Farm Gardening with Hints on Cheap Manuring / Quick Cash Crops and How to Grow Them

the Mark

cess almost anywhere. Some of them are produced by market gardeners, but by reason of the amou

s, cabbage, carrots, sweet corn, horseradish, parsnip, p

ARA

ited. The cutting term covers six weeks, beginning (at Philadelphia) in the middle or latter part of April. Cutting must here cease in June, in order to give t

d's E

A small area is better than a large one, as being more likely to receive sufficient manure; and it is desirable that the land should have bee

the plow be run both ways and the loose dirt shovelled out, it is quite easy to reach a depth of 1

n the old-fashioned kinds. There is a slight difference in flavor, also, but the preference of the local market must determine the farmer in making a choice of roots. If a green "grass" be preferred, that kind can be had from seedsmen; but, no matter how carefully the roots may

t results. Quality of shoots depends on quick growth, and size depends somewhat on distance of the root under ground. The deeper the asparagus root under the surface, the larger in di

Palmetto is the asparagus generally grown in the South. For

k crop grown there. The working of this crop will gradually fill up the furrows about the stems of the young asparagus, which, during the first year, is quite small and insignificant in appearance. By fall, the furrows will be entirely filled and the surface of the patch level. The asparagus slug, the larva of the well-known beetle, may be kept dow

t care being observed to use a wheel on the plow so that not more than a few inches of soil may be turned, lest the cr

anure, leaving the land level. The second plowing (if given) is to be toward the rows, for the purp

should be given at the end of the cutting season, in June, to d

and burned, as there seems to be no economic way of composting them, for, if moved to the compost heap or barnyard, they will seed the whol

Some growers do the work early in the morning, and carry the bunches to market the same day. Others cut and bunc

s Buncher, wi

re quart in diameter, and from 6 to 9 inches in length. In fact, a quart cup or tin fruit can is frequently used in shaping the bunch. Home-made wooden bunchers are also in common use. The Acme asparagus buncher is the best, coming in two sizes. The asparagus i

small shoots are quite as good for food as the larger ones, but the latter alw

acting upon fertility already in the soil, and having a distinct tendency to attract and hold moisture, but

zer. It also contains a fourth of its bulk of salt. Ground bone, which contains nitrogen (ammonia) and phosphoric acid, is also a good thing to use on

o raise the most and best asparagus, depend mainly on enormous quantities of first-class stable

ents. The cut should be made just below the surface of the ground, care being taken not to injure other shoots just coming up. Crooked shoots often make their appearance, resulting from injury done by the cutting knife. Other cause

el Aspara

are laid out and dug by hand of course a garden line must be used, in order to have them straight and uniform. The practice of di

space. Hence, about 5,000 asparagus plants would be required for an acre of land set at these distances; they are, however, often set clos

AN

ery garden, but on a large scale it is a different q

legumes. The leguminous plants, it will be remembered, have the rare ability of obtaining nitrogen through the tubercles

00 pounds of beef there are but about 15 to 20 pounds of protein. Peas are almost as rich as beans in protein, which is the tissue-building element of all foods, and, hence, it is easy to realize

entre of population, but to compete in the open wholesale market demands

een Pod Extra Ear

called bush beans. The influence of man has developed the bean into a vast number of different forms, which freque

d beans, as a rule, are more prolific and more hardy than the yellow-podded or wax beans. The climbers demand a whole seas

state, is used for food. They are of both types, climbing and bush. The Lima forms include

mproved Round Pod Extra Early Valentin

ely grown in the South for shipment North. Valentine Wax is recommended for

m and New Snowflake Field. For descriptions of these and oth

recommend Ford's Mammoth Podded

ne of the best yellow-pod pole beans, and

ee's and Henderson's repr

eans, see "Johnson & Stoke

d select good mellow soil that has been manured the previous year. Fr

t will do well. It will obtain nitrogen, in great part, from the air, as already explained. Old manure is very favorable as a starter, as it contains the minute org

patch, to get quick action of the bacteria (little organisms), which form the lumps or tube

purpose from a patch affected with rust or blight, as dise

ss of growth. The seed swells, bursts, sends a shoot (radicle) downward, and the two parts of the seed, called the seed-leaves, are pushed up into the daylight. Small round beans can take care of themselves, as they turn easily in the soil, but lima beans often perish i

ty to ninety days from planting. There should be successional plantings made of the bush beans from the first date t

allowed to a hill. Wires stretched between posts, with strings down to the ground, are sometimes used. The bush beans are planted in rows 3 feet apart fo

Wax Bean. The Earliest Wax

r 500 pounds of complete fertilizer, and the beans are planted with a grain drill, using every fourth tube. The culture is by horse-power, and the vines are

oots. The climbing sorts twine "against the sun;" that is, in a contrary direction to the appar

no help for them. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture is a preventive. The spraying should be done in advance of blossoming. The seed is sometimes soaked in Bordeaux mi

actical people say there is no remedy known; others recommend heating the beans to 145°

e, or even more. Lima beans are more profitably sold in the pods than shelled, though some markets demand the shelled article. The consumer gets a fresher and better article in the pods, and the produc

ET

r all large cities, both under glass and in the open ground. They

gyptian, the Earlie

but mainly on the quickness of growth. Sweetness and s

and table beets may also be grown, if good soil is available, for market purposes. The winte

ally rotted manure is best. For horse culture the rows should

t is hardy, and not injured by a little frost; and successional plantings may be made until

rows and lightly covered. In dry weather the soil must be pressed firmly on the seed, to insure s

the sooner will it reach a marketable size. Beet plants standing 5 inches a

grades. The turnip-shaped beets are the earliest, while the half-longs and longs are the

alf-long Beet. The

the blood beets have green leaves. There are many shades and colors of the roots, from deepest blood red to wh

ed Egyptian and Surprise; for winter, Ford's Perfected Half-

es cut off. The bunching and topping may be done in the field, and the bunches afterward washed in a tub of wa

practiced; or the beets may be kept in pits in

lly attacked by insects, but the farmer or gardener has little to fear if soil be good and weather be favo

BB

ieties can be grown by farmers for shipment to the great Northern markets. The Northern farmer, unles

partially rotted form, as fresh manure of any kind (especially hog manure) is liable to produce the disease or deformity known as club-root, the spores of the disease a

ey Wakefie

back to undesirable types that great dissatisfaction and loss attend all experiments with poorly-selected seed. The choic

eners' No. 2, Valuable for Ea

he row. The young plants, previously started in a seed-bed, should (at the North) be set out in July. T

ultivation and quick growth. In some parts of New England the seed is sown in the open field, in rows w

ommended for planting (4 × 2? feet) there would be 4,356 plants to the acre. In the case of such varieties as Johnson & Stokes' Earliest and Jersey Wakefield cabbage, where the number of plants per acre would be perhaps 10,000, the Mi

rge, flat heads. There are cabbages which never head; as, for instance, the collards of the South; and there are varieties of crinkled-leaf cabbages,

& Stokes' Market Gardeners' No. 2, Louderback's All the Year Round; for late varieties for the North, New Rock Head Winter, Johnson & Stokes' Matchless Flat Dutch, Danish Ball He

supplemented by a hand-hoe between the plants in the rows. The cu

ot maggot is sometimes very destructive, both with cabbage and cauliflower. New ground is the most satisfactory remedy. Green aphides or lice often follow lack of strength in the cabbage. Pyrethrum powder, air-slacked lime, kerosene emulsion, etc., are used as remedies for lice.

aps, of continued wet weather, or warm weather following cold weather. The best re

e almost always fair, and occasionally extra. Pennsylvania farmers sometimes ship to wholesalers in the cities and sometimes sell at public sale in the open field, in the autumn, j

winter storage is to put it where it will have the fewest changes

s, with roots attached, with from 6 to 12 inches of soil, making provis

t, in the Field of Messrs. Myers & Bowman, the well-known Philadelphia Mark

t instead of wedge-shaped on top. It does not turn water so well, but in practice is usually satisfac

ep cabbage through the winter, but it is hard to prov

Matchless Late F

aken to remove the roots without much injury, they may be set in furrows or trenches, and the earth heaped over the cabbages just as in the several ways above mentioned, and they will make

ion after such severe freezing, but the chances are that they will fail to grow if set out for seed. The cabbage decays with a strong, offensive smell when its tissues finally break down after repeated changes of temp

ate trenches, so that each can be wholly cleared of its contents at a single opening. T

after milking; and frozen cabbages should never be fed in any c

RR

rmous quantities are grown by the market gardeners, both under glass and in the open ground, for us

ns of Rubicon H

special demand calls for the smaller carrots. The large half-long

rows, and the rows as near together as is feasible for horse work. Clean culture is demanded. The seed must be planted shallow, and may go into the ground a

d its culture is not difficult. It demands thinning and hoeing after

nips, either to be put away in earth-covered heaps

g Orange, if in excess of market demands, are equally good for stock. Cows and horses are fond of them, and they are most wholesome. The fa

too much manure tends to stimulate the growth of the top at t

easure-about 60 cents or more per basket at this time (January, 1898). This is at the rate of $1.50 p

Half-Long for market or stock. See "Jo

ET

ars are always in demand. Any sod land plowed shallow will yield a crop of sweet corn. It is easy in this latitude

t in the hills will put the ground in order. A complete fert

planted 4 feet by 3; the rows 4 feet apart and the hills 3 feet apart, with not more than three stalks in a hill. The smaller varieties may be grown much closer-3 feet by 2. Any method

acking in sweetness as compared to the best intermediate types. Still, the early prices are so much better than midsummer prices, that th

urs from market is an extreme distance, but is feasible if the ears can be chilled in a cold storage house previous to shipment; otherwise, they will heat and spoil. Even when designed for a

rs which are not too large, as corn is often sold

t of the way so soon that the ground can be used for celery or other late crop. Celery can be set out betw

, are among the sweetest of all. The grains are of irregular shape and arrangement, and the appearance

to boiling water. If cooked slowly, the red color

sugar corn in appearance. For second early, Early Champion and New Early Evergreen; for late, original Stowell's Everg

emanded by sweet corn. The growth at first is timid and slow; afterwa

Evergreen

as possible after the last ears have gone to market and fed

arly sorts; and a worm which cuts and injures the grain while the corn is in milk. Crows sometimes pull up the seeds, but can be disposed of by scattering a littl

there is a consequent weakness of growth. Indian corn, at Philadelphia, should not be planted before May 10th, and yet it is not uncommon to see gardeners planting sweet corn two weeks earlier. They say they are "going to risk it." The result may be a good crop of corn, or it may be a crop of worms and fungus. Of c

liothis armiger). This is the cotton worm of the South, there called boll worm. I

ind. Its depredations are extensive, especially in early corn. It prefers corn to all other foods, and cotton planters p

mn, when the insects are in the pupa or chrysalis state. If turned up by the plow, it is believed

as to contend. The plan of feeding wormy ears to pigs offers the double advanta

eginning (at Philadelphia) May 10th and ending about July 10th. The first and last planti

oximate 1,000 dozens of ears per acre, and the gross receipts should

ks of sweet corn. Such time is wasted. If the suckers are let alone

ERAD

ts are planted in May, in the rows between crops, and after the crops are removed the horseradish makes its main growth. It is perfectly hardy, and comes on rapidly

end with a slope. This is to get them right end up at planting time. The small roots are available in quantities in the autumn, when the large roots are trimme

plant will represent 6 square feet of space, and,

ong dibber or crowbar make holes 8 or 10 inches deep. A se

rop has been removed from the land, the horseradish should be w

in a root cellar. The small lateral roots should be saved for the next year's sets. There is a good demand for hors

and washing, should weigh

RS

low Crown

he carrot. Any soil that is deep mellow and moderately rich may be used

inates very slowly. It should be covered to a depth of half an inch, and the soil

in in the ground, just where it grows, all winter. The flavor is said

has a high value as a stock food, especially for cows. It should be fed after milking, in quan

Crown. For description, see "Johnso

OR OYSTE

sland Salsify as B

to 3? feet apart, and the plants thinned to stand 5 inches apart in the rows. The culture is the same as for parsnips. Fresh manure must be avoided, as it makes the roots ill-shaped. The roots, under good treatment, will exceed an inch in diameter, and

PO

, etc. The weak points of potato culture are most commonly the fertilizing and the treatment of diseases. These will be briefly discussed. As to lack of moisture, to be remedied by artificial wat

. General crop in the North-Houlton Early Rose, Table King, Late Puritan, Rural New-Yorker No. 2

f potash. This shows that nitrogen and potash are the elements mainly abstracted from the soil by a crop of potatoes. An analysis is not an infallible index of

nd potash will evidently be demanded in most cases, yet the Ohio Station recently reports that "phosphoric acid has been the contro

oes near Houlton, Aro

the fact that it so often carries with it the spores of such diseases as blight, scab and ro

best of the leguminous crops for green manuring purposes. Many successful potato farmers depend larg

nd potash can be had in the form of sulphate or as kainit. Where the scab is prevalent, it may pro

al determination. Flat culture is better than ridge culture, so far as conservation of moisture is concerned. It is important that good Northern-grown seed be planted; tubers which have not lost their st

e to experiment in a small way on new kinds, it is best to depend

culture given, there may come a season of prolonged drouth that will defeat his purpose of securing a large crop. This result is not common, but neither is it rare; and

ble King, One of the B

his crop, there are four diseases which exert a disastrous influence on the potato, and which are

blight or downy mildew and the Macrosporium di

ther growth of both vine and tuber. The leaves turn brown or black, and the stem quickly wilts and falls. There can be no growth of

ssels, and the lime water poured into the dissolved blue stone. This should be diluted with water sufficient to fill a forty-five gallon barrel

spraying should be more frequent than during clear weather. The object is to prolong the life and vigor of the vines. The cost of the five or six sp

is still contradictory, but it is likely that

of flowers of sulphur per acre scattered in the rows, while the same treatment at the Ohio Station was le

flourishes best on a soil inclined to be alkaline, while rot is most prevalent on a soil

sive sublimate. This substance is dissolved to the amount of 2? ounces, in two gallons of hot water, and (after standing a day) diluted with water so as to make fifteen gallons.

ntirely satisfactory in some soils. In others, the use of kainit or s

new field than to attempt to disinfect the old one. A rotation of crops will probably r

s but little more to produce 300 bushels to the acre than 100 bushels. There can be no

KINS

ASH

pkin, One of the Best for

group are clearly pumpkins, and others just as clearly squashes, but when an attempt is made to draw a sharp line between them, we get into

umpkins may be economically grown in corn fields, the seeds being planted along with the corn-one

squashes, as they are much superior to pumpkins

, but which are worthy of cultivation for market purposes. When a farmer by experiment has found a high-qu

n Cashaw and Winter Luxury. For descriptions,

nter-keeping varieties-Sweet Nut, Faxon, Chicago Warted, Hubbard, Early Prolific

ATO

ers. There is always a brisk market for selected, carefully-washed tomatoes,

g is likely to stimulate the vines at the expense of the fruit.

frost is over. Little is gained by setting out too early, when the ground is cool. The tomato is of tropical origin, and makes rapid growth only at a temperature of 65° or upwa

land. In open field culture the tomato is always allowed to lie upon the ground. In garden culture, it is o

kling. The ideal market tomato is one of medium size and smooth shape. It must have firmness and depth, and the quality of ripening evenly all over. There should be neither greenness n

early and main crop, Brinton's Best, New Fortune; for late, Brandywine, Cumberl

ly two later crops, because young, vigorous plants yield the most and best fruit. It is good practice to sow tomato seed in the open ground, say about mi

Appear for Sale on Fruit Stands

North, and the newly-set plant at first makes little growth. Cultivator and hand-hoe should both be kept in motion during this period, and in June also. In the latter month the tomato will make a sudden leap toward maturi

nton's Best) Tomato,

ober, and placing these unripe tomatoes on straw in a cold frame. Covered with straw and with the sash to keep out frost, the fruit

of the Best Secon

arms where later plantings are quite healthy. This favors the theory that blight results from weakness caused by early planting in cold ground.

rm sometimes causes much damage to the tomato. All diseased or blighted tomato vin

e quoted as the average gross receipts from tomatoes at present prices. This estimate is based on the low yield of a half-peck of fruit to each vine at 25 cents per basket. If sold retail, the

AND RU

tter practice to sow both these and the ruta bagas in drills, so that they can be kept clear of weeds and worked by horse-power. Not only are these advantages secured, but the row system ma

e seed should be sown early, in mellow soil. For the fall crop the seed may be sown either

. For fall crop, Mammoth Purple Top Globe and Golden Ball. Fo

r Breadst

seed of the common turnip. The ground should be well enriched with rotted manure, the rows 2? to 3 feet apart, the seed covered to the depth of

Top Beauty and Budlong. For descript

le Top Beau

eir high value as stock foods. They are easily preserved in root cellars, covered w

tration from our New Book-"Irrigation by Cheap Modern Metho