UNITED STATES SCHOOL GARDEN ARMY DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR lu.s.s.GV BUREAU OF EDUCATION WASHINGTON V A Manual of School-Supervised Gardening for the Northeastern States PART I-VEGETABLES FOLLOW THE PIED PIPER Join the, 'United States School Garden Army. (t A MANUAL OF SCHOOL-SUPERVISED GARDENING FOR THE NORTHEASTERN STATES. CONTENTS. I. PLANNING THE GARDEN. Lesson 48.—New Zealand Spinach. Lesson 49.—Swiss Chard for Summer Use. Lesson 1.—First, Catch Your Rabbit. Lesson 50.—Endive. Lesson 2.—How to Plan Your Garden. Lesson 51.—Radishes—The Easiest Garden Crop. Lesson 3.—Plans for Small Gardens. Lesson 52.—Planting Turnips Early and Late. Lesson 4.—Plans for Larger Gardens. Lesson 53.—Rutabagas. Lesson 5.—Estimating the Needs. Lesson 54.—Beets for both Summer and Winter. Lesson 6.—Short Season Companion Crops. Lesson 55.—Carrots for Every Garden. Lesson 7.—Long Season Companion Crops. Lesson 56.—Parsnips. Lesson 8.—Succession Cropping. Lesson 57.—Salsify or Vegetable Oyster. Lesson 9.—Follow Crops. Lesson 58.—Cabbages. Lesson 59.—Kohlrabi for Young Gardeners. II. SOILS. Lesson 60.—Growing Onions from Sets. Lesson 10.—The Kinds of Garden Soils. Lesson 61.—Onions from Seed. Lesson 11.—The Hidden Gold. Lesson 62.—Potatoes. Lesson 12.—The Third Plowing. Lesson 63.—Peas. Lesson 13.—Crops for New Clay Gardens. Lesson 64.—Five-Purpose Beans. Lesson 14.—Feeding the Fish worms. Lesson 65.—Sweet Corn to Eat and to Can. Lesson 66.—Cucumbers for Salads and Pickles. III. ENRICHING THE SOIL. Lesson 67.—Winter Squashes. Lesson 68.—Setting out Tomato Plants. Lesson 15.—Humus-j-The Food Producer. Lesson 69.—Training Tomato Plants. Lesson 16.—Improving Sandy Soils. Lesson 70.—Egg Plant. Lesson 17.—Manures. Lesson 71.—Sweet Peppers. Lesson 18.—Commercial Fertilizers. Lesson 19.—Fertilizer Problems. VIII. GARDEN PESTS. Lesson 20.—The Compost Heap. Lesson 21.—Green Manures. Lesson 72.—The Cabbage Worms. Lesson 73.—Spraying for Biting Insects. IV. THE SEED. Lesson 74.—Applying Arsenate of Lead. Lesson 75.—The Tomato Worms. Lesson 22.—The Seed Order. Lesson 76.—The Black Squash Bug. Lesson 23.—Using the Seed Catalogs. Lesson 77.—The Aphids or Plant Lice. Lesson 24.—Varieties of Vegetables. Lesson 78.—Kerosene Emulsion. Lesson 25.—Seed Testing in the School. Lesson 79.—Spraying with Tobacco Solutions. Lesson 26.—Radishes for School-Supervised Gardens. Lesson 80.—Squash and Cucumber Beetles. Lesson 27.—Planning for Next Year's Seeds. Lesson 81.—Cutworms. Lesson 82.—The Corn-Ear Worm. V. PLANTING THE CROP. Lesson 83.—How to Fight Potato Pests. Lesson 84.—Plant Diseases. Lesson 28.—Getting Your Garden Ready. Lesson 85.—The Chimney Swift—The Garden Ace Lesson 29.—How to Plant Your Crops. Lesson 86.—The Toad—The Garden Tank. Lesson 30.—The Crops to Plant First. Lesson 87.—The Mole—The Tunnel Maker. Lesson 31.—The Outdoor Seed Bed. Lesson 88.—Witch Grass—The Root of Garden Evil. Lesson 32.—When to Plant Your Crops. Lesson 33.—Crops for Late Planting. Lesson 34.—Root Crops for Late Sowing. IX. GATHERING AND DISPOSING OF THE CROP. Lesson 89.—Quality Vegetables from the Garden. VI. GROWING THE CROP. Lesson 90.—Selling Your Vegetables. Lesson 35.—The Care of the Garden. Lesson 91.—Storing Your Vegetables. Lesson 36.—Weeding Your Garden. Lesson 92.—Storing Root Crops. Lesson 37.—Thinning Your Young Vegetables. Lesson 93.—Harvesting and Storing Squashes. Lesson 38.—How to Thin Vegetables. Lesson 94.—Digging and Storing Potatoes. Lesson 39.—How to Transplant. Lesson 95.—Preparing Root Crops for Fairs and Exhibi- Lesson 40.—Mulches and How to Use Them. tions. Lesson 41.—John's Dream. Lesson 96.—Types of Marketing. Lesson 42.—Stories of Beans and Other Things. X. FALL GARDENING. VII. GARDEN CROPS. Lesson 97.—Kale for September Sowing Lesson 43.—How to Study a Crop. Lesson 98.—Planting Onion Sets this Fall. Lesson 44.—Lettuce for Home Gardens. Lesson 99.—Getting Ready for Spring Lesson 45.—Celery. Lesson 100.—How to Make Your Cold frame Lesson 46.—Parsley. Lesson 101.—How to Make Your Hotbed Lesson 47.—Spinach Lesson 102.—Your Asparagus Bed 2 4 A MANUAL OF SCHOOL-SUPERVISED GARDENING FOR THE NORTHEASTERN STATES I. PLANNING THE GARDEN. Lesson 1: FIRST, CATCH YOUR RABBIT. You remember the story of the boy who was telling about the rabbit he was going to eat, and his father said, "Son, first catch your rabbit." Well, that's the way you must do with these school gardens. Before you can eat the crops you expect to grow, you must get the garden. For you boys and girls living in the country this will probably be an easy matter. Your fathers will be glad to give you a piece of land for your own use, as large as you are able to handle, where you can grow as many kinds of crops as you wish. For you boys and girls living in the towns or cities it may be a little harder to get the land for your garden. But many of you will have a back yard of your own where many vege- tables can be grown; or your next-door neighbor will be glad to let you use his back yard. At any rate, don't be discouraged if you can't find a place for your garden the first thing. By looking around and sticking to it you will find that there are a great many back yards and vacant lots near your own home which the owners will be proud to let you use after you have told them of the wonderful work the School Garden Army is doing. If your garden is to be in a back yard, pick out one that is not shaded too much by trees or buildings. Growing things need sunlight and plenty of it. And try to pick out land that isn't all clay or gravel. You can't expect to grow much on soil like that. Ask one of your friends who is a farmer or who has a garden of his own to help you pick out the right place for your garden. Lesson 2: HOW TO PLAN YOUR GARDEN. Many of us think of gardening as work to be done only during a few brief weeks in the spring. This is wrong. Your garden will do its best for you if plans for it are made in the autumn and much of its preparation done then. Here are some things you should think of in planning a garden: 1. Size.—The average boy or girl can easily spade and care for a garden 10 by 30 feet. A garden of this size will go far to supply vegetables for a family of four. Your garden should be sufficiently large to grow enough vegetables to make it worth while, but not so large as to make its care too much of a task. 2. Width between rows.—Rows must be farther apart if a horse or hand-wheel cultivator is used than if you use hand tools, such as a hoe or rake. 3. Paths.—Since your plants must receive personal attention, you should plan your garden with paths so that you can reach all parts of it without tramping down the plants. 4 MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 4. Rotation.—This means using the same ground for the growth of one kind of crop, followed by another of a different kind, as a crop of corn followed by a crop of beans. Your planting scheme should avoid growing the same kind of plants over and over on the same ground. 5. Keeping your garden at work.—A planting calendar will tell you how, by second and third sowings, you can have fresh vegetables at all times during the gardening season. 6. Use all your land.—Vegetables which ripen quickly may be grown among those which ripen slowly. Thus lettuce, radishes, spinach, and like vegetables may be planted in the soil between tomato plants, potatoes, corn, etc. 7. Plants to grow.—The kinds of plants to be grown will determine very largely the nature of your plan. Radishes and lettuce may be planted closer together than cabbages or corn. 8. Adding a touch of beauty.—Finally, if you wish to make your garden not only productive but attractive, flowers may be grown about the borders. An easy way to draw a plan is to measure the length and width of your garden and then make a map of it. Allow half an inch on your map for each foot in your garden. Then decide what you are going to plant and rule in your rows. In making your plan remember these things: Put tall crops—like sweet corn and pole beans—on the north or west side. On level ground run the rows north and south. On hilly ground run the rows across the hill. Plan for parsley, Swiss chard, or carrots along the front border. In shady places plan for lettuce, chard, cucumbers, or squashes. Plan for companion or succession crops, or both. Lesson 3: PLANS FOR SMALL GARDENS. You can easily see how the plan of this pictured garden was made. At the left is a row of radishes, then two rows of string beans, then a row of carrots, and beyond the carrots a row of Swiss chard. That is a fine selection of crops for a small garden. There are no flowers in this garden. In war times it is desirable to raise all the food possible; and even yet, when so many people in the world are starving, we should grow mostly vegetables. But it is a pity that every child with a garden should not grow a few flowers. So here is a plan for a small garden with one row of flowers: Nasturtiums 9 inches Radishes 9 inches String beans.. 18 inches String beans... 18 inches Swiss chard 18 inches . . Tomatoes. 18 inches Sweet corn. 18 inches -. Sweet corn 18 inches Sweet corn 9 inches This garden would be 12 feet across the rows. It can bo as large in the other direction as you wish, of course. If it is not large enough for all these crops, the three rows of sweet corn can be left out. MANUAL OF GtUWEKING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 5 This plan, of course, can he changed in many ways. (larrota may be planted in place of Swiss chard, and turnips may be sown utter the string beans are gathered. If the soil is very rich, a few cucumber seeds mny be sown in tho outside row of sweet corn. Lettuce may be planted in place of the radishes and the radish sown with other crops as they are planted from • time to time . • Qlu'!eIl' 01 v...Ev,", Kilpolrid This picture of these happy boys and girls ~thering their crops will surely make you want 10 have a garden this year. And it should also help you to make a real plan for it In small gardens most plants which are set out ns transplnuts-c-like cabbages, peppers, eggplants and tomn.toes-c-ebould be interplented in some such wny as this: Set out toronto plants .from eighteen inches to three foot apart in the row. Between each two tomato plants sot out two or throe lettuce seedlings. Give good surfuce tillage IUId pick -the lettuce as soon as it is or good size for use. It will be out of the way before the spreading tome.toes rencb the lettuce. In it similar way set out lettuce seedlings in the rows of cabbage, cauliflower, eggplants, and pepper . • MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. Lesson 4: PLANS FOR LARGER GARDENS. 16 FEET G —Para ley— 18" ir - Swiss Chard— IE" 30" —-Garrots-— 12" 42" Carroto — 54" 12" Beets 12" 66" Beets 12" T811 Beets 12" 90" -—Kohlrabi-— 12- 102" -Lettuce l5i;Bean5 2o^- 15" 117" -Spinach* • 15" 132" -OnionSets* • — 144" IE" —Tomatoes— 18" 162" -Tomatoes—• 18" 180" -Radishes 15!; Cucumbers 2^- 18" 198' Sweet Cora- 18" 216' Sweet Corn.- 181 234' Sweet Corn.- 240' Here is a simple plan for a garden 16 by 20 feet. The three rows of sweet com should be on the side away from the sun so the com plants will not shade the other crops. Perhaps the cucumber vines may run in among the com a little, but that will not hurt anything. The parsley along the front will make a decorative border. The figures on the right show the distances between the rows. The figures on the left show the distance in inches from the front border. In part of the garden the plan provides for two crops. Thus, where the diagram says "Lettuce first, beans second," it means that you grow an early crop of lettuce and get it harvested in time to plant the beans. All garden plans are to be taken as suggestions. This one can, of course, be changed to suit your special needs. You may wish to grow other crops or your garden may be larger. If so, you can easily make your own plan, using this diagram as a model. An easy way to draw a plan is to measure the length and width of your garden and then make a map of it. Allow half an inch on your map for each foot in your garden. Then decide what you are going to plant and rule in your rows. In making your plan remember these things: Put tall crops—like sweet corn and pole beans—on the north or west side. On level ground run the rows north and south. On hilly ground run the rows across the hill. Plan for parsley, Swiss chard, or carrots along the front border. In shady places plan for lettuce, chard, cucumbers, or squashes Plan for companion or succession crops, or both. MANUAL os GARDE:N1NG FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 7 Lesson 5, ESTIMATING THE NEEDS. The vegetable garden, so far as possible, should supply tho needs of the family. The practicability of doing this depends of course on many things, but. chiefly on the size of the • garden end the number in the family. In a general way it is possible to estimate the Deeds in advance and to make up the seed list accordingly. Here is a little table that shows the amount of seed needed to supply u, Iamily of four. with vegetables throughout the year: Bean: Ouicn seta .... _.................•.. quarts .. 4--6 :Buehl.ima................. pint .. 1 Pea, garden_.. . ••............ do .... 4-6 Pole Iima Snap ......•................... Beet.. __.. _ do._ quurta .. ]-2 ounccs.. 1 -I Parsley. Parsnip __ .___ Radish _... ___ •• _ __ packet .. ounce .• do . , I I Cabbage: Spinach: Early .....•.••...•..••........ pa.cket.. I In spring ___"... _... pound .. I Late ............•.... •... ounce .. ! 1n fall.. _________do .... I CarTOt..........•..........•.••..•... do.... 1 Squash: Oelery .......................•..•. packet... .1. Hubbard.. .cunce .. I Ocro.eweee ~...........•...• pints .. 1-2 Summer __do. . I CUcumber P ••••••••• ounce.. 1 Tomato: EggpliUlt .. _ _.. .. packet .. 1 Early ................•....... peckee.. 1 Kale ouneee.: 2 Late onnce.. i Lettuce do.... t Turnip do 2-3 It is not supposed that any family will use all the vegetables listed, nor will all families require the same amount of any crop. The pupil should select his seed from this list and make successive plantings. Lesson 6, SHORT-SEASON COMPANION CROPS . • Companion cropping consists simply in growing two or more crops together on the same area at the same time. It usually takes advantage of a difference in rapidity or in habit of growth of two crops. Thus button radishes mature to edible condition in a. few weeks, so that they ma.y be sown and harvested before some slow-growing crops are fairly started. These may be called short-season companion crops. Some practical combinations of this sort are indicated below: Sow lettuce seeds as usual. Before covering the seeds sow radish seeds of the early button varieties in the open furrow very sparsely-perhaps one radish seed to every 2 inches. Then cover and firm the soil. The radishes will come up before the lettuce, helping to break the soil and showing the row lines so the spaces between can be easily hoed. Weed and thin the lettuce as usual, leaving the radishes to grow for three or four weeks. Then pull them for table use, Apply the same procedure to these crops: Beets, CI1ITot, Swiss chard, parsley, parsnip, salsify. Here is a method of companion cropping of cabbage, lettuce, and radishes: Set out the cabbage plants in carefully lined rows 3 feet apart. Ten inches from the cabbages sow rows of radish seed. Half way between the radishes sow a row of lettuce seed or transplant lettuce plan ts. The space between the rows will allow hoeing from the start. The radishes will mature and be out of the way in four or five weeks, leaving a good chance to continue hoeing the whole space between the cabbage and lettuce. .A. month or so later the lettuce will mature and be removed. The cabbages are now roaching a good size and have all the ground to meet their needs. With varieties of small-headed early cabbage the distances between the rows migh t be less. 8 :MANUAL OJ,' GA.RDENTITanon NORTHEASTERN STATES. In small gardens most plants which arc set out 0.8 teeneplcnte-c-like cabbage, peppers, egg_ plants, cud tomatoes-should be iuterplauted in some such way as this: Set out tomato plants from 18 inches to 3 feet apart in the row. Between each two tomato pla.nts set out two 01' three lettuce seedlings. Give good surface tillage and pick the lettuce as soon as it is of good size for use. It will be out of the way before the spreading tomatoes reach the lettuce. • In a similar way set out lettuce seedlings in the rows of cabbage, cauliflower, eggplants and pepper. Lesson 7: LONG-SEASON COMPANION CROPS. Some crops grow tall nnd others ueur the ground, both continuing through n long aeuson. Thus corn and pumpkins are commonly grown together. The pumpkins begin to run over the surface after the cultivation of the corn ceases. Notwithstanding the shade, the pumpkin leaves get sufficient sunlight to grow, This may be called long-season compnuion cropping. Comparatively few crops are thus planted together to grow throughout the eeeeon. In the garden this principle may he applied in these ways: I. Mix leek and onion seed at the rate of one pert lock seed to ten of onion seed, Sow together in the I'OW, Thill und cultivate in the usual way. Harvest tJH.l onions when ready and leave the leeks to grow uutil the ground is plowed or spaded. n. Have the garden soil rich, Sow sweet Corn as usual. In every third hill along the outer rOW8 sow three squash seeds. WlJen danger from cutworms and striped beetles is peat thin to one squush plant for each hill. Ill. Sow sweet. corn as usual In avery other hili sow three seeds of string beans or 101'- ticulturul shell benne. Or sow these benne half way between each two hills of corn. Qive good surface tillage and keep the hills always weeded. Lesson 8: SUCCESS/ON CROPPING. The result we are after in succession cropping is to have It continuous supply of fresh vege- tables in the best condition for use. You can get this result iu either of two ways: (I) By planting early, medium, aud late varieties; or (2) by making successive plantings of all enrly variety. Practical results under the first of these methods mfly be obtained by following these directions: Sow at least three vnriotica of pcas---ono CD.Tly, one medium, and oue law. The seed catalogs classify the. various aorta under these three hendinga. Sow seeds of two or more varieties of carrots, as early French Forcing for early Obuntenay Careless, or Dnnvera Half-long for Inter crop. '1 Sow seeds 01' transplant seedlings of at least two varieties of celery, es White Plume 01' Golden SeU Blanching for early CrOJl and Boston Market 01' EfiSY Blanching for late crop Sow seeds of H.t lenst three varieties of SWeet corn, as Golden Bantam or Golden Hod' for early, Moore's Early Concord or Black Mexican for medium, and Country Gentleman or Stowell's Evergreen "for late. Sow seo.ds of these beete Iu .Mrly spring: Crosby's Egyptiun, Eclipse, 01' Boston Market for early, Detroit Dark Red and Crimson Globe for succession. In MaJ, when the ground is W1U'm enough, sow these beaus for use ns st-riuO'bean' B _ tiiul, Hodsdon, 01' other early bush sorts; Golden Cluster WltX, to be trained Oll sles o:d to furnish an abundant supply for the latter part of the senson. po MA...~UAL OF GAROEl\'lNG FOR NORTHEASTERN STA.TES. 9 Plant at least three varieties of cebbege, as Jersey 'Vakefield for early, Succession for summer, Danish Ballhced far f/lll and winter. Plant seta of onions for eurly use. Sow seeds of onions for succession crops. Plant at hm..,t two varieties of potatoes, as Bovee Or Early Ohio for early and Green Moun- tain or Uncle Sam Icr late crop. The other method of succession cropping- is very simple. Select one favorite variety of a. given vegetable and sow the seeds at intervals of 10 days or two weeks as long es there is good prospect of its being able to reach edible maturity. Thus many people prefer Golden Bantam to other varieties of sweet corn. They sow a small plot-to this variety every two weeks during May, June, and tho first hal] of July. Lesson 9: PLANNING FOR FOLLOW-CROPS. By follow-crops we mean those crops which may be planted after othersllll.vo been harvested during the same scnsou. In planning for follow-crops the two important points to consider Me the length of time required for growth and the adaptation to the season. Some crops complete their growth.in a few weeks, others require a much longer period. S~me crops thrive best in the cool weather of spring and fnJl; others require the warmth of summer. By careful planning one can take advantage of these chemctecietice to keep the soil producing tram early spring until late autumn. Some successful combiuatious for the small garden me indicated ill these tables: Three 8horl·uusr:m cro~. Hardy cool season. Tender wurm seusou, Hardy coot serecn. '. r Spina~h lkll.f If,ltl.ucll ••.....••...••....•.•••• _••. Earl y eweet corn Bush 5tri,llg beans. .............•••...... TICO li(lr!ill,l·sousot/. crop~. . Redish. Turnip. Early crop. Lni~crop. Earfy crop. Rsdieh. .................•...•. PeM. Len! lettuce . Sweet corn. Lear Icuuce . Stringbcaca. Carrots .....•...•• > ••••••••••• Now Zealand spinach. SpinacIL .•.........•.........• SqU1l8h. POilB ................•.•..••.. String beans. Onion SOIB ••••••••••••••.••••••• Beets. :PeM .................••. _.... Carrot!!. Onion eete . Melons. Radish •.. _'._ _._ Toructe planta. PaM ••••..••.•••••••••••.•••••• Celery. Beete _._ . Turnips. Head lettuce •... _._ Cucumbers. Stringboana _.__ . Late cubbage plauta. These combinutious ure merely suggestive. One could rearrange them almost Indefinitely. Tho chief point to consider is whether the etu'ly crop gets out of the way in time to allow the lute crop to mature. n is often possible to combine the methods of companion and rotation cropping. If you have rowe of lettuce 12 inches a.pnrt you can sow beet seed hill way between, two or three weeks before tbe lettuce is hfl.rvested. When the lettuco is out of the Wi\,y the beets will have tho soil to thcm..selves. Siru.il.armethods may be llsed wj!h a grea.t mauy other crops. l2OSO_l _19----2 0 • II. SOILS. • Lesson 10: THE KINDS OF GARDEN SOILS. The success of a garden depends chiefly upon two things-c-the personality of the gardener and the characteristics of the soil. If the gardener is in telligeuu and industrious, he can over- come ma.ny difficulties, even with the poor soil, but if he also is fortunate enough to do his gardening in a fertile loamy soil, success should be assured. Most soils consist chiefly of tiny particles of rock mixed with deca'ysd fragments of plnnt life. The kind of soil depends largely either IIpon the kind of rock from which it was derived or upon the proportion of decayed plants that make it up. In general we may roughly group Dill' common garden soils under four headings-sandy soils, ole..y soils, limestone soils, and humus soils. 'Ihe sandy soils vary all the way.from 1'111'8 sand, such as you find in 11 send bank, to sandy Ioams in which n large amount of decayed plant lifo has been added to the ennd. In general tho more of this decayed plant lifo or humus there is present in the sandy soil, the better is its quality. Consequently one of the best WllYS to improve such a soil is 1,0 udd lerge amounts of Fullen leaves or strawy manure, so thllt the humus content may be increased. Clay soils may VflIYfrom a pure clay such ns is Found in tho clay banks from which bricks and tiles OJ'emade, to n clay Ioum in which there is much humus and perhaps some sand. Limestone soils occur in those regions where the underlying rock is of limestone. Such soils nre perticulerly valuable for growing crops of the legume Iamily-c-peaa, beans, clovers, and related plants. Humus Boils are those made up chiefly of the remains of plants. You can find an nlmost pure humus soil by visiting a swamp or pent bog and digging up the black muck. There is, of course, such a thing as having too much humus, and these pure humus soils need to have sand or clay or limestone soil mixed with them to improve their quality. Fortunately. in very few gardens will you flnd n Pwe type of any of these soils, and the hopeful thing about this is that you oan improve tJIC quality of any of them by a little study of their needs und the addition of the t.rullgS needful. Lesson 1/: THE HIDDEN GOLD. ,There is an old story that runs something like this: A fa~er left n piece of garden ground to hJS three sons, John, James, and Oscar. Just before he died he told them there was much wealth burled in the soil, but it would be found only by the one who dug it over three times. So nfter the old man had been properly buried, the three SODs divided the garden into three eql.lnJ pl~t.g and then drew lots for the plots, They lUI begun to dig the land at once and kept at 11; until ench garden was all spaded up, But none of them found uny gold Or buried treasure of llny sort. . So John said: UNo more digging for mc. I'll plant it crop and get somet.hing for Illy trouhle anyway." 10 MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 11 But James and Oscar dug away until their gardens were all spaded up the second time. But still they found no buried treasure. Then James said: "I've had digging enough. I'll plant a crop too." But Oscar said: "Father told us to dig it over three times to get the wealth. And I'm going to do it." So Oscar dug the garden over the third time. Still he found no buried wealth. But he noticed how fine and mellow the soil had become. So he also planted a crop. As the weeks passed the crops of the three brothers came up and grew into green blades. John's crop was planted first and so had the start of the rest. But that of James soon caught up with it. Oscar's crop was later than either of the others, but after it got started it grew so rapidly that within a few weeks it was taller than the others and each plant was so green and vigorous that it seemed fairly to laugh in the sunshine. So the crops grew on till harvest time. And as the brothers looked at the heading grain it was easy to see that Oscar's crop was a great deal better than the others. When at last the grain was cut and the golden kernels threshed from the chaff Oscar had double the amount that his brothers did. "Dear, wise father," said Oscar, "he knew what he was talking about when he told us that gold was buried in the garden." This is an old, old story. But it is as true to-day as it ever was. And here is the proof: The other day there was a meeting of gardeners near Boston to listen to an expert who had gotten rich raising vegetables for the market. He told them that the one great secret of his success was found in the fact that he plowed his soil three times before planting the crops. Lesson 12: THE THIRD PLOWING. I have just finished working over a piece of garden ground which had of necessity been neglected before this season. The surface was covered with weeds or sod. This soil was hard and partly filled with witch grass roots. It did not look like a very good place for gardening. So we plowed it first. This buried up most of the weeds and much of the sods but it brought a lot of witch grass roots to the surface. Then we harrowed it with a toothed harrow and after harrowing, went over it with a toothed cultivator that pulled out many of the tangled masses of witch grass. The garden then looked more promising but it left much to be desired. Many witch grass roots were still present and much of the soil was still in great hard lumps through which plants could hardly send their roots. So we plowed it again. Of course this brought many of the sods back to the surface. We harrowed it again, thus breaking up most of the sods and clumps of soil. Then we went over it with the cultivator and extracted another lot of witch grass roots. These we gathered up and carried off to cover some rocks where their growtli would do no harm. This second treatment certainly helped the looks of the garden. The soil had really been gone over six times, and of course it ought to have been improved. But here and there a white root stock of witch grass showed its spear and frequently a lump of soil still showed the need of pulverizing. So, remembering the story of The Hidden Gold and the advice of the Boston Market Gar- dener, we went at it the third time, plowing, harrowing, and cultivating as before. And the results in making the soil fine, in getting out the witch grass roots, and in bringing hidden stones to the surface were so satisfying that the extra work seemed well worth while even before the crops were planted. 12 MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. You can easily see what this pulverizing of the soil means to a plant by a little school-room experiment: Take two or more pieces of blotting paper. Place them between small panes of glass. Moisten the blotting paper and place between the sheets seeds of radishes, turnips, lettuce, or almost any other vegetable. The seed will soon sprout. Let the sprouts grow a few days to send out roots and rootlets. Then see that on these roots and rootlets thousands of tiny hairs develop. These are the root hairs. The growth of the crop depends upon these root hairs. They are so fine that they absorb moisture from the tiny bits of soil. The tinier the bits of soil are, the better the root hairs can do their work. Lesson 13: CROPS FOR NEW CLA Y GARDENS. Many crops are planted every year on clay soils which have not lately been used for gardens. To insure success, follow these suggestions: 1. Be careful not to work the soil when it is too wet. Wait until it is dry enough to crum- ble between the fingers. 2. If well rotted stable manure is available, plow in or spade in a good dressing of it. Or turn under a layer of old leaves or almost any kind of vegetation that you can get. 3. After the garden is plowed or spaded and before it is harrowed or raked, spread lime evenly over the surface. If it is lime carbonate, spread it on to a thickness of at least half an inch. Then work the lime thoroughly into the soil. 4. After the lime is thoroughly raked in, spread on a light dressing of commercial fertilizer and rake it in. Or, if preferred, work in a little commercial fertilizer in the bottom of each drill or furrow just before sowing the seed. 5. Select these crops for such soils: Lettuce, Swiss chard, sweet corn, beans, tomatoes. The root crops are not likely to do well until the garden has been worked over a season or more and a large amount of humus has been thoroughly worked into it. Lesson 14: FEEDING THE FISHWORMS. You don't find many fishworms in a sand bank. There is nothing there for them to eat. Nor will you find many in a light sandy soil. There is not much more to eat there than in the sand bank. If you will put a thick layer of leaves on sandy soil and place a few fishworms on the leaves something is likely to happen. The worms will make their way through the leaves to the top of the soil. Then they will begin to eat the leaves and draw them down into the holes in the soil that the earthworms are always making. The small bits of leaves along with the small bits of soil pass through the bodies of the worms and are finally cast out as little pellets on the surfaco beside the holes. You can see such little piles of pellets almost any summer morning by looking in the garden. This experiment shows what is happening all summer in every garden where loaves and fishworms aro present. And it is not leaves alone that the fishworms eat All kinds of plant materials soft enough for them to get hold of are devoured and the particles passed through their bodies to be cast out as pellets on the surface. In this way the earthworms have been very helpful in increasing the depth of soils. For while one worm alone may not do much in one year, a million worms in a hundred years will accomplish a groat deal You will readily see that this grinding up of the leaves in the bodies of the worms makes them more useful m furnishing food to roots of plants. The tiny root hair, can penetrate MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 13 all through the fine psu-ticles and absorb moisture and food. But the grinding up is also helpful in another way. 'I'ha soil is full of minute germs called bacteria, which are always Ill. work producing food for plant growth. These bacteria can work much better in this finely ground leafy material than iu course leaves. So the worms ure of great easistnnce in making the soil richer in chemicals for plant growth. " Even tho holes that the worms make in tho soil arc helpful. They permit air to penetrate and rain to run iu, thus furnishing two of the most necessary things to keep the soil in action. On this account alone it is desirable to have earthworms in the garden. You will find the little word "Humus" discussed in Lesson 15. Humus is there called the Food Producer. When you feed fallen leaves to tbc fishworms they becomo producers of humus and enrich the soil by so doing, They help to make the soil better, but they must have plant materials to do it with. III general the richer your garden the more earthworms there 'will be. And the more earthworms the mom humus nnd the more humus the more food, and food is what every soldier of the School Garden Army is after. So it nil comes down to this: If you feed tbe fishworms the fishworma will food you. t III. ENRICHING THE SOIL. Lesson 15: HUMUS-THE FOOD PRODUCER. Humus is It little word of two syllnblcs-hu-mus-that sounds 11, bit extraordinary. So did tho word automobile 30 years ngo. Yet hurnua ia oI vesuly greater impOl'tfIlJ'lCO to America than ure automobiles. It is up to the teachers of America to muke the word humus us common as the word euto- mobile, and its meaning as well known by the man 01\ the sbraet. Humus is the great basis of food production. The best way to liooveri7.o is to increase the humus in the soil. An ounce of humus will produce a pound of breed. Humus is simply the decayed or decaying parts of pleats Or animals in' the soil. Even if derived directly from animals it came first from the growth of plants. The black lem mold on top of the soil in the woods is' almost pure humus in an early stage of decay. The black soil of swamps is nlso nearly pure humus in a late stage of decay. The great trouble with 'most of our poor soils is W)at for them every day is u humusleea day. The fll'St duty of many soldiers in the United States School Garden .Army is to furnish hU~U8 1.0 such soils. Old leaves, SLl"MV,grass) nnimal Or plant refuse of any kind-e-even gar- bege• when it can't. be used to feed pigs• or poultry-may be worked directly into the soil or made into a compost heap, which you may Jearn about in lesson 20, to decay and be dug in later. Aneppulllng waste of humus is taking pluc« ell the time. We throw it away. We bum It, We let the rivers carry it off. Wo neglect to produce it !IS we should. Let's get down to the real basis in this great business of food production. Let's teach the children of America that to Save humus and put it to work is the first duty of the patriot. H food will save tho world, humus will produce the food. Lesson 16: IMPROVING SANDY SOILS. You have often heard of soils so poor that they would scarcely grow a hill of beans. Gen- orally such a soil is a good deal like a sand bank. It is light in color and is made up of fine sandy particles. . Such aoila have eevernl faults when you try to grow garden crops in them. The chief faultB are the fact tba,t water runs through so quickly the plant roots suffer in dry weather and the fact that there is very little plant food present for the roots of the plants to absorb. Now plants are like humans in th.is respect--to grow well they need a continual supply of water of food. and If you have read Lbe leaflets entitled IIFIumus_The Food Producer," "The Compost Heap,' "Save the Fn~le.nLeaves," find I<.l;'~dingthe Fisbworms," you know already that the o~le rmportcnt way to 1OOpl'O-:0 11sandy SOlI lS to add humus t.o h. As comparee! with ordinary, rICh, dark-colored. garden sods tbe greo,t Jack of these snndy soila is humus. So the first tbjng to do to improve a snndy soil is to add humus ane! work t.ho soil over iI.lld ovor again to get tho humus l..horoughly mixed with the particles of sn.nd. When this is clono the soil will ~old moisture botter be~auso tho humtls flctS ns 11sP01lge :in CILtching nncl holdinli the wa,tel' as l.t -filters through tho sod. So one great stel) will be taken ill mnking the garden more productJve. 14 MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 15 The plant or animal materials—leaves, lawn clippings, manures, composts—that you add to the soil to make humus are generally not in condition to be used immediately by plant roots. For the soil is not simply a mixture of fine rock particles and dead leaves. It is rather a vast workshop in which billions of tiny germs, called bacteria, are working to bring about the making of plant food. Even the wisest scientists do not pretend to understand all about how it happens, but they assure us that the humus is the basis of existence of a large proportion of these helpful germs. The practical lesson from all this study of the bacteria in the soil is that it is well worth while so to treat the land that these germs will be free to develop under as favorable conditions as possible. They live in dead plant or animal forms or executions, so these must be furnished. They require oxygen, so the soil must be drained and tilled. They do not thrive in acid soils, so lime must sometimes be applied. In short, the better the agricultural methods, the more completely can these tiny organisms carry on their beneficent work. Lesson 17: MANURES. All garden crops require a rich soil, well supplied with humus. Humus is decayed vege- table or animal matter. Barnyard or stable manure is the best garden fertilizer because it fur- nishes this humus. In some places it is impossible to get manures for the garden, and you will have to use commercial fertilizers and materials from the compost heaps, which have been described. When manures are selected for your garden, you should take care that there is nothing in them that will hurt the soil. Sawdust and shavings in manure tend to make the soil sour. If the manure used comes from stables, all shavings and sawdust should be removed if possible. The manure from sheep, pigeons, and chickens contains a great deal of food that the plants use. These manures are more valuable than the ordinary barnyard manures, but must not be spread too thickly over your garden. It is generally customary to work coarse manure into garden soil in the fall so that it will have time to decay. In the spring well-rotted manure can be worked into the soil with a dig- ging fork. The amount of manure necessary for your garden will depend upon the condition of the soil. Poor worn-out soils will necessarily need more than rich, mellow soils. From 20 to 30 tons of manure an acre is generally very satisfactory. This means about a pound of manure to every square foot of garden space. Humus may be added to the garden soil by planting what is known as a leguminous crop. Cowpeas, soy beans, and vetch are excellent crops for this purpose. Such crops take nitrogen out of the air and store it in their roots. After these crops are plowed into the soil, the nitrogen is said to be "fixed" and young growing plants can use it as they need it. This plan of putting humus into the soil is followed only between cropping times and can not be successfully used to any great extent while your garden is in action. When green crops are thus plowed or spaded into the soil we call it green manuring. Lesson 18: COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS. The commercial fertilizers consist of various combinations of chemical materials which are helpful in plant growth. Most gardeners use small amounts of these fertilizers even if the soil has been well enriched with stable manure. One reason for this is that the fertilizers help the plants in getting a good start early in the season. The most essential chemicals in commercial fertilizers are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash. These three elements are needed for the rapid growth of plants, and they are the ones most likely to be exhausted from the soil by previous crops. 16 MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. The commercial fertilizers may contain nitrogen in a purely chemical form, in which case it is likely to be derived from nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, or it may be derived from such animal materials as dried blood, tankage, fish scraps, or such vegetable material as cottonseed meal. The phosphorus in these fertilizers may be derived from such chemical materials as phos- phate rock and Thomas slag, or from such animal sources as ground raw bone, ground steam bone, and bone black. The potash in the commercial fertilizers may come from various chemicals, such as kainit, muriate of potash and sulphate of potash, or from wood ashes which contain a considerable amount of this material. Acid phosphate is a form of phosphorus that is often used to advantage in soils which have been enriched by stable manure. Such manure contains considerable quantities of nitrogen and potash but comparatively little phosphate. Consequently the acid phosphate helps to make a complete fertilizer for the soil. One way to apply these fertilizers on small garden plots is to spread it broadcast and rake it in, after the ground has been plowed and harrowed, applying it at the rate of 5 pounds to each 100 feet of plot. Another way and the one which is preferred by most gardeners is to apply it in the furrow at the time the crop is planted. After the furrow is made, the fertilizer is strewn along the bottom and is then hoed in with the soil so that it may be thoroughly mixed before the seed is sown. The advantage of this method is that the fertilizer becomes directly available by the roots of the young plant and gives it a start when it is most needed. Much material in commercial fertilizer is simply added to give bulk and weight. The real value of the fertilizer depends upon the percentage of nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid. A good fertilizer should contain at least 4 or 5 per cent of nitrogen and 8 or 10 per cent of phosphoric acid. Lesson 19: FERTILIZER PROBLEMS. For several years the Martin School, of Boston, has made a practice of selling commercial fertilizers to the pupils at cost. The work is correlated with school activities in a very prac- tical way. Principal Charles M. Lamprey has kindly furnished for this Manual the following statement of this successful correlation with arithmetic: Almost every boy who has a garden has used his knowledge of arithmetic in adding the prices of the different seed packages that he buys, but there are many other interesting problems that come to the gardener and farmer that require more knowledge than addition. If a garden is 20 feet long and 7$ feet wide, we find the number of square feet by multiplying 20 by 7$. We find that the area of the garden is 150 square feet. If we know that fertilizer ought to be applied at the rate of 2,000 pounds to the acre, we first find what part of an acre the garden is and then take this part of 2,000 pounds. An acre contains 43,560 square feet, but for practical purposes we may call it 45,000 square feet. 10 150X2.000 ^0X2.090 20 45,000 " 4&#QO~~lf=r)$orabout7 3 This shows that we need 7 pounds for a garden 20 feet by 7J feet. Another rule for applying fertilizer is to allow 1 pound for each 20 square feet. We divide 150 square feet by 20 square feet and buy as many pounds as the answer shows that we need. The work is performed in this way: 15OX1_159X1 15 20 20 " " 2 " " ' Either one of these rules is all right for most crops in a small garden. 1>fA..J.~UAL0:1-' GARl)ENlNG FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 17 1Vhc.n we. distribute. £crtiliwr Iu-echocl we sell it to the children at about ccet In S-pound and 6-pound hags. About half of it is sold in each form. So if we have SOOpounds to distribute there will be 11)0pounds in a-pound bast' and 150 pounds in G-pound bugs. This will require 50 bugs plus 25 b~gs. Seventy-five bags C08t 50 cents. The express on fertilizer is $1..50, and the rertilize~ coots $3.50 a hundred or $10.50, We have to allow for n JOll8 01 about 50 cents worth from leakage from the large bags that the Iertilizer cornea in and 25 ceuta for overweight when the beys ere ureasunng it into paper bags. 50 bags containing 3 pounds for]/) cents= $7.50 25 bags containing 6 pouude for 25 cente-s G.25 13.75 SUOpounds fertilizer cost . $10.50 :Expre!!!l _. 1.50 Bags ...................•.....• .5O Leakage....... . .. _._ _. .50 Overweight 10lJ!1. . . _ .. .25 13,25 When we have sold enough fertilizer to pay all coste we put any that i3 left on the school garden. It is not easy to handle fertilizer from the bags in which it comes, 110wo turn it all into large aah calli'; and weigh it out from these, One boy dips it out and puts it into the scoop Oil the ecalce until they balance; another turns it iut.o a bag held open by a third boy, who pns!!l!:!l it on to another boy, who packe it away after folding the top securely. It takes about half all hour for three boys to put up ill this way 300 pounds of fertilizer. When we apply fertilizer in the rewa at planting time, we find the paper 1jage much the beet thinga for scattering iL. It can be shaken out in very small quantities, or more freely, ag we may ChOO8C. Applying itin this way, nis Dot necessary to soil the hands, and any Icrtilizerrcmainiug is all ready to we any time we W1Ultit,. F"BIITJ1,lZEHraOD1,E~[S. 1. n a garden is 20 feet by 7! teet bow man}' equnre feet does it C the raw materials for humus making. The compost heap should be forked over about twice a seeeon. This mL."(BS the materials more thoroughly and makes them decay more rapidly. AJ3 soon as part of the compost beap has rotted down sufficiently to mi.x readily with the soil it should be spaded in wherever needed. The coarser portions, which fire slow to decay, may well be buried in the bottom of border beds for perennial flowers or vegoteblcs. But there is this danger in a compost heap: It may easily become it moans of spreading the germs of various plant dlseneee. So he careful not to TJUtupon it rotting cabbages or leaves of vegetables infested by blights and rusts. The leaves of trees are safe, and so nrc lawn clip- pings and many other pnrts of plants thl\t you will readily flnd in your gardening operations. Lesson 2/: GREEN MANURES. The crops you can grow in u garden depend directly on the richness of the soil. J\£, 0. nile you got small crops from 0.. poor soil and lnrge crops from II. rich soil. When you speak of a rich soil you really mean several things. Such a soil must have a good deal of humus or decayed vegetation in it and it must also have enough chemical plant Ioods-c-especially nitrogen, poteali, sulphur) and phosphoric acid-to keep the plant growing thriftily. Consequently when we want to make a poor soil rich we CUll. do two things. If it Inoks humus we crm dig in deed Ieeves, stable manure, or other similar muteriels, and We CUll apply chemical fertilizers oontaiuiug nitrogen, potash, phosphoric acid) and sulphur. 'l'bere is one way, however, in which we can do both of these things fLt once. If we sow clover seed on a poor soil the clover will gather nitrogen from the nir and will develop a Jot of humus-making material in its Toots, leaves, and stems. By spading 01' plowing this clover crop under we arc able to make the soil much richer. This process of growing clovers and other crops and plowi.ng them under is called green manuring. It is one of the most important ways in which farmers improve tbe quality of their soils. Nitrogen is the chief chemical plautfood that is added to the sella by green manuring. As you probably know there is plenty of nitrogen in the air but most plants can't get it from the err. There is one groat family, however, which bus developed It partnership with some of the tiny forms of germ life called bacterin. by moans of which the free nitrogen of the air is made nvnilable for growth. This is the legume family-the great group with butter.lly-like flowers and two-wnlled pods-tbe pells, bellus, clovers, vetches, nnd relat.ed plants. If you dlg up a ~hl'iCty clover or alfalfn 01' CQWpelJ.ll]ll.d n.nd wttsh the soil carefully llN{81Y from the roots you will probably find 11grefL~many nodules o,r tubercles upon the l'ootS. 'fhey seem to be simply curious swollen outgrowt.hs scattered hero Olld there along each root. Should you crush one of these nodules and examine a bit of the cont8l1ts with 0. high-power microscope you would fin~ millions ~fthe tiny ba.cterin of which the nodule is chiefly mnde IIp .. . We h~ve ill tho rela,tlOns of t.he cl?ver or nUaU.a.plant to th.esc bact.eria n sort of pnrtncrship or mutualism-all ll.I'rllUgament by which the two live toget.her 111 helpful relations to each ot,h.er. MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 19 The clover furnishes the bacteria a place in which to live and multiply and the bacteria gather from the air in the soil free nitrogen and change it into a form in which the clover plant can use it. This is a most important factor in plant production, for it places within the reach of man a method of drawing upon the vast stores of free nitrogen and utilizing them in crop growth. The nitrogen which is thus gathered from the air is stored in all parts of the plant: fruit, leaf, stem, and root, each has a share. Even if the clover or alfalfa or other crop is cut for forage and taken away the stubble and roots retain much nitrogen to enrich the soil. If, on the other hand, the green crop is plowed under, practically all of the nitrogen is retained in the soil, which thus becomes much richer in plant food. • IV. THE SEED. 4 Lesson 22: THE SEED ORDER. All seeds of a given kind. may look alike yet the crops they produce may vary greatly- some good, some fair, some poor. For a seed is simply u baby plant wrapped in (In outer cover- ing. Whitt it will grow into depends largely UP011 its parentage. The best seeds M.,~O lied their uuceators carefully selected by tho men who grew them, Tho fields .iu which they were being produced heve been gone Over frequently and all uHprom- ising plants removed. This has left for seed production ouly those true to the type desired. Such selection costs money. So the selected types are likely to he n Jittle higher in price then those unselected, hut they are well worth the difference. The reputable scedsmen runke it n rule to handle only selected seeds. The first result of selection is the production of varieties. It is much better for you to buy u packet of French Breaklcst radish seed than simply a packet of radish seed. You nrc likely to get It better crop and will learn more about gardening in growing the crop. So .iu planning for the seed order, tho first thing is to plnn to buy good seed und the second is to plan to buy named varieties. Seeds mny be bought ill bulk much cheaper than in. packets. The making of small enve- lopes or seed packets is an excellent school exercise. So is the dividing of tho seeds ill bulk into small sets. The working out of the cost of the smaller portions when a pound is so divided up furnishes a good problem in eritbmeuc. 'I'he following suggestions are made IlS to the buying of seeds: 1. Where practicable buy in bulk of reliable seed houses} and subdivide the seeds with the help of the PU1)[Js. 2. Buy named varieties, selecting either those recommended on. the lists sent out from this office or those which have been found successful by local gardeners. Au excellent way to get the pupils iutereeeed is to ask them to find out the names or successful verietiea grown locally by home or professional gardeners. Make the basis of the list the varietlea which the pupils have grown themselves. 3. When the seeds are bought. in prepared packets, get named varieties, if possible. 4. The supply of good seeds is often short, Thoro must be IlO waste. So calculate cere- fully and order only what are needed. Lesson 23.' USING THE SEED CATALOGUES. The seed catalogues 11.1'0 excellent textbooks on school gardening. They are always up to date. They have attract.ive pictures. They give pncce 01 seeds in packets or in bulk They describe the best. varieties, Many of them give directions for planting. These seed catulogucs appeal strongly to pupils. Boys and girls know that thoy nrc the real thing. They see their value end eoon learu how to use thorn, Here is alitt.le plea for gett.ing and using these catfl.loguos: 1. Tell the pupils to look ill the advertising columns of the mugl1zines for the names and addresses of seed houses that offer their catalogues free to those who apply. 20 MANUAL OF QAlmENING "PO,RNORTHEASTERN STATES. 21 2. Make n. bleckboerd list of all the firms reported. Get a list of at least six or eight such firms. 3. Divide these firms nmong the pupils so thnt only n few will send to ench firm. 4. Have a lesson on the form of the application, ullowiug each pupil to make the request in his own way, provided it is in clear nnd simple English, with proper courtesy. Let the lesson end when the request is written on 0. post curd or as n letter reedy for mailing. Find stumps some wa)" and see that Ute requests are mailed. 5. When the oatnlogues come, htlye each pupil keep his own in his desk. Use these in con- nection with every crop which is studied. Let pupils look up lists 01 varieties and compare prices and descriptions. Merry pupils "rill be able to bring recent seed catalogues from home. Let these be brought ill such cases rather then to send for new Ones. A live teacher can make these seed cutclogues oue of the livest leaturea of It live school. Lesson 24: VARIETIES OF VEGETABLES. In making up the seed order it is! very desirable to know definitely the varieties of vege- tables most desirable for planting. 'Ihe following list should prove helpful in this respect. It is highly important to order early so that you may have seeds to plant tho gardens. Adve;·- oisemeute of leading seedsmeu will be found in many magazines and periodicals. Copies of their catalogues 'will be scat by any of these firms upon request. In these catalogues practically all of the following varieties will be found listed: Bus/! srri?lg or sflap beam: Greell-poddl!d.-DouDtUlll, String-teB!!Refugee, Stringleoo Green-pod. Wax-podded.-Wll.rdwelJ'u Kidney Wax, Brittle wex, Hedeen's Kidney wax. Beets: Croeby'u Bgyptiau, Detroit Dark Red, Early Eclipse, Early Blood Turnip. BI'1lS8el8 SproulJc: Long bland Improved, Long bland Hall Dwarf. Cabbor/e: Early.-I~ll1'ly Jersey Wakefield, Cherlcsrnn Larg" WakcJ:icld. Mid8C118Qn.-Copllnhagen Market, Early Summer, Succession. Late.-Dauiah Bal lhead, Autumn King, WllITan'lI Btoaemeeeo. C0.17'01: .&uly.-Earliest. Shart Horn or French Forcing. Midtoo80n and Late.-ebnnlcnay, Danverts Half-Icng, Improved Rubicon, Celery: Ear/y.-White Plume, Paris Golden. Lale.-BOllt of garden enemies made up much tho largest part of tho morning mOM. if one cltimne:y I1Wift caichee 200 ga1'dt!:ninsects for 1 meal, "how 1"IU1!ny will 100 catik fo1' 100 meals i Lesson 86: THE TOAD-THE GARDEN TANK. You have all heard of the tanks t,hil,t helped sa much in winning the latest Bnttle of tho Marne, as well as mUllY other battles of the Will'. You know these tcnks !U'S clumsy looking monsters that ceawl ulong the ground with their hidden machine guns sending forth a hail of deadly bullets in to the reuse of the enemy. Sometimes when it,war is on one of these teaks gets into a good position and stops to fire away at whatever enemy target shows itself. The tank is so camouflaged by its dull-brown color that it is hind for the enemy to see it at n distance, Dud it is so protected by its outer shell of steel that even cannon bulls do not destroy it. Did you ever stop to think thnt you have n helper ngniust yOUl' garden enemies tha,t may well bo celled the garden tenk I You have often secu the clwnsy brown toed hill buried ill the soil. Probably you have dug him up in hoeing potatoes or other vegetables, and have wondered why you did not notice him before. Now, this toad tank in yOUT gardens is Me of the most useful weapouayou can U$O in fighting your garden enemies. ITo selects some good location, pOl'tty buries himself in the soil, and sits quietly until some insect comes paeeing by. 'l'hOll he shoots out his long sticky tongue" strikes the insect, pulls it quickly inside the great jaws nud ewnllowe it for food. The toad is so camouflaged by it brown color and its partial covering oj brown soil thnt, its victims come within striking distance without BOeingtho danger. And it is so protected by its thick, slimy, poisonous skin that birds and animals leave it alone. So when you see a toad in yow' gurdon, say in n loud cheerful voice: «Good morning, Mr. Toad Tuuk; I am glad to see you. You are VOLT welcome to make my gerdeu yow' home." And should your garden hrLVe nOUG of thl3So usoful tanks, fmd one along the roadsido unci bring it gently homo. It will do no hnrm to b,tVe sevornJ. of tholU fighLing your bllttlcs fOr you. L"'on 87: THE MOLE-THE TUNNEL MAKER. Did you ovor stop to think that most of tho things dono by meuaro patterned n1ttlr thing3 done by lesser Cl'eatw'os OVal' sinc.~ t.h.isworld begllll ~ Of courso w() Il1lknow (,hat t.ho niJ'plnno was inveulOO because a man saw t:h9 buzzards sa.iling Lhrough tho air, Illld that the wasps made pu,per Oll t of wood pulp Ito million years beforo ronu oven thought of doing so. But it is !I.l.sotrue t.hi1t tho l1uimnls made the l1rst ten.ts, the fil'st 10usoo, tho first bridges, the firat tunnels, and mnny othor things for which wo givo Lhem no credit, WhOll you go t.o any lll.rgQcity you n.re likoly to rido from plaoo to plaeo in stroot cars that run through tunnels or subways beneat.h the streots and buildings. It is an easy way to got about llnd you are sure to feel glad you d.id not havo to encounter all the obstacles that intorf~re with progress a.bovo ground. " . . In our lawns aod gardens we can oHon .find OVldonco of a sUUllar system of subways Just. below tho 8Urfn.cO. SOJne morning you may BOOa slightmoundlng up of the soil in along curving - 64 l\{ANUAL OF GARDENLNG FOR ~OnTB:l~ASTEnN STATES. line. If you dig down a little way you find that there is I\. tunnel large enough for 1\ mouse to rWI through. In fact many SUGhrunways arc made just beneath the soil eurfnce by the pine mousc-c-a little creature, with molelike habits, which is widely distributed in the United States. The common kinds of meadow mice work in tho grass above the soil surface, but the pine mouse • is a tunnel builder. But tho mole is the one best little tunnel maker in n11 the world. Its whole structure adapts it to tho work. Its nose is so pointed that it. CUll literally nose its way through the soil. Its front .foot are flat epedos with which .i t cnu make tho dirt fly with surprising rapidity. It is practically blind, so thoro is no chance to. get its eyes filled with dirt. Its furls soft and thick and finely adapted to shedding water and loose earth. It is indeed as well adapted to its llle underground as is the chimney swift to its life ill the air. The mole feeds upon white grubs and other insects as wall as upon the roots of mnny plants. When it is present in a garden it is likely to do much more harm uhan good. So it is commonly caught in mole trups set ill its runwnye or is killed by poisoned grain plaood in the tunnels. Lesson 88: WITCH GRASS-THE ROOT OF GARDEN EVIL. You have beard that "the love of money is the root of nil evil." But this doers not apply in the gurdon. For there we may well eny: "Witch graee is the root of garden evil." Now England fanners will tell you thut It An inch of witch grass root will seed un acre of ground." .And they will also slLy: "The only wlty to get rid of witch grass is to dig out the roots carefully, place them on n rock to dry in tho hot sunshine and bW'J1 them." Then your wise friends will add this caution: "But be very careful where you put tho ashes." You may be 5\11'0 that advice of' this sort comes from long experience. Probably tl)e com- monest cause of failure of beginners in gardening is that of not digging out tho witch grass roots before planting. Many people think that these roots can safely be buried below the eurf'ace and any grst..es blades thu,t come from them be hoed away. But too afton they learn bettor through bitter experience. Fer such buried roots arc worse than the fabled dragons' tootb- they send up-shoots by the thousands nndfor every blade hoed of!' they sond up a dozen more. Ml1.Il.'i' now gt'l,rdens for the young soldiers of tho School Gardoo Army iu the NortMllStem States will be start&d on sad lmel, Such hmd may be a witcll gra.'ss sad 01' it may be sod of other loss troublesomo gmssos. If it is full of long whito Undlll'g!,Qund stem.s with pointe(l lip::;H is pretty SUTl) to be the witch gm.<;s. To win tho battle in!\ garden of such sod you have a fight before you. But what of tJ:mtl If you do yow' part you a.-rojust as sure of victory 11$ wem fibe brave boys who fOllght over t.horo. But begin your fight this fall and go\' it weU QVlll' before tho ground fl-eozos. Then you wiJl be ready for planting time next spring. .And nIl winter you elm be leuming how to bo a good gilIdouer, knowing that your garden is wnit.i.ng fer you to plant, it. U yOUl' garden is lIlt'go enough 1,0he plowed, have it plowed us soon 118 possiblo. Lot tho turned-up sods dry oul:.. Then bog-in to shake out the white witch grussfoots, gottWlg nll the aoil orr beroro you take th.em away. But we only a digging fork or a tintXl potato digger-not It hal) or nuything that cuts the roots IIp. They arc easiol' to get out us lon,g roots lbau os short ones. If your gardon is so sDlaU that it must be spaclodrfLt.her than plowed, spade it up iUld go at it in the samo way. Got out alJ t.he roots possible this fall. Then next spring go over it o.gllin bofore you plU.llt your crops. The whole Garden Army Compllny should help on these witch grass gardell8, IX. GATHERING AND DISPOSING OF THE CROP. Lesson 89: QUALITY VEGETABLES FROM THE GARDEN. One great advantage of the home garden is that with it one can have fresh vegetables for daily use. These are much better than the wilted products of the market. But knowledge and skill are needed to get the best results even with fresh vegetables. Most of these have a certain period of growth when they are best for use. To know this period and to take advantage of it is the sign of a good gardener. String beans furnish an example of the truth of this statement. There is a brief period— perhaps two days—after they reach full size when they are best for use. Soon after this they become stringy and less desirable. You can readily learn the right stage for picking by breaking one or two—they snap readily, without strings, and the tips are soft and pliable. Shell beans must of course be left on the vines until the beans are of good size, but no pods should be allowed to become dry until toward the end of the season. If some are left to mature the plants are likely to stop sending out blossoms and so will cease to produce. These state- ments apply both to bush and pole shell beans but are especially important in the case of the latter. Lima beans are best for use when of full size but before they become too hard. To deter- mine this without opening the pod press upon the tip with your finger. A spongy feeling shows that the beans are ready for use. Kohlrabi is too little grown in American gardens. One reason is because its excellence is too little known. This excellence, however, depends upon gathering the thickened stem bulb before the outer skin becomes at all tough. About the time this part is half the size of a base- ball it is likely to be of the best quality. Every experienced gardener knows that the best timo to gather sweet corn is soon after the silks turn black. Not all know, however, that the sugar content of the kernels is lost rapidly after picking. The sooner it is cooked the sweeter it will be. And if it is steamed for about 20 minutes its sweetness and flavor will be preserved better than if it is boiled. If you take good care of your garden all through the season, following the directions given in this manual, you may expect to gather a good crop. This table tells you when to gather several kinds of vegetables that you will grow. Crop. Timo to gather. Remarks. Beets When young Beet greens, when tender, make a delicious dish. Brussels sprouts Cold improves this vegetable. After frost May be left until frost. Cabbage (early) When three-fourths headed. Carrots Should always be gathered young when used for When young soups. Chard When outside leaves are about 1 foot high. Cut lightly at first. Midribs of leaves can be used like asparagus. Kohlrabi r.efnre skin hardens. The bulb should be about two-thirds as large as a baseball. Lettuce While leaves are tender Small, young lettuce leaves make best salads. Lima beans While still green Pods should be spongy at the tip. Melons When they crack around the stem Let your melons ripen on stem if possible. When vines are dry Harvest a few at a time except at end of season. Potatoes Radishes get tough and spongy with age. Radishes When young When they snap readily Tips should be soft and easily bent or twisted. String beans When pods are well filled Do not let them dry on vines. Shell beans. When it has just come to milk with black- Should be used as soon as picked. Sweet corn ened silks. 65 66 MANUAL OF GARDENING non NORTHEASTERN STATES. Lesson 90: SELLING YOUR VEGETABLES. Mter your own home table hils been supplied with ILl! the vegetables that it needs, you should sell your extra products as fast fl.sthey are reedy 101"the market. Your horne needs • should be supplied first before you attempt to sell to your neighbors. If you raise enough vegetables to supply the needs of your own Family, you nrc doing a patriotic duby, because in so doing you are making it possible for other vegetables to go to hungry people. You should not only supply your Iemily needs aud pay for the cost, of your garden, but you should make a neat profit on the vegetables you rnise. Don't you think it would also be a fine idea to ~nvest your vegetable 'Profits in Wc.I' savings stampe t Most selling From OW" village or city gua-dcna is done by peddling among OUL" neighbors. This encourages thrift ned business system on your part. It is a training that you boys and girls ought not to neglect. To sell your vegetables readily, there 0. few rules t11nrtshould be followed, 1. Gather all vegetables when they are ripe and ready for the market. Do not pick hull- ripe fruits; choose only those t,bat nre ready for a quick sale. 2. Grade your vegetables according to size and quality. Do not have a ruixturo of Iurge and small sizes und good and poor vegetnblee. 3. Make your dlsplny or fruib attractive. Customers will buy more quickly and pay mOTO if the goods offered for sale look n,eat nud clean. 4. Do not put the best vcgeteblee on top while poorer ones ure hidden beneath. It would be better to sepernte the kinds and sell them separately. 5. Be honest. Do not cluim for yom goods what they will not show. 'I'ry to keep your customers by honest dealing. 6. Wbo.tover boxes or baskets nt-a used for selling or displaying your vegctebles, make them attractive. Build up a reputnrion for yourself for honesty and fuirdee.llng. Lesson 9/: STORING YOUR VEGETABLES. The storing of vegetables that IU'O not used us soon as guf.hcrcd is very important, as it is a fine way to lay up food for futuro usc. It is 11. way to Hocverise many vegetables that you can't cat Itt once. Especially 11.1. this time, we must save and use every product possible, end we must not have any waste. Potatoes, carrots, onions, beeLs, LWTups, and mltny other of your garden 'Products lUay be kOl)t fol' winter use by storing. You will get tho best results fron\ storage if care is taken regn.:rding t.he propOl" tOlupOl"idiure and veut.Ua.tion needed, t.he amount of moistUt'o necessary, and t,he qualiL-y of t.ho vegetablos when firsL put in storage. Somo veget.ables may be stored on yom- mother's pant.ry shelves, whUe'others should be pllL in t.he celln..f, and still others kept i.n Olltdoor pits. Sometimes several neighbors join together and build 0. })it or storage ceDar faT thcir vegetables. 'rhis is known a.s com.muniLy storngo. When several gm'd6llers do this, Lbo cost to each is small, Rnd t.he vegetables can be hlln{Ued mora cusHy. If )'Oll RLoroyom' vegetables in the cellar, you mUst tllke cu.:reto see that. t.hero js enougb veuf,iJaLion and that the prOl'el' temperuluro may be easily kept. The cellar should hl1,vo a good di.rt 0001', OT, if it has a coucrete 6001', the floor should bo covered with' 3 inches of sand. This Door should be kept moi':lt.. Beets, celery, cabbage, parsnips, turnips, lmd potatoes roilY l)e stored in t,he ceUttr. f, MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 67 The best way to store vegetables outdoors is to use a pit. To build this, dig a hole in the ground 6 inches deep and as wide and long as necessary to hold the vegetables to be stored when piled up. Before putting the vegetables into the pit it should be lined with hay or straw. Cover the piled vegetables with several inches of hay or straw, and then cover the mound with 4 or 5 inches of soil. As cold weather come3 on, add 10 or 12 inches of soil to the covering of the pit. Lesson 92: STORING ROOT CROPS. The root crops to be kept through the winter are apt either to rot or to shrivel. In order to prevent rotting, you should store only unbruised specimens and separate the roots more or less by sand or sifted coal ashes. The storing in sand or ashes also helps to prevent shriveling. As another precaution against rot you might soak the roots a short time in a weak solu- tion of formalin—a teaspoonful to two gallons of water. This treatment will destroy millions of the spores that are liable to cause decay. In digging root crops for winter storage it is important to treat them so carefully that there shall be no bruising, shriveling or injury by frosts before they are put away. One of the commonest causes of shriveling is that of pulling or digging them and leaving them on top of the ground for some time before cutting off the tops. Under such conditions evaporation from the leaves takes place and as there are no roots connected with the soil the water evapo- rated comes from the root. This brings about a loss of moisture. To avoid this, cut off the tops soon after the roots are dug. Another common cause of injury to newly dug roots is that of leaving them out over night. This may not seriously injure them so far as their food content is concerned, but it is likely to injure their appearance, taking away the fresh look so desirable; especially is this true of parsnips. BEETS. Dig carefully without bruising the skin. Cut off the tops about an inch above the beet. Pack carefully in separate layers. Cover each layer with an inch of sand. If the cellar is dry, cover the top of the box with a piece of burlap or old carpet and moisten occasionally. CARROTS. Dig so as not to bruise the skin and cut the tops off at once about an inch above the root. Pack carefully in boxes, laying the roots on their sides and covering each layer with clean sand. Use boxes not more than fifteen inches deep, filling with alternate layero of carrots and sand. TURNIPS AND RUTABAGAS. For winter storage select the hardier later sorts. Dig carefully and cut off the tops promptly. For early use store in boxes covered with burlap or old carpet, which in a dry cellar should be moistened often enough to prevent shriveling. For later use pack carefully in sand as described for carrots. Lesson 93: HARVESTING AND STORING SQUASHES. The first general principle for you to keep in mind in planning to save your fruit and vege- tables for winter and spring use is that different things require different treatments. You can keep a squash until next spring in a cellar or attic where a carrot or a turnip would soon become worthless. 68 MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. Squashes will stand a higher temperature in storage than almost anything else. They re- quire a dry air and will keep much better in a modern cemented cellar than in the old type of cellars with earth floors. In the cellars with dirt floors they are gone before Christmas, but in the modern cemented cellar they can easily be kept until May. It is time for you to pick your squashes as soon as the first light frost kills the leaves. Don't let them stay in the garden until a hard frost injures the skin. Cut off the vine stalks near the squash stems. Be sure to leave the stem on the squash. Then place the squashes carefully in an airy, sunny place. Notice that the side which was on the ground as the squash grew is lighter colored than the rest of the surface. This, of course, is because that part of the skin did not get any sunshine. So give this part sunshine by turning the light parts of the squashes to the sun. When you gather eggs—those of you who are lucky enough to have any to gather—you handle them carefully. When you gather squashes, think of them as eggs and handle them so carefully that even the tender outer skin will not be bruised, for the skin of a squash is meant to protect it and a bruise is apt to become a spot where decay or "rotting" begins. Leave your squashes in the September sunshine for a week or so. This ripens the pulp and hardens the skin. Then take them carefully to the storage room—down cellar if your cellar is dry and well cemented on bottom and sides—or to a cool room where they will not freeze. Don't pile them on top of one another. It is better if they don't even touch one another. Lesson 94: DIGGING AND STORING POTATOES. The potato is one of the most important food crops you can grow. Very likely your gardens were too small this year to grow many of them. If so, see if you can't find another piece of ground where you can grow them next year. And if you do, be sure to get the soil spaded up this season and some fallen leaves dug in. If you did grow potatoes, it's up to you to harvest them so carefully that there shall be no waste. After the vines are dead dig the potatoes with a tined potato digger or a digging fork. Be careful to push the tool down on ono side of the hill so as not to injure any of the "murphies" as you pull them out. Sometimes careless diggers will injuro nearly half the crop by cuts and gashes. There is no excuse for this sort of thing now when every bit of food is needed. If possible, dig the potatoes on a dry, sunny day. Let them lie on top of the ground for a few hours, then gather them carefully in baskets, bags, or boxes and take thorn to the shelter of a shed or cellar. Never leave them out on the ground overnight. There is much danger of injury if you do this. The bettor you have troated your crop from the time you selectod tho potatoes to plant until you dig them tho better they will keep. If you soaked thorn in formalin before planting to kill the spores of potato scab, you probably will have smooth tubers that will keep well. If you sprayed tho vines with Bordeaux mixture and arsenato of lead to prevent injury by Might and beetles, tho potatoes will bo likely to bo solid and not bo infected by tho rot disease. Sort over your crop. Pick out and uso now any injured ones. Store tho others if you can in boxes, bins, or barrels in a fairly cool, dry cellar. MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 69 Lesson 95: PREPARING ROOT CROPS FOR FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS. The late summer and fall fairs and exhibitions offer many opportunities for the young soldiers of the School Garden Army not only to show the public what they have been able to accomplish in the production of food, but also to obtain many valuable prizes. All such fairs are likely to offer premiums for displays of beets, carrots, parsnips, radishes, turnips, and other root crops. Some suggestions as to the preparation of these for exhibition may be helpful. Young people often fail to understand that the judges who award the prizes at these fairs expect, first, that the requirements as laid down in the premium lists shall be met. If a prize is offered for the five best beets, they can not award it to a plate of four, and if they award it to a plate of six or eight, they must first take out the extra ones. It is safer for the exhibitor to take these out first and show only the number called for. Many people also think that size is the main point to be considered by the judges. This is a mistake, especially with root crops. An over-large beet or turnip is almost certain to be coarse in texture and of very little value for food. The judges consider this and select those of medium size which are solid and desirable. Uniformity of size and appearance is another point considered by tho judges. Where five beets or carrots are shown they should be as uniform as possible. Every root displayed should of course bo free from injuries or blemishes of any sort. To be sure of this result they should be carefully dug up with a spado or digging fork, taking enough soil with them to prevent bruising. Then shake off tho soil, soak in water, and wash off with a sponge or cloth—not a brush. Select the best and most uniform roots which show by their size and appearance that they are solid throughout. Beets vary greatly in their inner structure. The best types are of medium size, with solid red or red-streaked pulp. Cut open some to learn how to select the right ones. Lesson 96: TYPES OF MARKETING. Even in small gardens there is likely to be at certain times a surplus of some vegetable over what the family can use. The larger the garden, of course, the more the surplus, and many a boy or girl can easily raise enough produce to make considerable profit from the garden. Such surplus produce should not be allowed to go to waste, but should be sold to someone who needs it. This selling may be simply the carrying of it to near-by neighbors, who are likely to be eager to buy fresh vegetables, or it may be the taking of it to a market and selling it from there. There is, of course, a great variety of ways in which such produce can bo marketed. The more important types of theso are indicated below: Community types: (a) Children's community market in an attractive central location. (b) Children's space in the municipal market. (c) Children's market at the school. Individual types: (a) Children's markets at home. This plan provides for sale to those who call at the home, as well as that sold to neighbors. (&) By use of parcel post. Cooperative types: (a) Provision for sale of produce through tho U. S. S. G. A. officers at central location in city, at school, or in tho municipal market. 70 MANUAL QJ,' OA1l.DENTlsQ FOR :NORTHEASTERN STATES. TilE MAI( K.ET Preparation: (u) All produce should be- in the beat possible ronrketable state. (0) Produce should be graded according to size. (c) All produce should be clean, fresh, and crisp. (d) Produce should be graded according to quality. Display of vegetables: (a) Make the market display attractive. (b) Use uniform and inexpensive conteiners. (c) See thnt all produce is free from defects. (d) Arrenge the display according to types. Some examples of various types: Ca) Root type-Carrots and turnips. (b) Head bype-e-Oebbage and head lettuce. Ce) Stem cype-c-Celery and potatoes (underground). Cd) Len! type-Leaf lettuce and spinach. . .f. x. FALL GARDENING. Lesson 97.. KALE FOR SEPTEMBER SOWING . • Those who know kale only from the large, coarse, wilted leaves offered in the markets have little idea of how excellent it is when the young, tender lcavoe freshly picked From the garden UT'(~served. Tho crop is eMy to grow at any eenacn, hue fow enemies, and remains in good condi- tion to use for a long period. Fifty plants will supply the needs of a good-sized family. Kale is cue of the comparatively fow crops that can be planted early in autumn for use in spring. In the most severe climates it needs a protecting mulch of straw, but over the southern parts of the Northeastern States region it will survive without protection. Two of the best of the eevernl varieties of kale are Dwarf Scotch Curled and Imperial Long Standing. Tho latter is perhaps n bit hardier then the other. A packet or seeds costing 10 cents if carefully sown will supply the needs of tho home garden. CULTURE. Forfnll sowing select a place at one side of the garden where the kale plants need not be dis- turbed by spring tillage. Spade it up thoroughly. Apply alight dressing of commercial ferti- lizer ead rake it in. Line the rows 18 inches apart. Make drills an inch deep. Sow the seed six to tho inch. Cover one-half inch deep. When the kale seedlings come up thin them to 5 or 6 inches apar-t. The following spring thin again if necessary. Pick the outer leaves before they reach full size, but always lot enough remain on the plant for it to continue to grow. Lesson 98.. PLANTING ONION SETS THIS FALL. You can save some time next spring in getting (Ill early crop of hunch onions ii you will plant your onion sots this fall. If you live In Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or other more southerly sections of the Northeastern Stntea you can leave these onions in tho garden over win- ter without protection. If )"ou live farther north you will do well to Cover them with sta-nw or fallen leaves. Choose It side or corner or she gorden where the onions need not be disturbed when the rest of the soil is spaded or plowed. Be SlUO it is It place where Wit,tor will not settle during the wet weather of lnte fall and early spring. Spade it up thoroughly and rake it smooth. You can buy onion sets by the pound or quart of your local seed store or of the seed houses that send out catalogues. The price will be about 30 cents a pound if sent by mail Several varieties of onion sets are generally offered. It does not make much difference which you buy. If you get more than 1 pound it is well to buy at least two kinds. For much much of the pleasure of gardening comes from the experience of growing different kinds of vegetables and so really learning which are the best for our own gardens. Line the rows for the sots 8 to 10 inches apart. Make the drills 2 inches deep. Push the sets into soil at the bottom of the drill, right side up, about 2 inches apart. Covel' them up with Boil and finn it over them. Plunt these onion sets in September so they will get a good stttrt this fall. When the ground freezes throw a few leaves or some lawn clippings or straw over them to keep the eurlece from frequent thll.,... ing and freezing. Of COUl-SO, you will keep thewecds outof your little onion patch. Next spring those onions will sta.rt into growth almost as 800n 8S tl1e ground tho,\vs out. And you will have good little onions to pull very early in tho senson. il • 72 :MANlJAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEA,',TER1''''' STATI!JS. Lesson 99: GETTING READY FOR SPRING. The soil for your garden should be spaded or plowed if possible in tho full. If this can not be done, then you should do it us on-ly in the spring ne possible. If your garden is too small to be plowed with flo team, you should spade it deeply with flo spading fork. Deep plowing find spading followed by a thorough harrowing end raking puts the Boil in the best condition to make your plants grow. "When the soil is spaded, encb spadeful as it. is turned over should be broken up by striking with the back of the spade. "When your garden soil crumbles in your hands, it is just right. Vegetables are heavy feeders and therefore they need It rich soil. Many experienced gar- deners use wlHLt is known us compost on their gardens. A compost heap is made of a mixture of meadow sad, leaves, straw, grass, Inwn clippings, unused portions of food and vegetables, sweep- ings from unoiled streets, limo or wood ashes, stable manure, and soil. Tbe plan ueunllyfollowcd is to first spread out it layer of manure about 4 inches deep, then one of leaves or straw or vcgc- table waste, Upon thesespl'inkle a small quautity ot lime or wood ashes; then follow with 0. layer of clLrth au inch or two thick. Repent this until nll YOUl'material bus been unnnged in layers ned placed in piles. Alternate layers of leaves or straw prevent the plant food contained in thestnblefertilizcr and street sweepings from being washed out and lost. Turn over your compost heap with flo spading fork about twice a seaeou. This mixes the materinls more thoroughly and makes them decay more. In a dry climate you should pOUl' water on the heap occasionally. As soon as part of your compost heap has rotted dO\V'Tlenough to mix readily with the soil jt should he spaded illwherever needed. The coarser portions which nrc slow to decay may well be buried in the burtom of border beds fer perennial flowers 01' vegetables, The thorough working into the soil of !l.oy stnblo or commercial fertilizer is important. Garden soils composed largely ot CilLY are very likely to he sour, but you can fix this by putting 1 pound of air-slacked, burned, or hydrated lime; 2 pounds of ground limestone; or 3 pounds of unleacliod wood nehes on every 25 square feet of garden space. Coal ashes will help to loosen up a. clay soil. The proper prcpflrt1l.Jiotlof the soil nod thorough working of ell fertilizers into tho soil are of utmost importenoo. The success of your garden will depend very largely upon the thor. OUghtlC!SS with which your seed bed has been prepared. Lesson 100: HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLDFRAME. A.. coldfrnme is made like a botbod, except that no manure is ueed. Enough bent is scoured from the sun. A eoldfreme is used to harden. pleats that have been grown in 11 hotbed, or to continue the growing of certnin plunta dming t.he winter months. If you should t.ake plant.s like tIle tomato directJy from t,he hotbed fwd plu,nt them in the open field, they would probably die. They call noll etnod the quick, great cbungo from Wfirm to cold conditions. If, however, such pllUlts arc fil'St harden.ed by being t.ru.nsplnnted to I\. coldfraIDo, they are able to stand a good deal of cold without injury. Coldimmes ShOlJld ho ,mado in the fall so that they will be ready for spring work. It is sometimos woll to have two or three coldfnlJIles in your garden, especially in the north, as they will snve your J>lunts during the cold spells of spring. In the middle of the day, when tJl() air is warm, tho glass or CflJ1VltS above the frame may be raised. This gjves t.he plnnta a better ventilation and at the same timo hardens them. .As • MANUAL OF GARDENING FOR NORTHEASTERN STATES. 73 night comes on the plants should be covered. Later on, the frames may be kept open for a large part of the day, but only when the day is warm. Before the plants are taken up and planted in your garden the sashes should be kept off the frame for several days. Vegetable seeds may be planted much sooner in coldframes than outside. Thus tomatoes, cabbages, cauliflower, onions, etc., may be given an early start. Leaf vegetables, such as lettuce, are better if grown entirely in a coldframe. They may be protected from frost, from too much heat, and from birds. In many of the Northern States you can not grow plants in a hotbed or coldframe during winter unless more protection is given. This is sometimes done by placing straw or hay over the glass. Hay mats are very useful for this purpose. Lesson 101: HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOTBED. If your garden does not have a hotbed for raising early plants you should build one during October when time can be given to it. Making a hotbed is not difficult and gives you a fine opportunity to show how much of a carpenter you are. Every garden supervised by the school authorities should have a hotbed and the building of this should be one of the earliest garden duties. If your bed is properly made in the fall it will be in excellent condition for the next spring work. In making your hotbed, a pit is dug from 2 to 3 feet deep and from 5 to 6 feet wide. Glass sashes are used to cover the pit. These sashes are generally 6 feet long and 3 feet wide, but other sizes may be used if necessary. Make the pit long enough to fit the size of the sash chosen. Place a 2-inch plank, 12 to 15 inches wide, on edge, on the north side of the bed. Then on the south side of the pit place a plank about half the width of the one used on the north side. The sash, resting on these boards, will then slope toward the south and you will get better results from the sunlight. The ends of the bed are closed with boards cut to fit snugly and soil is banked up all around the framework to keep out the cold. The pit should be dug and the framework arranged in the fall. The sashes may be hinged at the top and held up by strong sticks when the pit is opened, or they may be hinged on the side and thrown back when the pit is opened. Sometimes the sashes are made to slide in and out on strips of wood set into the sides of the hotbed. The opening of the sashes is necessary to ventilate the bed properly and to allow you to work in the pit. About 10 or 12 weeks before the time of out-door planting the pit should be filled with well heated stable manure. This manure is covered with 6 or 8 inches of rich soil, finely pow- dered. Keep the soil moist while it is being heated by the fermenting manure. Keep a soil thermometer in the pit and carefully read the temperature from day to day. When the tem- perature falls to 90 or 85 degrees, it is safe to sow your seeds. If the bed has been properly made it will give out enough heat to grow plants during a period of five or six weeks. If you can not buy glass sashes, you can stretch strong white canvas across the pit. Lesson 102: YOUR ASPARAGUS BED. You have all seen the fine bunches of asparagus in the shop windows every spring. How good they look. And how good they taste served hot on toast or with cream sauce. And also how much they cost. So much, indeed, that most people can't afford to buy asparagus for food. 74 MANUAL OJ<'GABl)ENlNG l'"OR NORTFillASTERN STATES. If you have it. garden thnt you CUrl depend upon working for several yeul'S it is almost as easy to grow asparagus as it is to grew radishes. The main difference is that you have to walt a good deal longer before you can got the crop. But on tho other hand you only have to plant your asparagus bed once to keep on getting crops from the time you ere in the sixth grade until • you have been to college end even longer. So planting all asparagus bed is 8. good deal like buying war-savings stamps. You make the investment of a very little money in buying the RSplllgtlS roots and a little work in getting the soil ready. Then you keep the weeds down next summer and the summer after. A.nd in 1921 you begin to gather your asparagus and keep it up every year until 1940. Tbus your asparagus investment matures two years earlier than the wur-savings stamps) and keeps on coming fOJ' many years afterwards. Here is bow to plant your uspnmgua bed: Select one side or one end of YOU1'garden for the site of the asparagus bed. Dig it over carefully to got out all the stones and witch grass roots, Plan if possible for 50 roots to be planted 2 feet apart in rows 3 feet apart. Dig out a trench 15 inches deep Ior each row. Fill in the lower 8 inches with manure 01' leaves mixed with a little soil. Buy 50 one-yea I' asparagus crowns. Set in the trenches on this soil. Spread out the roots horizontally. Cover with 7 inches of soil, and firm it down. YOUI' asparngua bed is now.planted. Mulch it for the winter with manure or leaves. Next aensou keep out the weeds and grass and let the plumy nspumgus shoots grow. It is a good plan to prepare your esparugus bed in the full. Then you can plant it either in the full 01' spring. Make a diagram of 50 a.spa.ragus fOOts planted as directed above. How much garden apaee will they need? a • .. • • .' UNITED STATES SCHOOL GARDEN ARMY • DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR IU'SSGI BUREAU OF EDUCATION WASHINGTON A MANUAL FOR SCHOOL-SUPERVISED GARDENING in the NORTHEASTERN STATES PAR T TWO: FLOWERS • '. • ADMINIS1RA TNE OFFICIALS. l"ll.A... ''';:\J.~ K. LANE, PI.ILUANDEIl. P. Cw..XTO.N, Sccrew"]j Department of the lnl.erior. Commi86io1l,er Bw-:au oj Ed1J.oo.twn.. JOHN L. RANDAl,I., Director, REGIONAL DIRECTORS. l:l