,,harper',s ,a-,b-,c ,,series           
,a-,b-,c ,,of ,,vegetable ,,gardening4  
,by ,,eben ,e4 ,,rexford      ,a-,b-,c  
,,of ,,correct ,,speech4      ,by       
,,florence ,,howe ,,hall      ,a-,b-,c  
,,of ,,architecture4      ,by ,,frank   
,e4 ,,wallis      ,a-,b-,c ,,of         
,,housekeeping4      ,by ,,christine    
,,terhune ,,herrick      ,a-,b-,c ,,of  
,,electricity4      ,by ,,william ,h4   
,,meadowcroft      ,a-,b-,c ,,of        
,,gardening4      ,by ,,eben ,e4        
,,rexford      ,a-,b-,c ,,of ,,good     
,,form4      ,by ,,anne ,,seymour       
#afmo1 ,cloth                           
,,harper  ,,brothers1 ,,new ,,york      
,a-,b-,c ,,of ,,vegetable ,,gardening   
,,by                            ,,eben  
,e4 ,,rexford                           
,,harper  ,,brothers ,,publishers       
,,new ,,york  ,,london                  
,a-,b-,c ,,of ,,vegetable ,,gardening   
,copyright1 #aiaf1 by ,harper  ,brothers
                ,printed in the ,united 
,states of ,america                     

,published ,february1 #aiaf             
,,contents        ,,chap4               
,,page              ,,foreword          
#a      ,i4    ,,getting ,,the ,,garden 
,,ready                          #h     
,,ii4   ,,laying ,,out ,,the ,,garden   
#ac      ,,iii4  ,,planting ,,the       
,,garden                                
#ag      ,,iv4   ,,seeds ,,that ,,give  
,,best ,,results                     #bj
      ,v4    ,,early ,,garden ,,work    
#bc      ,,vi4   ,,vegetable ,,plants   
,,in ,,the ,,house                      
#bg      ,,vii4  ,,standard ,,varieties 
,,of ,,vegetables                 #cc   
,,viii4 ,,small ,,fruits ,,and ,,their  
,,culture                   #ef         
,,ix4   ,,hotbeds ,,and ,,cold-,,frames 
#fh      ,x4    ,,small ,,gardens       
#gf      ,,xi4   ,,left-,,overs         
#ha      ,,xii4  ,,health ,,in ,,the    
,,garden4 ,a ,,chapter ,,expressly      
,,for ,,women ,,readers                 
#aaa                                    
,a-,b-,c ,,of                           

,,vegetable ,,gardening                 
,a-,b-,c ,,of ,,vegetable ,,gardening   
,,foreword      ,not everybody has a    
garden4 ,some deny themselves the       
pleasure  and the profit of one because 
they have never had any experience  in  
gardening1 and have somehow got the     
impression that special  training is    
necessary to make a success of the      
undertaking4 ,here  is where they make a
 mistake4 ,there is no special knack    
about  it4 ,any one who owns a bit of   
land1 and has some time that can  be    
given to garden-work1 and an inclination
 to do so1 can make a  gardener of      
himself in a season--and a successful   
one1 too--if  he allows himself to be   
governed by the advice of some one who  
has had some experience along this line4
 ,after the first season  he will not be
 likely to ask or need advice1 for the  
practical  knowledge which comes with   
one season's work among vegetables will 
not only be sufficient to enable him to 
go on with his gardening  operations on 

his own responsibility1 but it will have
 made him  so enthusiastic over them    
that he will be eager to enlarge his    
knowledge of the green things growing1  
and in doing this he will  find a       
pleasure that will make him wonder how  
he ever came to  consider gardening     
something to dread4    ,others1 who have
 but a small piece of land1 may think it
 not worth  while to attempt to grow    
vegetables on it4 ,they labor under the 
impression that a garden1 in order to   
prove a success1 requires  more land    
than is at their disposal4 ,here is     
where they make a  mistake4 ,of course  
one cannot grow a large quantity of     
vegetables  on a small piece of ground1 
but the one who undertakes to make the  
most of a small piece will be surprised 
at the amount that can be  grown on it4 
,in a garden that is not more than      
twenty-five feet  square a friend of    
mine grows all the summer vegetables    
required  by his family of four persons4
 ,this calls for what the scientific    

people call intensive gardening1 and    
makes it necessary to plant  and plan   
for a succession of vegetables2 but that
 twenty-five  feet square of ground     
enables him to get a good share of the  
summer living of his family4    ,another
 notion is1 that in order to have a good
 garden a large  amount of time and     
labor must be expended on it4 ,not so4  
,a very  small amount of systematized   
labor will be demanded by even  a       
good-sized garden1 if it is planned in  
such a manner that  labor-saving tools  
can be used in its cultivation4 ,if we  
look back  to the gardening days of     
fifty or even twenty-five years ago1    
when everything was done at the hardest 
and the hand had to do a  good share of 
the work that we now do with helpful    
implements1  it is not to be wondered at
 that the old-time care of a garden     
discourages many from undertaking to    
have one4 ,happily those days  are over1
 and with the gardening facilities of   
the present it is  an easy matter to    

accomplish more in an hour than could be
 done  then in a day4 ,there is really  
no drudgery in gardening as it is  done 
to-day4 ,on the contrary1 there is      
positive pleasure in the  operation of  
the machinery which inventive genius has
 furnished  for the up-to-date          
gardener's use4    ,those who have never
 had a garden of their own1 but have    
bought  vegetables in the ordinary      
market1 are not in a position to        
understand the wide difference between  
the article we buy and the  one which is
 taken directly from the ground and     
eaten at once4  ,while it is possible to
 keep most vegetables looking fresh for 
a  considerable time by the use of water
 and ice1 it is not possible  to make   
them retain that delicacy of flavor     
known only to those  whose vegetables go
 straight from the garden to the        
kitchen4 ,if  you want any vegetable at 
its best you must grow it in your own   
garden4    ,the general impression seems
 to be that gardening is essentially    

man's work1 and that women and children 
are not equal to it4 ,this  is another  
mistake that will rapidly be done away  
with1 for the  woman of to-day is no    
longer a housed-up woman4 ,she is       
rapidly  learning the value of fresh    
air1 and the tonic of outdoor life is   
fast taking the place of the doctor's   
prescriptions4 ,the writer  knows of    
many women who have found work in the   
garden not only a  healthful occupation1
 but one so delightful that they look   
forward  to spring with most pleasurable
 anticipations1 and long for the  time  
to come when they can get to work out of
 doors4 ,when we have  tried both we    
learn that work in the vegetable-garden 
is no harder  than that in the          
flower-garden1 and that neither demands 
more  strength or time than the average 
woman is able to give it if she  makes  
use of labor-saving tools4 ,what is true
 of the woman is  equally true of the   
children4 ,a child ten years of age can 
do a  good deal of the work that a      

good-sized garden calls for4    ,i would
 not be understood as advocating the    
giving up of  garden-work to women and  
children4 ,i would not deny man the     
pleasure of sharing in it4 ,but ,i would
 urge the importance of  interesting    
women and children in it1 and of        
encouraging them to  take part in it    
from the viewpoint of health4 ,benefit  
in other  respects will become so       
apparent1 after a little1 that further  
encouragement will not be necessary4    
,most women who have some               
leisure--especially if they are of the  
housewife class--will be so  pleased    
with the results of gardening that they 
will be glad to  supplement the labors  
of the man of the family by what they   
can  accomplish in it1 if he is employed
 in work that will not allow  him to    
devote much time to the garden4 ,and    
they will find that the  boys of the    
family--and the girls as well--can be   
made to take  an active part in the good
 work with but little encouragement     

from their elders4 ,it is natural for   
both boys and girls to dig  in the soil1
 and it is well to encourage them to dig
 to some  purpose4 ,it is natural work1 
and healthy work1 and work that will  do
 more to keep the average child out of  
mischief than any other  influence that 
can be brought to bear on it4 ,but ,i   
would not allow  the child to get the   
impression that ,i gave it garden-work  
to do  as a mischief-preventative4 ,that
 would spoil everything4 ,aim to        
interest the boys and girls in the      
mysterious processes of nature4         
,encourage them to plan and execute as  
much of the work as can  safely be      
trusted to them4 ,in a short time you   
will find that most  of them are equal  
to all the requirements of the ordinary 
garden4    ,i have often been told by   
those who have had years of experience  
in garden-work that at least half one's 
living for half the year  can be        
obtained from the garden1 even if it    
happens to be a small  one1 and my own  

experience bears out the truth of this  
statement4  ,if we grow our own         
vegetables we are quite sure to have a  
greater  variety to add to the daily    
bill of fare than would be the case if  
we were to buy them4 ,we have them when 
we want them without making  a trip to  
the market for them1 or depending on the
 uncertainties  of telephone orders     
which grocers so frequently fill by     
sending  vegetables of a quality that   
would not satisfy us if we gave them    
personal inspection before purchasing4  
,the entire family will be  delighted   
with the frequent changes that can be   
made in the bill  of fare1 and no one   
more so than the housewife who often    
finds it  a difficult matter to plan for
 a variety of food when the family      
income does not warrant a liberal       
outlay4    ,no owner of a bit of ground 
that can be made into a garden can      
afford to let it remain unused4 ,if he  
does so he does it in  disregard of the 
economy which most of us are obliged to 

consider  and practise in these days of 
high prices and the increasing cost  of 
daily living4    ,have a garden if you  
can4          ,i    ,,getting ,,the     
,,garden ,,ready      ,the amateur      
gardener will almost invariably be in   
too great a  hurry to begin gardening   
operations in the spring4 ,but a few    
warm  days are not sufficient to put the
 ground in proper condition  for        
seeding1 or even for plowing and        
spading4 ,the frost must be  allowed to 
get out of it1 and after that an        
opportunity must be  given for surplus  
water from melting snows and spring     
rains to  drain away before work can be 
done to any advantage4 ,as a general    
thing not much can be done in gardening 
at the ,north before the  first of ,may4
 ,it is an old saying that haste makes  
waste1 and  the gardener who is in too  
great a hurry often learns the truth    
which underlies the saying by the       
failure to germinate of the seed  he    
puts into the ground very early in the  

season4    ,another old saying that     
should be kept in mind is that one      
swallow does not make a summer4 ,read   
warm day for swallow  and you will get  
the force of the statement4 ,it is not  
advisable  to do much at gardening until
 you are reasonably sure that warm      
weather has come to stay4 ,even if      
early-planted seed comes up1  spells of 
cold weather1 and often of frost1 which 
we are likely to  have at the ,north    
until about the first of ,may1 will have
 such a  debilitating effect on         
comparatively hardy plants that those   
grown  from later sowings1 when all     
conditions are favorable1 will come  to 
maturity ahead of them4 ,therefore it   
will be seen that it is  poor policy to 
be in too great a hurry1 and good policy
 to wait  for what the farmer calls     
growing weather before doing much work  
in the garden4    ,if very early        
vegetables are wanted it will be        
necessary to start  them in the hotbed4 
,in another chapter ,i will give some   

directions  for the making and          
management of this very important       
adjunct of  gardening4    ,the first    
thing to do in making a garden is to    
plow or spade it4  ,plowing is not      
admissible on small grounds1 but where  
there is  room enough to allow a team   
and plow to operate ,i would advise  it 
in preference to spading1 because it    
will save a good deal of  hard work1 and
 greatly expedite matters4 ,before      
plowing some  system of manuring should 
be decided on1 as whatever fertilizer is
  used should be worked well into the   
soil1 and this the plow can  do most    
effectively4 ,barn-yard manure1 if old  
and well rotted1  is better than        
anything else ,i have any knowledge of  
for all  kinds of vegetables1 but       
unfortunately it is seldom obtainable by
  those who do not live in the country4 
,there are many commercial  fertilizers 
on the market1 but not all kinds of them
 are adapted  to all kinds of soil4 ,in 
order to secure the best results it is  

advisable that the amateur gardener     
should consult some dealer  in these    
fertilizers in his immediate vicinity1  
or some one who  has had personal       
experience in their use1 with a view to 
making  sure that he is getting just the
 kind best adapted to the soil in  his  
garden4 ,it is absolutely necessary that
 he should do this1  in fact1 for if he 
buys at random he runs the risk of      
getting  something that will fail to    
answer his purpose4    ,while it is     
always advisable to apply whatever      
fertilizer is used  before plowing1     
commercial fertilizers can be applied   
later with  good effect2 but it will be 
necessary to apply them in such a       
manner that they do not come directly   
into contact with the seed1  as many of 
them are so strong that they kill it4   
,plow the garden deeply1 for by so doing
 you bring to the surface  a stratum of 
soil in which there is more latent      
fertility than in  that close to the    
surface4    ,after plowing1 allow the   

soil to remain as thrown up from the    
furrow for two or three days4 ,sunshine 
and warm air will have  a disintegrating
 effect on it1 which will make it easy  
for you  to reduce it under the         
application of hoe and iron rake to that
  mellow condition so necessary to the  
welfare of the plants you  propose to   
grow4 ,it should be worked over and over
 until not a  lump is left in it4 ,you  
cannot expect to grow good vegetables in
  a soil that has not been well         
pulverized before seed is planted4      
,large grounds1 or those of a size that 
admit of the use of horses1  can be     
speedily mellowed with the harrow1 which
 should be run over  the ground from all
 directions until it is thoroughly      
pulverized4  ,in the small garden the   
rake and hoe will have to take the place
  of the harrow4    ,small pieces of    
ground should be spaded4 ,let the soil  
remain as  thrown up by the spade for   
two or three days before attempting to  
work it4    ,i have been told by some   

amateur gardeners that they did not  use
 much manure because trees and shrubs   
that grew in close  proximity to their  
gardens were so thrifty without manuring
 that  they felt confident that the soil
 must be quite rich enough for          
vegetables without resorting to the use 
of any fertilizer4 ,these  persons      
lacked the experience which would have  
enabled them to  understand the wide    
difference between tree and vegetable   
growth4  ,a tree or a bush sends its    
roots deeply and widely into the soil1  
and applies to its uses food that the   
vegetable cannot send its  roots in     
search of4 ,the roots of most garden    
plants do not extend  far in any        
direction1 nor go very deep2 therefore  
food must be  given directly to them if 
we would secure the best possible       
result4 ,there are very few gardens in  
which the natural soil has  a sufficient
 amount of nutriment to produce the     
effect we aim at  without the addition  
of some kind of plant-food4    ,a rich  

soil is absolutely necessary in order to
 hasten  development4 ,unless a         
vegetable makes a quick growth it is    
pretty  sure to be lacking in tenderness
 and flavor4 ,of course it is  possible 
to apply a greater amount than a plant  
can make use of1  thus forcing an       
unhealthy growth1 but this is not likely
 to happen  if we consult the wise old  
gardener who knows his garden and the   
plants he grows in it as a mechanic     
knows the machine he uses4          ,,ii
    ,,laying ,,out ,,the ,,garden       
,there will be little laying out to do  
in the small garden4 ,here  the chief   
aim will be to make use of every        
available bit of soil2  the beds will be
 narrow1 and the paths between them will
 be just  wide enough to walk in1 and   
these will be the only portions of  the 
ground in which something is not grown4 
,not much chance for  planning1 you see4
    ,in the larger garden it will be not
 only possible1 but advisable1  to do   
considerable planning4    ,if a         

garden-cultivator is used--and this     
should be done whenever  possible--plan 
for rows that will enable you to run it 
the entire  length of the garden without
 turning4 ,beds are no longer in favor  
with gardeners who aim to reduce the    
work to be done to the  minimum1 for in 
them the cultivator cannot be used to   
advantage1  and weeding cannot be done  
with the facility which characterizes   
row-planting1 nor can the hoe be used as
 effectively4 ,there is  really no      
argument that can be advanced in favor  
of the old  bedding system for gardens  
in which we propose to use labor-saving 
implements4    ,if possible1 have the   
rows run north and south4 ,this enables 
the  sun to get at the ground lengthwise
 of the rows1 and between them1  which  
it could not do if they ran east and    
west1 as the plants in  them would shade
 all the ground except that in the first
 and most  southerly row4 ,it is not    
enough that the sun should get at the   
tops of the plants4 ,the soil needs its 

vivifying effect4    ,plant with regard 
to the height and habit of the          
vegetables you  propose to grow4 ,give  
corn a place at the side of the garden4 
,then  peas which grow tall enough to   
require bushing1 and then beans1        
working down through potatoes1 tomatoes1
 and beets and other  low-growing kinds 
to onions1 radishes1 and cucumbers4     
,if the garden-cultivator is to be used1
 leave a space about  eighteen inches   
wide between the rows to work in4 ,this 
implement  can be adjusted to fit any   
width desired4 ,its teeth can be set to 
throw the soil toward a plant or away   
from it4 ,it can be made to  do deep or 
shallow work1 as the case may require4  
,as a general  thing1 after a plant has 
attained some size we throw the soil    
toward it4 ,if the teeth are set to do  
this we go down one side of  the row and
 back on the other1 thus throwing the   
soil about the  plant alike on both     
sides4    ,it will probably be necessary
 to remove some weeds in the row1  which

 cannot be reached by the cultivator4   
,this can be done most  effectively by  
the use of a hoe which is triangular in 
shape1 with  the handle-socket in the   
center of it4 ,one side is a blade like 
the ordinary hoe4 ,the other comes to a 
sharp point1 with which  it is possible 
to work close to a plant without running
 any risk  of injuring it--something    
that cannot be done with the ordinary   
wide-bladed hoe4 ,weeds that grow up    
side by side with vegetable  seedlings  
can be picked away from them so easily1 
and without  disturbing them in the     
least1 that no hand-pulling will have to
 be  resorted to in cleaning the rows4  
,where the garden-cultivator is used    
there will be very little work  to do   
with the hoe1 as this implement stirs   
the soil and uproots  weeds at the same 
time4 ,but in the small garden either   
hoe or  weeding-hook will come into     
daily use4 ,the weeding-hook is a most  
important tool1 though its cost is but  
ten or fifteen cents4 ,it  enables one  

to do a good deal of weeding in a short 
time1 does its  work well1 and does away
 entirely with hand-pulling1 which has  
heretofore been one of the chief        
arguments that men have advanced        
against gardening4          ,,iii       
,,planting ,,the ,,garden      ,most    
persons make the serious mistake of     
covering garden seed too  deeply4 ,very 
small seed needs hardly any covering4   
,indeed1 it does  its best1 as a general
 thing1 when simply scattered on the    
surface  and pressed down into the soil 
by a smooth board4 ,this embeds the     
seed in the soil1 which is made firm    
enough under the pressure  of the board 
to retain a sufficient amount of        
moisture to assist  germination4 ,very  
fine seed often fails to sprout if      
covered too  deeply4    ,but most of the
 seed of garden vegetables is not fine  
enough to  admit of this method of      
planting4 ,if a seed-sower is not used1 
little furrows should be made by drawing
 a stick through the soil1  into which  

the seed should be dropped as evenly as 
possible4 ,it  should then be covered   
lightly and the soil should be pressed  
down with the hoe to make it            
comparatively firm4 ,the probabilities  
are that many more plants will come up  
than it is advisable to let  grow4      
,these surplus seedlings should be      
removed from the rows as  soon as the   
plants get a good start4    ,nearly all 
gardeners make use of the seed-sower4   
,this is an  implement that can be      
adjusted to sow all kinds of seed more  
evenly than it can be sown by hand1 and 
it can be sown thickly  or thinly1 as   
desired1 and at any required depth4 ,it 
cannot be  used to much advantage in the
 very small garden1 where only a  small 
quantity of each kind of seed will be   
made use of1 but  in large gardens it   
will be found as much a labor-saver as  
the  garden-cultivator4    ,it is always
 advisable to plant for a succession if 
the garden is  large enough to admit of 
it4 ,by planting at intervals of ten    

days  or two weeks it is possible to    
have fresh vegetables throughout  almost
 the entire season4 ,where this is done 
it will not be  advisable to plant very 
much of any one kind4    ,among almost  
all vegetables there are early1 medium1 
and late  varieties4 ,some of each of   
these should be planted in all gardens  
of a size to warrant so doing4 ,in the  
small garden ,i would advise  the choice
 of the later varieties1 as these are   
almost without  exception superior in   
flavor to the earlier kinds1 which are  
grown  more on account of earliness than
 quality4          ,,iv    ,,seeds      
,,that ,,give ,,best ,,results      ,it 
is very important that seed of only the 
best kind should be  used1 if we would  
grow vegetables of superior quality4    
,every  gardener of experience will     
indorse the truth of this statement4    
,said one amateur gardener to me when ,i
 gave him this advice3 ,why  should one 
be so particular about the seed8 ,it's  
the culture  that you give the plant    

that counts4 ,plant any kind of seed    
that  happens to be handiest and take   
good care of the plants that grow  from 
it and you'll have good vegetables4 ,to 
some extent what  he said was true1 but 
he had yet to learn that there is a vast
  difference between ordinary seed and  
seed that has bred into it  by careful  
culture the superior qualities which    
characterize the  choicest varieties of 
all our garden plants4 ,there is such a 
thing as aristocracy of seed1 and no    
seed that is lacking in this  feature   
can be expected to afford the           
satisfaction that results  from the use 
of the best4 ,no amount of culture can  
make a superior  vegetable from plants  
grown from inferior seed4 ,bear this in 
mind1  and buy only the best seed on the
 market1 be your garden large or  small4
 ,the smaller it is1 the greater the    
importance of using only  the best4     
,but how are we who know very little    
about such things to know  which is the 
best8 some one may ask4    ,the only    

answer ,i can make to this question is  
this3 ,we have in  this country many    
seed firms that have been in existence  
for  years--some of them over half a    
century--and these have built up  for   
themselves a reputation for handling    
only seed of the very  best varieties of
 garden vegetables that it is possible  
to grow4  ,inferior sorts have been     
discarded from time to time as those of 
superior merit have been produced4      
,these firms1 proud and jealous  of the 
reputation they have gained1 cannot     
afford to deal in  anything that is not 
up to their standard of the best4 ,from 
these dealers you can be sure of getting
 seed that can always  be depended on to
 give the highest degree of             
satisfaction4 ,the  seed they sell you  
may cost a little more than some of the 
newer  dealers ask for theirs1 but the  
certainty of getting what you  want     
makes it well worth while to invest some
 extra money in it4  ,cheap seed--that  
which is advertised as being just as    

good as  higher-priced seed for a much  
smaller amount of money--is likely  to  
prove as cheap in quality as in price4  
,v    ,,early ,,garden ,,work           
,after planting the garden there will be
 a little interval of  leisure while the
 seed that has been put into the ground 
is  germinating4    ,then will come the 
time of early warfare with the weeds4   
,here  is where the weeding-hook of     
which ,i have spoken will come into     
play in the small garden4 ,this little  
implement is in the form of  a claw1    
with five or six fingers1 each about an 
inch long1 and  shaped so that they     
reach into the ground and take a firm   
hold of  whatever plants they are placed
 over4 ,it can be so operated that      
these fingers1 working close to plants  
which it is not desired  to uproot1 will
 tear away the weeds without disturbing 
the other  plants1 and the soil will be 
left in light and mellow condition1  as 
if a tiny rake had been drawn through   
it4 ,with this tool the  work can be    

done with great rapidity4 ,no owner of a
 garden1 large  or small1 can afford to 
be without it4    ,it should be used to 
supplement the work of the cultivator1  
which  can be depended upon to take care
 of all the weeds between the  rows1 but
 which cannot be worked among the plants
 in the row4    ,weeding should be begun
 as soon as the plants are of a size    
that  makes it possible to tell which is
 seedling and which is weed4  ,by       
beginning the work of clearing the      
garden at this period1 and  doing it    
thoroughly1 and continuing it at        
intervals thereafter1 it  will be a     
comparatively easy matter to keep weeds 
under control4  ,but if they are allowed
 to get a strong start--as they will in 
an incredibly short time if let         
alone--it will be a difficult  matter to
 subdue them and keep the upper hand    
during the rest of  the season4 ,it is  
very important that they should be given
 to  understand1 at the outset1 that    
they will not be tolerated in your      

garden4 ,this will necessitate early    
work and careful and regular  attention 
thereafter1 but it will not be the      
laborious work that  so many persons    
think it is if it is begun at the right 
season and  always carried on on the    
offensive4 ,it is when weeds have been  
allowed to intrench themselves firmly in
 the garden that this  work becomes     
disagreeable4    ,nor is it work that   
will require a good deal of one's time4 
,in  the cultivation of a garden it is  
the little attentions1 given  when      
needed1 that count1 rather than the     
amount of labor and time  expended      
there1 as you will find when you come to
 have a garden of  your own4    ,if     
there are any vacant places in the beds 
or rows1 fill with  plants taken from   
places where they stand too thick4 ,in  
the small  garden there should be not   
one vacant spot4 ,every bit of soil     
should be made to do its share of work  
in the production of some  vegetable4   
,if weeds are kept down during the early

 part of the season there  ought not to 
be many during the latter part of it4   
,but there will  be no time when there  
will not be some to wage warfare        
against1  and every gardener should make
 it a rule to destroy every one that    
gets a start as soon as discovered1 for1
 by preventing it from  developing seed1
 we can save ourselves a good deal of   
work next  season4 ,one weed will bear  
seed enough to fill the whole garden    
with its progeny if allowed to do so4   
,if the soil was properly fertilized at 
planting-time it will  not be necessary 
to apply more fertilizer1 if any1 until 
the  latter part of the season1 and then
 only a small amount will  be           
required--just enough to enable the soil
 to do its share in  ripening off the   
plants that are growing in it4 ,but if1 
at any  time1 the plants seem to lag or 
come to a standstill enough should  be  
given to stimulate active growth4       
,careful watch should be kept of        
everything in the garden1 and  prompt   

advantage should be taken of any        
tendency toward slow  development by    
making fresh applications of whatever   
fertilizer  was used at the beginning of
 the season4 ,in order to attain the    
success that the gardener aims at in the
 cultivation of vegetables  it is       
absolutely necessary to keep them going 
steadily ahead from  start to finish1   
and this can only be done by supplying  
them with  a generous amount of         
plant-food4 ,there should be no         
alternations  of liberal feeding and    
lack of feeding4          ,,vi          
,,vegetable ,,plants ,,in ,,the ,,house 
,many persons would like to grow early  
vegetables4 ,with a view to  getting the
 start of the season and1 incidentally1 
of their  neighbors1 they sow seed in   
pots and boxes in ,march and ,april  and
 attempt to get an early start for      
plants that will form a  basis of supply
 for family use while they are waiting  
for the  development of the general crop
 from seed sown in the garden  after the

 weather has become sufficiently warm to
 warrant outdoor  gardening4 ,in some   
instances comparative success has       
resulted from  plants started into      
growth in the house1 but nine times out 
of  ten1 it is safe to say1 the result  
has been entire failure4 ,the  seedlings
 grow fairly well at first1 but soon    
become weak and die4  ,if1 by chance1 a 
few survive until conditions warrant    
putting them  in the ground1 they are so
 lacking in vitality that the change    
from indoors to outdoors is pretty sure 
to be the end of them4    ,i would never
 advise trying to grow plants from seed1
 in the  house1 unless the grower       
understands beforehand the drawbacks to 
plant-growth which prevail in the       
average dwelling1 and is willing  to do 
all he can to overcome them4 ,simply    
filling boxes or pots  with earth1      
putting seed into them1 and supplying   
water will not  insure success4    ,one 
of the unfavorable conditions which     
seedling plants must  struggle against  

is too much heat1 if they are kept in   
the  living-room4 ,an undue amount of   
warmth forces them into abnormal        
development in the early stages of their
 growth1 and a little  later on there   
comes a reaction from the weakness thus 
brought  about1 and this reaction is    
almost invariably death to the tender   
plant4    ,another unfavorable condition
 is the result of indiscriminate        
watering4 ,the soil is either kept too  
wet or too dry4 ,to grow good  plants   
there must be an even supply of         
moisture4    ,a third unfortunate       
condition is the result of failure to   
give the  plants a liberal supply of    
fresh air4    ,it is possible1 however1 
to overcome these conditions and grow   
really good plants from seed in the     
living-room1 but it cannot be  done     
unless the amateur gardener is          
sufficiently interested in the          
undertaking to give his plants all the  
attention they need4    ,instead of     
keeping them in the living-room--which  

in most  instances will have a          
temperature of #gi or #hj--;,i would    
advise  giving them place in a room     
opening off the sitting-room1 where  the
 temperature can be so regulated that it
 will not go above #fe  at any time4    
,there is far less danger of plants     
suffering from a  low temperature than  
of their being injured by an excess of  
heat4  ,if the room in which they are   
kept has snug windows1 in most          
instances it will get all the warmth    
that is needed by leaving  open at night
 the door which connects it with the    
living-room4 ,if  the weather is very   
cold1 the plants can be removed1        
temporarily1  to the living-room1 or    
they can be covered with newspapers4    
,thick  paper shades at the windows will
 do much to keep out cold and  prevent  
draughts4 ,storm-sash will do this most 
effectively1 but it  interferes with    
giving the young plants the fresh air   
they need4  ,therefore ,i would prefer  
the shades1 and depend upon removal to a

  warmer place on extra-cold nights4    
,fresh air will be found a most         
important factor in the growth of       
seedling plants indoors4 ,unless it can 
be given it will be almost  impossible  
to grow any plant well in the ordinary  
dwelling4 ,it  should be admitted to the
 room on every pleasant day by opening a
  window at the top1 or a door at some  
distance from the plants4 ,the  fresh1  
cold air should be allowed to mix with  
the warm air in the  room before it     
comes in contact with the plants1 as a  
chill will  often do about as much      
damage as a touch of frost4    ,watering
 these plants is a matter of prime      
importance4 ,generally  water is applied
 carelessly and irregularly--too much   
to-day1  and none at all to-morrow4 ,we 
saturate the soil with it while  only   
enough is required to make it moist4 ,an
 over-supply of water  at the roots1    
combined with too much heat and lack of 
fresh  air1 will undermine the          
constitution of any plant1 because such 

a combination excites unnatural         
development1 and this means a  lowering 
of the vital force to the danger-point4 
,i have devised a method by which ,i    
have succeeded in controlling  the      
supply of moisture in the soil to my    
complete satisfaction4  ,i use boxes    
about four inches deep to start my      
plants in4 ,in the  bottom of these     
boxes ,i put sphagnum moss4 ,there      
should be at  least an inch of it after 
it has been pressed down by the weight  
of the soil above4 ,the bottom of the   
seed-box is bored full of  small holes4 
,each box sets in a shallow pan of      
galvanized iron1 on  a layer of coarse  
gravel1 which raises it enough to allow 
water  to circulate freely under it4    
,water is poured into the iron pan1     
using enough to come up about half an   
inch above the bottom of  the seed-box1 
or in contact with the moss in it1 and  
it should be  kept at this height at all
 times4 ,the moss absorbs the moisture  
like a sponge1 and the soil above       

constantly sucks up all that is  needed 
to keep it in a sufficiently moist      
condition to meet the  requirements of  
the plants growing in it4 ,the absorbent
 qualities  of the moss are such that an
 excessive amount of moisture is  never 
communicated to the soil above4 ,thus ,i
 secure a steady and  even supply1 which
 does away entirely with the danger     
resulting  from the application of water
 to the surface of the soil from        
watering-pot or basin4    ,if the       
temperature can be controlled in such a 
way that it will  not vary much from #fj
 to #fe1 if the soil can be kept moist  
but never wet1 and fresh air can be     
given in generous quantity  regularly1  
it will be found a comparatively easy   
matter to grow  plants satisfactorily   
from seed in the house1 and have them in
  such healthy condition by the time it 
is safe to put them out in  the garden  
that they will average up well with the 
plants the  professional gardener raises
 in hotbed and cold-frame4 ,by the use  

of such plants1 and such plants only1   
can we expect to grow early  vegetables 
successfully4          ,,vii            
,,standard ,,varieties ,,of ,,vegetables
      ,the amateur gardener will find it
 extremely perplexing work to  make a   
satisfactory selection of varieties of  
vegetables to  grow in his garden4 ,he  
knows quite well1 as a general thing1   
what  kinds he wants to grow1 but when  
he comes to a consultation of  the      
seedsmen's catalogues he discovers that 
of each kind of  vegetable listed       
therein there are so many varieties     
mentioned  that he is bewildered4 ,most 
of them are described as being so       
desirable that he cannot help getting   
the impression that if he  rules out    
this or that one he is likely to deprive
 himself of  the very thing from which  
he would obtain the highest degree of   
satisfaction4 ,nine times out of ten he 
finds1 after going through  the         
catalogues and marking the kinds and    
varieties that appeal to  him most      

forcibly1 that he has a list which would
 furnish enough  seed to supply an      
average-sized market-garden4    ,i would
 advise the amateur gardener to attempt 
the culture of only  a few of the many  
varieties described in the catalogues1  
and these  of the very best4 ,but what  
constitutes the very best is a hard     
matter for him to decide where all are  
described by adjectives in  the         
superlative degree4 ,he will find1 by   
comparing the catalogues  of the various
 seed firms1 that there are described in
 most  of them certain varieties of each
 kind of vegetable that seem  common to 
all1 along with many other varieties    
whose names differ  greatly1 though the 
descriptions of them indicate that there
 is  not much difference in quality1 or 
in other general respects4 ,if  he      
confines his selection to such varieties
 of each kind as the  various dealers   
list under the same names in their      
catalogues he  will be making no        
mistake1 for the fact that all leading  

dealers  carry these varieties in stock 
is sufficient proof that they are       
standard varieties1 and of such superior
 merit that no up-to-date  dealer can   
afford to exclude them from his list4   
,take1 for instance1 ,stowell's         
,evergreen sweet-corn1 and ,champion  of
 ,england pea4 ,all dealers handle      
these1 because they are  standard1 and  
always in demand because their superior 
qualities  have made them universal     
favorites wherever grown4 ,but they     
have other varieties of the same        
vegetable of which each makes a         
specialty1 under names which will be    
found in no catalogue but  their own4   
,many of these are doubtless possessors 
of all the good  qualities claimed for  
them1 but this we cannot be sure about4 
,but  the sorts which are common to all 
are those of whose merit there  can be  
no two opinions4 ,these are the         
varieties the inexperienced  gardener   
can select with the assurance that he is
 getting the best  thing of its kind on 

the market4    ,in this chapter ,i      
propose to make mention of only such    
kinds of  vegetables as ,i have grown in
 my own garden4 ,i do this because  so  
many beginners in gardening prefer to   
depend on the advice  of some one who   
has familiarized himself with the merits
 of the  various vegetables adapted to  
ordinary gardening4 ,and ,i propose  to 
give with each such brief cultural      
directions as seem of most  importance1 
thus making it possible for the amateur 
to avoid some  of the mistakes that     
might be made if he were wholly ignorant
  of the requirements of his plants4    
,after having experimented  with many   
kinds ,i have pinned my faith to the    
kinds ,i shall make  mention of1 and ,i 
have no hesitancy in recommending them  
to the  attention of all gardeners1     
feeling confident that a trial of them  
will bear me out in the statement that  
no better list can be made4  ,there may 
be others of equal or superior merit1   
but if there are  ,i have still to find 

out what they are4      ,asparagus      
,taking the list alphabetically1 the    
first vegetable to consider is          
asparagus4 ,conover's ,colossal seems to
 combine all the merits of  the several 
varieties on the market in such a degree
 as to give it  a place at the head of  
the list of desirable kinds for ordinary
  garden culture4 ,it is tender1        
fine-flavored1 and very productive4  ,a 
dozen plants1 after becoming well       
established1 will furnish all  that will
 be required by a family of four or five
 persons4    ,in order to secure good   
crops of this delicious vegetable it    
will  be necessary to dig up the soil in
 which it is to be planted  to the depth
 of two or three feet1 and fill the     
bottom of the  excavation with strong   
manure4 ,pack this down firmly1 and then
  return to the trench the soil thrown  
out from it1 fertilizing this  well as  
you do so4 ,while asparagus will grow in
 a soil that is  not at all rich1 and   
will live on indefinitely under all     

kinds  of neglect and abuse1 it must be 
given plenty of strong food and  good   
care in order to enable it to do itself 
justice4 ,i would  not advise attempting
 to grow it from seed1 as it takes a    
long  time for seedling plants to reach 
maturity4 ,i would get two- or          
three-year-old plants4 ,set them about  
eighteen inches apart and  at least four
 inches below the surface4 ,keep weeds  
and grass away  from them4 ,give the    
asparagus-bed a place in the garden by  
itself1  preferably along a fence or in 
some location where it will not         
interfere with other plants which call  
for the frequent use of  the            
garden-cultivator4 ,on no account plant 
it in that part of the  garden where it 
will be necessary to use a plow1 for it 
is a plant  that must be left           
undisturbed if you would have it do its 
best4  ,cover the beds with coarse      
manure in the fall1 and work this into  
the soil about the plants in spring4    
,beans    ,mammoth ,stringless ,green   

,pod matures early1 and is very tender1 
fine-flavored1 and productive4 ,it is a 
general favorite for the  home garden4  
,golden ,wax is later than the          
green-podded variety mentioned  above4  
,it is valuable as a string-bean1 and   
for shelling4    ,beans are quite       
tender1 therefore they should not be    
planted until  the weather becomes warm 
and settled4 ,plant in rows two feet    
apart1 and about four inches apart in   
the row1 or in hills of  three or four  
plants each4 ,cultivate frequently      
during the early  part of summer1       
throwing the soil toward the plants4 ,do
 not work  among them while they are wet
 from dew or rain4    ,if a pole-bean is
 wanted1 ,improved ,lima will be found  
extremely  satisfactory because of its  
productiveness and its fine1 buttery    
flavor4 ,this class supplies the table  
with shelled beans only1 its  pods being
 too tough to use as a string-bean4     
,plant in hills of  six or eight1       
setting a pole six or seven feet tall in

 the center  of each hill for the plants
 to climb by4      ,beet    ,i would    
advise two varieties of this vegetable  
where the garden  is large enough to    
warrant the use of more than one4       
,crosby's  ,egyptian stands at the head 
of the list as an early variety4 ,it is 
remarkably tender1 and has a sugary     
flavor that is most delicious4  ,as a   
second variety ,i would advise ,crimson 
,globe4 ,this is very  sweet and        
fine-flavored1 and comes to perfection  
during the latter  part of summer4 ,it  
is a good keeper1 and a quantity of it  
should  be stored in the cellar for     
winter use4    ,sow seeds in rows       
sixteen to eighteen inches apart4 ,sow  
thickly1  and use the surplus plants as 
greens while young and tender1  making  
use of both top and root4 ,thin to three
 or four inches  apart4      ,cabbage   
,unless the garden is of considerable   
size ,i would not advise  planting this 
vegetable1 because it takes up so much  
room that  might better be given to     

other kinds which the housewife will    
find  more useful4 ,the plants should   
stand at least two feet apart4 ,seed    
can be put into the ground about the    
first of ,may1 or plants can  be started
 in the hotbed if wanted for very early 
use4 ,seedlings  can be transplanted as 
soon as they have made their second     
leaf4    ,for a very early variety ,i   
would advise ,jersey ,wakefield4 ,for   
late  use ,late ,drumhead or ,stone     
,mason ,marblehead--both excellent in   
all  respects1 and fine for winter use4 
,care must be taken to prevent insects  
from injuring the plants  during the    
various stages of their development4    
,spray with  an infusion of the tobacco 
extract known as ,nicoticide4 ,this     
will effectually prevent the pests from 
doing harm if applied  thoroughly and   
frequently4    ,if cabbage is to be     
wintered in the cellar1 it must be kept 
cool and dry4 ,some prefer to bury the  
heads in trenches1 in dry  locations in 
the garden4 ,the trench should be about 

two feet deep4  ,spread straw in the    
bottom of it1 and place the cabbage on  
it1  head down1 with the large leaves   
folded well together4 ,then cover  with 
three or four inches of hay1 and bank up
 with soil4 ,put a  board over this to  
shed rain4 ,the cabbage will freeze1 but
 if left  in the ground until the frost 
is gradually extracted from it it  will 
be found crisp and brittle1 and much    
more satisfactory for  table use than   
that which is wintered in the cellar4   
,care must be  taken to exclude rain4   
,if water gets to it it will be ruined4 
,it  is a good plan to cover the trench 
with oilcloth or tarred paper1  both    
being waterproof4      ,cauliflower     
,this is a favorite vegetable when well 
grown and properly cared  for4 ,it      
requires a rich soil1 a location well   
exposed to the  sun1 and frequent       
applications of water if the season     
happens to  be a dry one4 ,cultivate as 
you would cabbage4 ,for early use the   
plants should be started in the hotbed1 

and transplanted to the  cold-frame as  
soon as they have made their third      
leaves4 ,put into  the open ground as   
soon as the soil is in good working     
condition4  ,set the plants about two   
feet apart4 ,when heads have formed they
  should be bleached by drawing the     
large leaves together and tying  them   
with strips of soft cloth4    ,for a    
late crop1 to mature during the pickling
 season1 start  plants in open ground in
 ,may4    ,the best early variety is    
,dwarf ,erfurt4 ,autumn ,giant is an    
excellent late variety4      ,carrot    
,this plant likes a deep1 warm1 sandy   
soil4 ,early ,short ,horn  matures by   
midsummer4 ,it is rich and sweet in     
flavor4 ,red  ,intermediate is a later  
variety1 excellent for fall and winter  
use4 ,comparatively few persons give    
this plant a place in their  gardens1   
but it richly deserves a place there    
because of its value  as an article of  
food1 as well as because of its         
health-giving  qualities4 ,it adds      

greatly to the variety of the bill of   
fare1 and  where it appears frequently  
on the table a liking for it is soon    
developed1 and thereafter it becomes a  
standard vegetable in the  housewife's  
list of must-haves4 ,it adds a          
delightful flavor to  vegetable soups4  
,celery    ,the seed of early celery    
should be sown in the hotbed4           
,transplant  the seedlings to the       
cold-frame and allow them to remain     
there  until ,may4 ,then set in the     
richest soil at your disposal1 six      
inches apart in the row4 ,blanch by     
setting up boards a foot or  more in    
width each side the row1 allowing an    
opening about three  inches wide at the 
top through which the plants can get a  
little  light4 ,for late and winter use1
 sow the seeds in open ground in  ,may4 
,bleach by earthing up gradually1 as the
 stalks develop1  until you have the    
plants buried to within a few inches of 
the  tip of their leaves4 ,use clean1   
dry soil in banking the plants4         

,sawdust is good1 but care must be taken
 to make use of a kind that  does not   
have a strong odor4 ,pine-dust will give
 the plants a  disagreeable flavor4     
,for winter use1 take up plants1 root   
and all1 and pack close  together in    
boxes and store in a cool1 dark cellar4 
,white ,plume is the best early variety4
 ,giant ,pascal is probably  the most   
satisfactory winter variety1 but ,winter
 ,queen is a  favorite with many4 ,both 
are so tender and have such a rich1     
nutty  flavor that it is not an easy    
matter to decide between them4          
,cucumber    ,for very early cucumbers  
plant the seed in the hotbed in ,march  
or ,april1 but do not put the plants    
into the garden until all  danger of    
frost is over4 ,this plant requires a   
rich and mellow  soil4 ,it should be set
 in hills at least four feet apart4 ,it 
is  a good plan to start the seed in    
pieces of sod placed grass-side  down4  
,this enables one to move them from the 
hotbed without any  disturbance of their

 roots4 ,the cucumber- or squash-beetle 
often  destroys the plants when they are
 put in the open ground if close  watch 
is not taken and prompt effort made to  
rout the enemy4 ,spray  with ,nicoticide
 infusion1 taking pains to have it reach
 the under  side of the leaves4 ,dry    
road-dust sifted thickly over the plants
  is often found quite effective1 but   
because of the inability to  apply it to
 the under side of the leaves the liquid
 insecticide  will be found more        
effective4    ,improved ,early ,white   
,spine is a favorite with all who like a
  crisp1 tender-meated1 finely flavored 
cucumber4 ,ever-bearing is an  excellent
 sort for pickling as well as for use on
 the table during  the fall1 as it      
continues to bear until frost kills the 
vines4      ,corn    ,sweet-corn is one 
of the most delicious of all garden     
vegetables1  and every garden that is   
large enough to admit of its culture    
should give place to two or three       
varieties of it4 ,because of  its tall  

growth and the distance required between
 rows it is  not adapted to culture in  
the very small garden1 though ,i would  
willingly go without some of the other  
vegetables generally grown  there in    
order to give place to a few hills of   
it4    ,golden ,bantam produces ears    
only four or five inches in length1  but
 what they lack in size they make up for
 in tenderness and  sweetness4          
,country ,gentleman is a medium variety1
 very tender1 sweet1 and  juicy4    ,but
 the ideal sweet-corn is ,stowell's     
,evergreen4 ,no other variety  equals it
 in tenderness1 sugary sweetness1 and   
rich flavor4 ,it  does not come to      
maturity until quite late in the season1
 but it  remains in excellent           
eating-condition until the plant is     
killed by  frost4    ,do not plant until
 the weather and the ground are         
warm--generally  about ,may #ajth at the
 extreme ,north4 ,sweet-corn seed often 
decays  if put into the ground as early 
as field-corn4 ,have the soil  rich and 

mellow1 and cultivate frequently and    
thoroughly4 ,if a  dry spell comes along
 make use of the cultivator daily until 
the  drought is broken4      ,endive    
,this plant ought to be grown far more  
extensively than it is  because it is   
one of the best salad plants we have for
 fall and  winter use4 ,some should be  
sown in ,april for use during the       
summer1 and some in ,july1 for late use4
 ,when the plants are two or  three     
inches high transplant to rich soil1    
setting them about ten  inches apart4   
,when nearly full-grown1 gather the     
leaves together  and tie them with      
strips of cloth1 thus excluding the     
light from  the central part of the     
bunch4 ,it must be blanched before it is
  fit for table use4 ,this part of the  
work must be done while the  plants are 
perfectly dry4 ,if done when they are   
wet or even moist1  they will be quite  
sure to rot4      ,lettuce    ,this     
plant should be started in the hotbed if
 there is one4 ,the  seedlings should be

 transferred to the cold-frame before   
they have  attained much size1 and left 
there until the ground becomes warm4    
,very fine lettuce1 however1 can be     
grown from seed sown directly  in the   
open ground about the first of ,may1 if 
the soil is warm  and rich4 ,a fertile  
soil is quite important1 as it is       
necessary  to bring on a rapid growth in
 order to have the plant crisp and      
tender4 ,slow development gives a       
comparatively worthless article4    ,the
 ,all ,heart variety is excellent for   
spring and early summer  use4 ,it forms 
a solid head1 and is very crisp and     
tender1 with  that rich1 buttery flavor 
that the lover of this plant insists on4
  ,mammoth ,salamander is one of the    
best late-season kinds4      ,melons    
,these1 like corn and cabbage1 are not  
adapted to culture in  the small garden 
because they require more room than it  
is  possible to give them without giving
 up other vegetables which  the         
housewife cannot well afford to go      

without4 ,but in good-sized  gardens ,i 
would advise their culture1 because     
there is nothing  else quite equal to   
them in delicacy of flavor and luscious 
sweetness4 ,they require a light1 rich  
soil4 ,plant when the ground  is warm1  
and not before1 in hills four feet      
apart4 ,it is a good  plan to put a     
generous quantity of manure from the    
henhouse in  each hill1 working it well 
into the soil before seed is planted4   
,put at least a dozen seed in each hill1
 for some of the seedlings  will        
doubtless be destroyed by the beetle    
that works on cucumber-  and            
squash-vines4 ,spray all over with      
,nicoticide infusion as soon  as the    
first beetle is seen1 also shower with  
dry road-dust4 ,if a  fungous disease   
attacks them spray with ,bordeaux       
mixture4    ,rocky ,ford is the standard
 variety of muskmelon at present4 ,it   
has  a thick greenish-yellow flesh1 is  
smooth-grained1 is very sweet1  has a   
most delicious flavor1 and is so tender 

that it fairly seems  to melt in the    
mouth4 ,netted ,gem is another standard 
variety4    ,among the watermelons      
,ice-,cream is a general favorite4      
,mammoth  ,ironclad grows to a very     
large size1 is solid-meated1 and has a  
peculiarly sweet and luscious flavor4   
,onion    ,this should be sown in light1
 sandy soil1 if possible1 as it  seldom 
does well in a heavy soil4    ,yellow   
,danvers is the leading variety for the 
home garden4  ,silverskin has a mild    
flavor1 and on that account it is a     
favorite  with many4 ,it is fine for    
pickling4 ,it also keeps well in winter4
      ,parsley    ,sow this plant       
thickly1 in ,april1 in rows of mellow   
soil4 ,as the  seed germinates very     
slowly1 it is well to soak it in warm   
water  before sowing4 ,if you have a    
light cellar1 plants can be potted  in  
fall and stored there for winter use4   
,the cellar window is a  good place for 
them4 ,every housewife who prides       
herself on the  attractive appearance of

 her roasts and other meat dishes and   
many  kinds of salad will not be willing
 to be without this plant4 ,dwarf       
,perpetual is the standard variety for  
the home garden4 ,its leaves  are       
charmingly crimped and curly1 and of    
beautiful dark green  that makes them   
very ornamental when used as a garnish  
for the  table4      ,parsnip    ,this  
vegetable is not grown as much as it    
ought to be4 ,one  does not care for it 
until winter sets in4 ,then it affords a
  much-appreciated change from other    
vegetables4 ,it is an excellent  keeper 
when stored in the cellar in winter4 ,or
 the roots can  be left in the ground   
until spring1 when they will be found   
delightfully fresh and tender4 ,sow in  
,april or ,may1 in deep1 rich  soil4    
,hollow ,crown is the standard variety4 
,pea    ,this vegetable is so extremely 
hardy that it can be planted with       
entire safety quite early in spring4    
,there are varieties that come  into    
bearing a few weeks after sowing1       

followed by medium early  kinds1 which  
give place1 a little later1 to such     
varieties as  ,champion of ,england and 
,telephone4 ,champion of ,england is the
 most  delicious of all peas4    ,unless
 the garden is a very small one1 one    
should plan for a  succession4 ,if this 
is done it will be possible to enjoy    
this  vegetable during the greater part 
of the season1 with possibly  the       
exception of the very hottest part of   
summer4 ,best results are  secured by   
planting the seed two or three inches   
deep in furrows4  ,the soil should be   
rich4 ,if there is a little clay in it1 
all the  better4    ,low-growing        
varieties require no support1 but the   
tall kinds must  be bushed or trained on
 coarse-meshed wire netting4 ,bushes    
suit  this plant better than anything   
else4 ,if the vines are allowed  to     
crinkle down and come in contact with   
the ground their pods  will almost      
always decay1 and the vines will mildew 
and become so  diseased that an end will

 be put to their bearing4    ,american  
,wonder is one of the best very early   
kinds4 ,gradus is  next in order4       
,advancer ,i consider the best medium   
variety4  ,telephone is a most excellent
 late variety1 second only to  ,champion
 of ,england1 which is everywhere       
conceded to be the ideal  pea so far as 
productiveness1 size1 rich flavor1 and  
sweetness are  concerned4      ,potato  
,anybody can grow the potato1 after a   
fashion4 ,but in order to  grow it well 
it must receive more attention than is  
generally  given it4 ,it must have a    
rich and mellow soil--a sandy one is    
preferable--and the best of cultivation4
    ,this is one of the vegetables that 
require considerable room1  therefore it
 is not adapted to small-garden culture4
 ,but when  space will admit of it it   
should always be grown1 because it is   
one of the garden products that can be  
used in so many ways that  the housewife
 finds it one of the things she cannot  
well get along  without4    ,seed is    

obtained by cutting old potatoes in     
pieces1 each piece  having an eye or    
growing-point4 ,the pieces should be    
planted in  hills1 four or five pieces  
to a hill1 with hills two feet apart4   
,cover to a depth of four inches4    ,if
 plants are not watched while small1    
insects are likely to  attack them4     
,spray with ,nicoticide infusion4 ,later
 in the  season the ,colorado beetle    
will be quite likely to put in its      
appearance4 ,then use ,paris green1     
either in infusion1 or mixed  with      
land-plaster1 and applied in a dry state
 while the plants  are moist from dew4  
,if any fungous disease is discovered1  
spray  with ,bordeaux mixture4 ,all     
these insecticides can be procured  from
 druggists or dealers in agricultural   
goods1 or they can be  obtained from the
 dealer from whom you buy seed4    ,it  
is well to plant this vegetable for a   
succession4 ,one of the  best early     
varieties is ,beauty of ,hebron1 which  
matures in eight  to ten weeks from     

planting4 ,early ,rose is everywhere a  
favorite1  as is ,early ,ohio4 ,rural   
,new-,yorker is a standard late variety4
  ,burbank's ,seedling is excellent as  
an intermediate sort4 ,all the          
varieties named are of superior flavor1 
very productive1 and sure  to give      
complete satisfaction4      ,radish     
,this most toothsome vegetable should be
 sown early1 either in the  hotbed or   
the open ground4 ,if you have a light1  
warm soil and a  location that is fully 
exposed to the sun you can raise almost 
as  fine radishes outside of the hotbed 
as in it1 though of course  not as early
 in the season4 ,a crop will develop in 
five or six  weeks from sowing4 ,plant  
at intervals of two or three weeks for a
  succession4 ,cardinal ,globe is the   
standard early variety4 ,crimson  ,giant
 is a little later4 ,both have that     
crisp1 tender1 and juicy  quality which 
makes the radish so universal a         
favorite4 ,icicle is  a long-growing    
white variety1 very crisp and brittle4  

,this has the  merit of remaining in    
condition for use longer than any other 
variety4      ,rhubarb    ,this plant   
likes a deep1 rich1 and rather moist    
soil4 ,it should  be planted in         
permanent beds1 about three feet apart4 
,i would not  advise attempting to grow 
it from seed4 ,get roots one or two     
years  old4 ,victoria is a standard     
variety4      ,salsify    ,a vegetable  
that ought to be grown a great deal more
 than it is4  ,its popular name of      
vegetable oyster is not a misnomer1 for 
it has a distinct oyster flavor4 ,many  
persons prefer it to the  bivalve1 when 
it is cooked properly4 ,being hardy1 it 
can be left  in the ground over winter1 
or it can be dug and stored in the      
cellar along with parsnips and carrots  
for use in winter4 ,sow  early4         
,squash    ,probably the best variety of
 summer squash for home use is ,giant   
,crook ,neck4 ,for winter use the       
,hubbard stands at the head of the      
list4 ,these favorite vegetables require

 a rich soil4 ,they should  be planted  
in hills about three feet apart4 ,have  
the soil rich4  ,keep watch of them1 for
 they are liable to attacks from        
beetles4  ,it is well to sprinkle a     
handful of tobacco-dust about the young 
plants4 ,as they become larger they can 
be sprayed with the  ,nicoticide        
infusion heretofore spoken of4          
,spinach    ,desirable for greens4 ,sow 
as early in the spring as the ground  is
 in good working condition4 ,have the   
soil quite rich to force a  tender1     
succulent growth4 ,sow for succession1 a
 month apart4 ,the  ,long-,season       
variety is the best ,i have any         
knowledge of4      ,tomato    ,start    
this plant in the hotbed if you have    
one4 ,if not1 sow in the  open ground as
 soon as it has become warm4 ,to secure 
a very early  crop the plants must be   
started as early as ,march4 ,when three 
or  four inches high transplant from    
hotbed to cold-frame1 but do not  put   
into the open ground until all danger   

from frost is over4  ,if you are without
 hotbed facilities ,i would advise      
purchasing  plants from the gardener1   
who tries to supply his customers with  
strong and healthy plants very early in 
the season4 ,plants from  seed sown in  
the open ground will be so late in      
ripening a crop1  as a general thing1   
that they will not afford satisfaction4 
,standard varieties are ,stone1 very    
solid and firm-fleshed and of  fine     
quality1 and ,ponderosa1 very large1    
fine-flavored1 and almost  seedless4    
,,viii    ,,small ,,fruits ,,and ,,their
 ,,culture      ,quite as important as  
garden vegetables is the small-fruit    
department of each home that is living  
up to its privileges4 ,of  course there 
will be no room for raspberries and     
blackberries on  the little home lot1   
but one can have a row of strawberries  
there1  in almost all cases1 and a few  
currant-bushes can be tucked away  in   
nooks and corners where quite likely    
nothing else would be  grown if the tiny

 space were not given up to them4       
,there are places all over the country  
where a collection of small  fruit ought
 to be grown1 but which are without it4 
,why8    ,there are several answers to  
the question4 ,one is3 ,neglect to live 
up to the possibilities of the place    
because of carelessness1 or  possibly   
because the owner is distrustful of his 
ability to grow  them successfully4     
,another is3 ,the impression that these 
plants  are so exacting in their demands
 that none but skilled gardeners  are   
warranted in undertaking their culture4 
,and a third one is3  ,the uncertainty  
of being unable to take them through our
 severe  ,northern winters safely4      
,the first objection is met with the    
argument that the man who is  obliged to
 work for a living1 and has a family to 
support1 has no  excuse for neglecting  
to avail himself and those dependent on 
him  of all the good things that can be 
grown from the plants named1  if he owns
 a piece of ground large enough to      

accommodate a small  collection4 ,the   
second objection is not justified1      
because it is  an easy matter for any   
man to learn how to care for small      
fruits  if he sets about it with the    
intention of mastering its details4     
,there is really no basis in fact for   
the third one1 for we have1  to-day1    
varieties of each kind of small fruit   
that are entirely  hardy at the ,north  
if properly cared for in the fall4      
,there should be a strawberry-bed1 large
 or small1 in every garden1  if ,i had  
my way about it4    ,here ,i suppose    
some reader will meet me with the       
objection that  strawberries don't pay4 
,they require too much care1 and the    
beds  soon run out1 and then everything 
has to be done over again4    ,now ,i   
claim that strawberries do pay if they  
get the right kind  of treatment4 ,no   
one has a right to expect much from them
 if he  simply sticks a plant into the  
soil and leaves it to take care of      
itself thereafter4 ,strawberries        

cultivated in this manner don't  pay1 ,i
 admit4 ,and it is well that they do    
not1 for no one has a  right to expect  
much1 if anything1 from a plant of any  
kind that  he isn't willing to take good
 care of4 ,while the strawberry will    
not take care of itself1 it really      
requires no more attention  than most   
other crops4 ,and as to running out1    
that cuts no  figure1 when you come to  
think about it1 because doing things    
all over again amounts to no more than  
planting vegetables each  season4 ,this 
has to be done yearly1 and strawberries 
will demand  only annual attention1 thus
 putting the two classes of plants on   
practically the same basis4    ,i am    
aware that some writers on strawberry   
culture have ventilated  a good many    
far-fetched ideas of their own in print 
relative to  the culture of this plant1 
and so elaborate and complicated are    
some of these theories that many an     
amateur has1 after reading  them1       
abandoned the idea of having a          

strawberry-bed4 ,but it is a  fact      
susceptible of proof by any man who     
gives it a trial that  strawberry       
culture may be made a success without   
adopting the  views of persons who seem 
to think that theory is more important  
than common sense4    ,the simplest     
method of strawberry-growing that ,i    
know anything  about is what is called  
the one-crop system4    ,set the plants 
in rows three feet apart1 to allow the  
use of the  cultivator between them4    
,let the plants be a foot apart in the  
row4 ,keep the ground between the rows  
well cultivated1 and in the  second     
summer1 when the plants are bearing     
their first crop of  fruit1 allow them  
to send their runners into the space    
between  the rows and take root there4  
,when these young plants have fully     
established themselves--which will be by
 the end of ,august1 as  a general      
thing--take a spade and cut down between
 them and the  old plants4 ,then dig up 
the old plants1 making the place where  

they grew a space between rows4 ,next   
season train runners from  the bearing  
plants back into the old row4 ,by thus  
alternating  the location of the plants 
you keep the garden supplied with       
one-year-old ones from which you get but
 one crop of fruit4 ,this  method is so 
simple that any one can understand it1  
and it has  the indorsement of some of  
our most up-to-date gardeners who       
recognize the fact that one full crop of
 berries is about all  that can be      
expected from the strawberry4 ,of course
 older plants  will bear fruit1 but     
never of the quantity and quality which 
is  obtained from strong1 healthy young 
plants whose vitality has not  been     
drawn upon by the production of a heavy 
first crop4    ,this one-crop system    
makes it possible to grow fine berries  
without giving the plants more care than
 is required by ordinary  vegetables4   
,the soil for strawberries should be    
rich and mellow1 and should be  kept    
entirely free from weeds4    ,it is a   

good plan to spread clean straw between 
the rows before  the crop ripens1 to    
keep the fruit from coming in contact   
with the  ground or having sand washed  
upon it by heavy rains4    ,the best    
variety of strawberry that ,i have ever 
grown is  ,brandywine4 ,it is very      
productive1 bears large berries1 has a  
most delicious flavor1 and is never     
hollow-hearted4 ,it ripens in           
mid-season4    ,the best late variety1  
allowing me to be judge1 is ,gandy4     
,this  kind requires a very rich soil4  
,where it can be given this1 no  more   
satisfactory late-cropper can be grown4 
,the two varieties  named above combine 
all the best qualities of this most     
popular  fruit4    ,several times in the
 last few years the announcement has    
been made  that a fall-bearing          
strawberry has been produced1 but as it 
was  of ,european origin it did not     
prove satisfactory under ,american      
conditions4 ,of late1 however1 some of  
our most progressive  small-fruit       

growers have succeeded in growing two   
varieties that  promise to be really    
good fall-croppers4 ,these produce1 if  
allowed  to do so1 their main crop at   
the same time as other varieties1  and  
keep on bearing until frost4 ,but in    
order to secure a good  crop late in the
 season it is advisable to cut away all 
buds that  appear in ,june1 keeping the 
strength of the plant in reserve for    
the fall crop4 ,it is well to mulch     
these plants during the hot1  dry       
weather of summer4 ,these fall-bearing  
varieties are on the  market under the  
names of ,superb and ,progressive4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,the blackberry responds generously to  
good treatment1 bearing  enormous       
quantities of large1 juicy berries of   
most delicious  flavor when given proper
 care4    ,it prefers a rather sandy    
soil4    ,in order to secure a fresh    
stock of wood for each season's crop    
the old canes should be cut away as soon
 as they have ripened  their fruit1 thus

 throwing all the strength of the plant 
into the  production of new canes from  
which fruit is to be expected next      
season4    ,while the two leading       
varieties1 ,kittatinny and ,snyder1 are 
quite  hardy1 it is well to take the    
precaution of giving them some          
protection to guard against the possible
 loss of some of the  unripened growth  
of the season4 ,this is done to the best
 advantage  by removing two or three    
spadefuls of soil from the base of each 
plant1 close to its roots1 and then     
tipping the bush over until it  lies    
flat on the ground4 ,this could not be  
done without running  the risk of       
breaking some of the stiff and brittle  
canes if the  excavation were not made4 
,when the bushes are spread out on the  
ground1 where they are held in place by 
laying boards across them1  throw some  
coarse litter over the base of the      
plant1 and scatter a  covering of straw 
over the branches4 ,as soon as the frost
 is out  of the ground in the spring1   

lift the bushes and replace the soil    
that was taken away in the fall4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,raspberries are second only to         
strawberries in deliciousness of        
flavor1 and should have a place in all  
gardens where there is room  for them4  
,they do well in almost all soils1 if   
well drained4 ,a  sandy loam1 however1  
is the soil that seems to suit them     
best4  ,their old canes1 like those of  
the blackberry1 should be cut away  at  
the end of the fruiting season4         
,cuthbert is the leading red variety4   
,cumberland is the favorite  black kind4
    ,i notice that one of our most      
prominent growers of small fruit  offers
 an ever-bearing raspberry this season1 
under the name of  ,red ,ranere4 ,i have
 no knowledge of its merits other than  
that  which ,i gain from the grower's   
announcement in introducing this  sort  
to the market1 but from intimate        
personal acquaintance with  the man ,i  
am quite confident that the plant must  

possess real  merit1 for he is not a    
person given to exaggeration4 ,i quote  
from  what he has to say in reference to
 this variety in a leading              
horticultural magazine3     ,this is not
 only the earliest red raspberry1 but it
 is a perpetual   fruiting one4 ,its    
main crop is greater than that of any   
other   variety ,i grow4 ,it continues  
to bear on its old canes until late   in
 ,august1 at about which time the canes 
of the season's growth   come into      
bearing4 ,these produce a large amount  
of fine fruit   until late in the fall4 
,the berries are very attractive1 being 
a   bright1 rich crimson4 ,they are of  
good size1 and of very superior         
quality1 with a rich1 sugary1 full      
raspberry flavor4    ,i would advise the
 amateur gardener to give this variety a
 trial4  ,raspberries late in the fall  
would be thoroughly appreciated by      
those with whom this fruit is a         
favorite4           99       99       99
       99       99    ,the currant is   

one of the garden's indispensables4 ,it 
furnishes  us with fruit of just the    
right degree of tart acidity to fit the 
season in which it is at its prime1 and 
who does not get a deal of  enjoyment   
out of a green-currant pie8    ,no kind 
of small fruit is easier to grow        
successfully4 ,worms  frequently attack 
the bushes in spring1 and often ruin the
 crop  unless steps are taken to put a  
prompt end to their depredations1  but  
spraying with ,nicoticide infusion will 
rout them in most cases4  ,application  
of this insecticide should be repeated  
at intervals  during the earlier part of
 the season4    ,fay's ,prolific is a   
standard variety for home use4 ,this is 
a dark1  rich red1 most beautiful to    
behold4 ,white ,grape is an ideal white 
variety4 ,combine the two and you have a
 table decoration quite as  colorful as 
that furnished by any flowers1 and      
almost as attractive4    ,the currant is
 one of the housewife's most valued     
fruits for jam-  and jelly-making4 ,one 

enterprising dealer has recently        
introduced  to this country a ,french   
sort known as ,bar-le-,duc1 or          
,preserving  ,currant4 ,this variety has
 a flavor that no other variety can lay 
claim to1 and another feature of merit  
peculiar to it is that it  is almost    
seedless4 ,for a good many years the    
entire output of  this currant was under
 the control of a ,french fruit company 
who  manufactured it into jam which has 
been extensively sold in this  country  
under the name of ,confiture            
,bar-le-,duc4 ,so superior has  it been 
considered to home-made as well as      
imported jams1 that it  has readily sold
 at double the price of them4 ,i would  
advise the  amateur to procure a few    
plants of this variety and experiment   
with  it4           99       99       99
       99       99    ,the gooseberry   
must not be overlooked in this          
connection4 ,many  persons claim that   
the bush mildews to such an extent that 
the crop  is oftener than not a failure4

 ,this can largely be prevented by      
planting the bushes farther apart than  
the currant1 and thinning  out the      
branches so that there will at all times
 be a free  circulation of air about    
them4 ,it is well to give a heavy mulch 
of  coarse manure in the hot weather of 
summer4 ,spray with the infusion        
recommended for currants to prevent     
injury from worms4 ,if mildew  of an    
apparently fungous nature attacks the   
plants1 spray with  ,bordeaux mixture4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,this hardly seems the place in which to
 say much about the culture  of the     
apple1 plum1 pear1 and cherry1 for that 
is a phase of  gardening quite distinct 
from that which this little book aims to
  interest the homemaker in4 ,however1  
the writer would urge having  all these 
fruits when conditions are favorable to 
their culture4  ,the more fruit we eat  
the healthier we will be4    ,all kinds 
of small fruit can be planted in spring 
to better  advantage than in fall1      

though the nurseryman will tell you1 if 
you consult him1 that it makes little   
difference whether you plant  in spring 
or fall4 ,the writer has tried both     
methods1 and he has  always been most   
successful when plants were put out in  
,april  and ,may1 provided they were    
sent from the nursery that spring4  ,if 
they are sent in fall they should be    
heeled-in over winter4  ,heeling-in     
consists in burying the roots in a place
 where they  will be kept dry during the
 winter4 ,it will not be necessary to   
cover all the top1 though there is no   
objection to this if the  owner thinks  
it safer to do so4 ,care should be taken
 to keep  the plants well protected from
 storms4 ,this can be done very         
effectively by spreading tarred paper   
over them1 pains being taken  to weight 
it down with stones or something else   
equally heavy to  prevent its being     
blown out of place4    ,plants that have
 been heeled-in over winter should be   
set out as  soon as possible in spring4 

,,ix    ,,hotbeds ,,and ,,cold-,,frames 
,in order to have vegetables early in   
the season it will be  necessary to give
 them a start some weeks before the     
ground is in  proper condition for the  
reception of seed4 ,sometimes this is   
done  by sowing the seed in pots and    
boxes in the living-room1 as advised  in
 ,chapter ,,vi1 but here conditions are 
not very favorable to  healthy growth1  
unless great care is taken to follow the
 directions  given in the chapter       
mentioned1 and even then success does   
not  always attend our efforts4    ,in  
order to give our plants the early start
 that they must have if  we want        
vegetables at a time when most gardeners
 are getting the  garden ready for      
planting1 we must make use of the       
hotbed4 ,if this  is done we can gain   
from six weeks to two months in time1   
and have  lettuce and radishes before   
our neighbors who are without hotbed    
facilities consider it safe to put seed 
into the ground4    ,at the ,north the  

first of ,march is quite early enough to
 get the  hotbed under way4    ,i am    
aware that many young gardeners have the
 impression that  a hotbed is1 in some  
respects1 a mysterious thing1 and       
because  of this they do not undertake  
to make one4 ,now there is nothing      
simpler than a hotbed when you come to a
 study of it4 ,it is simply  making a   
place in which summer conditions can be 
imitated by  supplying it with steady1  
gentle heat1 and in confining this heat 
within an inclosure4 ,the heat is       
generated by the use of material  which 
ferments1 and the inclosure is nothing  
but a combination of  boards and glass  
so arranged that the temperature inside 
it can be  regulated to suit the        
requirements of the plants you undertake
 to  grow in it4    ,the heat-generating
 material is generally fresh manure from
 the  horse-stable1 or a mixture of that
 and coarse litter4    ,because the heat
 from rapid fermentation is quite       
intense1 at first  the material from    

which it is obtained should be prepared 
before  the hotbed is brought into use4 
,a quantity of it should be spread  on  
the site selected for the hotbed--which 
should be one that is  high and         
dry--covering a space larger than the   
hotbed frame is to  be4 ,spread it in   
layers four or five inches deep1        
tramping each  layer down well4 ,when   
there is a foot and a half of it1 cover 
it  with something that will shed rain1 
and wait for fermentation to  take      
place4 ,a warm moisture will rise from  
it like steam4 ,after two  or three days
 fork the material over1 and remove all 
straw1 and  make another heap similar to
 the first one1 taking great pains to   
have it firm and compact4 ,it is very   
important that it should have           
considerable solidity1 as a heap of     
loose litter will never give            
satisfactory results4 ,there should be  
at least a foot and a half of  this     
heat-generating material4    ,while     
waiting for fermentation to take place  

in the manure-pile1  prepare the frame  
for your hotbed4    ,let it be about a  
foot and a half in depth at the back1   
and eight  or ten inches deep in front1 
with sides that slope from the wider    
boards to the narrower ones4 ,cover it  
with glass set in sash4 ,if  possible   
have the sash hinged to the back-board1 
so that it can be  lifted for           
ventilation without removing it4    ,the
 best location for a hotbed is one      
facing the south1 that  all possible    
advantage can be taken of sunshine1 and 
against a  building or fence that will  
protect it on the north from cold       
winds4 ,some persons prefer to make an  
excavation a foot or more  in depth for 
the reception of the heating material1  
but this is  not a matter of much       
importance4 ,as a general thing it will 
not be  possible to do this in a        
satisfactory manner while there is frost
  in the ground1 as there will be at the
 ,north until after the first  of       
,march4    ,when the first stages of    

fermentation are over1 set the hotbed   
frame in place1 and fill in with five or
 six inches of very fine1  rich soil4   
,this is what your seed is to be planted
 in4    ,the young gardener will be     
surprised at the amount of heat         
contained in an inclosure like the one  
described4 ,it will be very  similar to 
the weather conditions of early or      
middle ,may out of  doors4 ,in it plants
 will grow healthily and vigorously1    
provided  they are given plenty of fresh
 air4 ,this is a matter of the  greatest
 importance4 ,unless your seedlings are 
aired daily1 if  the weather is         
pleasant1 they will make a rapid but    
weak growth1  and when the time comes to
 put them in the cold-frame or the open 
ground--provided they are alive         
then--they will be so lacking in        
vitality that the change will be pretty 
sure to put an end to them4  ,on every  
sunny or warm day the sash should be    
lifted an inch or  two1 about ten       
o'clock1 and left in that condition     

until about two4  ,care must be taken1  
however1 to see that the wind does not  
blow  from a quarter that will drive the
 cold air in upon the plants4 ,the      
admission of a cold blast will often be 
fatal to the tender plants4    ,great   
caution must be exercised in regard to  
ventilation4 ,the aim  should be1 at all
 times1 to admit pure1 fresh air without
 allowing  cold to enter with it4 ,this 
may seem a somewhat paradoxical         
statement1 for at first thought it will 
seem impossible for air  from without to
 come in without taking along with it   
the cold  air which is in circulation   
outside1 but when one takes into        
consideration the fact that the warm air
 inside the hotbed meets  the air from  
out of doors at the point of entrance it
 will be  understood that it repels or  
counteracts it to an extent that makes  
it safe to open the sash slightly when  
the outside temperature is  nearly down 
to freezing-point4 ,the hotbed-owner    
must study existing  conditions and be  

governed accordingly4 ,it is impossible 
to lay  down any hard-and-fast rules to 
apply in this case4    ,on cold nights  
the hotbed sash should be covered with  
blankets or  old carpeting to prevent   
the formation of frost on the glass4 ,if
  you find1 in the morning1 that the    
glass is covered with moisture  on its  
under side1 raise the sash a trifle and 
leave it so until  the moisture clears  
away4    ,if at any time you have reason
 to think that the warmth inside  the   
frame is decreasing too rapidly1 bank up
 about it with fresh  fermenting        
material4    ,after constructing the    
hotbed and putting the frame and sash in
  place1 test the heat inside by an     
accurate thermometer before  venturing  
to sow any seed4 ,when it registers #he 
or #ij the bed is  ready for seeding4   
,in making the frame for a hotbed care  
should be taken to see that  all joints 
fit snugly4 ,a great deal of cold can be
 admitted through  a very small crevice4
 ,a few cracks will let out the heat    

faster  than it is generated1 therefore 
see to it that in constructing the      
frame a good piece of work is done4     
,some persons tell me that they always  
bank up a hotbed with earth4  ,this     
enables it to retain the heat better    
than it is possible for  it to do       
without banking4    ,a hotbed will be of
 no particular benefit unless           
supplemented by  a cold-frame4 ,this is 
simply a snug inclosure of boards       
covered  with glass1 into which plants  
from the hotbed are to be set for  the  
purpose of hardening them off before    
they are put into the  open ground4 ,in 
other words1 it is a hotbed without     
heat4 ,the  temperature in it ought to  
register from #fj to #fe4 ,raise the    
sash  an inch or two on sunny days      
before the rays of the sun striking on  
the glass raise the temperature inside  
to a degree too intense for  the good of
 your plants4    ,it will be readily    
understood from what ,i have said above 
that in  order to attain success in the 

management of a hotbed great care  will 
have to be exercised at all times and   
frequent attention  given4 ,it is not a 
self-regulating thing by any means4 ,you
 will  have to consider the weather1 the
 time of day when ventilation  should be
 given1 frequency of watering1 and other
 matters which  cannot be touched on    
here because of a more or less local    
character4    ,plants in the hotbed     
should be watered cautiously4 ,an       
over-supply  will often cause the       
seedlings to damp off1 and a lack of    
sufficient moisture at the roots will   
speedily result in injury1 if  not      
death4 ,whenever water is applied1 use a
 sprinkler that throws a  fine spray4   
,if thrown on the soil in a stream the  
water will often  wash the smaller      
plants out of place4 ,it may puzzle one 
to tell  when just enough has been      
given4 ,this is best determined by an   
examination of the soil4 ,if moderately 
moist there is plenty of  moisture      
below4          ,x    ,,small ,,gardens 

,many persons who would like to grow    
flowers and vegetables do not  attempt  
to grow any because they do not consider
 that they have a  place large enough to
 justify them in doing so4    ,here is  
where they make a mistake4 ,a garden    
need not be a large one  to be          
enjoyable4 ,a few plants are better than
 none4 ,it is possible  to make a bit of
 garden more satisfactory than a large  
one because  it will be more likely to  
get more attention than would be given  
to  the larger one1 and attention is one
 of the important features of  any      
successful garden4    ,there will1 in   
the majority of cases1 be little nooks  
and corners  here and there about the   
home grounds in which some plants can be
  grown by those disposed to make the   
most of existing conditions4  ,these1 if
 not improved1 will be pretty sure to be
 given over  to weeds1 or to the        
accumulation of rubbish of one kind or  
another1 and they will detract from the 
tidy and clean appearance  which should 

characterize the home everywhere4 ,if   
the owners  of these bits of            
ground--these possibilities for adding  
to the  attractiveness of home--could be
 made to realize the amount of  pleasure
 they could be made to afford with very 
little exertion on  their part1 the     
general work of civic improvement       
societies would  be most beneficial1 and
 this would be done at the very place   
where  civic improvement ought to       
start--the home4 ,there can be no real  
and lasting improvement in civic        
undertaking unless the individual  home 
takes up the matter4 ,the civic         
improvement society that starts  out    
with the idea of improving things       
generally1 but does not begin  the good 
work at the home is working on the idea 
of making clean  the outside of the cup 
and ignoring the condition inside it4   
,just  as the home is the foundation of 
society1 so must it be made the  pivotal
 point at which any substantial and     
lasting improvement  finds its          

beginning4    ,because the scattered    
places about the small home in which few
  plants could be grown will not admit  
of bed-making1 or the  designs which    
many persons seem to think indispensable
 in  gardening1 is no good reason why we
 should not take advantage  of and make 
the most of them4 ,if one lives in a    
community where  there are ,german      
families he will be surprised at the    
amount of  vegetables they grow in each 
home-lot4 ,not an inch of soil is       
allowed to go to waste4 ,a large amount 
of the food of the family is  grown in  
places which most ,americans would      
overlook1 simply because  of the        
prevailing idea that unless one can do  
things on a large  scale it is not worth
 while to attempt doing anything4 ,the  
,german  has been brought up to not     
despise the day of small things1 and  he
 profits by the advice4 ,as we might1 if
 we would1 and1 ,i am glad  to say1 as  
more and more are profiting by year by  
year as they  become aware of the fact  

that much can be done where conditions  
are  limited4    ,i would not advise    
much mixing of varieties4 ,on the       
contrary1 ,i  would prefer to give over 
each little piece of ground to one      
plant4  ,those of low habit ,i would    
have near the path1 giving the places   
back of them to taller-growing kinds4   
,of course1 in the majority of  small   
homes1 there is not much chance for     
exercising a choice in  the location of 
one's flowering or vegetable plants2    
still1 it is  well to study the         
possibilities for general effect1 and do
 all that  can be done to secure        
pleasing results4 ,where plants that    
grow to a  height of three feet are     
grown1 the best place for them is at the
  rear1 or along the boundary of the    
lot1 where they will serve as a         
background for plants of lower habit4   
,children should be encouraged to take  
an interest in the  cultivation of small
 gardens4 ,they will do this if the     
parents are  willing to help them a     

little at the start4 ,show them how to  
spade  up the soil in spring1 and how to
 work it over and over until it is  fine
 and mellow4 ,they will make play of    
this part of garden work1  as it is as  
natural for a child to dig in the dirt  
as it is for a  pig to wallow in a      
mud-puddle4 ,add some kind of fertilizer
 to the  soil1 and explain to the boys  
and girls that it is food for the       
plants that are to be4 ,show them how to
 sow seed1 and tell them all  you can   
about the processes of germination1 and 
encourage them to  watch for the        
appearance of the seedlings4 ,in a short
 time you will  have aroused in them    
such interest in the work they have     
undertaken  that it will be as          
fascinating to them as a story1 and     
nature will  take delight in writing it 
out for them in daily instalments that  
constantly increase in interest4 ,the   
ability to know plants and  how to grow 
them ought to be a part of every child's
 education4    ,don't let a bit of      

ground go to waste4 ,have flowers and   
vegetables1  even if there isn't room   
for more than half a dozen plants--or   
only  one plant for that matter1 for    
that one solitary plant will be a  great
 deal better than none at all4          
,,xi    ,,left-,,overs      ,there are  
more ways than one to secure fertilizers
 and fine soil  for the small garden4   
,if sward is cut from the roadside1     
chopped  into small pieces1 and stored  
away in some corner of the yard that  is
 convenient to get at1 and the soapsuds 
from wash-day are poured  over it each  
week1 it will1 in a short time1 if      
stirred frequently1  become a most      
excellent substitute for leaf-mold4 ,the
 grassroots1  when decayed1 will become 
a vegetable fertilizer which will be    
found extremely valuable in the culture 
of such plants as require a  light1 rich
 soil1 especially when small4           
99       99       99       99       99  
,some quite artistic effects can be     
secured in the vegetable-garden  by the 

exercise of a little thought4 ,the      
large-leaved beet has  foliage of a     
dark1 rich crimson quite as ornamental  
as that of  many plants used by         
gardeners to produce the tropical       
effects  which many persons admire4     
,when planted in the background1 with   
fine-foliaged plants like carrot or     
parsley in front of it1 the  effect will
 be extremely pleasing because of the   
contrast of color1  and also of habit4  
,the red pepper1 planted where it can   
show its  brilliantly colored fruit     
against the green of some plant1 will   
give a bit of brightness that will not  
fail to be appreciated by  those who    
have a keen eye for color-harmony4 ,it  
is well to plan for  these touches of   
the artistic1 even in the vegetable     
garden4           99       99       99  
99       99    ,tomatoes are often grown
 on racks and trellises4 ,where this is 
done  there will be no danger of the    
fruit's decaying1 as is often the  case 
when the plants are given no support and

 their branches come  in contact with   
the ground4    ,it is a good idea to    
scatter clean1 dry straw under the      
plants  after they begin to set fruit4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is also a good plan to pinch off the
 ends of some of the  tomato-vines after
 the first liberal setting of fruit4    
,this throws  the strength of the plant 
into the development of the fruit that  
has set1 instead of into the production 
of new branches which are  not needed4  
,it also hastens the maturity of it4 ,if
 the tomato is  allowed to do so it will
 keep on growing and blooming and       
setting  fruit throughout the entire    
season1 and as a natural consequence    
much of it will be immature when frost  
comes4 ,it is well to prevent  this     
wasting of the plant's forces by        
shortening the main branches  of it in  
,august and ,september4           99    
99       99       99       99    ,in the
 chapter devoted to the mention of the  
best varieties of  vegetables to plant1 

,i neglected to say a good word for sage
 and  summer savory1 both of which the  
housewife will find very useful in      
seasoning soups1 sausage1 and other     
articles of food4 ,if cut when  in their
 prime and hung in the shade to dry1 all
 their flavor will  be retained4 ,when  
perfectly dry1 rub the leaves from the  
stalks1  pulverize them well1 and store 
in paper bags to prevent the loss of    
their flavor4           99       99     
99       99       99    ,dill and       
caraway seed are often used in cookery1 
and1 as variety  is the spice of life1  
it may be well for the housewife to grow
 a  few plants of each4 ,the writer has 
a very vivid recollection of            
grandmother's caraway cookies1 and many 
of the present generation  declare a    
liking for pickles flavored with dill4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,to add to the attractive appearance of 
the table in winter ,i would  advise    
growing a few plants of the red or      
purple cabbage to work up  in slaws and 

salads4 ,beets are capable of giving a  
bit of color to  the table that will be 
as pleasing to the eye as the taste of  
this  vegetable is delightful to the    
palate4 ,a root of parsley1 potted  in  
fall1 will not only afford much material
 for the garnishing of  the various     
dishes to which the housewife likes to  
add a touch  of this kind1 but it can be
 made the basis of a really beautiful   
table decoration4 ,a few bright flowers 
thrust in among its crinkly  foliage    
will be quite as effective as many more 
pretentious  decorative schemes4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,the amateur gardener may begin work    
with the belief that one crop  in a     
season is all he can expect from his    
garden4 ,he will soon  discover his     
mistake4 ,the early radishes and the    
first crop of  lettuce will mature      
before midsummer1 and the ground they   
occupied  can be planted to later       
varieties from which a fully developed  
second crop can be expected4 ,or other  

vegetables1 like beets and  onions1 can 
be planted where they grew1 to furnish  
material for  the pickling season4      
,after the early potatoes have been dug 
the  ground they occupied should not be 
allowed to lie idle4 ,something  can be 
planted there for fall use4 ,to make the
 garden the greatest  possible source of
 profit1 not a foot of it should be     
suffered to  go to waste at any time    
during the growing season4           99 
99       99       99       99           
,radishes would be well worth growing   
for their beauty alone4  ,a plate of    
them1 nested in their own green foliage 
gives the  breakfast-table a touch of   
bright color that adds the charm of     
beauty to the food with which it is     
associated4 ,the writer believes  in    
making the table as attractive in       
appearance as the food on it  is        
toothsome whenever it is possible to do 
so4           99       99       99      
99       99    ,i notice that ,i have   
overlooked the pumpkin4 ,the oversight  

was  unintentional1 and ,i beg the      
pardon of the vegetable without which   
the housewife would be lost along about 
,thanksgiving-time4    ,the pumpkin is  
out of place in the small garden because
 of its  rampant growth1 but a few      
plants of the ,new ,england ,pie variety
  should be grown wherever there is room
 for it1 to supply material  for the    
delicious pumpkin pies most of us enjoy 
so much in winter4  ,well-ripened       
specimens keep well when stored in cool1
 dry cellars1  if placed on racks or    
shelves that will prevent them from     
coming  in contact with the cold1 damp  
cellar-bottom4           99       99    
99       99       99    ,if frost nips  
the tomato-vines before all their fruit 
is fully  ripened1 pull them up and hang
 them against a wall where the sun  can 
get at them4 ,hang blankets over them if
 the nights are cold4  ,here they will  
ripen as perfectly as on the vines in   
the garden1  and one can enjoy fresh    
fruit from them until the coming of very

  cold weather4           99       99   
99       99       99    ,before cold    
weather sets in go over the garden1 be  
it large or  small1 and gather up every 
bit of rubbish that can be found4 ,pull 
up the dead plants and burn them4 ,store
 racks and trellises under  cover for   
use another season4 ,if these are       
properly taken care of  they will last  
for several years1 but if left exposed  
to the storms  of winter they will be   
short-lived4           99       99      
99       99       99    ,dig a quantity 
of parsnips and salsify to be stored in 
the cellar  for winter use4 ,cover the  
strawberry-bed with leaves or straw1    
spreading lightly4 ,coarse litter from  
the barn-yard is often used  for this   
purpose1 but it is objectionable because
 of its containing  so many weed-seeds4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,many experienced gardeners advocate    
plowing or spading the garden  in fall4 
,this1 they claim1 helps to kill the    
larv which insects  have deposited in   

the soil1 and it puts the ground in good
 working  condition earlier in spring4  
,but it will have to be gone over in    
spring to incorporate with it whatever  
fertilizer is made use of4           99 
99       99       99       99    ,fresh 
barn-yard manure should never be used4  
,it ought to lie for at  least a season 
before applying it to the               
vegetable-garden4 ,give it  a chance to 
ferment and kill many of the seeds that 
are in it4           99       99        
99       99       99    ,if the soil of 
the garden contains considerable clay1  
and is rather  stiff in consequence1 the
 application of coarse sand1 old mortar1
  and coal-ashes will lighten and       
greatly improve it4           99        
99       99       99       99    ,do not
 allow grass or weeds to grow on any of 
the unused soil in or  about the garden1
 for insects will congregate there and  
make it the  base from which to make    
their raids upon the plants you set out 
to  grow4           99       99       99

       99       99    ,we are often     
advised to apply a dressing of salt to  
the  asparagus-bed4 ,i have never been  
able to see that the plants  received   
any direct benefit from it1 but if it is
 scattered quite  thickly over the      
ground it will prevent weeds from       
growing1 thus  benefiting the plants    
indirectly4           99       99       
99       99       99    ,asparagus is   
often attacked by a sporadic growth     
which causes the  foliage to look rusty1
 hence the term1 asparagus-rust4 ,as    
soon as  it is discovered1 cut the tops 
and burn them4 ,if allowed to remain    
the plants will likely be attacked next 
season1 as the spores are  not killed by
 cold4           99       99       99   
99       99    ,if the bugs and beetles 
that attack young plants of cucumber1   
squash1 and melon do not yield promptly 
to the application of  dry road-dust1   
fine coal-ashes1 or land-plaster1 it may
 be  well to cover frames with fine wire
 netting1 such as door- and             

window-screens are made from1 and put   
over the plants4 ,care should  be taken 
to see that these frames fit the ground 
snugly1 or have  earth banked up about  
them1 to prevent the enemy from crawling
  under4 ,after the plants have made    
their third or fourth leaves the  beetle
 will not be likely to injure them4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,i am often asked why writers on        
gardening matters never advise  the use 
of home-grown seed4 ,one answer to this 
query is this3 ,in  the ordinary garden 
plants stand close to one another1 and  
the  varieties we grow are almost sure  
to mix1 by one variety being  pollenized
 by another4 ,the seed from these plants
 will seldom  produce plants like either
 parent variety4 ,sometimes they may be 
equal to them in most respects1 but we  
cannot depend on their being  so4       
,therefore1 if we desire to grow        
superior varieties that are of  pure    
blood1 it becomes necessary for us to   
procure fresh seed each  season from    

dealers who take pains to see that there
 shall be no  mixing among their plants4
           99       99       99       99
       99    ,every season some         
enterprising seedsman comes out with an 
announcement that he has developed or   
discovered a remarkable new  variety of 
some standard vegetable so far superior 
to any other  variety on the market     
that1 as soon as its merits become fully
  known1 it will drive all competitors  
out of the field4 ,of course  this new  
candidate for favor is offered at a     
fancy price1 because  the supply is     
limited1 and the demand for it is       
increasing to such  an extent that the  
entire stock will soon be sold out4     
,order at  once1 to avoid               
disappointment4 ,don't be in a hurry to 
take this  advice4 ,wait until next     
season4 ,the chances are that you will  
hear  nothing more about it4 ,we have so
 many very excellent varieties  now that
 there is no reason why we should ask   
for anything better4  ,if the novelty is

 the possessor of real merit you will be
 sure  to hear about it later1 but it is
 hardly likely to prove an  improvement 
on what we already have1 for it is hard 
to imagine  anything superior to the    
standard varieties of vegetables that we
  have at present4           99       99
       99       99       99    ,i would 
not advise purchasing seed at the       
general store4 ,some of  this may be    
reliable1 but so much of it is inferior 
that one cannot  afford to run the risk 
of experimenting with it4 ,it is the    
part  of wisdom to purchase where you   
can feel sure of getting just the       
variety you want4           99       99 
99       99       99    ,we are likely  
to have a few frosty nights along about 
the middle  of ,september4 ,tender      
vegetables may be injured if not        
protected4  ,but if covered with        
blankets or papers the danger may be    
tided  over1 and during the long period 
of pleasant weather that generally      
follows these early frosts we can get as

 much pleasure out of the  garden as it 
afforded during the early fall4 ,it pays
 to protect4           99       99      
99       99       99    ,the housewife  
will take a great deal of delight in the
 preparation  of piccalilli1 chow-chow1 
and the various other condiments which  
have such a stimulating effect on the   
appetite in early spring1  when that    
tired feeling is likely to make a good  
deal of the food  that is placed before 
us unattractive4 ,in the making of these
 good  things unripe tomatoes and       
peppers will play an important part4 ,so
  will onions that are too small to     
store away for winter use4 ,she  will   
find use for all of these things which a
 man would consider  worthless4 ,really1
 there is but little chance for waste of
 garden  productions if there is an     
appreciative and prudent woman in the   
kitchen4           99       99       99 
99       99    ,a few roots of          
horseradish should find a place in all  
gardens1  preferably in some            

out-of-the-way corner where it can be   
allowed  to spread without interfering  
with other plants4 ,spread it will1     
every little piece of root that is      
broken off in the ground in  digging the
 large roots becoming an independent    
plant as soon  as thrown upon its own   
resources4 ,because of this tendency to 
take possession of the land many persons
 who have undertaken  its culture refuse
 to give it a place in their gardens4   
,but it  is really an easy matter to    
keep it within the limits assigned  it  
by promptly uprooting any plant that may
 make its appearance  outside the space 
given over to it4 ,those who are fond of
 something  pungent and peppery to eat  
with meats1 either hot or cold1 will    
not consent to be without it4 ,it is at 
its best as soon as the  frost is out of
 the ground sufficiently to admit of its
 being dug4  ,it should be used as soon 
as possible after digging1 as it loses  
much of its piquant quality if left     
exposed to the air for a short  time4   

,roots can be dug in late fall for      
winter use1 and packed in  boxes of     
soil1 which should be stored in the     
cellar or some other  place where they  
can be kept as cool as possible without 
actually  freezing4 ,but in order to    
have it in perfection roots freshly dug 
in spring must be depended on4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,leaves of horseradish make excellent   
greens if used when green and  tender4  
,a few of them cooked with young beets  
will give the latter  a flavor that will
 make their sweetness all the more      
appreciable4           99       99      
99       99       99    ,speaking of    
greens reminds me to say that the       
dandelion can be  cultivated to         
advantage in the home garden4 ,under    
cultivation  it improves in size1 and   
becomes a plant quite unlike the tiny1  
hundred-leaved specimens we dig from the
 roadside in spring1 of  which a bushel 
will be required in order to secure a   
good mess  for a greens-loving family1  

as most of such a picking will have  to 
be discarded when it is looked over     
preparatory to cooking4  ,in order to   
prevent the garden-grown dandelion from 
becoming a  nuisance it must not be     
allowed to bloom and develop seed4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,a most delightful salad can be made    
from the new growth of the  dandelion1  
in spring1 if properly bleached4 ,this  
can be done by  covering the plants with
 dry leaves as soon as they begin to    
grow1  thus excluding light and inducing
 rapid development4 ,or1 if most        
convenient1 flower-pots can be inverted 
over the plants4 ,the small  amount of  
light that comes to them through the    
drainage-hole in the  bottom of the pot 
will materially assist in hastening the 
growth of  the leaves in such a manner  
as to give them a crisp tenderness and  
deprive them of that bitter tang which  
characterizes the foliage  when fully   
grown under exposure to the light and   
air4 ,just enough  of this spicy quality

 to make the salad delightfully         
appetizing  will be found in them when  
grown in this way4           99       99
       99       99       99    ,mention 
has several times been made in the      
preceding pages of  ,bordeaux mixture4  
,this is a preparation used by          
small-fruit growers  everywhere to      
combat diseases of a fungous character  
which prevail  to an alarming extent in 
almost all sections of the country in   
early spring4 ,it is a standard remedy  
for many of the ills that  this class of
 plants is heir to1 and no up-to-date   
orchardist would  think for a moment of 
neglecting its use if he would grow a   
fine  crop of apples4 ,it has not       
heretofore come into common use among   
those who grow small fruit on a small   
scale1 because it is rather  difficult  
to prepare it properly1 but now a       
preparation of it that  is ready for use
 by simply mixing it with water can be  
obtained  from all seedsmen4 ,the use of
 it in spring when fruit is setting1  to

 prevent injury from the curculio and   
other enemies of small  fruits1 is to be
 encouraged4           99       99      
99       99       99    ,every gardener 
should be provided with pruning-shears  
with which  to prune whatever plants he 
or she may grow that require frequent   
attention of that kind4 ,a jack-knife   
answers the purpose very well  in the   
hands of a man1 but up to the present   
time no woman is known  to have made a  
success of its use4           99        
99       99       99       99           
,currant-bushes grow readily from       
cuttings4 ,insert a piece of            
half-ripened wood five or six inches    
long into the ground and it  will almost
 invariably take root4 ,in order to keep
 this plant in  healthy bearing         
condition it should be pruned rather    
severely each  season4 ,cut away all    
weak wood1 and encourage the production 
of  strong new shoots1 from which fruit 
will be borne next season4  ,remove a   
good share of the old branches after    

they have ripened  the present season's 
crop4 ,if this is not done the bush will
 after  a little become crowded with    
branches1 and as all branches1 old  and 
new1 will attempt to bear1 you will be  
pretty sure to have a  production of    
very inferior fruit1 since it will be   
impossible for  the bush to perfect all 
the berries that set and have them come 
up  to the standard of superiority that 
should govern the grower4 ,small        
currants are good1 as far as they go1   
but the trouble is--they  don't go far  
enough4 ,many of them will have to be   
discarded when  the housewife makes her 
selection4           99       99        
99       99       99    ,if the amateur 
gardener desires to give some of his    
vegetables  an early start1 ,i would    
advise him to try what may be called the
  sod-method in preference to any other4
 ,sod is cut from roadside  or pasture  
in fall and stacked up in the cellar for
 use in early  spring4 ,when seed is to 
be sown1 invert the piece of sod1 and   

scatter the seed over the surface1      
which1 it will be understood1  was not  
the surface originally4 ,in other words1
 what was the  surface is now the bottom
 of the piece which receives the seed4  
,when it comes time to put the seedlings
 out of doors the sod can be  cut apart 
in such a manner that each has its bit  
of soil1 and this  can be transferred to
 the garden without interfering in any  
way  with the roots of the young plant4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,while barn-yard manure--especially that
 which contains a good deal  of cow     
manure--is one of the very best of all  
fertilizers1 it is  not always          
obtainable1 and this makes it necessary 
to resort to  some kind of commercial   
fertilizer4 ,if one is not familiar with
 any  of these fertilizers he ought not 
to select at random1 as he may  get a   
kind not at all adapted to his          
requirements4 ,i would advise  finding  
some one who understands the peculiarity
 of the soil in his  locality1 and who  

has had some experience in the use of   
commercial  fertilizers1 and being      
governed by his advice4 ,experimental   
knowledge is often expensive1 and the   
use of a fertilizer that  is not adapted
 to the soil in one's garden often ruins
 a season's  crops4           99        
99       99       99       99    ,the   
ideal support for pea-vines is brush1   
but not every gardener is  able to      
obtain it4 ,some persons substitute     
binder-twine stretched  from stake to   
stake4 ,this answers very well as long  
as the weather  remains dry1 but as soon
 as a rain-storm comes along the twine  
absorbs so much moisture that it relaxes
 its tension and sags in  such a manner 
as to endanger the vines which have     
taken hold of it4  ,coarse-meshed wire  
netting will be found much more         
satisfactory1  as it will not sag and   
cannot be blown down by winds4 ,care    
must be  taken to see that it is        
coarse-meshed1 as the fine-meshed sorts 
will not admit of the vine's working its

 way out and in among the  meshes4 ,if a
 supply of brush can be obtained1 use it
 by all means1  and at the end of the   
pea-season pull it up and store it away 
in a  dry place4 ,if this is done1 it   
can be made to do duty for several      
seasons4 ,if netting is used1 do not    
allow it to remain out of doors  in     
winter4 ,by untacking it from the stakes
 which are set for its  support1 and    
rolling it up carefully1 and storing it 
away from the  storms of winter1 it can 
be made to last a lifetime4           99
       99       99       99       99    
,don't depend upon home-grown seed4     
,some of it may be just as  good as that
 which can be bought from reliable      
seedsmen1 but the  probabilities are    
that it is not1 because of the          
tendencies of most  plants to mix4      
,plants grown from seed saved from the  
home garden  often--and generally--show 
some of the characteristics of several  
varieties of the same family1 and       
frequently these characteristics  are   

not the ones we would like to           
perpetuate4 ,seedlings from  varieties  
pollenized by other varieties show a    
decided inclination  to revert to       
original types1 and these are in most   
instances the  very characteristics we  
would like to get away from4 ,it is     
always  advisable to procure fresh seed 
each season1 and to procure it from  men
 who make seed-growing a specialty4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,the housewife who likes to make her    
table and the food she places  upon it  
as attractive as possible1 will do well 
to pot a few plants  of parsley in early
 fall4 ,choose for this purpose the     
smaller  plants4 ,three or four can be  
put into one pot if the latter is of    
good size4 ,these can be kept in the    
kitchen window1 where they will  be     
quite as ornamental as most house       
plants1 or they can be kept in  the     
cellar window if frost is prevented from
 getting to them4 ,from  them one can   
always obtain material for the          

decoration of roasts  and other dishes  
which require garnishment4           99 
99       99       99       99           
,squashes and pumpkins will not keep    
well if stored in very warm  places4 ,a 
room that is just a little above the    
frost-point is the  best place for them4
 ,it will be found far superior to a    
cellar1 as  the latter is generally more
 or less damp1 and dampness is one of   
the worst enemies of these vegetables4  
,a cool1 dry atmosphere is  what they   
need1 and if it can be given them they  
can be kept in  fine condition          
throughout the entire winter4 ,care     
should be taken1  in gathering them1 to 
not break their stems4 ,if this is done 
they  frequently decay at the place     
where stem and vegetable unite1 and     
this condition spreads rapidly to all   
portions of them4           99       99 
99       99       99    ,the question is
 frequently asked3    ,would you advise 
plowing or spading the garden in fall8  
,if it  could have but one season's     

attention1 ,i would advise giving it in 
spring4 ,but if the owner of a garden   
has ample time to devote to  it1 ,i     
would advise plowing or spading in both 
seasons4 ,turning up  the soil in fall  
exposes to the elements that portion of 
it which  is most likely to contain     
worms and insects which have burrowed   
away for the winter1 and it is desirable
 to make way with as many  of these as  
possible4 ,stirring the soil in spring  
will do them very  little harm1 as the  
weather will be in their favor4 ,fall   
stirring  of the soil is also conducive 
to a greater degree of mellowness  than 
is likely to result from one operation1 
and that in spring1  as the clods of    
earth that are thrown up disintegrate   
under the  influence of frost and will  
be in a condition to pulverize easily   
when spring comes4           99       99
       99       99       99    ,the     
average gardener doesn't seem to        
associate the growing of  vegetables    
with an idea of beauty1 but he will     

find1 if he looks  into the matter1 that
 the vegetable-garden can be made really
  ornamental4 ,a row of carrots with its
 feathery green foliage is  quite as    
attractive as many of our decorative    
plants2 and beets1  with crimson        
foliage1 are really tropical in their   
rich coloring4  ,parsley and lettuce    
make excellent and ornamental edgings   
for  beds containing other vegetables4  
,tomatoes1 trained to upright           
trellises1 are quite as showy as many   
kinds of flowers1 when  their fruit     
begins to ripen4 ,peppers work in       
charmingly with the  colorscheme of the 
vegetable-garden4 ,a little study of    
garden  possibilities will soon convince
 one that it is an easy matter  to make 
the vegetable-garden as attractive1 so  
far as color is  concerned1 as the      
flower-garden is4 ,and while we are at  
work at  gardening1 why not make it as  
attractive as possible8 ,the pleasing   
appearance of it will lend additional   
qualities to the fine flavor  of its    

vegetables if we believe that beauty and
 practicality ought  to work in harmony 
with each other4           99       99  
99       99       99    ,sage1 summer   
savory1 and other garden-grown plants   
used for  seasoning or medicinal        
purposes should be gathered when in     
their  prime4 ,if one waits until late  
in the season before cutting them1  much
 of their virtue will have been expended
 in the ripening  process which all     
plants undergo after they complete their
 growth4  ,cut them close to the ground1
 and tie them in loose bunches1 and     
hang them in a shady place until their  
moisture has evaporated4  ,then put them
 in paper bags and hang away in a       
store-room or closet  for the winter4   
,plants treated in this way will retain 
nearly all  their original flavor1 and  
be found far superior to the kinds you  
buy at the store4    ,cucumbers that    
have grown to full size should be       
gathered if not  wanted for use1 as to  
allow them to remain on the vines after 

reaching maturity1 and while ripening1  
materially affects the  productiveness  
of the plants4           99       99    
99       99       99    ,endive is the  
basis of one of our best and most       
wholesome fall and  winter salads4 ,when
 nearly full-grown it must be bleached1 
like  celery4 ,gather the leaves        
together and tie them in such a manner  
as  to exclude the light4 ,do this when 
they are perfectly dry4 ,if wet  or damp
 they are likely to rot4           99   
99       99       99       99    ,some  
gardeners use what is called onion sets 
instead of seed4  ,these sets are the   
result of sowing seed very thickly in   
spring  the season before they are      
wanted for planting4 ,as soon as their  
tops die off in summer--as they will if 
seed was sown thickly  enough--store in 
a dry and airy place1 and the following 
spring  replant4 ,by this method large  
onions are obtained very early in the   
season4 ,most market-gardeners depend on
 sets instead of seed4           99     

99       99       99       99           
,mention has been made of a few of our  
pot and medicinal plants4  ,here is a   
larger list for those who are interested
 in plants of  this kind3 balm1 sweet   
basil1 caraway1 catnip1 camomile1       
coriander1  dill1 pennyroyal1           
peppermint1 saffron1 tansy1 and         
wormwood4 ,our  grandmothers had        
unlimited faith in the medicinal        
qualities of some  of these plants1 and 
many a mother will be glad to know that 
she  has a stock of some of them stored 
away for winter use when colds  and     
coughs are prevalent among children or  
grown people4 ,some of  the old home    
remedies are far preferable to those we 
are accustomed  to using1 as they are   
harmless1 if they do no good1 which is  
something that cannot be said of most   
drugs that are taken into the  system4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,don't wait for the currant-worm to show
 itself on your bushes4 ,you  can safely
 count on its coming4 ,act on the       

defensive in advance by  spraying your  
plants thoroughly with an infusion of   
,nicoticide1  keeping in mind the fact  
that it is easier to prevent an insect  
from establishing itself on your plants 
than it is to get rid of it  when it has
 secured a foothold there4 ,in spraying1
 be sure that the  infusion gets to all 
parts of the bush4 ,throw it up well    
among the  branches4 ,simply spraying it
 over the plant isn't what is needed4   
,it must reach the under side of the    
foliage1 and all parts where  insects   
and other enemies might hide away and   
escape contact with  the infusion used4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,when the small-fruit plants in your    
garden show evidence of having  outlived
 their usefulness1 don't try to renew   
them1 but dig them  up and plant new    
ones4 ,you cannot make a satisfactory   
plant out of  one that has begun to show
 age4 ,it is a good plan to set a few   
new  plants each season4 ,if this is    
done there need be no gap in the        

fruit-supply1 as there will always be   
some coming on to take the  places of   
those whose days of usefulness are over4
 ,too often we  neglect our gardens     
until they are in such a debilitated    
condition  that we get but slight       
returns from them1 and then we set to   
work  to make them all over1 and in this
 way we fail to get as much out  of them
 as we ought to4 ,by planting something 
each season we keep  them up to         
bearing-point1 and have no off seasons4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,i wonder how many housewives who may   
read this little book have  ever dried  
sweet-corn for winter use4 ,not many1 ,i
 think4 ,but if  they were to do so one 
season ,i am quite confident that       
thereafter  they would not willingly be 
without a generous supply of it1  for it
 will be found far more delicious than  
the ordinary canned  article4 ,in drying
 it1 some cook it for a few minutes1 and
 then cut  it from the cob and spread it
 out on plates to dry4 ,others do not   

think it worth while to cook it1 but cut
 it from the cob as soon  as gathered1  
and dry it by first putting it in the   
oven for a few  minutes before exposing 
it to the sun to dry4 ,the little time  
in  the oven is equivalent to the       
partial cooking spoken of4 ,turn it  on 
the plates on which it is spread every  
day1 and do not consider  it dry enough 
to store away until it appears to have  
parted with  all its moisture4 ,then put
 it into paper bags or glass jars1 and  
set away in a cool1 dark place to remain
 until you desire to use  it4 ,soak it  
for two or three hours before putting it
 on the stove  to cook4 ,when properly  
cooked it will be tender and have a more
  delicious flavor than canned corn4    
,the generous use of butter and  cream  
will make it a dish that is fit to set  
before a king4           99       99    
99       99       99    ,those who      
happen to live in places where it is not
 possible to  have cellars1 because of  
low ground1 can have places in which to 

store vegetables for winter use that are
 really preferable to the  ordinary     
cellar1 by constructing what might be   
called above-ground  pits1 for want of a
 better name4 ,build up a wall four or  
five feet  high1 and bank up about it   
with so much earth that frost cannot    
penetrate it4 ,cover with a roof that   
will keep out cold and rain4  ,have a   
doorway opening into it from an entry   
built after the  fashion of the little  
storm-vestibules we put over the front  
doors  of our dwellings in winter4 ,in  
other words1 an entry into which we  can
 step and close one door behind us      
before we open the one that  lets us    
into the place where our vegetables are4
 ,such a room can  be constructed with  
but little expense4 ,because of its     
being above  ground it will be drier    
than a cellar1 and in the majority of   
cases  it will be more convenient to get
 at4 ,it should be boarded up with  a   
good quality of matched boarding1 and   
its walls should be lined  with two or  

three thicknesses of sheathing paper put
 on in such a  manner as to show no     
cracks or openings4           99        
99       99       99       99    ,the   
best place for a vegetable-garden is    
where the soil is  naturally well       
drained and where there is a slope to   
the south4  ,such a slope enables it to 
get the full benefit of sunshine1 and   
sunshine1 it will be found1 is an       
important factor in successful          
gardening4 ,if such an exposure is out  
of the question1 aim to make  conditions
 as favorable as possible4 ,a closely   
boarded fence on the  north side of a   
garden affords excellent protection from
 cold winds  early in the season1 and   
helps greatly in keeping away frost in  
fall1 when many plants are maturing4    
,mention is made in the above paragraph 
of good drainage4 ,this is  quite       
important4 ,if the soil of a garden is  
not well drained1  many kinds of        
vegetables cannot be grown in it1 and   
few will attain  to even a partial      

degree of success4 ,therefore see to it 
that  by ditching1 or the use of tile1  
all surplus water is properly  disposed 
of4 ,much good can be done to a heavy   
soil by adding to it  sharp1 coarse     
sand1 old mortar--anything that will    
have a tendency  to counteract the      
heaviness resulting from undue retention
 of water  or a naturally too close     
character of soil4 ,if sand is          
obtainable1  and your garden is one in  
which clay predominates1 use it in      
generous quantities4 ,you will find it  
as beneficial as manure4  ,spread it    
over the surface before plowing or      
spading1 and work it  in thoroughly4 ,a 
few seasons' application will bring     
about a very  marked change for the     
better in any garden whose soil cannot  
be  made fine and mellow without the    
addition of some disintegrating  matter4
 ,good drainage must be secured in order
 to grow good  vegetables1 and the use  
of tile will be found a most effective  
remedy for the evil of a soil unduly    

retentive of moisture4           99     
99       99       99       99    ,in    
almost all localities there will be     
families who have no garden1  but who   
would make liberal use of vegetables if 
they were easily  procurable4 ,there is 
a chance for boys and girls to earn an  
honest  penny4 ,if it is found that     
there is likely to be more in the home  
garden than the family can make use of1 
canvass the neighborhood  for customers 
for the probable surplus4 ,it will be   
found an easy  matter to dispose of it4 
,i know several amateur child gardeners 
who  secure enough in this way to pay   
for all the seed they need4 ,some  of   
them have regular customers each season1
 and gardening begins  to look to them  
like a profitable occupation4 ,i don't  
know that  they will become professional
 gardeners1 but they will be learning   
something as well as earning something  
while they are fitting  themselves for  
whatever occupation in life they may    
decide on1 and  what they learn in the  

garden will be of benefit in after-life 
in  more ways than one4    ,don't       
neglect to save everything that can be  
made use of for  fertilizing purposes4  
,in many a home the suds of washing-day 
are disposed of as worthless4 ,if       
applied to growing things in the  garden
 they will often prove as beneficial as 
the application of a  fertilizer that   
costs quite a little sum of money4      
,especially is  this the case if the    
season happens to be a dry one4 ,if     
there does  not seem to be a need of    
more moisture in the soil on wash-day1  
save the soapy water against a time of  
need4 ,it will be sure to  come handy   
during the season4    ,some families are
 so unfortunate as to have no cellar4   
,few  vegetables can be kept well1 or   
for a great length of time1 in  ordinary
 rooms1 unless something is done to     
modify the conditions  usually existing 
there4 ,if a large box is filled with   
dry sand1  potatoes1 parsnips1 salsify1 
beets1 and carrots can be buried in  it 

and made to retain their freshness for  
an indefinite period4  ,of course this  
storage-box should be kept as far as    
possible  from artificial heat1 and no  
dampness should be allowed to come  in  
contact with it1 as sand absorbs        
moisture almost as readily  as a sponge1
 and the satisfactory keeping of the    
vegetables  named depends upon dryness  
more than anything else4 ,the lower  the
 temperature of the place in which      
vegetables are stored  the better1      
provided it never gets below the        
freezing-point4  ,where boxes of sand   
are used1 slight freezings are not      
likely to  seriously injure vegetables1 
as the sand extracts the frost so       
gradually that but little harm is done4 
,but hard freezing must be  guarded     
against or premature decay will result4 
,it is an excellent plan to bury some of
 the vegetables named above  in a dry   
place in the garden1 for use in spring4 
,they will be found  as fresh and crisp 
as when put into the ground1 if covered 

deep  enough to protect them from frost4
          ,,xii    ,,health ,,in ,,the  
,,garden4 ,a ,,chapter ,,expressly ,,for
 ,,women ,,readers      ,the writer of  
this book often finds women who seem all
 run down1  without being able to tell  
of any positive physical ailment4       
,inquiry generally develops the fact    
that they have overworked2  that they   
have been confined to the house the     
greater part of  the time1 busy with    
household matters1 and that in caring   
for  others they have neglected to care 
for themselves4 ,though ,i am not  an   
,m4,d4 ,i take the liberty of           
prescribing for patients of this  class4
 ,my prescription is a course of        
treatment in the garden4 ,i  insist on  
their getting out of doors1 where the   
air is pure1 and  the sunshine bright   
and warm1 and ,nature is waiting to give
 her  pleasant companionship to whoever 
signifies a desire to make her          
acquaintance4    ,there is health in the
 garden4 ,but because one has to dig for

 it  some persons prefer to keep on     
enjoying their old miserableness  day   
after day and year after year4 ,these   
are the incurables--the  chronic cases  
that one cannot expect to do much with  
or for4 ,but  those who are willing to  
exert themselves in an effort to get    
back  the tone that life has lost to a  
considerable extent will find that  work
 in the garden is a better tonic than   
our doctors have a record  of in their  
pharmacopoeia4    ,the earth fairly     
tingles with life in spring1 and by     
putting  ourselves in contact with it we
 absorb some of this vitality4 ,we      
breathe in the wine of a new life1 and  
we thrill with a thousand  sensations   
that can come only from putting         
ourselves in close touch  with ,nature4 
,you can tell a woman who needs a change
 from indoors  to outdoors that she     
ought to take more exercise1 but if you 
advise walking the chances are that she 
won't walk much4 ,that kind  of exercise
 doesn't appeal to her1 and to make     

whatever kind of  exercise she takes    
effective it must be something that     
affords her  pleasure--something that   
she enjoys more than she does doing     
things  from a sense of duty1 or simply 
because she has been told to  do it4    
,what is needed is some form of exercise
 that has an object  in it--a definite  
object1 rather than the more or less    
abstract  one of regaining health4      
,give her a few packages of seeds and   
arouse in her the enthusiasm  to have a 
garden and she will get the very best   
kind of exercise  out of her attempt to 
carry out the plan1 and the definite    
object--in other words1 the garden--that
 she has in mind will  keep her so      
delightfully busy that she will forget  
all about the  health-features of the   
undertaking until it dawns upon her with
  startling suddenness some fine day    
that she has got her health  back4 ,how 
or when it came she cannot tell you4    
,all she knows  is that she feels like a
 new woman4 ,after that there will be no

  necessity to repeat the prescription1 
for one year's half-way  successful work
 in the garden fixes the garden habit   
for all  time4 ,nothing else can afford 
so much pleasure and exercise in  happy 
combination as gardening1 or exert a    
greater fascination over  the person who
 allows herself to come under its       
influence4    ,i cannot begin to tell   
you what wonderful and delightful things
 ,i  have learned in the garden4 ,it is 
like having the ,book of ,nature  opened
 before you and being taught its lore by
 the book's own  author4 ,you see       
magical things taking place about you   
every day1  and every day there are more
 of them1 to set you thinking and       
wondering4 ,you may work until you are  
tired1 but you do not realize  physical 
wear and tear because your mind has     
something else that  it considers of    
greater importance to busy itself over4 
,only after  the work of the day is done
 will you become conscious of physical  
weariness1 and then it is that you find 

out what the luxury of rest  is2 to     
fully appreciate rest we must first     
understand what it is to  be really     
tired4    ,lassitude1 ennui--these do   
not give us a knowledge of genuine      
tiredness1 therefore we are not in a    
condition to receive the full  benefit  
of that rest which means a reaction of  
the physical system  until we have done 
some kind of work that makes reaction   
necessary  in order to establish a      
normal equilibrium4 ,the rest that comes
  after getting really tired is so full 
of delightful sensations that  we admit 
to ourselves that it is richly worth the
 price we have to  pay for it4    ,there
 is a subtle charm about garden work    
from its very beginning4  ,the seed we  
sow has a mystery wrapped up in it4 ,the
 processes of  germination are as       
fascinating as a fairytale4 ,the        
development of  the tiny seedling is a  
source of constant wonder to us4 ,we    
watch  for the first bud with eager     
impatience1 and it has to be on  the    

alert if it succeeds in opening without 
our being on hand to  observe the       
performance4 ,spring begins the story1  
summer carries  it forward1 and autumn  
seems to complete it1 but there is      
always  the promise of the retelling of 
the story another year to keep us       
interested from the end of one season to
 the coming of another4  ,garden work is
 a sort of thousand and one days'       
entertainment1 in  which the interest is
 continually kept up--always something  
to look  forward to--always something   
new4    ,the woman who grows weary over 
the monotony of household duties1  but  
cannot put them entirely aside1 will    
find relaxation in  the garden4 ,the    
change will rest her4 ,and the woman who
 has no  household duties to claim her  
attention needs something to get        
interested in4 ,both will find the      
necessary stimulus in growing  flowers4 
,but in order to do this it must not be 
played at4 ,set about it  because you   
mean to accomplish something4 ,a week   

after you have  begun in earnest you    
will find yourself looking forward      
impatiently  to the hour that takes you 
out of doors4 ,you will forget about the
  gloves that you probably provided     
yourself with at the outset4 ,you  won't
 be bothered with veils4 ,tan will have 
no terrors for you4  ,you will look upon
 dirt as something pleasing because you 
begin to  see the possibilities in it4  
,you will go back to the house with an  
appetite that makes plain bread and     
butter delicious4    ,have a garden4    
,and do all the work in it yourself4    
,that's the secret of the benefit you   
are to get out of it4      ,,the ,,end  
,,transcriber',s ,,note    -,plain print
 and punctuation errors fixed4