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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1950)
Commercial Plant Food Use Pays Off With Superior Qualify, Fast Growth By producing more vegetables from the same area, and en couraging fast growth with su perior quality, commercial plant food will easily pay its way. It is one of the few things which has risen little in cost, since pre war days. It saves labor, too, especially Precision Sowing Of Garden Helps At Harvest Time While seed sowing isnot a pre cision job especially when na ture does it' gardeners soon learn that much can be saved if it is done with some skill and judgment. If sown too thinly, there may be vacant spaces in the row, caused by local mishaps such as drowning, or washing out, or an attack of fungus. If sown too thickly, seedlings will come up crowded, and there will be extra work in thinning out the excess plant. Some seeds are often sown so thickly that 90 per cent of the plants must be sacrificed, in or der to give the remainder room enough to mature. This is waste of both seed and labor. Then what will serve as a guide to follow? As a general rule, not more than 15 seeds to an inch should be needed, when seed is of stan dard germination, and the soil is fairly porous. Start with that rule, and then make these ex ceptions: Double Rate If seed is of sub-standard ger mination, or known to be old, double that rate. Carrot seed lings arc feeble, and often have difficulty breaking through the soil if it is at all inclined to crust. Use twice as much carrot seed if you have doubts about your soil being porous enough. In the case of large seeds, such as beet, swiss chard, and peas, which can be spaced precisely, sow them an inch apart. Bush beans usually are al lowed to grow four inches apart in the row. If you wish to avoid vacant spaces, a good way is to sow beans in pairs, spaced four inches apart. Seldom will both seeds fail to grow. If both grow, one can easily be pulled up. or let them both develop, since twin plants will do as well as singles. in the vegetable plot, which may be reduced in area if the crops are well fed. Of course,' if plen ty of animal manure is avail able, less commercial plant food will be needed, but the amateur who has the former is rare. Good feeding increases humus in the soil, because it stimulates rooth growth, and most humus comes from roots rather than the tops of plants. Heavy crops may use up some food elements, but they leave behind more humus than they found. Rules Given The best way to apply com mercial plant food depends somewhat on the acidity of the soil. 1. On soils which are acid, testing below pH6, plant food should be concentrated in bands or pockets, not touching plant roots but within each reach. 2. On sweet soils, testing above pH6, spade plant food thoroughly into the soil, evenly and deeply. If you are in doubt about the acidity of your garden soil, use the first method, especially if the soil contains considerable clay. To apply, stretch the line to mark the row in which seeds are to be planted. Then not less than two inches away on either side, make a furrow four inches deep. Pour plant food into each furrow at the rate of one pound (or pint) for 50 feet, and cover it with earth. Then make the drill into which seeds are to be sown and proceed with planting as usual. The standard application of a balanced plant food is 4 pounds per 100 square feet (a space 10x10 feet square). You may fig ure one pound per pint, so an area 10 by 10 feet requires two quarts. One quart will feed 50 square feet and one pint 25 square feet. Amounts Where smaller quantities are required use a rounded table spoon per square foot. For con venience, here is a table show ing some common areas and the standard balanced plant food application for each: 5'x5' equals 25 sq. ft. re quires 1 lb. (or 1 pint). 5'xl0' equals 50 sq. ft. re quires 2 lbs. (or I quart). 10'xlO' equals 100 sq. ft. re quires 4 lbs. (or 2 quarts). 20'x30' equals 600 sq. ft. re quires 24 lbs. '25'xl00' equals 2,500 sq. ft. requires 100 lbs. For plants which are not grown in rows, spread the cor rect amount of plant food evenly over the area and rake it into the top soil. mmwE NOW Is the Time to Plant Both Fruit and Shade Trees SPECIAL 6 Fruit Trees 00 ELMS 45c WEEPING WILLOWS 98 Special Prices ALSO A Complete Assortment or Other Fine Nursery Stock NOW AVAILABLE BIG JUMBO 4 YEAR OLD BEARING FRUIT TREES Complete assortment Grown at Our Nurs ery Acclimated to Local Conditions Give th Handicippfd Vit A Job. H did a jet for you. Its your turn now. Park Landscape Co, West Bank of Evans Creek Rogue River, Ore. ALL NEW ITEMS LAWN GROOMER, Moksnes 89c HAN DEE HOE $1.19 Hoe and Cultivator Combination GARDEN HOE $1.00 GARDEN CULTIVATOR, Utility. $1 .29 BAMBOO LAWN RAKES 39c LONG HANDLE SHOVELS USED 50c - 75c $1.00 Medford Surplus Store 1 Door North of Big Y Medford 1950 North Pacific Phone 2-9008 Time Saved When Garden Rows Are Straight, Even When vegetables or flowers are grown in rows, every five minutes you spend in making the rows straight, parallel, and the whole layout square and pre cise will save an hour In the work of caring for the garden later on. Payment in pride will be even greater, since an orderly garden is pleasant to work in, and to show your neighbors. An excep tion to the rule for straight rows may be made in hilly country, where the wash of soil may be checked by contour planting. Here rows should run at right angles to the slope, but they should still be parallel, though on rounded slopes they will be curved. Double Work Serpentine, slanting or un even rows will double the work of cultivation, and give an ap pearance of incompetence to the garden. Rows are spaced with varying distances between them, depend ing on two factors: The needs of the crop, and the convenience of cultivation. In rich soil vegeta bles may be spaced more closely than in poor; but when spaced too close together, it is difficult to cultivate between the rows. For crops growing 12 inches tall or less, rows may be spaced 10 inches to a foot apart and cultivated with hand tools. For cultivation with a wheel hoe, 18 inches is likely to be found a minimum distance, since it is necessary to avoid disturbing the roots of the vegetables, what ever tool is used. Taller vegetables and those that make vines, large busbes, or have a sprawling habit, must De given more distance between rows. In small gardens. 4 feet will usually be the maximum distance. Riven only for such crops as bush squash and cu cumbers. Decide on Crops First, decide on the crops you will grow, which should be those that your family likes, or ought to like. Next, determine the quantity .of each which you will try to produce, which should be the amount you will eat in the fresh state, plus what you will put up for next winter. In the case of the short-harvest crops, plan for several plantings of each, spaced so that one harvest will follow another throughout the season. Having prepared your produc tion schedule, make a simple plan of your garden and pro ceed to lay it out accurately be fore beginning to sow. This plan should be kept through the sea son, to guide you in second plant ings, and enable you to note upon it errors in planning you may have committed, and which can be corrected another year. Symptoms Of Little Known Illness Told Dr. A. Erin Mcrkel, county health officer, said today that five cases of infectious mononu cleosis have been reported in the county the past week. In describ ing the little known disease, Dr. Merkcl said it is an acute infec tious disease frequently-confused with upper respiratory infec tions. Symptoms usually follow the line of headache, sore throat, fever, and weakness and ex haustion. Diagnosis is confirmed by a blood test which determines whether there is a disturbance among the components of the white corpuscles in the blood stream. Dr. Merkcl said the Incidence of fatality from the disease is "practically nil." Last year, he said, from 12 to 14 cases were reported in the county. It Is not definitely known if the disease is contagious though there ap pears to be some aspects of com municabiiity present. It is most common among children and young adults. Convalescence sometimes drags on from six weeks to three months, according to Dr. Merkel. MECHANIZE YOUR PLANTING ... FOR THISI PERFECT SIM HO SI Uu the tame power implement that preparei perfect teed bedi in one operation to mechanize your plant ing. The Rototiller planter attach ment handles any common crop or vegetable seed in wide rows or mul tiple narrow rowi. Come in or call ui for details about ihil attach ment available with two or more planting units. Mil Trad. M.rk R.f. U.S. P.I Off. POWIt TILII Of A HUH0II0 UMI We are happy to announce that we now have the Agency for Rototiller, Rotoette and Terra-Tractor. The Terra Tractor it the new crawler tiller you can ride. PACIFIC FEED & SEED CO. MEDFORD PHONE 2-2413 Cranti Past Phone 3122 g-L . fat X ; &zlr:?i$ m w i I ' fv HI 0M$ HI PROPER SEEDING METHODS AID PRODUCTION GraDhi cally shown in the pictures above are methods which will aid the home gardener in achieving good yields. At top, hoe handle is used as a drill for medium sized seeds. In small pictures at top, the edge of a board pressed into the ground is used for small seeds, and the corner of a hoe makes a deeper trench for large seeds. In the middle is shown how beans should be sown in pairs, properly spaced, for a good stand. . At bottom is demonstrated the proper way of covering seeds with a special porous mixture for use in heavy soils to prevent crusting. Wednesday. March IS, 1950 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE NINE Shallow Planting Favored In Modern Garden Practice I 0 lowe Brothers M VTtd lh Unvr4,, F,nIsh . f Retitti boiling Resists burning water! nophlhol Resists great Resists metal. morkil eating acidl ) ( Yes, PLAX Is tough! Its ability to withstand hard J ( wear and many stains and acids make it the perfect ) r finish for many household articles. What's more, it's S ) fun to use PLAX, for it flows on freely and levels to a porcelain-like finish without brushmarks! It hides i so effectively that most surfaces may be finished with just one coat. The beauty of PLAX remains after ) r repeated cleanings. Comes in a wide range of STYLE ) klTESTED Colors. S ftfVo"''' Mn kpeP'n8 wi'h 'he la ) MC 3 AJhv co'or 'rends. ) 1 vfe Big Pines Lumber Go, SIXTH and Fill STREETS PHONE 2-6251 Modern practice in sowing seeds favors shallow planting. Just how deep to place them is not loo important, provided they are not too deep. And the maximum depth in the vegetable garden may be considered to be one to two inches. Don't bother to measure the depth you plant exactly, as some beginners nave been known to do. A good way is to have three depths of "drill," that being the gardeners' word for the shallow trench into which the seed is dropped. The shallowest drill is made by pressing the edge of a narrow board into the soil. This takes the smallest seeds, which nre harplv pnvpppH wilh eril The middle depth drill is made wun tne noe handle, and is about half an inch deep. The deepst drill is made with the corner of the hoe blade, and runs one to two inches. Old Rule Good The old rule that seeds should be sown at a depth equal to four times their diameter is a fairly good one, though impractical to apply witli accuracy, of course. It does convey the idea that the larger the seed, the deeper it should be. To some extent the depth of the larger seeds will de pend upon the nature of the soil. In sandy loam they may go a little deeper than in heavy clay; and in hot weather they should be at least twice as deep as in the moist spring weather. Keep Straight Above all, in making a drill, keep It straight. Some gardeners use a narrow plank as a ruler. A garden line is easier to handle, heavy cords on reels are handy, but any stout cord stretched be tween two stakes will serve. But use the line as a guide, and never press the hoe against it, for it will bend, and your garden row may turn out to be serpentine. If this happens, fill up the drill and try it over again. You will soon acquire the knack. You quickly learn to mark the drill in the well prepared soil with very little pressure, almost as though you were drawing a line on paper. 2 M "imnm... jrSsfS g IOl ICONOMIMl f BETTER ) ORCHARD 1 SPRAYING i DDT P4teW PARA Piute PARA ?tu MAGNETIC 70 SULPHUR2W ORDER FROM TOUR DEtlfR. SPECIFY Zinnia Favorite In U. 5. Gardens Among the flowers which amateurs grow from seed the zinnia stands first in this cotin-1 try. It is a native American which thrives in our hot, drv i summers. The seed germinates in a few days, and plants pro-: duce their flowers in six weeks. 1 But they could be more so if j gardeners in general knew what ! a variety of colors and forms the i zinnia family includes. Too many grow only the giant dou-1 ble kinds lovely, it is true 1 but lovier when accompanied by j those of smaller size, which i bloom even more freely and make a better, effect in the bor der. So many colors, sizes and shapes are found in the long list of zinnias, that an entire garden could be planted with them with excellent effect. They have all i the colors except blue; in size I their blossoms range from half I an inch to six inches across; in 1 height plants grow from six inches to four feet. One of the most decorative forms is the fantasy type, in which the petals depart wholly from the formal regularity of outer aouDies, to iwist ana curl, something like a cactus dahlia. They are charming in flower ar rangements, and a group of them In the garden makes a pleasing contrast to neighbors of more sedate behavior. Zinnias may be started in doors or outdoors, in seed boxes or sown direct in the garden. Use Mull Tribune wnnl Ad M j, in i i ii , i BRING BUG TROUBLES TO US There's scarcely a bug in the world . . . especially the garden variety beetles, worms, aphids and slugs . . . that isn't an easy mark for the new insecticides. Yes, those insect dusts, sprays and repellents are strong medicine. But, you have to know what you're after and which of the new products will do the job best. That's what we're here for. We know all your common garden pests, and how to get rid of them. Come in and let us bring you up-to-date on insect control. SPRAYERS FOR EVERY JOB IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING!-that urge fo clean up, and paint up. Here are supplies to use when you start your clean-up campaign! OIL MOP 98c Gt I hit ntw, better cvnitriKt d ell mop. Hm IihjIi-Iow hjnaUe, ett itite cer ntn, and under lew furniture. REVIVES OLD BRUSHES BRUSH CLEANER 10c BOX 7fFi Liquid OR Paste Wai P.lll Liquid 63c 59c Cen Bottle Cheese the hind yeu prtter both ere tlnett quellty p e 1 1 h end irtti rve floor, end turnl-turt. QUICK, QfNTlf PAINT CLEANER 25c BOX WORLD'S LOVELIEST LUSTRE FINISH fSf LOOKS' JKE BAKED ENAMEL! FOR KITCHENS BATHROOMS ALL WOODWORK! ' FREE DELIVERY GARBAGE CAN 2.98 tej 20 - flillen lie, hi corru ted, tilrint tied aieet, riv eted h n d I e. Snutj tit tln ltd keeps ewt rati, , STEP-LADDERS '5.95 We have the finest, tefetl ittp ladders. Steel trusted herd weed ton ttruttlen, jrooved safety step treads. CURTAIN STRETCHER $7.95 ALUMINUM H.lpl huike(ri with s ttdiom job. Pin-typ curtain itrttchtr, Mti up t.iily. Brief 4 Mull hol4 firmlf. Pint r ruit-irMr. Frimt It Ktirktd all In Inehji nd ' Inchtt. Acme "Specialists in Homewares" COMPANY 3 WIST SIXTH STREET TELEPHONE 2-3201
