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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1914)
8 HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Gardening on W. H. Robertson, nisi slant horll nlturlst of the Department of Agri culture lor the province ot British Colombia, has just completed an arti cle treating of gardening on a city lot. As the climate in British Co lumbia la quite simitar to that of many sections in Washington and Oregon, the findings should prore of interest to otrr readers. The first in stallment of this article fallows. THE expenditure (or vegetables for a family of five where all vege tables are purchased has been estimated at 35 cents per day, or 1126.75 per year. This sum repre sents from one-fifth to about one eighth of the income of the average man. The greater part of these vegetables could be produced on spare land surrounding the home at an expense of but a few dollars for seed, tools, and fertilizer; and, be sides, the vegetables grown would be fresher and more would be used than when purchased. Because of the mild climate of the Coast and Island districts a good supply of fresh vegetables may be had at all times of the year, as is shown by the following table: Month. Vegetables. January Kale, parsnips, leeks, let tuce, parsley. February-Kale, parnips, leeks, let tuce, parsley. March Spinach, broccoli. ApriL..Radish, onions, rhubarb, broccoli. May Asparagus, peas. June Early cabbage, carrots, beets. July Early potatoes, parsnips, beans. August T o m a t o e s, cauliflower, onions, cucumbers, sum mer squash. September-Cabbage, salsify, herbs. October Celery, Brussels sprouts, leeks, Winter squash. November-Tall lettuce, early spin ach. December ..Same as for January and February. Besides the fresh vegetables which may be had through the Winter months, the gardener can have a large variety stored, including pota toes, beets, carrots, onions, celery, squash and turnips. Preparation of the Ground. Too much stress cannot be nlaeed on the importance of preparing a goon seed-bed. In the Fall, land in tended for eardenine nnrrtoRp.s should be cleared of all robish and ploughed or spaded to a depth of not less than seven inches. This operation will leave the land roueh and, besides opening the soil to the eirects or the weather and permit ting it to absorb a maximum of rainfall, will aid in freeing it from injurious insects or other pests. No other operations are necessarv until Spring, unless some fertiliser is to be applied; the kind. time, and amount to apply is taken up under fertilizers." Even though the soil was well spaded in the Fall, the Winter rains will have packed it, so that another spading will be advisable in the Spring. Previous to this operation, all manures other than nitrate of soda should be applied, so that they will work well into the soil. Fol lowing this, the surface of the soil should be raked over with a hand rake several times to rid the soil of any clods and to ensure a. firm seed bed. As the planting is not all done at once, the unplanted area should be hoed and hand-raked be fore planting, in order to kill all weeds which may have started and to hold the moisture which is nec essary to start the seed growing when it is planted. , Fertilizers. Undoubtedly, well-rotted stable manure is the best fertilizer for the garden. Besides the plant-food it contains, it has a great value in Im proving the physical condition of the soil. It lightens heavy soils and makes them earlier, while it has a binding action on light soils, which increases their capacity for retain ing moisture and accelerates the liberation of plant-food. Where Win a Small Scale ter rains are common, it is best to apply manure In the early Spring and work it into soil immediately. Commercial fertilizers are also valuable, especially where manure is not available, and also when used in conjunction with barnyard ma nure. Their main value lies in the amount of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash they contain. These three elements may be purchased ready mixed as a complete fertilizer, or the elements may be purchased sep arately and applied. Potash and phosphatic manures should be ap plied during the Winter months; nitrate ot soda, in which we find nitrogen in the most available form. should be applied to the growing crop, as it is easily washed out of the soil. As a rule, crops grown for the leaf production, as spinach, cabbage, and lettuce, require a higher per centage of nitrogen than those grown for the root or tuber produc tion, such as beets, carrots, pota toes, etc., which require a greater amount of potash and phosphoric acid. Since the vegetable garden Is usually mixed as regards the ferti lizer requirements, it is best to give a general dressing of fertilizer in the following proportions: Nitrate of soda, 10 lbs.; potash, 15 lbs.; phosphoric acid, 30 lbs. This applied to a garden 40x40 feet gives about 1 lb. to each 30 square feet, which should prove ample. The three need not be applied at once, as the best results come from applying them as mentioned previously. The application of lime is also very beneficial to the soil, and when used should be applied during the Winter; 75 to 100 lbs. would be ample for a plot 40x40 feet. In case the reader desires more information on the use of commer cial fertilizers, he should secure Cir cular No. 28 from the Department of Agriculture Planting and Cultivation. When planting, a garden-line is necessary in order to ensure straight rows. All the tools that will be necessary are a strong spade or shovel, hoe, and gardeh-rake. A trowel for transplanting work will also be found to be useful. Depth of planting seed will be found In the tables on this page. Transplant ing should be done during the latter part of the day, and the plants are always set deeper than they stood In the seed-bed. When transplant ing, be sure that the earth is well packed around the roots in order that root-action may start at once. After the seedlings begin to show and after any transplanting is done, cultivation should be the rule. By keeping the ground thoroughly hoed, not only is moisture held in the soil, but the plant food In the soil is made available through the action of the air. On large garden-plots a wheel-hoe with planter attach ment will be found to save time in planting and to decrease the cost of hoeing. Raspberries Gooseberries Currants Rhubard Asparagus Strawberries (old bed) Early Potatoes Radish Lettuce Herbs Peas Spinach Onions Carrots Beets Parsnips Turnips Beans Sweet Corn Cabbage Cauliflower Late Potatoes Strawberries (new bed) Plan for a Small Garden. Garden-Plan. The following plan Is only a sug gestion of the systematic way in which a piece of ground 40x40 feet may be planted. In soma cases the area that can be devoted to vege table gardens may be larger or even smaller. Rotation should be prac tised, so that by the time the early radish, spinach, peas, etc, are fin ished, their place would be taken by cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, etc., which have been started in a hot bed, window-box, or secured from a greehouse. Points to be remembered in draw ing up a plan are: (1) Make a measurement of your lot, (2) The planting table shown will give some idea of distances for planting. (3) Plant in straight lines to con serve space. (4) Keep the perennials (such as small fruits) together. (6) Plant early season vegetables together, so that when they are re moved the same piece of ground may be planted to a late crop. Tus Barthold-Barg Co. Inc. 127 Fourth Street, Portland, Ore. Instrument and Steel Tape Repairing High-Class Blue Printing ExeiuBivo Dealers in DRAWING MATERIALS dtirveying and Drafting Instruments, Architects' and Engineers' Supplies. 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