Imperial Valley press., 1922-03-22

is better You may plant radishes in
between the rows until the corn begins
to shade the inter planted vegetables
too much.
About varieties---have you tried the
Golden Bantamq 1t is delicious,
early variety that shades the other veg
etables least. The ears, although small,
er than the Oregon Evergreen Or like
varieties, have deep, flavor0us kernels.
A gardener in Lamanda Park has
crossed this variety with the Oregon
Evergreen and has produced the Cal
ifornia Golden Nugget, which is even
more superior, but is not offered by all
seedsmen The Black Mexican sweet
corn, though not attractive in appear
ance, is one of the very best for the
home garden.
Sweet corn needs Il well prepared
seed bed, and will sprout better if the
soil is irrigated just previous to plant
ing, instead of afterwards. But do not
plant in soggy soil-wait until it dries
out enough to be Il bit crumbly if you
have the heavier type of soil. The
sandy loan soils work up best, but If
one can get the clayer soils worked up
well, it will grow the better crop Of
sweet corn
The Potato Plot
While potatoes, sometimes called
Irish potatoes, perhaps because they
did not originate in Ireland, but in
Peru, like cool soil for sprouting. And
so this is also an excellent time for
planting the spring potato plot. When
the weather gets warmer, the ''spuds,
some of them at least, will lay down on
the job of sprouting. 1t is easy for the
amateur to grow potatoes, providing
there are three chief provisos-provid-
ing he will dig up the soil to a depth
of ten or better II inches; will plant
only the White Rose variety, and
will treat his seed to prevent scab,
rhyzOOtOnia, etc.
Potatoes should be planted four
inches deep-some potato growers who
have the lighter types of soil plant them
even five inches deep. They will
show up above ground at a time when
danger of a killing frost is past. Do
not plant them in hills, or on ridges.
Instead, plow out or hoe out a trench
or furrow about six inches deep aud
plant one cutting every eight inches in
tliS tItHcH dltcT NdTuS covering tHc
seed to a depth of four or five inches.
Then, when the plants are about six
inches high, hoe up the weeds and at
the same time hoe the dirt around the
potatoes. after each irrigation. The
time between irrigation depends large
ly on the type of soil, and whether
rains have fallen or not. The potato
rootlets must be kept moist; for them
to dry out would be fatal Hoe up the
the soil around the plants until they
blossom, when irrigation may be dis
pensed with.
When cutting potatoes for seed, leave
two good eyes in each piece, and select
the medium sized tubers--nOt the jun
bos. Be sure and soak the seed before
cutting one and One-half hours in a So
luton of corrosive submilate, one ounce
to eight gallons of water, or for two
hours in formaldehyde, one pound to 80
gallons of water.
Garden Gleanings q.
There are two kinds of soils that
BATTLE home gardeners--one the clay
soil that bakes easily, and the other the
soft, sandy soil that ought to grow any
thing but just won't They both need
the same thing-fertilizer and humus,
together with lot of "elbow grease. -
Save all the sticks and poles over
three feet in height. You will need
them later for bean poles.
Do not burn the brush and weeds, but
put them into your compost bed with
stable manure, poultry droppings, etc.