Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21
Paper Gardening

ers early maturity of green vegetables.
Last year, this writer ate homegrown
sweet corn three weeks earlier than his
neighbors, despite that their unpapered
gardens were planted several weeks
earlier in the Spring than his papered
tract. BY the use Of the paper mulch.
sweet potatoes have been grown sue
cessfully as far north as Vermont, a
gardening accomplishment heretofore
impossible because of the short grow
ing season in the Green Mountain
State. :
THE Potomac and Anacostia Garden
Clubs as well as the Takoma Park
Horticultural Club will surely increase
meaSurably in active membership as
soon as would-be Washington gardeners
gain familiarity with the use of paper
as a food growing aid. 1t serves as a
master in taking the muscle soreness,
backache and blisters out of gardening.
It is efficient as scientific automa-
tom" which relieves vegetable growing
and flower raising Of most of their
drudgery.
The current gardening season Is sure
to see the practice of paper farming"
followed extensively in Takoma Park.
Many Of the amateur gardeners in that
suburb-memberS of the Takon1a Park
Horticultural Club-are professional
scientists employed by the National De-
partment OF Agriculture. The majority
OF them are familiar with the successful
paper mulch experiments conducted at
Arlington Farm. They will surely avail
themselves this season of the practical
results Of that important research.
Many Washingtonians and suburban.
ties in adjacent Virginia and Maryland
are DESTROYS Of identifying their homes
with permanent paintings and orna-
mental shade trees, but are deferred
by the high prices of such planting
material. There is one horse sense
system of gaining the goal and avoid
ing these high costs. 1t is to patronize
the annual and semi-annual sales
staged by the reliable nursery concerns.
Excellent ornamental tree stock of cost
ly. varieties can be secured much be-
low normal price levels. It is advisable
to purchase small trees, to set them out
in nursery rows in your back yard or
along the boundary of your lot and to
fertilize them generously to expedite
rapid growth. The paper mulch Is Of
importance as a substitute gardener to
aid in the culture of these trees. Its
use will conserve soil moisture, prevent
weed growth and facilitate the speedy
development Of the little trees into ever
green's large enough for permanent
planting as Identification screens near
your house or on the front lawn.
THE gardener who has patience and
L will procure and plant tree seed
instead of buying these ornamentals
can further minimize the expenses of
his dooryard Identification program. If
more trees are grown from seed than
he al ,foe c1xy ok
your neighborS or friends without ques-
ton will be glad to purchase the sur
plus stocks.
The paper mulch as a gardening
assistant in the District will reduce
production costs in both professional as
well as amateur gardens. The vege-
table grower who raises foodstuffS for
market will find that paper farming
can be modified to serve his needs as
profitably as it works for the back yard
gardener who aspires only to produce
enough truck stuff for home use. The
paper mulch method where practiced by
the professional grower permits Of the
greatest possible yield Of market pro-
duce from a small area. 1t effectual-
ICES intensive culture of green vegetables
and the use of every square inch Of
garden surface for foodstuff production.
Growing vegetables in garden
topped with impervious paper results in
yields of early maturing produce which
are measurably larger than those har-
vested from normal unpapered plots.
Under the most favorable conditions,
vegetable production has been increased
five to six times by the use of the paper
mulch. These results were exceptional.
however. The average District gardener
will find when he tests out the paper
mulch system that his stand of vege-
tables will be more uniform than
ordinary while the produce will ma
ture from one to three weeks earlier
than normal. His yield will probably be
increased from one-half to two-thi-ds
by the use of the paper mulch
and in certain cases the harvest
may even exceed this average gain.
He will be amply repaid, however,
II the only benefit which he gains is the
elimination of hand cultivation and the
efficient control of weeds during the
Spring and Summer months. This Is
the primary advantage of paper gar
dening" and one which will make the
practice profitable even though no other
beneficial results such as have been
noted above are apparent.
Close Enough.