The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-03-12


pole lima beans, two rows Of toma-
toes, half a row of lettuce, half a
row of chard, and one row each Of
beets, carrots, turnips, cabbage, on
ions, radishes, and spinach. When
these are harvested, the Success
sion" crops include two rows Of col
lards as well as later paintings of
the other vegetables.
Need Only Four Tools
Inevitably, gardening on paper
leads to the real thing, and that
means tools. Fortunately, however,
at a time when metal is scarce,
nothing elaborate is needed. There
are many garden implements, but
four of them will serve all purposes
very well--a spade or spading fork,
steel rake, a common hoe, and
strong cord.
Spading can start as soon as the
land is sufficiently dry in spring and
the garden has been cleared of de-
bris. Eight to ten inches is good
depth for spading if the top soil is
deep. On thin layers of top soil ex-
perienced gardeners are careful not
to turn up too much of the infertile
subsoil. To increase the soils fer
tility, the spader should mix in some
well-rotted leafmold, manure, or 9TH
er decayed organic matter if these
fertilizers are available. Every Is
square feet of the garden can well
foLo &c r,,,,oh ac q L,,cha1 Cay,oxx,a,,
cial fertilizer will also be needed on
most gardens, but its application
can best be delayed until after the
spaded clods have been broken up
and the whole garden worked up
with the rake and smoothed out for
planting. Then the fertilizer is APP
piled in bands along the planted
rows.
This year Victory Gardeners will
have special fertilizer with per
cent nitrogen (about IS per cent of
it organic), together with per cent
of phosphoric acid and z per cent
potash. Described as the best for
mula that can be made available to
victory gardeners during the war
time emergency, when war calls for
so much chemical nitrogen, this 3d.
mixture comes in packages of 5,
10, Is, so, and 100 pounds net weight,
labeled Victory Gardener Fertiliz-
er-for Food Production Only"
This fertilizer is best applied along
the garden rows in a band about
three or four inches wide, about two
inches from the line where the seeds
will be sown or the plants set. A
wide furrow about two inches deep
is scooped out with the hoe. The
fertilizer is spread uniformly along
this furrow, at the rate of l pound
per "a or Is feet or row, mixed with
the soil, and covered about two
inches deep. 1t should not touch
the seed. Broadcasting fertilizer is
easier than applying it in bands, but
unless the rows are very close the
broadcasting brings less efficient re-
suits. If the Victory Garden fer
tilizer is broadcast, it should be used
at the rate of three or four pounds
per 100 square feet and then mixed
thoroughly with the soil.
Don't Sow Too Thick
Common to all gardeners at plant.
ing time is the danger of sowing
seed too thickly--a mistake that is
wasteful not only of precious seed
but also of time. For seed that is
sown wastefully produces seedlings
that must later be thinned at the ex-
pense of time and sometimes back
aches.
Bean and pea seeds should be
spaced as the plants are expected
to stand, for these vegetables should
never be thinned in the rows. Beet
and chard seeds" are really fruits
containing several seeds and should
thus be sown no thicker than the
plants are to stand, although some
thinning will be needed. Cabbage
and tomato and onion plants and
onion sets are also placed where
they will remain.