Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21
Continued From Third Psge.)

carded broom handles, nails and heavy
Irvine. A Six-penny nail was driven in
each end of one broom handle SO
inches long so that its head protruded
inch beyond the wood. Another
handle Of similar length was fastened
to the first, which was placed in the
core of the roll Of paper. Two pieces
of heavy twine or carpenters cord 31z
feet long were used to link the two
handles together. The gardener walks
his hand while the other unrollS the
paper behind him. A correspondingly
smaller device is used In papering the
l8-inch rows.
Under the tropical climatic condi-
tions which obtain in Hawaii, the pine
apple growers and sugar planters who
engage in paper farming use specially
prepared impervious paper, which is
serviceable for five years. This means
that they have to cultivate and pre-
pare the land but once every five sea-
sons, a practice which markedly re-
duces production expenses. These
planters expend more than $500, 900 an
nually for the patented paper, original
ed expressly for their use.
This tropical pineapple industry has
also developed special system Of plant
ing which has spread the fame of paper
farming around the world. 1t is
known popularity as "the planting
through holes in-paper methods" 1t ia
cilitates one application of paper to a
pineapple field in five seasons, as subse-
quent paintings after the original one
can be made merely by cutting new
holes in the old paper for successive
crops.
| District gardeners who will take the
| trouble to cut holes in the paper after
! it is applied to their gardens in order
to plant seed through these apertures
may be assured that their garden will
| be entirely free of weeds. In the pa
pering methods described previously
| in this article 1t may be that the
grower will have to engage in little
hand wedding, particularly during rainy
seasons, where he does not secure per-
feet stands of vegetables. Weeds will
grow in the unpapered row spaces
which are not occupied by the green
while to remove any such stray weeds
which may appear. It is much easier
to practice this method and to hand
pull the weeds than to paper the
entire garden and plant the seed
through holes cut in the paper.
X X X y
DURING wet weather it is difficult
IL to enter the ordinary unpapered
garden in order to harvest its food
crops for table use. AS they say in
| Virginia, you are apt to bog down"
| If you attempt such feat. Paper on
your garden serves as a sort of sub
| stitute sidewalk. You can pick the
| ripe vegetables at any time by exer-
ciSing a little care in tramping on the
interrow carpet made of paper.
This writer has also found the i'm
pervious paper of measurable utility
as a satisfactory mulch for his rose
garden and other Towering ornamentals
| which are spaced symmetrically. In
such instances the use of the paper
eliminates hand cultivation and pre-
vents the growth of Objectionable weeds.
It also conserves soil moisture during
| dry weather and assists materially in
the develomepnt of the finest flowers
| which you ever produced. The paper
mulch is invaluable for the protection
Of small ornamental trees set In nur-
sery rows previous to permanent trans
| planting.
Paper gardening in regions where
the planting space Is limited effectual-
ICES maximum yields from minimum
soil areas. This is accomplished by
planting interrow crops between those
already growing. For example. such
| vegetables as beets. carrots, spinach.
lettuce and radishes may be grown
In the papered garden as interrow crops
between corn, beans and Summer
squash or cabbage Where this prac-
| tice Is followed. the most satisfactory
system is to cut holes in the paper
for the planting of the successive SOW
ings of seed.
If your garden is papered, you are
assured of clean sanitary vegetables,
such as tomatoes, bush beans and cab
bage, which never come In contact with
the soil. In the case of tomatoes and
other vegetables which are liable to
soil bruises, this means eff1cient pro-
lection against such injuries. For the
growing of strawberries, the paper style
Of gardening Is unusually satisfactory.
The patch of ground set aside for
berry production should be papered
and holes should be cut in the paper
after APPLICATION for the setting out
Of the strawberry plants. The paper
not only controls weeds and conserves
moisture, but also guarantees the
growth of fine early berries which never
come in contact with the soil under
meath the paper.
In the alatitude Of Washington, the
amateur gardener who uses the paper
mulch as his priced assistant viii be
rewarded with vegetables ready for the
table from three to four weeks earlier
than normal. One outstanding advan-
tage Of paper gardening IS that It fost-