Evening star., 1936-03-21

Devoted Cultivation of Food Since the Days
Of the World Wr-New Practical Results, Even Though
They Appear Be Very Fantastic When They Are First Observed

gardens, but who still wish to test
mulching by way Of the paper mill
without waiting until another season
rolls around.
After all the seed Is planted, seed
ling plants are transplanted and the
paper cover Is anchored securely in
position. you can frequent golf course,
tennis court, natatorium, bride path,
base ball game-or what is your pet
form of leisure-until the cows come
home, or rather until the vegetables
are ripe for table use. Your papered
garden works while you work, and,
veritably, does double duty, by also
working while you sleep. 1t is the
closest approach to automatic food
production extant. When the corn.
carrots, cabbages and cucumbers get
high enough, you can thin the stand
by hand. using the paper as a carpet
upon which to walk. II the season Is
unusually rainy, the weeds which grow
in the exposed plant rows will occa-
sionally have to be yanked from the
soil by hand. However, few hours
of such work during the growing sea-
son will maintain the mulched garden
free of feed-pirates.
The mulch-paper layout serves as
the stimulation of an irrigation sys-
TEN. Rainfall which Is so light and
limited as to be Of small benefit to an
unpapered garden provides plenty OF
moisture for the paper-mulched plant
ings. This is true because the paper
blanket is so applied that all the mois-
ture which falls drains directly into
the seed and crop rows, where 1t seeps
into the soil around the rootlets of the
growing plants and accomplishes max
imum benefits.
Prior to the advent Of warm, set
tied weather, the black paper radiates
heat from the sun and raises the tenn
perature OF the surface soil which 1t
safeguards from to degrees higher
than that Of the neighboring dirt. The
paper mantle also conserves soil mois-
ture by presenting surface evaporation.
Plenty Of moisture allied with favor
able temperature facilitates beneficial
bacterial action in the soil thus pro-
tected. Even during dry weather. with
no rain for three or four weeks, the
soil under the paper to depth OF
several inches will remain moist. Con-
tiguous earth, unprotected, will stimuli
taneously be as dry as cattle bones,
bleaching to extinction on a West
ern plain.
THE mulch paper acts as an imi-
- tation, yet effective. scarecrow in
preventing crows, sparrows, robins,
blackbirds and other seed-stealers
from their nefarious activities. All
weeds that grow are smothered to
death by the paper which covers the
inter-row spaces. This modern magic
Is mastery, in that it coaxes green
vegetables to grow, not because OF good
weather, but in spite Of unfavorable
climatic conditions. Furthermore, it
is a spinner of early maturity Tor
green stuff, food crops thus protected
being ready for the table from two to
three weeks in advance Of those en-
anating from unpapered gardens. Con-
sequently, various gardeners are able
to produce two crops a year OF the
same vegetable when formerly the sea-
son was so short that single crop
was the limit. Sweet potatoes, paper
mulch style, can now be raised prac-
tically as far north as Central YER
mont-a regular growth miracle, as
compared with the former geograph-
ical limits Of that species.
Papered gardening is especially ad-
visable where strawberries, cante-
loupes, watermelonS, tomatoes and
similar crops are grown, as it shields
the fruits from direct contact with the
soil and thus prevents certain disease
losses. This new fashion in gardening
is also a champion Of abnormally high
Yields. Conservatively speaking, your
vegetable crops will increase from 80
to so per cent as direct result OF
the wizardry worked by the paper,
while the quality Of the vegetables
will also be superior.
The latest innovation in paper
mulch gardening is offered this Spring
by the local 10-cent stores. 1t con-
sists of large strip Of high-quality.
long Lasting mulch paper speckled
with holes through which the seed may
be planted. Sufficient seed and ferti-
lizer are also provided for a garden as
large as your dining room table. Here
is a chance for every interested local
gardener to test out the paper-mulch
idea in his own back yard, or even IN
window boxes If he is an apartment
dweller. 1t is a simple system, which
will appeal even to the porch gar
dener who grows his supply OF vege-
tables sitting on the veranda adVis-
ing how the lob should be done.