish heat and to retain moisture. Fill
the box with freshly-sifted, fine earth
(that which has been sifted through
an old screen preferred), to within an
inch of the top. Over this scatter the
seeds and cover with one-fourth inch
of fine, light soil. Keep them moist,
give them plenty of air, sunshine and
protection from cold nights, but do
not keep them too warm, as this
makes the small plants tender. They
L
back when they have been trans
planted. After the plants attain
growth of three or four inches, or
when they have several permanent
leaves, they may be transplanted, pro-
vided the weather is favorable. A
Hercules powder box, sawed in half
that is to say, sawed in two on a line
half way between and parallel to its
top and bottom-will make two good
seed boxes, with the addition of
bottom part to the top half: The
boxes are of the proper size and are
easily handled. Tomatoes, egg plants,
peppers and other late vegetables may
be started in the boxes now, to good
advantage.
You will save time and energy by
making your garden on paper first,
drawing upon your imagination-vis-
ualizing your ideal garden. Do not
attempt to crowd the vegetables; they
must have adequate ground space
from which to draw their food. Better
results may be obtained by planting
the rows north and south, when space
permits. Make your garden orna-
. mental as well as useful; carrots and
parsley make attractive borders.
Plan on a rotation of crops if you
wish to continue your garden through
out the summer and fall; successive
paintings of lettuce, also of radishes
and of most of the root crops may be
made. Some vegetables draw the nee
essary food elements from the ground,
thereby leaving it poor; cabbage,
cauliflower, tomatoes and the like be-
long to this class, while others, like
meas and beans, enrich the soil by
increasing it's nitrogen content. For
these reasons successive paintings
should not be made in the same place;
vegetables should be so planted that
any variety will not have the same To-
cation in your garden in which they
grew the preceding year.
1.-THE sacrifices we are exactlng or
the noble American boys who are
going to the bloody fields of France