Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-16

| plOW 10 break up Tie SupSOIl' I'O
not try to smooth the land down.
| but leave it as rough as possible.
1t will then catch more of the wat
err which falls as rain. Before
breaking the land any trash which
is growing on it, say the waste
from the tomato crop or from corn
or beans, should be cut down and
then turned under as deeply as pos
sible In addition to the above it
will be the very best practice if
several loads of yard manure can
be scattered over the surface and
turned under. Now is a good time
to turn the manure under During
the winter months it will decay and
yield up it's plant food and make
the soil rich for the crops which
are to be planted in the early
spring. Of course the manure may
be put on as top dressing. The
writer has followed both practices
with about equally satisfactory, re-
suits. Where one can secure we'll
rotted yard manure it is preferable
to use it in the spring. If it is rath-
err strawy and long it is preferable
to turn it under in the fall.
Early Flowing
1t will seldom happen that
| period does not occur sometime be-
| tween January LIST and February
18th when the land can be again
plowed. This time part of it
| should be laid off in rows for Irish
potatoes and an area of it should
| be worked down and prepared for
planting to onions, carrots, beets
and greens. A little later lettuce and
| cabbage can be set out. The earlier
these crops are planted, relatively
speaking, the better it will be. 1
realize they could be planted too
soon in north Georgia, but L have
never yet lost any of them from
I early planting, though 1 have fire.
quently put all of these crops out
except cabbage and lettuce the first
of February. L think lettuce will be
seldom lost if planted in the open
in north Georgia after March LIST,
and cabbage will seldom. be injured
if planted after February 18th. L
know that an exceptional cold spell
may occur later on, but I am speak
| ing of the rule and not the eXecp-
| ton at this time.
By laying off the potato rows say
in January this crop may be plant
! ed about February 1st and new
Irish potatoes can then be had from
| the home garden around the first
of May. A great many people wait
| until late March to plant Irish po-
| tatoes, and they find the crop does
not do we'll. This is not a warm
weather crop but a cool weather
crop. The same is true of the other
kinds of vegetables mentioned above.
1t is a great mistake to leave the
garden unbroken in the fall. If it
| is covered with weeds and trash
| the insects have the most favorable
conditions for alternating and they
will surely take advantage of it
| and come out early in the spring
| literally in hordes to attack every
| little plant as it energies from the
ground. In addition the weeds and
| trash along the garden fences should
| be removed and made to form the
basis of a compost heap. Vines
which may be growing on the fences
| should also be taken down and han
died in the same way. The leaves
from the trees in the front yard
should be gathered. up and COM
posted and not burned as is the
common practice. Burning is an alb
solute waste of good material and
lessons the ability of the shade
| >
we'll as necessitating the purchase
| of additional fertilizer by the own
) err of the home.
Compost and Insects
Someone will doubtless say that
the compost pile will form a favor
able alternating place for Insects.
1t will if it is NOT properly ham
died. If it is piled over three Or
e four times during the year and kept
wet it is surprising how quickly all
the materials it contains will be
broken down and reduced to a fine
form of humus. There is nothing
better than this material to fill the
cold frame with each# year. OF
course, it is desirable to- have some
yard manure in the cold frame, but
hundreds of householders are SO
.situated that they cannot secure it.,
hence they must depend on the next
best thing. I have used the decayed
material secured from compost
heap for years past in cold frame
and have been able to grow lettuce
and such other winter crops as re-
quire some protection successfully
i nthis way. ~ ~
T.; There is anAimpression that fresh
ly worked soil ilnm ediately plant ed
constitutes the best way of insur-
ling large crops. My experience in
gardening does not bear this theory
:! out Soil for garden crops must be
loose and friable, but it. must also
be reasonably compact A firm soil
in which to plant seed is much
more desirable than a soil which is
too loose and likely to dry out
too quickly, especially if there are
i a few days of hot, dry weather. The
more vegetable matter there is in
the soil the less likely it is to bake
and crust on the top and thus pre-
vent the termination of the small
seeds which chara cteriZe most gar
den crops.
1t is not a very difficult matter
to grow in one corner of the garden
some legumes such as soy beans,
peanuts or cowpeas. The vines of
these may be turned under and help
to enrich the soil and promote the
carrying out of that rotation of
crops which, as already pointed out.
! is so essential Of course, coWpeas
and beans should be grown in corn
and other crops of this type. They
help to enrich the land and. they
occupy the soil at a season after
the other crop has furnished it's
quota of food.
To many it may seem incredible,
but the writer knows whereof he
speaks when he says that a garden
of less than half an acre may be
made to provide every kind of vege-
table needed for a family of sew
eral people and afford for sale veg
etables which, at present prices,
will readily bring $10O to $500 of
additional revenue. If all the crops
in a garden of this character were
sold at present prices the returns
might be made to run as high as
$4OO to $500. This is easily on the
basis of $1,000 of gross turnover
per acre.
| Surely a garden is worth whi1e