\s>

GIFT OF
:, George Beach

VEGETABLES, SMALL FRUITS AND

FLOWERS FOR PLEASURE

AND PROFIT

JACOB BIGGLE
ii

ILLUSTRATED

good garden saves doctor bills] 2rive\; awi? the'
blues, sweetens up -theJiome, and 'puts
money in thy purse."

PHILADELPHIA
WILMER ATKINSON CO.

1912

E

COPYRIGHT, 1908

COPYRIGHT, 1912

WILMER ATKINSON Co.

THIRD EDITION
THIRTIETH THOUSAND

« **.*c •.*••

* /• j * * » , *
«,••»••" *

€ ««*»'«• •

PREFACE

[N reality a preface is rather a
queer thing, because it's a "fore-
word" which is written last! So,
it seems, I am now to have the
last word. To begin, I feel espe-
cially indebted to R. L. Watts
for several extracts from his ex-
cellent Pennsylvania Bulletin No.
147 ; to W. N. Hutt, author of Maryland Bulletin
No. 116; and to the authors of various other bulle-
tins, books and catalogs whose writings have given
me occasional lifts over rough places. My thanks
go also to various friends and correspondents,
and to a few well-known implement manufacturers,
who kindly loaned me several photographs. Most
of the pictures in the book, however, were especially
made for it by expert photographers and engravers
who were carefully instructed regarding the practical
details of each picture.

Now just a few hints about the final problem of
the average gardener — the selling end of the busi-
ness : Don't ship to every strange commission house
that solicits your consignment. Get a good solid
house and stick to it. Or sell direct to storekeepers;
or join or form a co-operative shipping and selling
association; or work up a list of retail customers of
your own. As an aid to the latter plan, the Long
Island Agronomist, Medford, L. L, N. Y., has evolved
a shipping package which it calls a "home hamper."
It measures twenty-four inches long, fourteen inches
wide, ten inches deep, and weighs about thirty pounds
when filled. It contains six baskets holding about

814977

6 HIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

one-half peck each; these are filled with vegetables
in season, from radishes to cauliflower. Assortment
is made to furnish soup, salad and substantiate, with
occasional fancies, such as eggplant and cantaloupes.
Home hampers are packed in the morning, shipped
by express at 7 A. M., and delivered at the customer's
door in time for dinner ; hence real sweet corn, crisp
lettuce, melting peas, beans, etc., all A No. i, are
available for the table of the city dweller. The
average family uses two home hampers per week.
Price, $1.50 each, delivered at the door, within the
delivery limits of the Long Island Express Company
and payable at the end of each month. Good idea,
it seems to me. Try it.

Send only fresh, clean, attractive products to
market ; sort, grade and honestly pack and mark each
package; give full measure; use only clean, neat
packages, and put your name and brand thereon.
Keep the "culls" for stock feed ; earn a reputation
for fancy products only.

My earnest wish : May your garden be a great
success, whether planned for pleasure or profit.

Elmwood. JACOB BIGGLE.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I. Preparation of the Land 9

CHAPTER II. Hotbeds and Coldframes 19

CHAPTER III. Sowing and Planting 25

CHAPTER IV. Fertilization. Cultivation. Irri-
gation 43

CHAPTER V. Spraying. Formulas. Garden

Pests and Friends 55

CHAPTER VI. Asparagus. Rhubarb. Horse-
radish 65

CHAPTER VII. The Onion 75

CHAPTER VIII. Peas and Potatoes 83

CHAPTER IX. Root Crops : Beet, Carrot, Pars-
nip, Radish, Salsify, Turnip,

etc 95

CHAPTER X. Lettuce. Celery 103

CHAPTER XL Cabbage and Cauliflower. Also
Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts,

Kale, Kohlrabi 1 1 1

CHAPTER XII. Corn. Beans. Sweet Potatoes.. 119
CHAPTER XIII. Cucumber. Melon. Pumpkin.

Squash 127

CHAPTER XIV. Tomato. Eggplant. Pepper... 135

CHAPTER XV. Miscellaneous : Artichoke, Cel-

eriac, Chard, Corn Salad, Cress,

Endive, Ginseng, Herbs, Leek,

Mushroom, Mustard, Okra,

Parsley, Spinach, etc 141

CHAPTER XVI. The Flower Garden 149

CHAPTER XVII. Small Fruits 167

CHAPTER I

PREPARATION OK THE

It is well to aim high even when ge'ifihtf fread$Jtd 'pldnt1
things in the ground. — Harriet.

1HE man, woman or youngster who
really wants a garden, will somehow
manage to have a good one regard-
less of soil conditions, bad weather,
measles in the family, or whether the
area of ground at hand is a square
acre or a square rod. But, of course,
if one has a chance to select the site
and the soil, 'tis well to know what
to choose.

LOCATION OF THE GARDEN. — If it is to be a family
garden, designed primarily to furnish an all-season
supply of fresh things for the home table, the loca-
tion should be one handy to the house, but not handy
to the hen-house.

If it is to be a truck garden, primarily for profit,
nearness to a city or fair-sized town is an important
point to consider. Why? Because market, manure
and labor will then be within easy reach, and the
gardener can more easily keep posted on market con-
ditions. Long hauls are expensive ; long-distance
connections are not always satisfactory. If he can
not locate within easy driving distance of such a
place, then the next best thing is to choose a spot
within easy reach of railway station or steamboat
wharf, whereby quick transportation (preferably

IO EIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

without transfers) may be had direct to a good
market. And, in either case, let him beware of bad
or hilly roads ovenwhich he must pass to reach mar-
ket or tiansDort.itioi line. Hauling big loads up
hill or through inud gr over ruts and stones is —
well It KBftH*ffpo$ &nsiness.

SJ.CPE", !AXD. WJNB PROTECTION. — I agree with R. L.
Watts, when he says : For the production of early
vegetables, the aspect or exposure is an important
factor. Earlier truck can be produced on land with
a southern or southeastern exposure. Locations not
naturally protected by hills or woodland, may be
made warmer by the planting of hedges for wind-
breaks. The Norway spruce is excellent for this
purpose. It is particularly important to have the
coldframe and hotbed plat well protected from the
north and west winds.

As TO SOIL. — Any soil, he states, which produces
satisfactory crops of wheat, corn and oats, will gen-
erally give good results when planted with vege-
tables. Some vegetables, however, require special
peculiarities of soil and do not thrive when planted
in soils wanting in such properties. For example, it is
impossible to grow first-class carrots, salsify, radishes
and other vegetables with long roots, in a soil con-
taining much clay. These and many other vegetables
thrive best in sandy soils, while cabbage, cauliflower
and sweet corn prefer heavier soils. Sandy soils pro-
duce the earliest and smoothest vegetables, and such
soils are very easily tilled, yet they are extremely
leachy and require liberal applications of manure to
maintain productiveness. Distinctly gravelly soils,
containing very little clay, should be avoided. Heavy,
stiff, tenacious clays are not desirable for any branch
of gardening, although quite susceptible to perma-

PREPARATION OF THE LAND II

nent improvement. Reclaimed bogs and swamps are
excellent, when properly handled, for the production
of onions, celery, etc.

W. W. Rawson, in his well-known book on mar-
ket gardening, says : "Sandy loam, with a sandy or
gravelly subsoil, should be selected. A clay subsoil,
at least until underdrained, will render any land
cold, as it retains the moisture."

DRAINAGE. — To do this subject justice would re-
quire more space than I have at my disposal. Suf-
fice it to say that most garden soils can be greatly
benefited by a system of underground tile drains,
and, also, that some soils are absolutely unfit for
garden purposes until they are underdrained. Tile
drains help to make wet soils drier, and dry soils
more moist. Write to the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and ask for a copy
of free Farmers' Bulletin No. 187, entitled, Drainage
of Land.

PLANNING AND LAYING-OUT. — Begin this prelim-
inary work early. Study the characteristics of your
land, its wet and dry places, its sandy or clayey
spots, etc. Measure it accurately. Then figure out,
on paper, a definite planting plan, showing just
where everything should go, the distance between
rows, and ideas about successional plantings. The
diagram of a garden, pictured in this chapter, may
give you some useful hints. It is a plan drawn by
John W. Lloyd for an Illinois Experiment Station
bulletin. No distances between rows are given in
this reproduction of his plan, for distances would
depend upon whether the garden is to be worked by
hand or by horse power. (The correct distances for
planting are given, either way, elsewhere in this
book.)

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

V

i

Whatever plan you
decide on, endeavor, if

« possible, to have long,

w straight rows, which

* will permit much of

£ the work to be done by

° wheel hoe or by horse

g power. Therefore, run

£ the rows the long way

5 of the garden or field;

o whether the rows run

" north and south or east

H and west is not so im-

g portant. Plan to have

< level rows, not ele-
" vated little beds di-
§ vided into squares by
H paths. Let the spaces
o between rows be the
g paths, generally speak-

< ing. Some folks seem
> to think that a garden
S must be a series of
S beds raised higher than
\. the path or ground
a level; this, in most

< cases, is a great mis-

< take, for such elevated
£ places soon dry out
g and the plants suffer
£ for moisture. If the

< ground is naturally so
5 damp that raising the

beds is necessary to
"get them up out of

PREPARATION OF THE LAND 13

the wet," then the practise may, perhaps, have the
shadow of an excuse — but 'twould be much better to
underdrain ground which is so wet.

THE MARKET GARDEN. — The capital and equip-
ment required for a successful commercial venture in
trucking, vary according to localities and circum-
stances, but the average is much higher than most
people suppose. The late Peter Henderson, a very
successful gardener, estimated that three hundred
dollars per acre was needed for equipment (tools, im-
plements, horses, wagons, glass, frames, etc.) and
for working capital (rent, labor, manure, fertilizer,
marketing expenses, etc.). This would not include
the purchase of land or buildings, and the estimate
is based on an area of ten acres or less.

W. W. Rawson, in Market Gardening, says : "The
amount of capital required varies with the amount
of land cultivated, but not in proportion. While it
might require about three thousand dollars, with the
labor of three men and two horses, properly to han-
dle two acres, I estimate that there would be needed
about five thousand dollars, six men and three
horses, for ten acres."

The foregoing estimates are based on the best,
most intensive, culture, with many hotbeds and cold-
frames, near New York and Boston, where the rent
or cost of land is high. On cheaper land in some
other localities, or on land farther away from cit-
ies, the capital requirements should be less. Un-
der such conditions, perhaps five hundred dollars
capital would suffice, if a careful, experienced man
had five acres of good land paid for. Or even con-
siderably less than this amount, if he had a general
farm and raised a few acres of truck merely as a
side issue.

14 HIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

As TO PROFITS. — Well, they depend so much upon
circumstances, seasons, localities and the man, that
general estimates are apt to be misleading. From
one hundred to three hundred dollars per acre, net,
is perhaps a fair average. H. S. Weber, of Pennsyl-
vania, recently figured his year's profit on a patch
of about seven acres, as follows : Fertilizer, seed,
hired help, marketing expenses, etc., $3945 gross re-
ceipts, $1,700; net profit, $1,306, or about $186 per
acre.

THE HOME GARDEN. — By this I mean the "kitchen
garden," which is intended to furnish an ample sup-
ply of fresh or canned goodies "all the year 'round."

Here the condi-
tions are quite dif-
ferent from the
foregoing. The
area to be worked
is smaller, the
labor and expense
less, and the mar-

A ONE-HORSE PLOW WILL DO IF SOIL IS , , • i

LIGHT AND AREA NOT TOO LARGE KCL

home — sure and

reliable. Here the spade or digging fork (I prefer
the latter) often takes the place of the plow, the rake
doubtless performs the duty of a harrow, elbow
grease may be substituted for horse power, and
hand hoes, hand planters and seeders, hand culti-
vators, weeders, diggers, sprayers, etc., are often sub-
stituted for horse-drawn machinery. Fertilizers are
applied to square rods or square feet instead of to
acres, and manure is perhaps hauled in wheelbarrows
and spread by hand instead of in a machine manure-
spreader. And the results are just as good — often
better — than those achieved by the commercial gar-

PREPARATION OF THE LAND 1 5

dener. Many times, too, a surplus is grown, which
can be sold for good hard cash.

Does it pay? I say, Yes! So does Harriet.
Tim echoes the sentiment, and Martha echoes Tim.
Here's what Chas. C. Woodruff, of Illinois, said in
Farm Journal : "I have a small town garden,
28x30 feet — just 840 square feet — and I take care
of it without help, except that I hire it spaded in
the spring. I am a printer, and it is necessary for
me to be at the shop from 7 A. M. to 6 P. M., and
the time I have for gardening is before and after
these hours. I have kept an account of seeds bought,
and the amount the produce would have sold for on
the market at the time of gathering. Seeds, labor,
etc., figure up exactly $3.95, and cash value of prod-
uce exactly $55.29. Think of it ! — fifty-five dollars'
worth of produce from an outlay of $3.95. Then the
recreation! I got about $200 worth of that, with
about $500 worth of satisfaction thrown in. Fifty-
five dollars' worth of produce raised on 840 square
feet of ground is at the rate of $2,852 worth of prod-
uce per acre. On most of my ground I raised three
crops. No room for weeds. The work was health-
ful recreation ; far better than loafing down town,
and better pay."

I have seen the statement that an area IOQX 150
feet should furnish
an ample supply of
vegetables (exclusive
of winter potatoes)
for an ordinary fam-
ily. So it should
But let me say right
here that Smaller SPRING HARROWING SHOULD FOL-
LOW PLOWING AS SOON AS

p a.t c h e s than that POSSIBLE

l6 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

often produce enough for average needs. Intensive
culture will accomplish wonders on even a tiny plat.
PLOWING. — The time to plow depends upon cir-
cumstances. Early spring is the usual time, although
fall-plowing has advantages when the ground is
soddy or badly infested with wireworms, cutworms,
grubs, etc. How deep to plow ? As deep as you can
without bringing up much of the subsoil. (Subsoil
plowing requires a separate plowing with a special
kind of a plow designed to loosen up the lower strata
without bringing it to the surface; few gardeners,
however, go to this extra trouble and expense, if
they have a deep, mellow, well-drained soil. But
subsoiling frequently pays. It need not be done
oftener than once in two years.)

Never work soil when it is very wet and sticky;

wait until it dries into crumbly, workable condition.

TRENCHING AND RIDGING. — To trench a strip of

ground means to throw off the topsoil, spade up the

subsoil, and then replace the topsoil. It's a great

deal of work, and not
always so necessary as
some of the old-fash-
ioned books taught.
For hard, shallow soils,
or for deep-rooting
•:rops like carrots, etc.,
it certainly brings good
results. Subsoiling is the

AFTER HARROWING, SMOOTH THE eorr,fi iViitirr r»r a r-t iVnllir
GROUND. THIS IS ONE WAY TO DO IT SamC thmg> P^CtlCally,

but it s done with a
plow, and is therefore easier in large gardens.

Ridging land usually means to fall-plow it into
ridges or beds, so that depressions ("dead fur-
rows") occur, say, about every ten feet. Surface

PREPARATION OF THE LAND

A GOOD LAND-ROLLER
COMPACTS AND SMOOTHS

water then runs into the furrows, allowing the ridges
to dry off more rapidly, permitting of earlier work-
ing in the spring. Prop-
erly drained or tiled
land seldom requires
ridging. (Ridging or
hilling or banking cel-
ery, etc., is a different
operation.)

FERTILIZING AND
MANURING. — See Chap-
ter IV.

. HARROWING. — The
Acme harrow is a very
good general-purpose
smoothing harrow. The
spring-tooth harrow is helpful on rough, stony, un-
even land. The spike-tooth, or peg-tooth, is a splen-
did all-round harrow (but it should be so made that
the teeth can be given a backward slant when it is
desired to work recently-planted potatoes or corn).
Harrowing should follow plowing as soon as pos-
sible in the spring, and be very thorough — lengthwise,
crosswise and diagonally, until the ground is as fine
and mellow as an ash heap. The disc harrow is an
excellent implement for spring work on fall-plowed
ground, and for other special purposes.

PLANK DRAG, OR ROLLER. — After harrowing,
smooth or "float" the ground with some kind of
a home-made drag, or roll it with a field roller.
(See several illustrations in this
chapter.) Then the soil should be
in compact, excellent condition

.

which see Chapter III.

DIGGING TOMATO PLANTS. THIS GARDENER STARTED SEED IN THE
HOTBED SOIL J FLATS ARE OFTEN MORE CONVENIENT

CHAPTER II

HOTBEDS AND COLDFRAMES

Seeds, like mankind, are able to sleep well and get up
early, if they have a good bed. — Tim.

OTBEDS should be located
near an outbuilding which
can be warmed and used for
transplanting work. It is
also an advantage to have
them near the water supply,
unless the water is piped to
the beds. A southern aspect
is desirable and the frames should run east and west,
with the glass sloping to the south, says R. L. Watts.
The pit for the hotbed should be dug in the fall
before the ground is frozen. It is not necessary in
Pennsylvania to excavate to a greater depth than
about two feet four inches. The pit should be six
feet wide and long enough to accommodate the num-
ber of sash to be used. It should be lined with heavy
boards, preferably chestnut, nailed to chestnut or
locust stakes. If the ground is level, the frame
should extend twelve inches above the surface of the
soil on the upper side
and six inches on the
lower side. This will
provide for the proper
drainage of water from
the sash. In making the
frame, it is best to have
two or three sash at SECTIONAL VIEW OF HOTBED

2O B1GGLE GARDEN BOOK

hand, so that no mistake will be made in the meas-
urements. Cross-bars or sash supports, 2x3 inches,
are placed three feet apart where each two sash
meet. Locate the hotbed in a well-drained spot.

Fresh horse-manure, containing a liberal amount
of straw or other litter, is the best material to fur-
nish heat in the hotbed. If manure is saved from
the home stable, it should be collected and preserved
under cover. It requires about one two-horse load for
every two sash. When sufficient manure has been
saved, or procured from livery stables, tramp com-
pactly into piles about five feet square and three feet
high. In three or four days, or less, considerable
heat will be generated by fermentation, and the
manure should be tramped into another pile, throw-
ing the outer portions into the center of the pile.
When fermentation is well under way in the second
pile, throw the manure into the pit in successive layers,
tramping continuously. Fill the pit to within four or
five inches of the top of the frame on the south side.
The manure will settle several inches before time for
sowing the seed. Place sash on the frame imme-
diately after filling, and plunge a thermometer in the
heating material so that the bulb is four inches below
the surface. The heat will rise rapidly until it
reaches a temperature of, at least, 120°. A high
temperature may be maintained for a week or more,
but it will not do to sow seed over such hot material.
Wait until the temperature drops below 90°, then
place two or three inches of good soil over the
manure if flats are to be used (see Chapter III), or
about four inches if the seed is to be sown directly
in the soil.

COLDFRAMES. — Coldframes are usually con-
structed in the same manner as hotbeds except that

HOTBEDS AND COLDFRAMES 21

they are simply built on top of the ground and no
manure is used, heat being furnished by the rays of
the sun.

SASH FOR HOTBEDS AND COLDFRAMES. — It is more
convenient to use sash which are not very large,
continues R. L. Watts. We have in use four hun-
dred 3x6 foot sash, and we believe a larger size
would be of no advantage, but rather a disadvantage.
Our preference for thickness is one and three-
eighths inches. The best material is cypress or cedar.
If quite a number of sash are to be used, it is more
economical to do the glazing at home. Paint the
sash before glazing, using
a liberal supply of oil in
the white lead. After the
paint is dry, the glazing
may be begun. It is best
to procure single-strength
A glass rather than cheap-
er grades. There should THE HOTBED SHOULD BE SHEL-
be three runs of IOXI2 TERED FROM COLD WINDS BY

. . WALL, FENCE OR WINDBREAK

glass, each run requiring

six panes, or eighteen panes per sash. Overlap the
panes about one-fourth inch. Secure the glass at
each lap by the smallest-sized glazing points. After
driving in the points, apply putty or mastica. After
this hardens, paint the sash again.

FIRE HOTBEDS. — In some sections nearly all the
market gardeners use fire hotbeds, says E. R. Jin-
nette. It is neither difficult rior expensive to make
a fire bed. The bed is warmed by two flues extend-
ing from the fire-box or furnace. In clay soils the
flues are often simply trenches cut in the soil six or
eight inches deep, the width of a spade at the bottom
and eight or ten inches at the top. They are covered

HIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

with flat stones. Six-inch drain tiles make good
flues. The furnace can be made of stone or brick. It
should be two feet wide, two feet high and four feet
long. Old grate-bars, or a section of an old boiler,
make a fine top for the furnace. Fire beds vary in
length from fifty to 200 feet, but seventy-five to 100
feet will prove most satisfactory. To insure a good
draft the flues must have a rise of three or four
feet to the 100 feet of length. For this reason it is
better to make the bed on a gentle south slope. Start
the bed eight or ten feet from the furnace.. The
earth on the flues next to the furnace should be at
least three feet deep, tapering down to four or five
inches at the upper end. It is best to have the bed
extend east and west, and the flue on the south side
should be within six inches of the edge of the bed.
That on the north side can be a foot or more from
the edge. At the fire-box the top of the flues should
be on a level with the top of the furnace, and both
flues should open into chimneys at the upper end.
To save fuel the furnace should have a door.

GREENHOUSES. — The construction and operation
of greenhouses heated by the hot-water system, is
hardly a subject within
the scope of this little
book ; those who are in-
terested in the matter
need a special volume —
such as Prof. Bailey's,
The Forcing Book. Few
gardeners can afford to
build greenhouses unless
they are operating on a

VENTILATION MUST BE CARE- yery large SCale, ill which
FULLY REGULATED, OR GLASS ,. ... ^ , .,

REMOVED ON WARM DAYS case they will hncl it

HOTBEDS AND COLDFRAMES 23

cheaper and easier to furnish heat by fuel in the
furnace than by manure in the hotbed. The air of
the hotbed is liable to become very damp, as well as
too hot, and these two conditions may cause serious
trouble by the "damping off" of plants. When the
weather is cold and the winds severe, it is difficult
properly to ventilate hotbeds without chilling the
plants. All of the points are in favor of the green-
house.

GLASS POINTS

A hotbed, after the heat is spent, can be used as a cold-
frame, if desired.

The outside of the hotbed frame should be banked with
manure. This helps to keep in the heat.

A properly made hotbed is good for six or seven or
sometimes eight weeks; the heat gradually declines.

If the hotbed manure is loose and fluffy after being
trodden, there is too much straw in it; if it packs soggy and
solid under the foot, there is too little straw. It should feel
springy when trodden, but should not swell up quickly in a
loose mass when released from pressure.

The coldframe is used for: i. Growing some of the
vegetables and flowers late in the fall, such as lettuce, rad-
ishes, violets, etc. 2. Receiving plants which have been
started earlier in hotbeds and forcing houses, to harden them
for outdoor planting. 3. Wintering hardy plants, such as
cabbage and lettuce and all plants which can be sown in the
fall. 4. Growing lettuce, radishes, celery plants for late
setting, or anything which is planted or needed later than
hotbed stuff.

"With thirty-six sash for coldframes, and a small green-
house 16x24, we raised 18,000 cabbage plants, 5,000 tomato
plants, some eggplants, peppers and lettuce plants, and 20,000
sweet potato sprouts," writes H. S. Weber, of Pennsylvania.
"We found a ready market for the plants; cabbage at $5 per
thousand, tomatoes at $10 per thousand and sweet potatoes
at $2 per thousand. The eggplant and peppers sold at fifteen
cents per dozen. In addition to the foregoing, we raised
enough for our own use."

DRILLING SEED.

ROWS WOULD BE STRAIGHTER IF LINE HAD BEEN
USED FOR FIRST ROW

CHAPTER III

SOWING AND PLANTING

Oh, bend your back and sow the seed,
For the glad spring days are here,

And he -who labors has little need
Of the harvest time to fear.

N the production of early tomatoes,
peppers, eggplant, celery, cabbage, etc.,
it is very important to have strong,
thrifty plants ready for the field the
first day it is safe to transplant. A
delay of a few days may be the cause
of reaching the market too late to
catch the highest prices.

TESTING SEEDS. — The strength and
vigor of a plant is largely dependent
upon the character of the seed used, says Pennsyl-
vania Bulletin No. 147. Old seeds are generally
slower to germinate, and frequently produce weak
plants. It is, as a rule, safer to use new seed, and it
is also important to procure large, plump seeds. To
avoid trouble and disappointment, it is desirable to
purchase seed not later than January ist, and to test
carefully before making the main sowing. In the
absence of hotbeds at that season of the year, and if
no greenhouse is available, the test can be made in
the kitchen window. Count two lots of one hundred
seeds of each variety to be grown, sow in separate
rows in a shallow box, and count the plants that come
up. This is a more certain and practical test than by

26 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

sprouting the seeds between damp cloths. At least
seventy per cent, of the seeds should sprout vigor-
ously.

STARTING THE HOTBED PLANTS. — Preparation
should be made the previous fall by storing away soil
to be used in starting the plants. Good garden or
field loam, or compost, as free as possible from weed
seeds, should be selected for this work. Loams in
which there is little or no clay are the best, as such
soils will not bake to any considerable extent.

If a greenhouse is available, it is best to sow
in drills on the bench soil. If a hotbed is to be
used, it is more convenient to sow in drills in shallow
plant boxes (called "flats"). After filling the boxes,
press the soil firmly, especially in the corners and
along the sides. With a narrow straight-edge, such
as a piece of plastering lath, make furrows (drills)
about two inches apart and one-fourth to three-eighths
of an inch deep. The seed may be sown broadcast,
covering one-fourth inch, but the preference is to
sow in drills. The plants come up better and are
more convenient to lift at the time of transplanting.
After sowing, cover the seed or close the furrows,
firm the soil with a wooden block, and water thor-
oughly. The watering may be done either before or
after setting the flats in the hotbed.

Beginners are often perplexed as to how thick to
sow the seed. This matter can be better regulated by
sowing in drills than when broadcasting. A flat the
size of an ordinary soap-box is large enough to grow
seven or eight hundred plants, or even more when
there are no mishaps. In sowing cabbage, lettuce,
pepper, tomato, eggplant, etc., from twelve to fifteen
seeds per each inch of furrow is about right. If the
furrows are of uniform length, the seeds may be

SOWING AND PLANTING 27

counted for one furrow, and a small measure devised
(as a thimble partly filled with paraffin) to sow about
the same quantity of seed in each furrow. After
sowing the seed the furrows can be filled rapidly by
moving a straight-edge over the ridges. If the seed-
lings seem to crowd too much when they grow, thin
them out as soon as possible, press the soil about the
remaining plants, and then water enough to settle the
ground.

VENTILATION, MOISTURE, ETC. — Heat and mois-
ture must be carefully regulated and controlled. A
high temperature and excessive moisture, with little
ventilation, necessarily produce weak, spindling
plants. Every possible effort should be made to
maintain a moderate temperature (not above 90°
nor below 60°) in the greenhouse or hotbed, and it
is important not to water more than is absolutely
necessary. In the management of hotbeds, ventila-
tion should be attended to daily; water only when
the ground looks dry. Warm the water in cold
weather to avoid chilling plants. For time of sowing
see chapters on the different vegetables.

TRANSPLANTING TO HOT OR COLD FRAMES. — In
about four weeks the seedlings are usually ready to
transplant. By that time the fourth or rough leaves
will be formed and a good root system developed.
Whether the plants should be transplanted to hot or
to cold frames depends upon the variety, the time
and the season. Hardy plants like cabbage, cauli-
flower, lettuce, etc., may go into coldframes early,
but tender plants such as tomatoes, peppers, egg-
plant, etc., should not go into coldframes until the
time and weather make such a change safe; these
last are sometimes moved early to hotbeds and then
later to coldframes. Fill flats with a mixture of

28 E1GGLE GARDEN BOOK

about half well-rotted manure and half soil, and the
addition of some bone meal. A thin layer of fine
soil is placed on top, making each flat level full and
soil quite firm. The flat is now ready to plant.

The transplanting board, see illustration, is
placed over the flat, resting on a box or table of con-
venient height. (This
transplanting board can

^?l = lll\V\\vV:«ii^ easily be made of sound
lumber, cleated at the
R. L. WATTS' TRANSPLANTING ends with strips. The

BOARD AND DIBBER,

enough to cover the flat,

as shown. Holes are bored at the required dis-
tances with a three-quarter-inch bit. For cabbage,
tomato, lettuce and most other plants the holes should
be about two inches apart for the first transplanting.
Of course, the holes can be made with an ordinary
stick or dibber, and without the aid of this board;
but the board is certainly a help when many plants
are grown.) Place the left hand on the board, hold-
ing it firmly, and with the right hand and special-
shaped dibber (the dibber should work freely),
punch the holes in the soil ready to receive the
plants. If the soil contains just the right amount of
moisture (which can be regulated by sprinkling and
mixing before placing board on top of the flat), no
trouble will be encountered in making the holes or in
transplanting. One boy will punch the holes as fast
as six or eight can plant. Boys drop a plant in each
hole, and a man can fasten roots very rapidly. If
the soil contains the proper amount of moisture,
little or no watering is necessary immediately after
transplanting.

When these flats are placed in the frames very

SOWING AND PLANTING 2Q

little or no ventilation is given until the plants are
established, which, under favorable conditions, re-
quires only two or three days. It is best to keep a
humid atmosphere until new roots are formed, and
this can not be accomplished if ventilation is too
free. If the sun is very hot, which may be the case
in the spring when tomatoes and peppers are trans-
planted, the frames should be shaded with straw
mats, turning back the edges of the mats six to
twelve inches to admit light and sunshine. Look the
flats over daily and water only the dry spots. After
the plants have made a good start, admit air and
keep soil moist. Close the sash toward evening, be-
fore the air gets too cool ; and if the weather is quite
cold, place mats on the frames not later than four
o'clock in the afternoon. Remove mats early in the
morning, if the weather permits; and, .when there
is no danger of freezing, the mats should not be put
on the frame until as late as possible in the evening.

The plants of cabbage, lettuce and cauliflower
should be well hardened before setting in the field.
After they have reached the proper size, give them
all the air they will stand. When the plants have had
a few days of free exposure to the air by removing
the sash, leave off the mats for two or three nights,
and then do not cover with sash at night. If the
process of hardening is gradual, the plants named
may finally be frozen stiff in the frames without
damage, and, after freezing in the frame, they will
stand almost any amount of hard freezing in the
field. Of course, tender plants, such as tomatoes,
peppers, eggplant, etc., must not be frozen in the
hardening process.

ADVANTAGES OF FLATS. — Plants are frequently
raised by sowing seed in the soil placed directly on

30 HIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

the manure in the hotbed, then transplanting into
rich soil in another hotbed or coldframe. Although
this method is employed successfully by many gar-
deners, experience has taught that it is more con-
venient and satisfactory (unless a greenhouse is
available) to sow the seed in flats or shallow plant
boxes, transplanting into the same kind of boxes.
The weather is often very severe at the time the seed
should be sown in the hotbed, but if flats are used,
the work may be done in a warm outbuilding;
water them there if more convenient, and then place
the boxes in the hotbed. When the time for trans-
planting arrives, the flats of plants may be carried to
a warm room provided with tables or benches, and
the work of transplanting to other flats done with
ease and comfort. It is often cold, wet and dis-
agreeable when early plants should be transplanted
into the frames, and it would be quite impossible to
work advantageously in the open air under such un-
favorable conditions. When flats are used, a large
number may be planted, set back on the floor or
shelves, and, if the weather is cold, the planted flats
can be hurried to the frames where they may be
quickly covered with the sash. Also, when the plants
are ready for the garden or field, the flats can be
watered thoroughly, loaded on a wagon and hauled
to the field, where they can be distributed at con-
venient intervals. By standing flats on end and jar-
ring lightly, the compost will separate from the bot-
tom and sides of the flat, and the hand can be slipped
under the layer and plants removed by breaking the
compost which has become a network of fine roots,
thus taking out each plant with considerable compost
attached to the roots. This is a most important mat-
ter in transplanting early vegetable plants. When all

SOWING AND PLANTING 31

the foregoing advantages are considered, it seems
that no one should attempt to grow early vegetable
plants in quantity without the use of flats. It is an
advantage to have the flats uniform in size and of
such dimensions that no space is lost in the hotbeds
or coldframes. Make them of, say, half-inch wood
of any kind. They should be two or three inches
deep, and not too large to handle easily when filled.

DIRT-BANDS FOR MELONS, ETC. — Dirt-bands are
very convenient for starting melons, cucumbers,
squashes and lima beans in hotbeds. They are each
made of a thin strip of wood veneering eighteen
inches long and three inches wide, grooved so as to
fold up into a bottomless box four inches square and
three inches deep. They are placed in the hotbed
without tacking. Pressing them down into the dirt
will hold them in shape until they are filled with soil.
They can be taken out of the bed four at a time with
a spade, placed on the wagon or sled, and the spade
slipped from under them. In the field they can be
taken from the wagon with a spade. If properly
wet down before removal from the bed, and handled
carefully throughout, very little dirt will fall out of
the boxes in transplanting, and, therefore, the roots
will not be disturbed. Hundreds of thousands of
dirt-bands are used by the truckers of southern Illi-
nois, and most dealers in box material carry them in
stock early in the season. They cost from $1.00 to
$1.25 per thousand. The bands can be used, after
removal from around the plants, to protect them
from the hot sun.

Three-inch paper pots are sometimes used in-
stead of dirt-bands ; some gardeners like to trans-
plant tomatoes, etc., in them. They are made of
stout paper, and may last several seasons. (Of

32 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

course, my readers will understand that pots, dirt-
bands, or similar ideas, are only necessary in the case
of plants that are difficult to transplant in the ordi-
nary way. Tomato, cabbage, etc., will endure con-
siderable root disturbance and rough handling; but
melons, etc., will not.)

GROWING PLANTS UNDER CLOTH. — In some parts
of the South, truckers are able to grow many early
vegetables, etc., with only the slight protection af-
forded by cotton cloth, stretched over wooden
frames. This, in a very mild climate, can perhaps
take the place of glass for some purposes. In a
North Carolina state bulletin, however, W. F. Massey
discourages the idea that cloth is cheaper to use than
glass in that state. He says : "Cloth is, in the long
run, far more expensive than glass ; also, when the
difference between the crops is considered, it is the
more costly from the start, because of the less profit
that can be had from it ; and in severe spells it is
almost out of the question to prevent serious damage,
which would not be the case with glass-covered
frames." (Some extensive southern growers get
around the latter danger by installing a steam or hot-
water outfit, and running pipes through a long series
of cloth-covered frames. — J. B.)

MATS TO PROTECT FRAMES. — The cold nights
would be destructive to the plants if given no other
protection than the sash. Some gardeners rely
mainly on wooden shutters, but these are not so warm
as mats, and can not be placed on the frames nor
be removed so rapidly. Mats of various materials,
such as burlap or rubber cloth packed with cotton or
waste material, have been placed on the market by
dealers, but some gardeners ' make mats from rye
straw, which are just as serviceable at must less cost.

SOWING AND PLANTING

33

HOME-MADE ONE-HORSE
MARKER

They can be made on rainy days, or through the
winter when the gardener is usually not very busy.
Each mat should be 6 x 6l/2 feet in size, so that it will
cover two sash in width, and allow the extra half-foot
to lap over the ends of the sash at top and bottom.

MARKING THE GROUND OUTDOORS. — Many grow-
ers plant with a line stretched across the patch and
moved into place for the next row ; this insures ab-
solutely straight rows (for which I have a great
liking), but is not well adapted to large fields. In
very small gardens a long, straight board can be
laid down, and the planting done
along its edge. On large areas,
however, it is very convenient
and time-saving to mark out the
entire field in advance of plant-
ing. For this purpose there are
several styles of home-made
markers, one pulled by horse power, and another
kind drawn (backward) by hand (see illustration on
this page). By making a few changes, these markers
are easily adjusted to any width of row desired.

If deep markings are wanted — that is, if a man
wants furrows instead of mere guide marks — a one-
horse plow, or a culti-
vator rigged as a fur-
rower, can be used by fol-
lowing the shallow marks
previously made by a
marker. Or a three or
four row horse furrower
can be made at home, sim-
ilar to the one pictured

HOME-MADE MARKER WITH ^ ^ ^ ?*&'

SEVEN ADJUSTABLE SLEDS It requires a steady

34

EIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

horse, a good eye and practise to make fairly-straight
marks or furrows. It is a great help to stretch a
line as a guide for the first furrows across the side
of a field; then, coming back, keep one outside

marker tooth
or sled in the in-
side mark made
during the first
trip; and so on,
till the field is
finished. (The
furrower opera-
tor in the pic-
ture is practising
this very thing,

A HOME-MADE THREE-ROW FURROWER but he neglected

to stretch a line

for the first or outside rows, and, therefore, his
furrows are not so exact as they might be.)

PLANTING DISTANCES. — In the various chapters
on vegetables, etc., will be found hints regarding how
far apart to plant the different varieties.

TRANSPLANTING TO THE FIELD. — The method of
doing this with flats has already been mentioned. If
plants have been grown directly in the soil in frames,
then, of course, they must be dug (without disturbing
the roots more than is necessary), placed in boxes
convenient for handling, hauled to the field, kept
moist and out of the sun, and planted as rapidly
as possible. E. R. Jinnette says : "Instead of
using flats, my way is to soak the soil in the frames
with water. Then with knife or spade cut the soil
into blocks — a plant in center of each — and take
blocks up with a spade and move them on wagon to
field." As soon as the field is planted, start the culti-

SOWING AND PLANTING 3o

vator, and make a nice "dust mulch" to conserve
moisture. The best times to do transplanting are
before a rain, or toward evening.

It is often a help to shade the newly-set plants
for a few days, but this is hardly practicable in a
large field ; the small grower, however, can utilize
shingles, newspapers, berry boxes, etc., etc., for this
worthy purpose. Here's a simple little device that
may be of help to some of my gar-
den friends : Take some stout paper
(tar paper is good), cut it in the
form illustrated, fold it together and
tack on the seam to a light stick ;
then adjust the "hood" over a newly-
set plant. A hundred hoods can be made quickly
and cheaply.

DIBBERS, ETC., FOR TRANSPLANTING. — The trans-
planting tool used by many gardeners is a short,
pointed stick, called a "dibber" or "dibble," and hav-
ing a handle of any convenient shape. L. H. Bailey,
in his book, Principles of Vegetable Gardening, says :
"In the working hand hold the dibber ; in the other
hand hold the plant; the plant is lowered into a hole
made by the dibber (which makes a hole but does
not remove the earth). (The earth is best closed
about the plant by inserting the dibber alongside of
it, an inch or so distant, and then giving the handle
a quick push toward the plant — thus pushing soil
into the first hole while the plant is held in place with
the other hand.) It is customary to have a boy
carry the plants in a covered basket or box, and to
drop them just ahead of the planters. One boy ordi-
narily will drop for two rows of planters ; he should
not drop faster than the plants are required. Set
the plants deep. Gardeners usually prefer to set

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

THREE KINDS OF
DIBBERS

them to the seed-leaf, even though they were an inch
or two higher than this in the original seedbed. This
deep planting holds the plants in
position and places the roots in
the moist and cool earth. Press
the earth firmly about the roots
and crown; this is very impor-
tant. If the ground and season
are very dry, have the boy fol-
low with a pail and put a dipper-
ful of water about each plant.
After the water soaks away, the
dry loose earth should be drawn
about the plant to afford a surface mulch. In larger
operations a tank on wheels is drawn through the
fields * * * Transplanting machines drawn by horses
are now becoming popular for large-area practise,
and these are supplied with a watering device * * *
A quick man can transplant from 5,000 to 6,000 plants
in a day, if the soil is light and in good condition.
Ten acres of cabbage plants sometimes may be set
in a day by means of a horse machine."

Other tools besides dibbers and horse machines
are often used in transplanting. For instance, straw-
berry plants are frequently set with a spade ; and
many gardeners mark out deep furrows for tomatoes,
etc., put manure and fertilizer where plants are to
go, mix it with the soil, and then set the plants with
the aid of a spade, trowel or hoe, and a boy or man
to carry the plants and hold them in place. (A pic-
ture in Chapter XIV shows how this method of
fertilizing tomatoes is done.)

After the plants are set, always start the hoe or
cultivator and level the ground nicely.

OUTDOOR SOWING OF SEEDS. — Now we have gotten

SOWING AND PLANTING 37

away from plant-setting, and will consider the sow-
ing of seeds in drills or hills in the open ground.
What has already been said about marking and fur-
rowing, applies here, too — if you wish to drop seed
by hand. The furrower will do for potatoes, peas,
etc., and the marker for other crops. (Cover the
furrows, after sowing, with a hoe or a one-horse
plow; or rig your cultivator with side shovels — tak-
ing off the back and front teeth — so that it will
throw the dirt into the furrow from both sides.)
Fine seeds may be sown in hills, shallow drills
or marks, and covered with a hand hoe or a wheel
hoe.

The easiest and nicest way to sow small seeds,
however, is to use a machine planter, seeder or drill.
There are very excellent and inexpensive hand drills
or seeders made, that will sow almost any kind of
seed in continuous drills, or drop seed at regular
intervals of one, two, or several, inches apart — ac-
cording to the way you set the machinery. These
machines open and cover the furrow, can be regu-
lated to sow seed plentifully or sparingly, and the
hill-dropping feature saves seed and considerable
after-thinning in the rows. There is a hand-power
onion-seeder now on the market that sows the seeds
at the right distance apart, two rozvs at a time —
thus saving much thinning and half the walking and
time. There are hand corn-planters, hand potato-
planters, machine corn or potato-planters pulled by
horses, and, in fact, handy planters and sowers for
every purpose. Most of these drills and machines
have a marker which marks the next row ; thus, if
you get the first row straight with a line, the others
will correspond (see full-page illustration facing be-
ginning of this chapter). Always test the drill on a

38 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

board or barn floor, and regulate it to drop correctly
before using it in the field.

VARIETIES TO PLANT. — Every locality has its
favorite varieties. In a general book, such as mine,
it is not feasible to give long lists of varieties ; the
best I can do is to mention, in the different chapters
about vegetables, etc., a few standard varieties that
do well almost anywhere. Write to your state ex-
periment station and ask for a list of varieties best
suited to local climate and soil. As for new kinds —
"novelties" — go slow. Try a few in a small way
each season, but don't discard the time-tested varie-
ties until a novelty is proved to be better.

TIME TO Sow. — This varies, of course, in the dif-
ferent sections of the country. Consult the chapters
about vegetables, etc., where approximate dates suited
to the latitude of Pennsylvania are given. Allow
about five days' difference for each 100 miles north
or south of this latitude.

ROTATION OF CROPS. — Supposing that you were
a radish or a melon and had to grow up every sum-
mer in the same spot in the same little field, eat the
same food, and fight the same old bugs and fungous
diseases year after year — well, wouldn't you get tired
and stunted and hungry for a change of air, scene
and food? Of course! Then don't forget to change
the location of the different crops each season. Fol-
low corn with potatoes, or beets, or something else,
but don't follow corn with corn, or potatoes with
potatoes. Systematic rotation of crops is a great
help in the fight against insects and fungi.

"Puddling" means to dip the roots of dug plants
in thin mud, preliminary to transplanting into the
open field. In very dry weather this process helps to
keep the roots from drying.

SOWING AND PLANTING 39

E. R. Jinnette, of Illinois, and many other mar-
ket gardeners, say that it is quite important to cut
or "shear off" the top one-third or one-half of the
leaves of celery, cabbage, etc., before transplanting
to the open field.

SPROUTS

Nothing but experience can teach the air requirements
of plants in hotbeds or coldframes. Watch the thermometer,
the sun, and the wind's direction, and raise or lower or take
off the sash accordingly.

"I do not use a hotbed," says H. E. Haydock, a suc-
cessful New York State gardener. "I find that a number of
shallow boxes in a sunny room answer every purpose in
starting the tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, etc., that I intend
to raise."

A wide, iron garden rake and three or
four pieces of corn-cob make an easily-con-
structed garden marker. Wide or narrow
spaces may be marked at will, by changing
the cobs. (See cut.)

Soaking ^seeds of slow germination, as the beet, parsnip, .
carrot, etc., is practised sometimes with good results. With
the proper seedbed, however, soaking is seldom necessary, ^
especially if the ground is thoroughly "firmed" after plant- , -
ing. This may be done with the feet, the back of a hoe, or
by rolling, and is a very important operation.

There is a new kind of a sash on the market, with double
glass — making an air-space between top and bottom panes.
Plants under such sash would not easily freeze during moder-
ate cold-snaps, even if no mats were used. An air-space,
however small, is an excellent non-conductor of either cold
or heat; but of course double glass is not so cheap as single.

Many gardeners on a small scale do not care to bother
with growing plants in hotbeds and coldframes, and so buy .
such plants ready-grown. This is often the cheapest way
vvhen only a few dozen tomato, cabbage, celery, pepper and
similar plants are needed for setting outdoors. Varieties of
vegetables that are not usually transplanted (such as carrots,
corn, potatoes, etc.) of course need no preliminary hotbed or
coldframe growth.

4O BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Don't blame the seedsman if you sow tender things, like
peppers, tomatoes, etc., too early in hotbeds with insufficient
heat, and then find that most of the seeds rot. Nor do not
blame him if seeds sown outdoors rot because the soil
is too cold or wet; nor because insufficient moisture in the
ground fails to cause germination. Buy the best seed and
place your order early.

Hardiness of Vegetables: Beans, melons, cucumbers,
corn, tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, eggplant,
peppers and okra are all very "tender" and easily harmed by
a slight frost; they should not be set outdoors in the North
until the weather is warm and settled. Other vegetables,
properly handled, will endure more or less frost and cold,
and are therefore called "hardy." Some of the latter, how-
ever, are more hardy than others — onions and peas are espe-
cially proof against cold.

The seeds of some vegetables possess greater vitality than
others. The pioneer gardener, Peter Henderson, claimed that
peas, beans, peppers, carrots, corn, eggplant, okra, salsify,
thyme, sage and rhubarb are safe for only about two years;
asparagus, endive, lettuce, parsley, spinach and radish are
safe for about three years; broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage,
celery and turnip are safe for perhaps five years, while the
beet, cucumber, melon, pumpkin, squash and tomato may
retain their vitality for six years or more.

Three important objects are gained by transplanting to
coldframes before setting in the field: The plants are hard-
ened or accustomed to a lower temperature; and, second,
their roots are toughened by the move, and so suffer less
when the final move is made to the open field; and, third,
they are given, in the coldframe, more room to grow wide
and stocky. Growers who want extra-large, stocky tomato
plants, etc., sometimes transplant them several times, each
time giving them more space in the frames.

"In field culture, the most important matter in the
germination of seeds is the supply of moisture," says an
expert. "Satisfactory germination can not be secured with an
insufficient amount of soil moisture. Thorough preparation
of the ground is essential. It is also necessary to firm the
soil after sowing, drilling or planting. A firm seedbed,
bringing the seed into intimate contact with moist soil, is
the secret of quick germination, provided the ground is
warm and the depth of covering not too great. The proper
depth depends upon the variety." (See chapters about vege-
tables, etc.)

SOWING AND PLANTING

Plant labels are often wanted in the garden, but as
ordinarily made are usually soon rendered unreadable by
the action of rain and sun. Seedsmen sell excellent and
durable metal labels, but they are not very cheap. Here's
a good idea from Prairie Farmer: Cut two
pieces of lath (as shown in the illustration),
and fasten together at top with one tiny clinched
nail — so that the short piece of protecting cover
will swing. Only the part to be written on
need be smooth. The name may be written in
pencil, or the printed name from the seed envel-
ope may be glued on. The labels may be used
many seasons, gluing fresh names over, or
erasing and rewriting.

Here's a method of raising flower plants, melons, etc.,
in the house for transplanting outdoors, without the expense
of buying pots. Take old fruit cans
and unsolder them in the fire. Tie
the tins together with a stout string,
and set them on a board (see pic-
ture). Fill with earth and plant
seeds. When ready to transplant,
cut the string, and the earth with

-- its mass of roots can be lifted and

set in a hole in the ground, without disturbing the roots
in the least degree. The tin, of course, flies open when the
string is cut. (Some gardeners start early melons, etc.,
indoors on inverted thick pieces of sod.)

Usually it is cheaper and better to buy seed than to
attempt to grow and save it. Sometimes, however, there are
advantages in home saving, and many successful gardeners
produce at least one or two kinds of seed at home. But
unless a man is making a specialty of something, and is
located in a place where its seeds are at their best, I doubt
the advantage of home-grown seed. Good seed means careful
yearly selection; good judgment; knowledge of the variety;
a systematic discarding or "roguing" of undesirable speci-
mens; and an ideal type in mind, toward which the strain
is constantly pushed. Remember that the tendency of
improved kinds of plants is to deteriorate or revert to
early types, and only a careful annual selection and "weeding
out" can prevent a backward tendency. Plants, like animals,
may be "bred up," but it requires patience and skill to do it.
If you plant little potatoes every year, or select inferior
tomatoes for seed, or have seed melons where squash pollen
can mix with them, good results are not likely to be attained.
Keep most seeds that you save in a mouse-proof, insect-proof
tin box in a dry place; seed corn on the ear should be hung
up by the husks, in the attic; seed potatoes need to be kept
in a dark, cold cellar, or stored in an outdoor pit.

CHAPTER IV

FERTILIZATION. CULTIVATION
IRRIGATION

Spare the weeds and spoil the crop;
Stint the food and growth will stop.

*HERE are many kinds of fertiliz-
ing materials, and all are useful in
some way and in some degree;
only experience and observation
can show which are best for your
soil and your crops. In a general
way, however, I will say that
there is no better all-purpose fer-
tilizer than stable manure — all you
can get of it, say from ten to twenty tons to the acre.
Haul it on the ground in winter and early spring,
and spread it as it is hauled; plow it under, and
then broadcast (to each acre) about 400 pounds of
kainit (a commercial form of potash), and about
600 pounds of finely ground bone meal ; harrow this
in, and you have a very good, complete mixture which
contains all essential elements of plant food. Or,
if you desire, you can substitute muriate or sulphate
of potash for the kainit, or twenty-five bushels of
unleached hardwood ashes ; or phosphates or super-
phosphates may be substituted for the bone.

If stable manure can not be obtained, and if
there is sufficient humus in the soil, buy a high-grade,
complete, ready-mixed, commercial fertilizer — the
best you can get, not the cheapest — and broadcast it

44 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

on plowed land at the rate of about 1,200 pounds
to the acre (more or less according to the soil and
the crop). Or, if you care to bother with the home
mixing of such a fertilizer, you can buy the separate
ingredients, mix them yourself, and perhaps save
some money. Write to the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and ask for free
Farmers' Bulletins Nos. 44, 192, 245, 257 and 278,
and you will obtain full information on this and
kindred subjects.

HUMUS. — This has to do with the mechanical
condition of the soil. Humus is decayed vegetable
matter, without which any soil is almost worthless.
Humus separates the soil particles, makes the ground
mellow and loose, and aids it to retain moisture and
air. A soil without humus is dead, airless, and either
dry and hard as a stone, or a sticky mass of mud.
Therefore, stable manure has a value aside from its
fertilizing contents — i. e., its ability to supply humus
to the soil. Leaves, straw, or any decaying vegeta-
tion, would answer the same purpose. If these things
can not be had, then the gardener must occasionally
grow some crop like clover, rye, vetch, oats, etc.,
which can be plowed under and thus furnish the
necessary humus.

COVER CROPS. — By these are meant humus-
making crops which are sown broadcast after vege-
tables, etc., are off, and which then grow through the
fall, cover and protect the ground through the win-
ter, and are plowed under in the spring in time for
regular garden planting. Red clover, or sand vetch,
or rye, or oats and crimson clover combined, etc.,
may be used for this purpose. A "catch crop" is
the same as a cover crop, only it is sown at the last
cultivation, before the vegetables are off.

FERTILIZATION. CULTIVATION. IRRIGATION 45

NITROGENOUS CROPS. — Nitrogen is the most ex-
pensive of all fertilizing elements, but if the gardener
can not afford to buy enough of it (in stable manure
or nitrate of soda, etc.) he can supplement his supply
by producing it right at home. How? By the simple
process of growing some crop which has the ability
to extract nitrogen from the air and store it up in
the form of nodules or lumps on its roots. Plants
of this kind are called "legumes" ; the principal ones
are : Clover, vetch, beans, peas and cowpeas. Any
one of these, if planted as a cover crop or as a crop
to plow under, adds nitrogen to the soil and greatly
improves the land. This process is called "green
manuring," and if the garden is not full of humus
and if stable manure can not be had to supply nitro-
gen cheaply, it m?y pay you to spend a preliminary
season in the growing and turning under of such
crops — supplementing the nitrogen thus obtained by
broadcast applications of potash and bone meal in the
spring, and lime in the fall. (NOTE: Oats, rye, etc.,
furnish humus but no nitrogen ; legumes furnish
both.)

NITRATE OF SODA. — Much is heard about the quick
results produced by this nitrogenous fertilizer, but
unless it is handled with great carefulness I can not
recommend its use. Harriet says that it is "more
like a stimulant than a food." It must be applied in
small doses often. Yes, and with care — or you'll kill
your plants. About 100 pounds at a dose to the acre
is usually enough, and, generally speaking, it should
not come in direct contact with plants. (Nitrogen
may also be purchased in the form of dried blood,
guano, tankage, cotton seed meal, sulphate of am-
monia, etc.)

LIQUID MANURE. — This, like nitrate of soda, is a

46 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

quick stimulant (but usually a safe one in this case).
I. M. Angell, New York State, contributes the fol-
lowing experience: "A satisfactory plan for sup-
plying the manure water, was to set a large per-
forated tin pail into a rack that was fastened across
the top of an ordinary wash-tub. A spigot was fitted
into the wash-tub near the bottom. Whenever liquid
manure was required, a quantity of manure from the
stable was placed in the tin pail and enough water
poured through it to fill the wash-tub into which it
drained. By turning the spigot we drew off into a
pail whatever we wished to carry to the plants. This
'filter' has been in use several seasons and is entirely
satisfactory. The manure is rich enough to supply
a number of tubfuls of the mixture before it is
necessary to replace it. To apply the liquid manure
we turned up a furrow with the hand plow, close
to the row, poured in the water, and turned back the
soil with the same tool. This method puts the liquid
where it will do the most good, and the loose earth
that is returned to its place makes the best sort of
mulch; and by the same operation the ground re-
ceives cultivation. Nitrate of soda may be used in
the same way on such a garden. Our method is to
mix one pound with enough water to wet 100 feet
of row. By the time the garden has all received a
share, perhaps in the course of several days, the first
vegetables treated will be ready for another dose."

LIME. — Some soils are "sour." Lime will correct
this acidity and sweeten things generally, besides
helping to unlock and make available the stores of
fertility which may be in the ground. Applied to
stiff clay soils, it renders them loose and friable;
while it binds together sandy soils, thus making
them more retentive of moisture and fertility. Take

FERTILIZATION. CULTIVATION. IRRIGATION 47

fresh stone lime, slack it with water until it becomes
a dry powder, then broadcast it in fall or early spring
and work it into the soil. The quantity to apply prer
acre varies from twenty to forty or more bushels.
Farmers' Bulletin No. 77, U. S. Department of Agri-
culture, Washington, D. C, explains this matter fully.
Better get a copy. Harriet has mine safely filed away
in the desk in my room, and I shouldn't like to
spare it.

COMPOSTS. — For flower pots, small gardens, hot-
beds, coldframes, window gardens, etc., a well-made
compost is very useful. It is simply a mixture of
ordinary soil with well-rotted sods, stable manure,
leaves, or any other available vegetable matter. Pile
the various ingredients in a long, low pile outdoors
and fork it over several times at intervals, thus fining
and mixing all thoroughly together and hastening
decomposition. A little freshly-slaked lime added
to the mass is an .advantage. The pile may be
started in the fall, or whenever desired, and should
be ready for use in six months or a year (according
to materials used). Some gardeners put potato and
tomato vines, etc., on the compost pile — any waste
stuff, in fact — but if there are any blights or fun-
gous diseases in the garden, 'twould be safer to burn
such vine and plant refuse than to use it in a com-
post and thus spread the trouble.

CULTIVATION. — The offices of tillage are several.
Among the more important ones are :

1. The setting free of plant food by increasing
the chemical activities in the soil.

2. The soil is made finer and hence presents
greater surfaces to the roots, thus increasing the area
from which the roots can absorb nutriment.

3. The surface of the soil is kept in such condi-

48 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

tion that it immediately absorbs all the rain that falls
during the summer, when it is apt to be dry. Little
is tost by surface drainage.

4. Moisture is conserved thereby. Where the
surface remains undisturbed for weeks the soil be-
comes packed, so that the moisture from below
readily passes to the surface and is evaporated, thus
being lost to the growing crop. If the surface is
kept light and loose by tillage, so that the capillarity
is broken, but little of the soil moisture comes to the
surface and evaporation is not so great. In this way
nearly all the moisture remains in the soil, where it
can be used by the roots.

5. Thorough tillage has a tendency to cause
deeper rooting of the roots. The surface of the soil
is made drier by tillage during the early part of the
season than it would otherwise be; hence the roots
go where the soil is moist. The advantage of deep
rooting during drought is obvious.

6. Weeds and grass are kept out — and we all
know the importance of this.

MULCHING. — There are two kinds of mulch — the
"dust mulch" caused by regular surface cultivation,
and the mulch which is applied in the form of straw,
leaves, stable manure, or similar materials. For
nearly all purposes I prefer and use the "dust mulch."
The main object of mulching during the growing
season is to prevent the evaporation of moisture in
the soil, and shallow cultivation does that effectively;
and does not, like other forms of mulch, furnish
breeding places for insects and fungi. In special in-
stances, however, a mulch of litter is a good thing.
For instance : Straw, etc., will keep strawberries
clean in a fruiting bed; currant bushes root so near
the surface that ordinary cultivation often injures

FERTILIZATION. CULTIVATION. IRRIGATION 49

.the roots, and therefore a light working of the soil
in spring followed by a heavy mulch of stable
manure, etc., is an excellent plan to follow ; in the
fall a mulch of strawy manure, etc., protects and
fertilizes the roots of vines, plants, bushes, etc., dur-
ing cold weather, and prevents the alternate freezing
and thawing which causes plants to "heave" out of
the ground more or less.

IMPLEMENTS FOR CULTIVATION. — For a small gar-
den I should choose a medium-sized, ordinary-shaped
hand hoe; a single-wheel hoe and its various attach-
ments of tiny rakes, cultivator teeth, plows, etc. ;
one wide, iron hand rake (say about sixteen teeth),
and a narrow one with not more than eight teeth;
and one or two of the claw-like hand weeders here
illustrated. In addition I should buy an extra hand
hoe and cut it with a file into the shape shown by

HAND WEEDERS A REMODELED HOE SCUFFLE HOES

the dotted lines in the accompanying picture ; this
kind of a hoe is very useful at times, especially in the
strawberry patch. The narrow rake mentioned, can,
in mellow ground, often be used easier and to better
advantage than any hoe.

Some gardeners prefer one style of wheel hoe,
some another; there are several good makes on the
market and the amateur can not go far astray if he
buys any one of them. But I should not advise the
purchase of the combinations of seeder and wheel

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

THE ONE-HORSE CULTIVATOR IS THE THING
FOR MEDIUM-SIZED AREAS

hoe, etc., which
are on the mar-
ket ; buy your
seed planter
separately. A
wheel hoe, if
rightly used, is a
great labor-
saver; but do
not think that
you can push
one steadily
along like a horse
cultivator — it

should be sent forward with a series of little, quick
pushes, an inch or so at a time. The single-wheel hoe
is mostly used for work between rows ; the double-
wheel hoe is especially adapted for straddling and
working on both sides of a row. Of the two styles, for
ordinary use, I personally prefer the single wheel — it
is lighter, cheaper to buy, and easier to operate ; but
many truckers and onion growers prefer the double
wheel for large areas.

For the larger gar-
den, or commercial truck
field, I should want an
assortment of hoes of dif-
ferent shapes and sizes, a
double-wheel hoe, a good
one-horse cultivator for
working between two
rows, and (if the area
were large enough) a two- ON SMALL AREAS TH
horse cultivator for work- --™ I*™
ing two rows at once. CULTIVATOR

FERTILIZATION. CULTIVATION. IRRIGATION

There are various makes of good cultivators on the
market. I own three kinds, each adapted to one
horse : An iron-frame,
a d j u s t a b 1 e-wheel, five-
tooth cultivator ; a twelve-
tooth machine ; and one
with five spring-teeth. All
have their uses and all
are adjustable to depth
and width. The first men-
tioned implement has sev- FOR LARGE AREAS THE TWO-
eral attachments -side «™l££S*™ 'S

"shovels," side "sweeps/

rear "hoes," etc. — which are often helpful for special
needs; the flat, wide, surface-skimming sweep attach-
ments are particularly good for killing such weeds
as thistles, which are apt to dodge and escape the
ordinary cultivator tooth.

THINNING PLANTS. — This often necessary work
must be done by hand early, when the seedlings are
quite small. To get a sure "stand" of plants it is
usual to sow more seeds in the hill or to put them
closer together in the row than is advisable for the
plants' later good, and then to thin or pull or cut out
the surplus plants when the stand is assured. The
distance apart to thin depends upon the variety; for
hints on distances, consult the chapters on vegetables.
IRRIGATION. — In regions of normal rainfall, arti-
ficial watering of gardens is seldom practised or
necessary. Cultivation, under normal conditions, con-
serves sufficient moisture for the average plant's
needs. In California and some other states, irrigation
is a necessity. Folks who need to practise this
method should write to the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and ask for free

52 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Farmers' Bulletins Nos. 138, 158, 263, 394 and 404.
'Twould be impossible, here, to give full information
on this subject. But a few general hints are in
order: If you must water plants, etc., or if the
season is so abnormally dry that regular rainfall
and cultivation does not suffice, remember that one
good soaking is worth many surface sprinklings.
Endeavor to apply the water toward evening, and
cultivate (or mulch) the surface as soon as possible

DIFFERENT KINDS OF HOES ON A HANDY
NOTCHED RACK

the next day. If the water supply is limited (and it
usually is), do not apply it to the surface but in fur-
rows opened alongside the plants (as directed under
head of Liquid Manure in this chapter), then, when
the water has soaked in, cultivate the soil back into
place. Do not sprinkle water on plants when the sun
is shining hot. Don't think that you can irrigate a
big field with an ordinary wind-mill outfit — it takes
a tremendous quantity of water to soak even one
acre.

HINTS FROM EXPERIENCE

Sharp hoes make short work. Carry a file and apply it
often. Learn to use a hoe so as to leave the ground smooth.
Keep hoes clean.

Do not mix lime with fertilizers, nor wood ashes with
hen manure. Why? Because the valuable ammonia (a
form of nitrogen) would thus be set loose and would escape.

FERTILIZATION. CULTIVATION. IRRIGATION 53

Hen manure is good for the garden, but it is very
strong and should not be applied too freely nor in contact
with the roots. In fact, all fertilizers and manures should
be well mixed with the soil, so that it will not hurt the roots.

The important thing in any garden is not to allow the
weeds to get a start. They are easily kept down when young
by stirring the soil, but once allowed to gain headway, the
labor of fighting them is greatly increased. Weeds kill
easiest when the sun shines hot.

Stable manure is not a perfectly-balanced ration for
plants, because it contains rather too much nitrogen and not
quite enough of the other essentials. Therefore it should be
"balanced" by the addition of potash and phosphoric acid (as
advised in the forepart of this chapter).

A "complete" fertilizer must contain these three ingredi-
ents: Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash. A well-balanced
commercial mixture suitable for average garden purposes
should analyze about as follows: Nitrogen, four per cent.;
phosphoric acid, eight per cent. ; potash, ten per cent.

Market gardeners sometimes use a special form of a hoe
called a "scuffle" hoe. It derives its name from the way it
is scuffled or shuffled back and forth close to the surface,
doing quick work in killing weeds and leaving an even sur-
face. But it is not adapted to loosening up the soil.

The advised quantities of fertilizers per acre mentioned
in this chapter aren't of much help to a reader who has only
a small garden patch. So here's a rule to help him to figure
out the matter to meet his own requirements: 1,000 pounds
to the acre is six and one-quarter pounds to each square rod.

It is generally best to practise shallow cultivation. I
usually set my horse cultivator to run about two inches deep;
this plan best conserves moisture, and avoids all danger of
cutting roots. Once in ten days is not too often to cultivate;
and always, after a rain, the ground should be stirred with
cultivator, rake or hoe as soon as dry enough to work.

Several times in this chapter I have referred to "broad-
casting" fertilizers. This can be done by hand with a shovel,
or by the aid of a machine fertilizer spreader. Better yet,
the fertilizer can be drilled in with an ordinary grain drill
or with a special fertilizer drill — thus requiring no "har-
rowing in" afterward. Some gardeners find that it is more
economical to apply fertilizers and manure only to the row
or the hill; this plan certainly saves fertilizer, but it requires
more fuss and work.

54

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

It is an easy matter to determine whether a soil needs
lime. Five cents will buy at a drug store enough blue litmus
paper to test a large field. Cut the paper into narrow strips
and make tests in different parts of the field by pressing
the moist soil into close contact with the paper. If the paper
turns red in a few minutes, a sour soil is indicated and
lime should be applied. The degree of acidity will be shown
by the extent to which the blue paper turns to red. A
growth of sorrel is often an indication of a sour soil. The
plowing under of heavy green crops usually causes sourness
and necessitates applications of lime.

Guiding a horse cultivator: Some folks have difficulty
in the double duty of holding the handles and managing the
reins. A steady, slow-walking horse is required, and you'll
need to buckle or tie on an extension to the length of
ordinary lines. To operate, buckle or tie the lines together,
put them around the upper part of your body beneath both .
arms, and have the lines just long enough to be gently taut
as you hold to the cultivator handles and walk along. Thus
adjusted, a slight twist of the body either way will guide
the horse to right or left as may be required; and at the end
of the row a touch on the lines with the hand will "gee"
or "haw" him around for the return trip. Soon he'll learn
the work and keep his proper place almost automatically.
If at first he walks too fast, lean back steadily on the lines
until he learns a slower pace. Always cultivate each aisle
between two rows, twice — up on one side and back on the
other; keeping the same order in each aisle, so that the horse
will learn which side to walk on. Few people can do good

.

work by cultivating through an aisle just once and trying
to watch

both rows.

CHAPTER V

SPRAYING. FORMULAS. GARDEN PESTS
AND FRIENDS

Many a man ^vho imagines he could conquer the world
and all the folks in it, can't even manage the pests in the
garden. — Dorothy Tucker.

PRAYING mixtures are divided
into two classes : Fungicides and
insecticides. Often, however, I
find that it is practicable to unite
the two into one spray — and thus
fight both fungus and insects at
the one operation. A mixture of
Bordeaux solution and an arsen-
ical poison, is a good example of
such a combination. Bordeaux
mixture is the best and most useful of all known
fungicides for general use.

FUNGICIDES. — Bordeaux mixture is made by tak-
ing three pounds of sulphate of copper, four pounds
of quicklime, fifty gallons of water. First, dissolve
the copper sulphate. The easiest, quickest way to
do this, is to put it into a coarse cloth bag and sus-
pend the bag in a receptacle partly filled with water.
Next, slake the lime in a tub, and strain the milk of
lime thus obtained into another receptacle. Now get
someone to help you, and, with buckets, simul-
taneously pour the two liquids into the spraying
barrel or tank. Lastly, add sufficient water to make
fifty gallons. 'Tis safe to use this full-strength Bor-

56 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

deaux on almost all foliage — except, perhaps, on
extra-tender things such as watermelon vines, peach
trees, etc. For these it is wiser to use the following
half-strength mixture: One and one-half pounds of
copper sulphate, two pounds of quicklime, fifty gal-
lons of water.

Formalin: This is also called formaldehyde,
and may be purchased at drug stores. Its principal
use in the garden is to treat seed potatoes to prevent
a fungous disease of the- tubers called "scab." Soak
the whole seed for two hours in a mixture of one-
half pint of formalin and fifteen gallons of cold
water ; dry the seed, cut, and plant in ground that has
not recently grown potatoes.

Powdered sulphur : For mildew on rose leaves,
gooseberry bushes, etc. Dust or blow it on when the
plants are wet.

BORDEAUX COMBINED WITH INSECT POISON. — By
adding one-quarter pound of Paris green to each
fifty gallons of either of the Bordeaux formulas, the
mixture becomes a combined fungicide and insecti-
cide. Or, instead of Paris green, add about two
pounds of arsenate of lead (excellent commercial
forms of this are for sale by seedsmen). The ad-
vantages of arsenate of lead over Paris green are,
first, it is not apt to burn foliage even if used in
rather excessive quantities ; and, second, it "sticks"
to the foliage, etc., better and longer. But it costs
a little more than Paris green.

INSECTICIDES. — Sometimes I find it desirable to
apply a treatment for insects alone, without the
bother of making the regulation Bordeaux. Here
are a few standard formulas suited for chewing
insects :

Paris green : Two pounds of quicklime, one-

SPRAYING. FORMULAS. PESTS AND FRIENDS 57

quarter pound of Paris green, fifty gallons of water.
The lime helps to neutralize the caustic action of
Paris green on tender foliage ; potato vines are so
tough, however, that in their case the lime may be
omitted, if desired. Keep mixture well agitated while
spraying. (Not so safe as arsenate of lead on very
tender foliage.)

Arsenate of lead: This can be made at home,
as follows : Take twelve ounces of acetate of lead,
four ounces of arsenate of soda, and fifty gallons of
water. Put the acetate of lead into a gallon of water
in a wooden pail; in another wooden pail put the
arsenate of soda in two quarts of water. When both
are dissolved, pour them together into the spray
tank containing the required amount of water. A
white precipitate of lead arsenate immediately forms
in the tank and the mixture is ready to be applied.
This remains in suspension longer than Paris green.
The ready-prepared commercial form simply needs
dissolving in water — about two pounds to fifty gal-
lons of water. (For rose-bugs use ten pounds to
fifty gallons.)

White hellebore : This, if fresh, may be used
instead of Paris green in some cases — worms on cur-
rant and gooseberry bushes, for instance. (It is not
such a powerful poison as the arsenites, and would
not do so well for tough insects such as potato
bugs.) Steep two ounces in one gallon of hot
water, and use as a spray, stirring it often.

FOR SUCKING INSECTS. — Now we come to another
class of insecticides, suited to insects which suck a
plant's juices but do not chew. Arsenic will not kill
such pests ; therefore we must resort to solutions
which kill by contact. Here are some of the best-
known recipes of this kind :

58 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Kerosene emulsion : One-half pound of hard
or one quart of soft soap ; kerosene, two gallons ;
boiling soft water, one gallon. If hard soap is used,
slice it fine and dissolve in water by boiling ; add the
boiling solution (away from the fire) to the kero-
sene, and stir or violently churn for from five to
eight minutes, until the mixture assumes a creamy
consistency. If a spray pump is at hand, pump the
mixture back upon itself with considerable force
for about five minutes. Keep this as a stock. It
must be further diluted with soft water before using.
One part of emulsion to fifteen parts of water is
about right for lice.

Carbolic-acid emulsion : This is made by dis-
solving one pound of hard soap or one quart of soft
soap in a gallon of boiling water, to which one pint
of crude carbolic acid is added, the whole being
stirred into an emulsion. One part of this is added
to about thirty-five parts of water and poured
around the bases of the plants, about four ounces
per plant at each application, beginning when the
plants are set out and repeated every week or ten
days until the last of May. To bring about the best
results, some of the earth should be removed from
about the plants before pouring on the emulsion.
Used to fight maggots in the soil.

Whale-oil soap solution : Dissolve one pound
of whale-oil soap in a gallon of hot water, and dilute
with about six gallons of cold water. This is a good
application for aphis (lice), and scale on house
plants, lilacs, etc.

Tobacco tea : This solution may be prepared by
placing five pounds of tobacco stems in a water-
tight vessel, and then covering them with three gal-
lons of hot water. Allow to stand several hours ;

SPRAYING. FORMULAS. PESTS AND FRIENDS 59

dilute the liquor by adding about seven gallons of
water. Strain and apply. Good for lice on peas,
roses, etc. (Seedsmen sell ready-made solutions. )

Buhach : This is also known as pyrethrum, or
Persian insect powder. The best is called California
buhach; the imported powder is not so fresh as a
rule and therefore not so strong. It may be used as
a dry powder, dusted on with a powder bellows when
the plants are wet; or one ounce of it may be
steeped in one gallon of water, and sprayed on the
plants at any time. It is often used on flowers, in
greenhouses, on vegetables, etc. Although a contact
poison, it can in some cases be used instead of the
more dangerous arsenites — on cabbages, for instance,
to kill the cabbage worm.

Fir-tree oil : An effective remedy against mealy
bug, red spider, thrip, green fly, etc., on household
plants, and in greenhouses, etc. Seedsmen sell it,
and directions for use accompany it.

SPRAY PUMPS, ETC. — A good spraying outfit is
an essential part of a gardener's requirements. The
kind of an outfit to buy de-
pends, of course, on the size of
your garden and the plants to
be sprayed. If you have only
a small patch a few square
rods in size, perhaps a cheap
hand atomizer (see picture)
will answer the purpose. These HAND ATOMIZER FOR

iti f V • i j SMALL GARDENS

hold a quart of liquid, and

seedsmen and implement dealers sell them for about

75 cents if made of tin; brass, about $1.25.

A large powder-bellows for applying buhach,
sulphur, etc., outdoors, costs about $3.00 — smaller
sizes for indoor us^ are cheaper. (A less satis fac-

6o

EICGLE GARDEN BOOK

POWDER BELLOWS

tory but often-used method of applying the powder,

is to punch numerous small

holes in the bottom of a small

tin pail, fill with the powder, ,

and then shake it over the

plants when they are wet.)

If the garden is more than a "small patch," and

yet not too large, doubtless one of the new-style,

compressed-air, shoulder-strap sprayers (sold by

seedsmen and implement dealers) will answer the
purpose (see illustration).
Or, if the area is ex-
tensive, you may require
a barrel or tank outfit,
mounted on the farm
wagon and worked by
hand ; or perhaps your
requirements may ne-
cessitate one of the
power outfits which are
operated by either a
gasoline engine, geared
connection with wagon
wheels, or compressed
gas in cylinders ; some
of these outfits are ar-
ranged to spray several
rows of potatoes, straw-
berries, etc., at once (a
four-row automatic

sprayer is illustrated in this chapter on page 61).

Before deciding upon a pump, or buying one,

take a bit of the same advice that was given in my

Orchard Book : "Write to advertisers in the Farm

Journal or other farm papers, get their catalogs

A COMPRESSED-AIR SHOULDER-
STRAP SPRAYER. (NOTE SPE-
CIAL ATTACHMENT FOR

REACHING UNDER-SIDE
OF LEAVES)

SPRAYING. FORMULAS. PESTS AND FRIENDS 6l

and price lists, and then study and compare, and de-
cide which suits your purpose best."

A good pump should work easily, maintain a
steady spray from one or several nozzles, be simple
in construction, have non-corrosive brass working
parts, be durable
and able to stand
hard use, be
easily taken to
pieces for re-
pair, have pipes
properly arranged
to prevent clog-
ging, and be pro-
vided with an
agitator which
keeps the solu-
tion in vigorous
motion and thoroughly distributed. Judging a pump
by cheapness alone is likely to be poor economy.

Nozzles : The Vermorel nozzle is very popular ;
so are several other makes that I have tried. The
main thing to demand is a nozzle that will throw a
fine mist, like steam, which settles on the plants like
dew. A sprinkler, resulting in much "drip" upon
the ground, is not wanted. And, too, a good nozzle
should not clog easily, and when it does clog it
should be quickly cleanable. (NOTE: All spraying
mixtures should be strained before using, to pre-
vent clogging the nozzles. A box, with the bottom
and top knocked out, will make a frame for a
strainer; a brass-wire mesh — eighteen or twenty
meshes to the inch — can be securely tacked around
the bottom to complete the job.)

FOUR-ROW COMPRESSED-AIR MACHINE
FOR LARGE AREAS

62 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

HINTS
Never spray strawberries, etc., when they are in blossom.

Fungicides are not cures, but preventives. Therefore,
such spraying should begin early in the season.

Poultry: Harriet says that hens do not belong in all the
garden, nor all the garden in the hens. Either fence in the
garden or the biddies.

Ants: These do no real harm in the garden; when
found on plants or trees they are after lice. Ant nests in
lawns or walks may be destroyed with hot water, bisulphide
of carbon, or kerosene. Or try whale-oil soap solution.

Earthworms or angleworms: As a rule these well-known
wrigglers do good rather than harm. They loosen and
aerate the soil. Applications of lime will drive them away
if they prove to be a nuisance in any special instance.

Rabbits, groundhogs, etc.: In some localities, bunny is
a decided menace to the garden. He likes a nibble of this
or that, and he's always hungry. The same applies to Mr.
Groundhog and some other animals. A good preventive is
a wire-netting fence, with the lower part sunk a foot be-
neath the soil; another is a good dog, or a gun. Ground-
hogs can be killed by putting bisulphide of carbon in their
burrows and stopping up the entrances.

Bisulphide of carbon: This is used to kill maggots, etc.,
in the soil, weevils in beans and peas, etc. It comes in
liquid form and may be had of druggists. When exposed
to the air it quickly vaporizes into a poisonous and explo-
sive gas which is heavier than air and which will destroy
all insect or animal life. Its various uses are mentioned in
several places in this book. Caution: Do not inhale much
of the vapor, and allow no lights near. 'Tis a safe and
useful remedy only when properly used.

Snails: I have never, myself, had any trouble with
these, but in some places they are said to be a pest.
T. Greiner in his How to Make the Garden Pay, gives the
following remedy: "Set traps by scattering pieces of orange
peel over the ground. Snails are so fond of this delicacy that
they will remain clinging to the peel rather than go back
to their hiding places at break of day. Examine the traps
every morning, and destroy the marauders." With the aid
of a lantern they can often be found and killed at night.

SPRAYING. FORMULAS. PESTS AND FRIENDS

Moles and field mice: These little animals burrow under-
ground and make small, irregular ridges in lawn or garden.
They often "follow a row" with great exactness, and there-
fore some people suppose that moles prey on plant roots,
seed, grain, etc. As a matter of fact the mole is after

frubs and insects that are feeding on the roots, and, there-
ore, he is — in this respect alone — doing the gardener a favor.
(Experts once captured and killed a number of moles, to
test the matter of their diet; only insects were found in their
stomachs.) But, unfortunately, Mr. Mole, in his quest for
plant enemies, heaves up the ground, disturbs and breaks
plant roots, and upsets things generally. So the gardener
declares him a nuisance. The remedy? One or two mole
traps (sold by seedsmen and implement dealers), set in the
mole's regular runways. Field mice sometimes do injury to
growing crops, and moles are perhaps blamed for it. Reme-
dies: Traps, cats or small pieces of meat poisoned with
Paris green and dropped in the runways.

English sparrows are often a pest in the garden,
shoots, leaves, etc.

Birds: - . ., ........

eating tender shoots, leaves, etc. A few loads of fine shot
fired at them occasionally will frighten them away. If you
live in town where you can not fire a gun, no easy remedy
can be suggested. Poisoned grain will kill them, but on
account of the danger to pet animals and beneficial birds,
I can not advise its use. Fish or mosquito netting can be
spread over a small patch ; or around currant bushes. I
know of one strawberry lover who screens in quite a fair-
sized bed of strawberries to keep robins, etc., from eating
the ripening fruit; he uses wire poultry-netting, supported,
top and sides, six feet high, and leaves the netting there

Fermanently. Crows and blackbirds
requently pull up planted corn, and
pigeons are fond of peas, etc. Scare-
crows are of little use. The best pre-
ventive is to tar the seed, as follows:
Put the seed into a pail and pour on
enough warm water to cover it. Add
a teaspoonful of coal tar to a peck,
and stir well. Throw the seed out on
a sieve or in a basket to drain,
and then stir in a few handfuls of
land plaster (gypsum), or air-slaked lime. Do not pour the
tar on the dry seed. (In this place let me say that nearly
all birds are beneficial to the garden in some way — crows eat
field mice, and birds in general eat many insects that do
harm. Toads, also, are friends of the gardener, because of
the many insects they devour. Never kill or drive away a
toad. Lady-bugs or lady-birds are friends, too; they eat the
tiny lice that suck a plant's juices. Bees are beneficial, for
they help the pollination of blossoms.)

SCARECROWS ARE
LITTLE USE

CORRECT WAY TO USE AN ASPARAGUS KNIFE. BY PUSHING DOWN,

SLANTWISE, THE CUT IS MADE WITH LEAST

DANGER TO OTHER STALKS

CHAPTER VI
ASPARAGUS. RHUBARB. HORSERADISH

Spring is almost at hand, but do not be too hasty to
begin outdoor operations. Wait until the soil is sufficiently
dry and warm. Nothing is gained by being in too great a
rush. — Farmer Vincent.

SPARAGUS is a hardy perennial,
which, when well started and cared
for, should produce annual crops
for twenty or more years. I have
learned that the plants prefer a deep,
well-enriched, loamy, moist but not
wet, soil. Heavy clays are to be
avoided; the ideal soil is a light,
sandy loam. A sheltered spot with a sunny exposure
helps to bring an early crop. Spade or plow the
ground deeply. Many writers insist that trenching,
two feet deep, is necessary, but very good results are
obtained with a working of only about half that
depth. Subsoiling after plowing is the ideal method
for large fields.

For a small bed, the easiest way to get a quick
start is to buy some one-year-old roots of a seedsman,
and plant them in their permanent bed at once. One
hundred roots, when well established, should furnish
enough asparagus for the needs of an average family.
Roots should be set, in the North, in very early
spring; I do not advise setting asparagus in the fall.
Farther south, of course, they can be set out in the
fall or early winter. Make furrows six inches deep
and three feet (four feet is better for horse cultiva-

66 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

tion) apart, and set the plants — crown up and roots
down and well spread out — about two feet apart, in
the bottom of the furrows. Cover three inches deep,
and when the shoots are up a few inches, work the
rest of the dirt into the furrows and level the ground.
(If all the covering is put on at once, the first shoots
may be too feeble to push through six inches of soil.)
When planting, expose the roots to sun and wind as
little as possible.

Let the plants grow at will the first season ; sim-
ply keep the ground well cultivated and free from
weeds. Applications of salt are not really necessary,
although salt is helpful to keep down weeds. After
frost has killed the tops, mow them off close to the
ground and burn them ; then apply a good mulch of
stable manure. The second season, the same. The
third (and subsequent) seasons, work the ground
lightly and early, keep out weeds and asparagus seed-
lings, cut every shoot clean and about three inches
deep until about June 2Oth, then let the plants grow ;
cut off and burn them after frost, stir the ground
lightly and apply manure, etc. (In the early spring
the coarser portion of the mulch may be forked off,
and the remainder lightly forked or cultivated in.
It is important not to cut a bed longer than six
weeks, and not at all until two years old. Use com-
mercial fertilizers in June or July on a bearing bed,
in addition to the fall mulch.)

Blanched asparagus : Some people and markets
demand "blanched" (whitened) shoots; these are no
better to eat, but have an attractive, distinctive ap-
pearance. Blanching is accomplished by ridging or
"hilling up" (plowing or throwing the soil toward)
the rows in the early spring before the shoots appear ;
the shoots have to push through several inches of

ASPARAGUS. RHUBARB. HORSERADISH

AN ASPARAGUS

1 KNIFE" is MORE

LIKE A CHISEL

extra soil and thus more of the underground or
white part can be obtained when gathering. (NOTE:
R. B. Handy says that if the lay of the land permits,
it's an advantage to have ridged rows of asparagus
run north and south, on account of better distribu-
tion of sunshine on both sides of the ridges when
thus arranged.) Cutting is usually done with a spe-
cial-shaped asparagus knife (see
illustration) which facilitates very
deep cutting. The blanched stalks
are not usually allowed to get
much above the surface, and cut-
ting is done regularly every day, care being taken
not to injure stalks not yet up, or the crowns.
The aisles between four-foot rows may be cultivated
regularly with a horse without hurting the hilled-up
crop ; and the ridges may be kept clean by light hoe-
ing or raking, after cutting. Or a double harrow,
composed of two sections hinged in the middle, and
of sufficient width, may be used in two-horse form
to work astride the ridges. After the cutting season
is over the ridges should be plowed down and flat
cultivation given until the growth of tops prevents.
(This ridging or blanching method is quite common
among market gardeners, but the level-culture
method given in the foregoing paragraphs is often
preferable for the small home-garden — and either
method is better than the
old way of growing aspar-
agus in "beds.")

Marketing asparagus :
An asparagus "buncher"
(see picture) is a great

AN ASPARAGUS BUNCHER ,. ^ .tO me,in getting

HELPFUL bunches ready for sale.

68 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

When cut off uniformly at the butts, washed, and
tied with neat, narrow tape, or cord, they are ready
for the customer or for packing into crates for
shipment. Sizes of crates and bunches vary in dif-
ferent localities; usually the bunches are about four
inches in diameter and seven to nine inches long.
Asparagus is a profitable crop when properly han-
dled. No other crop responds more generously to
liberal and intelligent treatment. One of the most
successful Illinois growers makes three grades, and
the bunches of each grade are tied with different
colored ribbon or tape. The stalks in each grade
are uniform in size and quality. His entire crop
is shipped to Chicago and handled by one firm.
When cutting "grass," he is careful not to leave the
stalks long in the sun after being cut. The yield to
the acre varies greatly — from about 500 to 2,000
bunches, according to soil and season. The later
crop can often be sold to canneries.

Growing asparagus from seed : This is easily
done, and the gardener who wants many plants can
save money by growing his own. Two ounces of
seed should sow about 100 feet of drill ; two pounds
should grow enough roots to plant an acre. This
seed germinates very slowly, and it is a help to soak
the seed in warm water twenty-four hours before
sowing. For wheel-hoe culture, make the rows about
one foot apart ; for horse cultivation, two and one-
half feet apart. In the North, sow in early April ;
farther south, earlier, according to latitude. Cover
the seed about an inch deep. When the plants are an
inch or so high, thin them to about three inches
apart. Give good culture all summer, and the next
spring you should have some nice one-year-old roots
to transplant to their permanent place. ('Tis said

ASPARAGUS. RHUBARB. HORSERADISH 69

that one-year-old plants are more desirable for trans-
planting than two-year-olds ; and that the male
plants — those that bear no seeds — produce larger
asparagus than the seed-bearing female plants ; hence
some few specialists go so far as to discard all seed-
producing plants. If planted 2x3 feet apart, 7,260
roots are required for one acre ; 2x4 feet, 5,445
roots.)

Another method : Mark out furrows, say four
feet apart and six inches deep, on well-prepared, well-
manured land. Sow the seed in the furrows and
cover lightly. As the plants grow, gradually pull the
soil to them until level, in the meantime thinning
them out to about two feet apart. Perhaps the thin-
nings can be sold to a neighbor. Give careful culti-
vation, and your asparagus should be ready for busi-
ness in two years. This method obviates the neces-
sity of transplanting.

Asparagus is sometimes forced in hotbed, cold-
frame or cellar. Dig mature roots in the fall and
store them until wanted. The roots, after forcing,
are worthless.

Varieties of asparagus : Any variety is about f
as good as another; size and quality depend more;
upon culture and manure than upon the variety. '
Conover's Colossal, Palmetto, Barr's Mammoth and
Columbian White are well-known kinds that I have
tested.

Insects and diseases : The principal asparagus
pests are beetles and rust. There are two kinds of
asparagus beetles, both of which injure the plants by
eating the green parts and making holes in the stalks,
and by laying their eggs upon the plants, from which
eggs grubs or larvae hatch and feed upon the green
parts of the plant. In habits,, effects and remedies

7O BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

the two species are similar, but ^he beetles are differ-
ent. Both species deposit rows of small dark eggs,
placed endwise on the plants. The remedies for
both are the same, and consist in regularly cutting
low the entire patch of asparagus, thus destroying
the beetles' food supply until July; or dusting with
flour and buhach ; or permitting a portion of the
patch to remain uncut and spraying it with some
arsenical poison, especially arsenate of lead, which
will stick to the plants that are not to be used for
food. Stalks covered with eggs may be cut down and
burned at any time. Chickens and ducks, if allowed
the run of the asparagus patch, will destroy hun-
dreds of the pests. The ridged system is a help when
beetles are plentiful, for blanched stalks are cut just
as they peep through the ground, and so the beetle
does not find much available material for eating
or egg laying.

Asparagus rust is a fungous disease which most
commonly occurs where the plants are too damp
and the air circulation is poor. It is to be prevented
by cutting all the plants low and frequently, and
spraying with Bordeaux mixture during the season
after the cutting stops. Cut and burn the rusty plants
in the fall as soon as they ripen or commence to die.
The disease is worse some seasons than others.

RHUBARB. — This, like asparagus, is a hardy per-
ennial, and does best in a deep loamy soil made very
rich with stable manure and fertilizers. In the small
garden the rows may be about three feet apart ; for
horse cultivation, four feet apart. Space the plants
about three feet apart in the rows, and set them deep
enough to cover the top "eyes" about two inches.
Except for large plantations I believe that it is best
to buy the plants of a seedsman; set in very early

ASPARAGUS. RHUBARB. HORSERADISH 71

spring; or in the fall, well mulched. An acre set
3x4 feet, requires 3,630 roots. No stalks should be
pulled the first summer ; a light crop the second
season ; a full crop the third.

Cultivation begins in the early spring and con-
tinues until fall, when a heavy coat of manure should
be applied. Seed-stalks should be cut off whenever
seen, so as to throw all the force of the plants into
themselves. A plantation is good for about twenty
years, but after a few years the roots develop into
big "clumps" that need to be severely trimmed with
a spade. Don't be afraid; cut straight down, all
around ; many of the trimmings can be used for new
plantations or sold to neighbors. Each strong "eye,"
with roots attached, will, if removed and set in good
soil, make a new plant; in fact, this is the common
method of propagation (Plants may be grown from
seed, planted the same as asparagus, but this requires
the loss of a year's time.)

Marketing rhubarb : Methods, markets and ship-
ping-packages vary in different localities. Some Illi-
nois growers begin pulling rhubarb as soon as the
stalks are six or eight inches long, and ship in third-
bushel climax baskets ; they claim to get more out
of it in this way. It is a question whether in the
long run this is better
than to let the stalks
get full length before
beginning to pull.
Later on, the large,
fifty-pound crate is

r, i What A LONG' L°W, WELL-BANKED SHED

eu. w ndi FQR FORCING RHUBARB IN WINTER
ever plan is adopted,

it is well to bear in mind that it does not pay to
fill the packages with small stringy stalks, and top

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

them out with nice large ones. Better make two
grades, and pack honestly. See that the stalks are
large enough and that they are properly cleaned
and trimmed. In some markets the leaves may be
left on; in others they must be cut off. Some mar-
kets require bunching and tying ; others do not. The
best-known varieties are : Linnaeus and Victoria —
the former being the earlier kind. There are no in-
sects or fungous diseases that are troublesome.

Forcing rhubarb : This is often done in the gar-
den in a small way, by placing a barrel or tall box
(without top or bottom) over a strong clump of
"pieplant," and then banking up around it with
manure. Do this just before growth starts, and the
stalks will be ready to use much earlier than usual.
Matters may be hastened still more, I will add, by
placing a piece of glass over the top for a while or
during bad weather or cold nights. Or clumps of
rhubarb may be forced in an ordinary coldframe.

Rhubarb may be forced, commercially, in special
houses. Isaac Ridgeway of New Jersey does it as

follows : He has a
long, low, well-banked
shed, plastered on the
inside and heated by
stoves (see illustra-
tions). Into this he
hauls and plants,
about December ist,
frozen clumps of rhu-
barb. Fires are not
started, however, until
about the middle of

February. Pulling begins early in March, and is
done twice a week. He receives about five cents for

PULLING OF RHUBARB BEGINS IN
MARCH IN THIS FORCING SHED

ASPARAGUS. RHUBARB. HORSERADISH 73

three stalks, and has sold as much as $1,500 worth
from the building in one season. Stalks seem to
grow all right in a dark place, and he says they sell
for more than those grown under glass. (In a very
small way, this forcing could be done in any ordi-
nary cellar. It is important to let the clumps freeze
before storing them inside.)

HORSERADISH. — The best soil is a rich, deep,.
loose, moist loam. This plant is a hardy perennial, says
Prof. Bailey, in Garden-Making, but for market it is
chiefly grown as an annual crop. "It is propagated
by 'sets,' which are small roots (about the size of
one's finger) which are trimmed from the large roots
when the crop is stored in the fall. These sets should
be cut in pieces four to six inches long, the top end
square so as to mark the right end up — for if the
sets are planted wrong end up, crooked roots will
result. The sets are covered two or three inches deep
in a vertical position. The roots are dug in late fall,
and care is taken to get all the pieces of roots out
of the land, for the plant is apt to become a bad
weed. If old crowns are planted, crooked and
branchy roots are obtained."

Sets made in the fall I tie in bundles and keep
over winter packed in sand in a cool cellar. Rows
should be about two and a half feet apart to permit
of horse cultivation, or about half that distance for
wheel-hoe work. Space sets about ten inches apart
in the row.

CHAPTER VII
THE ONION

A certain amount of work in the gat den is good for
inaii — and also good for onions. — Harriet.

NIONS like level, rich, black,
moist land in perfect condition
and with sufficient humus ; how-
ever, any good soil will do ; do
not plant on rough, poor soil,
nor on recently-turned sod. The
crop is obtained in two ways —
from seed and from "sets" ; the
result being either early "bunch"
onions, or "picklers," or large

onions, or sets for future planting, or seed to sell —
according to how the crop is managed.

Nitrate of soda is particularly valuable in grow-
ing onions, says the writer of Farmers' Bulletin
No. 39. One hundred pounds of nitrate per acre
worked in before planting, and two or three dress-
ings of about fifty pounds each during the season,
will facilitate rapid growth and increase the yield
if there is enough potash and phosphoric acid already
in the soil. When onions are raised from seed sown
where the crop is to mature, the drilling should be
done as early as possible in the spring. Drills are
made about half an inch deep and one foot apart
for wheel-hoe cultivation (about two feet and a half
for horse work). When plants are up, thin to two
inches apart. Every other plant may then soon be
pulled, bunched and sold in a green state ; while the

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

remaining plants may be left until maturity (if that
is considered more profitable).

A common system of culture is to plant sets in
the early spring instead of seed, and raise this vege-
table to bunch for the early market. The ground
can then be cleared and planted with a second crop
of something else. If preferred, mature bulbs may
be grown from the sets, and this method will insure
success in almost any soil. Spring-planted sets
should be covered about two inches deep, and spaced
two to four inches apart in the row, the latter dis-
tance being best if you want large onions.

Another plan (called the "new onion culture")
followed to a considerable extent in recent years, is
to sow seeds of the large Spanish or Italian varieties,
such as Prizetaker, etc., in the hotbed and then trans-
plant into the field at the earliest possible date.

(These very large
varieties need this
early hotbed start to
insure maturity in the
short season of the
North. Farther south
they may be started
in coldframes or
sown in the fall out-
doors.) This method
is fully described in
Farmers' Bulletin No. 39. Better get a copy.

A favorite plan with many gardeners is to plant
sets about three inches deep outdoors in late August
or early fall, using the Egyptian or winter varieties.
This method insures a crop of green onions for
bunching at the earliest possible date. (Onions are
very hardy in the ground outdoors, but in the North

HAND-WEEDING IS A LABORIOUS BUT
NECESSARY DETAIL

THE ONION 77

it helps the fall-sown sets to mulch them when the
ground freezes.)

The three most extensively grown of American
onions produced from seed sown in the field are
Yellow Danvers, Silver Skin and Red Weathersfield.

Still another method, sometimes practised in
raising bunch onions for spring, is to sow the seed
in the open ground in late September. In the North
the rows may be protected by scattering a little mulch
when the ground freezes.

A Systematic Business. — A while ago, Mr. B. F.
Stetser, New Jersey, told in the Farm Journal how
the onion business is conducted in his locality. His
words are well worth repeating, so I'll give them
here :

In early April the onion seed is sown in rows
one foot apart. It grows until the middle of July,
when the entire crop is gathered. The stalks are
then about a foot high and the onions are about as
large around as a penny. Some have grown faster
and larger than others. These are called "picklers,"
and may be found in all grocery stores, bottled for
table use. Picklers are worth $1.60 to $2.50 a bushel,
and generally about 600 bushels are gathered to an
acre. After these primes or picklers have been
sorted out, the culls or very small onions (sets) are
placed in large trays and remain there until perfectly
dry; then they are kept till spring, at which time they
are set out in fields. Men are employed to keep all
weeds away from them and to keep the ground con-
stantly loosened up all around. Level, shallow culti-
vation is best. The sets that were planted first as
seeds more than a year ago, have by July 4th de-
veloped into good-sized onions ; and men go down
the rows with diggers which throw the onions out,

HIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

and then they are piled up and are ready for the
"toppers." The toppers cut the roots and stalks off
and place the onions in baskets and sacks, ready for
the market. All of the onions are not dug, however;
the grower allows an acre or two to keep on growing
till the stalks are four or five feet high. On the
very top large seed-balls grow, and when ripe they
are cut from the onion — which some growers allow
to remain in the ground until the next year, thus get-
ting a double crop of seed from each onion. Good
ground will yield about 400 pounds of seed to an acre
and 300 or more bushels of big onions for market.

Marketing. — In regard to "bunch" or early
green onions, an Illinois grower writes : Don't begin
on the onions till they are large enough so that not
more than five or six are required to make a bunch.
See to it that the bunches
are uniform in size, and
that the onions are clean
and bright (see picture).
It is very hard to fore-
cast the onion market.
Some seasons the early
market is the best ; at
other times the best
prices are obtained later.
Styles of shipping crates
vary in different localities.
Here we use a flat crate
holding ten dozen bunches ; it has a division through
the center. The onions, after they are bunched and
tied, are cut in lengths about an inch shorter than
the space between the ends of the crate and the
division board. In packing, the bunches are placed
lengthwise of the crate. By placing the butts of the

BUNCHING." HAVE BUNCHES
UNIFORM IN SIZE AND
ONIONS CLEAN

THE ONION

79

DIGGING ONIONS WITH
A HAND HARVESTER

first layer snugly against the end of the crate, and

those of the next against the division board, an

inch space is left between each

layer of onions. This space

affords ventilation and prevents

heating.

Matured bulbs or large
onions are left in the field until
most of the necks (don't wait
for all) wither, turn yellow, and
the tops fall over ; then they are
pulled by hand or dug out (see
picture) with a U-shaped "onion-
harvester" attachment which is
made for wheel hoes, thrown into
small windrows (three or four
rows in one), and allowed to dry
and cure for several days (if the weather is wet,
the curing may have to be done in shed or barn).
Then, with shears or knife, the tops are cut off
about half an inch above each bulb (see illus-
tration) ; cutting too close rots the onion, too
long looks untidy. They may now be gathered up,

graded into dif-
ferent sizes,
packed in venti-
lated baskets,
barrels, crates,
etc. (as your mar-
ket demands),
and sold at once.
Or they may be
stored (accord-

TOPPING." THE TOPS ARE CUT OFF ABOUT ™S

HALF AN INCH ABOVE EACH ONION Oil pagC CO).

8O BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

BULBLETS

"Scullions" or "scallions" are onions which grow a thick
neck and fail to bottom out. Inferior seed or too wet a soil
may cause the trouble.

If the onion tops are still green in early September, roll
a barrel along the rows and break them down. This helps to
check growth and hastens the withering process.

One-half ounce of onion seed is required for about 100
feet of drill. About four pounds per acre. Sets, one quart
to perhaps forty feet of row; about eight bushels or more to
the acre.

There are three kinds of onion sets: i, onions grown
from any common variety of seed, and not allowed to
mature — thus producing little white, red or yellow "sets,''
according to the kind of seed sown; 2, sets that are produced
in a cluster above ground on the stalk end of a peculiar
variety called "Egyptian," "top" or "tree" onion; and, 3,
"multiplier" or "potato onion" sets which are produced in a
cluster underground in the odd way common to this distinct
variety. Each kind of set, if planted, of course keeps and
reproduces its own characteristics.

Winter storage of onions requires experience, and even
then is usually attended with more or less loss; but the prac-
tise often pays. Onions may be wintered, says Farmers'
Bulletin No. 39, by two different processes, namely, by
freezing the bulbs and keeping them in this state all winter,
or by storing them in shallow bins in a dry apartment (not
in a cellar) where the temperature can be maintained just
above the freezing point. The freezing process is satisfactory
only in the extreme North, where the weather is cold during
the entire winter. It consists in simply storing the bulbs in
the barn or outbuilding, allowing them to freeze, then cover-
ing with hay, straw, or bags, and letting cover remain on the
bulbs until they gradually thaw out with the rising tempera-
ture of the spring. A layer of hay must be thrown on the
floor or bottom of the bins before putting in the onions.
The temperature of the bins should not run above 32° or
below 15° until spring. Too severe freezing or successive
freezing and thawing will injure the bulbs. Onions not thor-
oughly dry when stored will sprout and spoil.

Insects and diseases: The principal enemies of the onion
are the onion maggot, a tiny white worm which burrows in
the bulb; and onion smut or rot, a blackish fungous disease.
For the first the most effective remedy is a change of location
of the onion field each year. This may be followed by any
of the treatments recommended by John B. Smith in his

THE ONION

8l

Economic Entomology: "Keep a close watch for the first
signs of maggots, and lift out and destroy infested plants
that have wilted down. Turn away the earth from the rows
with a hand plow so as to expose the root system in part,
then broadcast about 600 pounds of kainit and 100 pounds
nitrate of soda per acre; turn back the earth to the plants.
The application is best made just before or during, or imme-
diately after, a rain * Bisulphide of carbon injected
below the root system has been used with success." (On
small areas only, I presume. An injector or large syringe
or a machine-oil can may be used for the purpose. — J. B. )
"It should be used when the soil is moist but not water-
soaked * * * Tobacco dust, soot, wood ashes, etc., applied
early around the base of the plants * * Carbolic acid
emulsion pour\ed about the base of infested plants." (See
Chapter V for formula.) Fall-plowing is a help, too — par-
ticularly if you will scatter a little grain on the field occa-
sionally afterwards and then turn on a flock of chickens.
Smut is held in check to some extent by rotation of crops,
by transplanting, and by gathering and burning infected
specimens and refuse. A mixture of equal parts of sulphur
and lime sown in the drills with the seed has given good
results as a remedy for the disease. Or the seed might be
treated with formalin as advised for cabbage in Chapter XI.
Cutworms are sometimes troublesome in the onion field (see
Chapter XI for remedies). Thrips (tiny, yellow insects that
suck the juices from the leaves) may be killed by spraying
with whale-oil soap solution or kerosene emulsion. Downy
mildew sometimes affects onion tops on low ground. Reme-
dies: Destroy diseased onions and spray plants early in the
season with the Bordeaux mixture — which spray would also
be a help to keep smut in check.

AN INSECT DESTROYER

CHAPTER VIII
PEAS AND POTATOES

"A garden is the personal part of an estate — that area
which is most intimately associated with the private life of
the liomc.''

like onions, are hardy, and
early varieties should be sown in the
open ground just as soon as soil
conditions will permit — in March or
early April in the North, and in De-
/ fj;. " cember, January or February far-

ther south (according to latitude).

A too rich soil is not good for
this crop, I have discovered, for an excess of nitro-
gen is likely to cause the plants to "run all to vines."
A light clay loam is desirable if extra early peas are
wanted. Peas are nitrogenous — that is, they have the
power of gathering nitrogen from the air.

Rows in the small garden may be about three
feet apart for single rows of tall-growing varieties,
that are to be supplied with some support for the
vines to climb upon. (Rows of dwarf varieties
might be narrower.) A method often practised,
however, is to plant double rows (about eight inches
apart) with aisles about three feet wide (six inches
wider would be better for horse cultivation) between
each two double-rows. The vine support for this
double row is placed in the center of the eight-inch
space, so that vines in both rows may climb on the
one support (and thus form a single trellis of vines
from a double row of plants).

84

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Early plantings of peas are usually covered about
three inches deep; later sowings, when the ground is
drier, are often covered four or five inches deep in
mellow, light soil. Personally, I favor deep planting
for all peas in the well-drained garden — five or six
inches if soil conditions will permit. If this is prac-
tised, it is safer to cover the seed only about three
inches at first, putting the remainder of the covering
into the furrow when the pea sprouts are well up —
say ten or twelve inches high. This double-covering
precaution insures the ability of the sprouts to push
through to the surface, and is especially necessary
in heavy soils. One quart will sow about 100 feet of

single drill ; about
one and a half
bushels to an acre.
Thinning is seldom
necessary. Open the
furrows with a hoe
or a plow or a culti-
vator rigged as a fur-
rower, and drop the
seed by hand in a
continuous row. (Ex-
tensive growers, of
course, plant with a
seed drill.) Use
plenty of seed, for
rot, cutworms, etc., may get part of it.

Keep down weeds. When the plants are two
or three inches above ground, furnish some support
for them to climb on — "brush," sticks, wire-netting,
wires, cord, or whatever is handy. Continue to
cultivate until the crop is gathered, then pull out and
remove the vines and trellis, loosen up the ground,

HAND-SOWING OF PEAS IN FURROWS.

('TIS BETTER TO SOW LARGE

AREAS WITH A SEED DRILL)

PEAS AND POTATOES 8$

and plant to some other crop. (NOTE: Peas require
a cool season and do not do well in the hot weather
of mid-summer ; so they are an early-season crop
that permits of a following crop of something else —
late cabbage, celery, etc. Successional sowings of
peas should be made every ten days until June, thus
securing a regular succession of bearing vines. In
the North, dwarf varieties of peas are sometimes
sown in early August for a fall crop.)

Field culture : Let me say that the gardener
who grows peas on a large scale for market or can-
ning factory, as a rule plants and handles his crop
somewhat differently from the smaller grower. For
one thing, he generally sows the seed with a hand
or hors^e planter, thus combining in one operation
the opening, seeding and covering of the furrows.
And because he uses a machine which does the cover-
ing all in one dose, he is apt to plant the seed more
shallow — so as to make sure that the pea shoots will,
without double-covering, be able to push through the
soil. He usually plants early peas about two inches
deep ; and, later, when the soil is drier, he plants
about three inches deep.
For another thing, he
generally spaces the
single rows farther
apart (about five feet
for the very tall-grow-
ing varieties, less for AN INEXPENSIVE CORD SUPPORT FOR
the dwarf kinds), SO PEAS. WIRE POULTRY-NETTING
that the vines may 1S BETTER

have room to sprawl on the ground and thus save the
great bother and expense of furnishing extensive areas
with something for the vines to climb on. Two or
three cultivations with horse implements are given,

S6 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

and then the vines are allowed to grow as they
please. After the vines have attained size and have
fallen over, they need turning every two or three
days or they may rot on the under side ; simply
"flop" them gently over from one side to the other,
using a long, round stick for the purpose.

Picking and marketing : Peas are at their best
when the pods have filled out plump but have not be-
come hard. For large areas, pickers will need to be
hired; they should be instructed not to tear the
vines, to pick only marketable pods, and not to leave
on them long pieces of vine. Each variety should
be kept by itself, and no over-ripe yellow-looking
pods should be packed. Peas are sold in a variety
of packages — in bags, ventilated barrels, baskets,
crates, etc. For long-distance shipment the small
package is preferable, for peas in bulk are likely to
heat and spoil in a short time. A round, one-third-
barrel veneer basket is a favorite Maryland and New
Jersey package for peas. In some localities near can-
ning factories, peas can be profitably grown under
contract for the factories.

Varieties : There are two types of seed — the
smooth and the wrinkled. There are short and tall
varieties of both types. My experience is that wrin-
kled kinds are superior in quality, but if planted very
early are more likely to rot in the ground than the
smooth varieties. Among the early kinds, the fol-
lowing are well-known : Nott's Excelsior, American
Wonder, Daniel O'Rourke, Little Gem, Gradus.
Mid-season : Shropshire Hero, Abundance, Advancer,
Heroine. Late : Telephone, Stratagem, Champion of
England, Yorkshire Hero, Marrowfat.

Insects and diseases : Often the tips of the vines
are covered with little green aphis (lice). Any of

PEAS AND POTATOES 87

the sprays for lice mentioned in Chapter V will kill
them. The following two methods, however, have
been used with better success: i. On a very hot day
the lice may be brushed from the vines into the paths
and covered with the cultivator, says S. A. Johnson.
This method does not work well where the ground is
lumpy, for the lice crawl out and back upon the
plants, unless the dirt is sufficiently firm to smother
them. 2. They may be brushed into pans which are
dragged between the rows. To do this, have galva-
nized iron pans made about six feet long, eighteen
inches wide and six inches deep. Put a thin layer of
kerosene in the bottom. Drag the pan between the
rows while two boys brush the vines toward the pan.
There should be sufficient oil in the pan to insure the
wetting of all the lice, and it should be cleaned and
the oil renewed whenever necessary. (A. D. Taylor,
Massachusetts, writes that he has had best success
by dusting the vines when wet with dew with dry
hardwood ashes. Tobacco dust is also good.)

Weevils are more or less troublesome to both
peas and beans. 'Tis said that late plantings are not
so likely to be infested by weevils. This insect eats
out the heart of the seed, and is hatched from eggs
that are laid on the green pod while it is growing
on the vine. There is no means known to prevent
the laying of the eggs or the entrance of the larvae
into the seed. The only direct means of fighting the
pest is to kill the larvae in the dry seed before plant-
ing, preferably with bisulphide of carbon. Put seed
in a close box, throw a cloth over the seed, pour the
liquid over this cloth, and put on the lid. Leave un-
disturbed for forty-eight hours. Be careful not to
inhale the vapor or bring a lighted lamp near it, as
it is poisonous and explosive. Use about one ounce

88 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

to four bushels of seed. Another method is to put
the seed in water ; infested seed will float on the sur-
face and may be skimmed off and burned.

Cutworms : See Chapter XL

Mildew and rust occasionally attack this crop,
particularly if the weather is unusually damp. If
your vines begin to wilt and turn yellow, fungous
disease of the stem near the ground is probably to
blame. Spraying with the Bordeaux mixture is a
preventive of these troubles if done early enough.

POTATOES. — The ground should be rich. Many
growers secure excellent results by annually broad-
casting about 1,000 pounds per acre of a complete
fertilizer containing plenty of potash. Stable manure
is good to loosen up clay soils, but where the potato
scab is prevalent, the constant use of large quantities
of stable manure is believed to increase this fungous
trouble. Potatoes do best in a loose, well-drained
loam, well provided with humus. A clover sod or a
crop of cowpeas, etc., plowed under in the fall, makes
an ideal field for me. Owing to scab and other po-
tato peculiarities, the potato grower needs to prac-
tise a systematic rotation of crops.

Medium-sized seed is best. To start with, buy
northern-grown seed; then each year at digging
time, select tubers for seed from the best hills.
Avoid "Jumboes" or "littles." Treat the seed with
formalin (see Chapter V) to prevent scab. Cellar-
sprouted tubers are not so good for seed as those
which are unsprouted. Tubers sprouted a little in
sunlight just previous to planting are desirable when
extra early crops are wanted. Just how to cut the
seed is a disputed point, but those who cut so as to
leave at least two strong eyes on each seed piece,
will make no mistake. Some people discard the

PEAS AND POTATOES

"seed-end" of each tuber. It requires ten or more

bushels of potatoes to seed one acre.

An important point is to have the soil in perfect

condition before planting. Use the

harrow thoroughly. Rows, for horse

cultivation, should be about three

feet apart. Drop seed pieces about

fifteen inches apart ; cover about

four inches deep; shallower plant-
ing would bring the crop too near

the surface and cause portions of

the • tubers to sunburn and turn |

green. The two illustrations show

the results of wrong and right i

planting depths. There are several \

good machine potato-planters now T00.SHALLOWPLANT.

on the market ; but on small areas ING, RESULTING IN

it is customary to open the furrows S™™RTN0E0D ™™ '

with a plow or horse cultivator or THE SURFACE

hand hoe and drop the seed by

hand, and then cover the seed in a similar manner.
Cultivation should begin soon after the seed is

planted. Go diagonally over the field with a light
spike-tooth harrow, to break up
the soil crust and to kill any
weeds which may start. Go over
the field again within a week, the
other way diagonally. These
early harrowings greatly lessen
the after work of keeping the
field clean. When the potatoes
are several inches high, a culti-
vator should be used between
rows. If the ground is well-
drained and if the seed is planted

PLANTED RIGHT-
FOUR INCHES DEEP.
RESULT : NO SUN-
BURNED TUBERS

9O EIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

sufficiently deep, hilling-up is unnecessary. One hand
hoeing during the season may be desirable.

Insects and diseases : Every few weeks I spray
the vines with a mixture of the full-strength Bor-
deaux and Paris green. Spraying should begin when
the plants are about four inches high and continue
as long as growth lasts. Thus bugs, early and late
blight, mildew, rot, etc., may usually be kept in check
with one combined mixture. The potato-stalk weevil
which sometimes bores in the stalks, can be kept
down by prompt gathering and burning of vines
when the crop is dug; badly infested vines should
be pulled and burned at any time.

Wireworms (not angleworms) are very slender,
yellowish, hard-bodied worms that are often trouble-
some in the soil ; usually, however, these pests dis-
like ground which has been heavily enriched with
chemical fertilizers ; 'tis said that fall-plowing, fol-
lowed by a spring application of 150 pounds of ni-
trate of soda, and 1,000 pounds of kainit to the acre,
is particularly good to conquer wireworms. This
should be sown broadcast and harrowed in before

the crop is planted.
(This is for the worms,
mainly, and is not a
balanced fertilizer
mixture. Some bone
meal or phosphate
might be added to

balance the food

HAND-PLANTING OF POTATOES ;

OPENING AND CLOSING THE needs of tllC plant).

FURROWS WITH A PLOW Repeat the practise

for several years, and turn the hens on the field when-

ever possible — particularly after plowing or harrowing'.

Varieties : Each locality has its favorites ; study

PEAS AND POTATOES

your market's requirements. Among the best early
varieties I might mention : Early Rose, Early Michi-
gan, Early Ohio, Early Norther, Early Bovee, Early
White Ohio, etc. Among the best late or main-crop
varieties, are : Rural New-Yorker, Carman No. 3,
Sir Walter Raleigh, Great Divide, Vermont Gold
Coin, Nebraska, Mammoth Pearl, Rose Seedling,
Burbank, Uncle Sam, State of Maine, etc.

In the North early potatoes, like peas, are
planted in March or April as soon as the ground
becomes dry enough (tu-
bers will rot if planted in
too wet a soil). Fall plow-
ing is, of course, a help
to early planting; so is
tile draining. The plant is
sensitive to frost, but
usually the sprouts take so
long a time to get above
ground that frost danger
is mostly over before they
appear ; at a critical time,
however, 'tis possible, I find, to plow or hoe a little
soil on to the tender sprouts and thus outwit Jack
Frost. Main or late crop potatoes are planted in the
North any time between about May loth and June
ist. In Georgia early potatoes are planted about
February ist, I am told.

"Second-crop potatoes" : In some of the south
ern states a double cropping system is practised, the
second crop being grown the same season from seed
produced by the first crop. For full particulars
about this method, write to the United States De-
partment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and ask
for free Farmers' Bulletin No. 35.

A MACHINE POTATO-PLANTER

OPENS THE FURROWS, PLANTS

THE SEED, COVERS IT AND

MARKS THE NEXT ROW

p2 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Digging, storing and marketing: The maturity
and death of the vines show that it is time to dig
the main or late crop, which should be done at once
if the tubers seem to be rotting; but if they are keep-
ing all right it may be better to delay digging until
later in the fall when the weather is cooler. Early-
market tubers are dug whenever big enough, re-
gardless of the vines. In the fall choose a dry time
to do the digging, if possible. They should be dug
by hand if the area is not large — using a four-tined
potato hook made for the purpose. Or, if the area
is large, there are excellent horse-power machine
diggers and pickers that save much time and labor.

In harvesting, as well as in storage, potatoes
should be exposed to light as little as possible.
After digging I advise that they should lie on the
ground only long enough to dry thoroughly, and
then be gathered up into slatted bushel-crates, piled
on the wagon, hauled to the packing or storage place
and sorted into grades (a machine potato-sorter is
made that facilitates this work). In some cases the
potatoes are sorted in the field and packed at once
in barrels, or in burlap sacks holding no to 120
pounds. Early potatoes are sold in Maryland and
some other states in round one-third-barrel veneer
baskets. Late potatoes are often shipped in barrels
with the tops tied with burlap, or in burlap sacks, or
loose in carload lots.

In storing potatoes a dark, dry place and a low
temperature is required. The potato tuber is unin-
jured by a temperature of 33° F. Warmth, light
and moisture favor sprouting, which injures potatoes
both for planting and eating. Storage in cellars
is very common ; outdoor pits are sometimes used
(consult Chapter IX in regard to pits). No matter

PEAS AND POTATOES 93

how stored, the winter loss from shrinkage, rot,
etc., must always be considered. It is often wiser
to sell in the fall if a fair price is offered. If stored
in a dugout or cellar, put the potatoes in bins made of
slats (to insure ventilation) and not more than five
feet deep.

Indoor cellars : Generally speaking I would ear-
nestly say that a house cellar is not a good place to
store large quantities of vegetables — not good for
the folks above, and not good for the vegetables be-
cause usually too warm. However, it is often ad-
visable to have small lots of potatoes, roots, etc., in
the cellar. Put the potatoes in bins. Roots should be
packed in or covered with sand to keep them from
drying out and shriveling. Ventilate the cellar, and
promptly remove any vegetable which has rotted.
Keep out light, frost and warmth.

AFTER RADISHES ARE PULLED, SOME MARKET GARDENERS SOAK THEM
IN WATER FOR THREE HOURS TO MAKE THEM EXTRA CRISP

CHAPTER IX
ROOT CROPS

BEET, CARROT, PARSNIP, RADISH, SALSIFY,
TURNIP, ETC.

THE long-rooted varieties require a deep,,
loose soil for their best development (the
round or stump-rooted kinds will, of
course, do well in shallower soil). Sub-
""""" soiling or tile draining are great aids in

growing long-rooted crops. Plenty of
fertilizer and humus is necessary. These
crops are all hardy and therefore permit
of early sowing. Give thorough cultiva-
tion and hand weeding. Transplanting is
seldom practised with these vegetables.

BEET. — There are two kinds — the early-
season, quick-growing, round, short-rooted varieties,
and the long-rooted, long-season ones. The former
are most often grown of late years for market, and
may be sown in early spring as an early crop to be
followed by something else, or in July or early
August as a succession crop after some earlier crop
has matured. (The long-rooted kinds are generally
sown in May or June in the North, and grow during
the entire season.)

Sow in drills about a foot apart for wheel-hoe
cultivation ; two and a half feet for horse work.
Thin the plants gradually to about five inches apart.
Cover seed about an inch deep. The seed germi-
nates slowly and a preliminary soaking hastens

96

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

germination. One ounce of seed will sow about
fifty feet of drill ; about five pounds to the acre.

Beet "greens" are popular, and are merely young
plants that are only partly grown. They are usually
obtained in the form of "thinnings" from the rows,
leaving the remaining plants to mature. Beet greens
are sold in bunches, leaves and all.

Early beets are marketed in various ways — gen-
erally tied in bunches of six with part or all of the
top attached. Main-crop beets are topped and packed
in barrels, etc.

Varieties : Among early kinds, these are my
favorites : Early Egyptian, Eclipse, Crimson Globe.
Long Blood is a standard late variety.

Insects and diseases : These, as a rule, are sel-
dom troublesome. Wireworms in the soil sometimes
hurt the roots (see Chap-
ter VIII for remedies).
Root rot is occasionally
serious ; lime applied to
the soil is a help. Beet
rust and leaf-spot are fun-
gous troubles on the
leaves ; remedy, Bordeaux
spray applied early. Rota-
tion of crops is useful in
all these troubles.
CARROT. — For early use, plant the Short Horn,
Oxheart and similar short-rooted varieties early in
the spring. Main-crop carrots for winter use (Dan-
ver's Half-long, Long Orange, etc.,) may be sown in
the North in early June, following early radishes, etc.
The seed germinates slowly (soaking helps) and
the young plants are easily ruined by weeds or neg-
lect ; but when once established the crop is an easy

THE HAND-THINNING OF ROOT

CROPS IS AN EARLY AND

IMPORTANT DETAIL

ROOT CROPS 97

one. Sow the seed thickly, about half an inch deep;
rows and thinning the same as for beets. One ounce
of seed will sow about 100 feet of drill ; about two and
a half pounds required for an acre. Americans eat
very few carrots and the market demand is therefore
rather limited and uncertain. Fungi or insects are
not usually troublesome.

PARSNIP. — This is an all-season crop and should
be sown as early in the spring as the soil can be
worked. Sown and thinned the same as carrots,
except that one ounce of seed will sow about 200
feet of drill ; five pounds about one acre. The seed
germinates slowly. Varieties : For shallow soils
plant Early Round French, but if your soil is deep
enough plant Hollow Crown, Guernsey or Half-
long. For table use, parsnips are sweeter and better
if they are allowed to stay in the ground and freeze —
digging them in late winter or when thaws occur;
for immediate use a portion of the crop might be
dug and stored in the fall. There are practically no
troublesome insects or diseases. Marketable roots
should be long, straight and smooth, and not
branched (shallow or lumpy soil causes branching,
says Farmer Vincent).

RADISH. — For best results I choose a sandy loam,
well drained and enriched. This crop, to be eatable
or marketable, must be grown quickly — pushed along
from start to finish so as to be crisp and juicy.
Begin to sow the seed outdoors in the North in
March or April (earlier farther south) as soon as
the ground can be worked. For wheel-hoe cultiva-
tion the rows should be about a foot apart. Sow the
seed rather thinly, cover about one-half inch deep,
and thin the plants to about three inches apart. The
seed germinates very quickly and the crop is ready

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

in five or six weeks, usually. Successional sowings
may be made at ten-day intervals until June, so as to
have radishes in good con-
dition all through the radish
season. In July and August
this crop does not do so
well, and is seldom planted
then. One ounce of seed
should sow about 100 feet
of drill ; ten pounds about
one acre. Radishes are oc-
casionally grown in hotbeds
or coldframes for very early
market.

Winter radishes are not
much in favor in this coun-
try, but those who like
them may sow the seed
about September ist, and
expect a crop before freezing weather.

Marketing : After radishes are pulled, some
market gardeners soak them for three hours in
barrels of water, to make them extra crisp (see
full-page picture facing this chapter). Next they
are placed on a wire-netting rinsing tray, roots all
one way; third, they are rinsed with a stream of
fresh water (see two illustrations in this chapter).
Then they are tied in bunches, leaves left on, and are
ready to sell or to pack for shipment. Different ship-
ping packages are used in different localities.

Varieties : Among the best-known early short-
rooted kinds are Scarlet Globe, Round Red, White
Turnip, French Breakfast, Half-long Deep Scarlet,
etc. Early long-rooted : Early Scarlet Short Top.
White Chinese is a good winter variety.

AFTER SOAKING, RADISHES

TING RINSING TRAY, ROOTS
ALL ONE WAY

ROOT CROPS

99

Insects : Usually the only serious pest is a mag-
got in the soil. This is similar to the onion maggot
mentioned in Chapter VII, and the remedies would
be the same as there given. Flea beetles sometimes
bother (see Chapter XI).

SALSIFY. — This is also called "vegetable oyster,"
and is often used by Harriet in making an imitation
oyster-stew. It is
grown the same
as parsnip ; it is
hardy and may
be left in the
ground over win-
ter or stored at
once. One ounce
of seed will sow
about 100 feet
of drill. Mam-
moth Sandwich

Island is a good variety. There are no troublesome
pests so far as I know.

TURNIP. — Usually sown as a fall crop in July
or early August; sometimes sown as an early mar-
ket crop very early in the spring. Must be grown
rapidly or the roots are woody and bitter. Sow in
the spring in rows the same as radishes. The mag-
got, wireworm and flea beetle are the principal pests
(see elsewhere for remedies). Thin the plants to
about five inches apart for early; wider if you want
big roots.

Instead of sowing in rows in July, it is quite a
common practise to broadcast the seed on clean,
mellow ground, and then harrow or rake it in.
Here's a better way : Have the seedbed very fine,
then roll it ; sow the seed soon after a rain, and

AFTER A THOROUGH RINSING, RADISHES
ARE THEN READY TO BE TIED IN, BUNCHES

IOO BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

cover by lightly rolling the ground. Of course no
subsequent cultivation is given. The yield is often
very good when seed is sown in this way, but row
culture is usually more certain and satisfactory.
One ounce of seed will sow about 200 feet of drill.
Use about two pounds to the acre, either broadcast
or in rows. For horse cultivation space the rows
two feet and a half apart. Early turnips are some-
times bunched like beets, or they may be topped
and sold in barrels, baskets, etc. Consult your mar-
kefs requirements. The late crop should be gath-
ered before hard freezing begins, topped and sold or
stored.

Varieties : Purple-top Strap-leaf, Early Milan,
Flat Dutch, Early Munich, Purple-top White Globe,
etc.

SOME OTHER ROOT CROPS. — Sugar beets are
grown in some localities, under contract, for beet-
sugar factories, and the varieties used are known to
be especially rich in sugar contents ; they are grown
the same as other beets, but are sold by the ton.
Mangel-wurzel is a mammoth species of coarse
beet which grows partially above ground and is well
liked as a stock food. Rutabaga, or Swedish turnip,
is usually grown as a food for stock. None of the
three foregoing varieties are, strictly speaking, gar-
den vegetables.

DIGGING AND STORING ROOT CROPS. — Roots may
be dug out or pulled out; but if the crop is large
or the roots long, I find that it is easier to plow
them out. For storing or shipping in the fall, the
roots should dry in the sun until the soil will shake
from them, and the tops should be cut off, about
an inch above the crown. Then haul to pit, cellar
or packing house. Be careful not to bruise when

ROOT CROPS IOI

digging or handling; bruised or mutilated roots will
not keep long.

Storing : The construction of a Colorado-style
storage house or dugout is simple, says E. R. Ben-
nett. An excavation is made in the ground, of the
required dimensions for the cellar and of a sufficient
depth to give soil for covering the top. A frame of
posts, timbers and rafters is then made as for a
building. This frame is covered with wire-netting
or brush. Over this two or three feet of straw is
placed and this is covered with soil to a depth of
six to twelve inches. Ventilator shafts are put in at
regular intervals to give air circulation and keep the
temperature from rising too high. Some of these
dugouts have an alley through the center with doors
at either end so that the wagor may be driven
through. Double doors with a ;dcai/, air-space be-
tween are used as a protection against irost. It
roots or potatoes are stored while ;thc -weathe/ is
yet warm, the ventilators and abciS a-v left "open
nights to give a circulation of cold air, and closed
during the heat of the day. In this way the bins
are gradually cooled down, and by giving close at-
tention to the temperature the whole mass is kept
as cool as possible without danger from frost. Dur-
ing the winter considerable care has to be exercised
to prevent the temperature of the dugout from ris-
ing from the heat developed by the stored roots or
potatoes. This is regulated by opening and closing
the ventilator shafts as the case demands. (In a
wet climate it would be necessary to have some kind
of water-proof roof on top of the soil, to keep out
rain, etc. — J. B.)

Outdoor "pits" : These differ from dugouts in
that they are not usually sunken in the ground. They

102 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

are, as a rule, made on the surface as follows : Piles
of topped and unbruised roots (or potatoes) are
made on a high, well-drained piece of ground. These
piles may be almost any shape or size (but it is
wise not to have the piles large enough to heat when
covered — better make several separate pits when the
quantity to be stored is large, or one long pit divided
at four-foot intervals with a
wall of earth so as to make
separate compartments). The
accompanying picture shows
how to make a pit. On top of
the ground comes a shallow
layer of straw, then a cone of

AN OUTDOOR ROOT-PIT

feet at the base, then a layer of straw about six
inches ci»e<^p \v 1'icn matted down, and, lastly, a layer
of soil about a foot in depth shoveled up from
arotrnd the pit. In the center of each pit or com-
partment, 'is an upright stick to which is tied a wisp
of straw arranged as a ventilator. (In very severe
climates it may be necessary to put a layer of man-
ure on top of the soil layer, or another layer each of
straw and soil.) Special remarks: Do not cover
the pit all at once. First put on the straw, with a
board or two to hold it in place ; this will protect
against light frosts. As the weather gets colder,
throw on an inch or two of soil — adding soil as the
winter advances until the pit is fully protected. « A
house cellar is not a suitable place to store more than
a few potatoes (in bins) and a few roots (in sand).

CHAPTER X
LETTUCE. CELERY

Good "luck" with these crops means rich, moist soil, good
seed, and plenty of clboiv grease. — Tim.

ETTUCE is hardy, and there-
fore the first sowing outdoors
may be made just as early in
the spring as the ground can
be worked. Successional sow-
ings may thereafter be made
every two weeks, to insure a
constant supply for the table
or market. I like the rows about fifteen inches apart
for wheel-hoe cultivation; about two and a half feet
apart for horse work. Sow in drills and cover
about half an inch deep. Thin the plants gradually,
using the thinnings for table use as far as possible,
until the plants stand about ten inches apart (more
or less, according to the variety grown and the size
of head wanted). The best soil for early lettuce is
a light, loose loam, made very rich. Applications of
nitrate of soda or liquid manure are helpful to the
growing crop (see Chapter IV). One-quarter ounce
of seed will sow about 100 feet of drill.

The foregoing is the easy small-garden method
of growing lettuce without transplanting. North-
ern market gardeners, however, usually prefer to
raise early plants in hotbeds, transplant to cold-
frames, and then transplant to the field. Or some-
times they sow the seed outdoors in September, trans-
plant in October to coldframes for wintering (spac-
ing the plants about five inches apart), and then,

1O4 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

in the early spring, transplant the wintered lettuce
from coldframes to field; or sometimes outdoor
August-sown plants are moved to frames and forced
along for Thanksgiving or early winter market. Or,
for the later crops of head lettuce, they may sow the
seed in drills outdoors in early spring, and then, in-
stead of thinning the lettuce, transplant it to a nicely-
prepared field where it can be set the required dis-
tance apart. Market gardeners have a custom, also,
of transplanting a head of lettuce between each two
early cabbages in a field row — the lettuce is soon
off and then the cabbages can have all the space.

Hotbed lettuce, in the North, is usually started
in February and transplanted in about four weeks
(see Chapter III for cultural directions). In the
South it may be started several weeks or months
earlier, according to latitude. One ounce of seed
should furnish about 1,000 plants; they are moved
to the open ground in March or early April. The
faster the growth, the more crisp, tender and sweet
the lettuce will be. Some gardeners facilitate the
"heading" process by drawing up the outer leaves
around the plant and securing them in place with a
string. (NOTE: Very early lettuce is often grown
entirely in frames or greenhouses, without trans-
planting outdoors.)

Summer and fall lettuce : Most varieties of let-
tuce do not do welHn hot weather; therefore if you
want summer lettuce you should select the kind
called Cos — a distinct type (also known as "celery
lettuce," or Romaine). For fall lettuce any of the
spring varieties may be planted.

Varieties : Early Curled Simpson, Black Seeded
Simpson, Grand Rapids, etc., are good extra-early
kinds of the curled or leaf variety. Tennis Ball,

LETTUCE. CELERY 105

Boston Market, Iceberg, Hanson, etc., are good head
or "cabbage" kinds, but do not mature quite so
quickly.

Marketing lettuce : My experience tells me that
lettuce with a blanched heart sells best in most mar-
kets, and is in more or less demand all the year
around. Lettuce in the field is cut off close to the
ground and taken to the packing house, where the
untidy outer leaves are taken off. A favorite pack-
age for lettuce in Maryland, etc., is the round,

veneer basket with a cover

(the cover is not shown in
illustration). Ventilated bar-
rels, crates, etc., are used in
some localities. Lettuce for
shipment should be quite dry
when packed. Lettuce for a A BASKET OF MARYLAND
near-by fancy trade is some- HEAD ^C^ED^^
times grown in two-inch pots,
and marketed in that way — thus insuring freshness.

Insects and diseases : Out-of-doors the lettuce
crop is seldom troubled by bugs or fungi. Cutworms
sometimes bother (see Chapter XI). Under glass
"damping off" (sometimes called "drop" or "wilt")
is a common trouble (see Chapter II). Stem and
leaf rot may usually be prevented, where prevalent,
by covering the greenhouse or hotbed soil with two
inches of sand which has been sterilized by being
treated with boiling water. Half-strength Bordeaux
mixture might be sprayed on the plants when they
are little, as a preventive.

CELERY. — For ordinary home use celery can be
grown on almost any kind of rich garden soil, but
for the best market success deep alluvial or re-
claimed swamp ground is the kind to choose. At

IO6 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Kalamazoo, Mich., famous for its celery, the soil I
saw in the fields is black, moist, and filled with
humus ; it lies very low and is drained by a network
of open ditches.

For the early crop in the North, sow seed in
hotbeds about March ist (earlier in the South), and
transplant to coldframes about April loth (see
Chapter III for cultural details). The seed germi-
nates very slowly and the young plants are weak ;
plant seed rather thickly and see that the soil does
not dry out until plants are well up. The plants may
be moved to the open ground in May or early June.
There is not a large demand for very early celery.

For the late crop, seed may be sown outdoors
as early in the spring as the ground can be worked.
The soil should be fine and moist. Sow in drills
about a foot apart and cover about three-eighths of
an inch deep, afterward firming the soil by rolling,
by pressing with the feet, or by tamping with the
back of a hoe-blade. If the weather is very dry,
germination may be hastened by watering the seed-
bed and then covering the rows with burlap until the
plants are up. Start the hoe as soon as the rows
can be seen. In early July dig the plants, shear or
cut off a portion of the tops (read Chapter III),
and transplant to rows for horse cultivation about
three feet apart for the dwarf varieties or four feet
for the tall kinds, plants spaced about six inches
apart in the row. Be sure to firm the earth about
the roots. (For small-garden culture, or where boards
are used for blanching the crop, the rows may be
closer together — say two or two and one-half feet
apart. In fact, in a system called the "new celery
culture," it is advocated that plants should be set
very close together — about 6x8 inches apart — so

LETTUCE. CELERY

107

that the leaves will meet and the plants blanch them-
selves ; this method, however, usually requires irri-
gation to make it a success; the "self-blanching"
varieties are used, and the outer sides of the patch
are covered with boards.)

Blanching : Early or summer celery is usually
blanched, after the first "handling," by standing
twelve-inch-wide boards close against each side of
the celery plants, the top edges hooked or cleated
so as to be about three inches apart. The boards
should be about twelve feet long, and are put on
when the celery is about a foot high. I think that
the board method is better than earth for summer
blanching, because celery covered entirely with earth
is more liable to rot or rust in warm weather. This
blanching process requires two or three weeks after
the boards are put on. Then the plants can be dug,
as wanted, and sold or used. (NOTE: In very small
gardens celery may easily be blanched by slipping

a piece of tile over each ,

plant.)

The late crop of cel-
ery is usually blanched by
hilling earth gradually up
to the plants on both sides
of the row. This kind of
blanching is not begun un-
til the hot summer weather
is over, the weather cool,
and the plants well grown.
The first part of the
blanching process is
called "handling." This,
in plain English, means
to gather together with

A HORSE-DRAWN CELER Y-HILLER

IS A GREAT HELP IN THE

BLANCHING PROCESS

IO8 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

the hands a plant's sprawling leaves and stalks,
bring them together in compact, upright form, and
then hold them in place by drawing up and compact-
ing enough soil around the clump of stalks. In about
two weeks more earth is drawn up around the new
growth. Later, a third hilling-up may be required ;
this, and the second one, is easily accomplished in
large fields by using a horse-drawn celery-hiller
sold especially for the purpose (or a one-horse plow
might be used, or a cultivator rigged to throw soil
toward both sides). The work must be done when
the soil and celery plants are dry, as hilling or hand-
ling in a moist condition favors rust or rot, or both.

All celery requires some kind of blanching — even
the so-called "self -blanching" varieties need the shade
of the extra-close planting I mentioned a few para-
graphs back.

Varieties : White Plume and Golden Self-
Blanching are good early kinds. Kalamazoo, Golden
Dwarf, Boston Market, Giant Pascal, etc., are ex-
cellent fall and winter varieties. I do not like the
Giant Pascal type so well as the smaller kinds.

Packing and marketing : Celery when fully
grown and blanched, is dug, and prepared for mar-
ket by trimming off the roots so as to leave the short
solid stem. The tops are never cut, but any loose or
untidy outside stems and leaves may be removed.
The stalks when thus dressed, and washed, are made
into bundles of one dozen each, says W. N. Hutt,
Maryland, and tied twice with light tape to hold the
stalks together in position. These bundles are packed
into a ventilated crate, which in Maryland is 22 x 24
inches and twenty inches high. The crate is packed
full, placing the stalks in upright position. The crate
will hold ten or a dozen bundles of ordinary size.

LETTUCE. CELERY

109

In some localities celery is shipped in crates where
the bunches are laid flat and the tops lapped.

Storing : Celery will withstand considerable
light frost, but its keeping qualities and flavor will
be injured by hard freezing.

Large northern growers handle the last of the
crop by the method known as trenching. The celery
is first partially banked with earth and allowed to
remain where _
grown so long as
there is no dan-
ger from heavy
frosts. Then
comes the work
of digging the
plants to be
trenched. Trench-
ing will be great-
ly facilitated by
setting up two
parallel lines of
twelve - inch
boards, about
eighteen or
twenty inches apart, between which the dug celery is
packed with the roots embedded in the soil. When
the space between the boards is filled, soil is thrown
up on the outside to the tops of the boards. The
boards are then lifted out and used again, the soil
being allowed to come in direct contact with the
celery. These trenches are usually made only fifty
or sixty feet in length and are small enough to per-
mit the removal of a whole trench at one time. As
colder weather approaches, the celery is either re-
moved and marketed or a covering of boards, straw

GATHERING BOARD-BLANCHED CELERY NEAR
SANFORD, FLA. — 1,200 CRATES TO THE ACRE

TTO HIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

or corn fodder is placed over the tops for pro-
tection.

Small quantities of celery, for table use, can be
removed from these trenches from time to time, and
stored with the roots in earth in the coolest part of
the house cellar.

Insects and diseases: Insects seldom trouble
the celery crop much, although sometimes celery
caterpillars (pale green, with black and white marks)
are bothersome. Buhach will kill them ; some grow-
ers pick them off by hand. Blight, leaf spot, and
rust often occur, but may be largely prevented by
spraying half-strength Bordeaux mixture on the
plants in the seedbed; the spray may be repeated at
intervals if necessary when the plants are trans-
planted to the field. Rot has already been mentioned
(see Blanching). Pithy stalks generally result from
too much heat and not enough moisture when the
young plants are growing in the field; inferior seed
is also often the cause.

CHAPTER XI
CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER

ALSO BROCCOLI, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, KALE, KOHLRABI

EARLY cabbage should be started in hot-
beds about February ist in the North
(earlier in the South), and transplanted
to coldframes in about a month. Do
not force cabbage along too rapidly;
aim to have short, stocky plants rather
than tall, spindling ones. (See Chapter
III for cultural directions.) If well
hardened off, the plants can usually be
transplanted to the open ground early
in April. A heavily-fertilized sandy or clay loam,
well drained and fine and mellow, is good. Applica-
tions of nitrate of soda or liquid manure are a help
in hurrying the plants along in the field (see Chap-
ter IV). The cabbage is a gross feeder and requires
large quantities of manure, fertilizer and moisture.
For hoe cultivation the rows may be about two feet
apart; for horse work about two and one-half feet.
Space the plants about sixteen inches apart (more
or Jess, according to variety; Early Jersey Wake-
field- ~the favorite very early kind — is sometimes set
only fourteen inches apart in the rows, while Early
Summer, Succession, All-Head, All-Seasons, etc., do
better at eighteen inches). Young cabbage plants are
sometimes used for greens, and are then called "col-
lards" ; the true collard, however, is a kind of kale
much grown in the South.

112

HIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Late cabbage plants are usually grown in a seed-
bed outdoors, planting the seed in April or early
May in the northern states, in rows about a foot
apart. Cover seed about half an inch deep. One
ounce of seed will sow about 300 feet of drill and
should furnish about 2,000 plants. Transplant to the
field in June or early July — as a succession crop to
follow some earlier vegetable. Late cabbage may be
planted on heavier, wetter
soils than should the early
crop ; some of the best
late cabbage fields I have
ever seen were on black-
looking bottom lands that
would do equally well for
celery. Field rows for
large, late varieties should
not be closer than two
and one-half feet ; plants
about two feet apart in
the row. (Extensive
growers often set cab-
bage 2^ x 2^ feet, and
cultivate with a horse both
ways — thus saving much
hand hoeing.) If cab-
bage heads show signs of
bursting, pull the head enough to break some of the
roots. This helps to stop excessive growth. Dan-
ish Ball, Late Flat Dutch, Drumhead, Surehead, etc.,
are well-known late varieties for June setting (if the
setting is delayed until early July, the crop will be
more likely to mature if you use second-early varie-
ties such as Succession, All-Head, etc.). Red cab-
bage and Savoy cabbage are liked by some people.

EARLY JERSEY WAKEFTELD IS A
FAVORITE EARLY CABBAGE

CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER 113

Marketing cabbage : A considerable portion of
the late cabbage crop is handled in bulk. Some
growers sell by the ton to kraut factories. The best
carrier for shipping early cabbage is the barrel-sized
crate.

Storing late cabbage : It is a mistake to delay
harvesting the winter crop until the outer leaves
have been frozen hard several times and when there
is danger of unbroken winter weather, says Penn-
sylvania Bulletin No. 147. In this state it is not safe
to postpone harvesting later than the tenth of No-
vember. Various methods of storing winter cabbage
are used with good success. The
Danish Ball is the best keeper that
can be grown. In large producing
districts, frost-proof storage houses
are designed and built especially for
the purpose. Many growers store in
barns or caves. Some pile or store
the untrimmed heads in protected
spots, as along fences, covering after QNE WAY op
severe weather begins with straw, STORING CABBAGE
corn stalks, leaves or other coarse ~ALL.RAROUNDS
material. Burying is a favorite plan
with some, and there is no better way to preserve
cabbage in a fresh, crisp condition : Line up on a
well-drained part of the ground three rows of heads,
placed close together, turned upside down. Then
with a team and plow, draw two furrows, throwing
soil as much as possible on the cabbage. Then finish
with shovels, placing five or six inches of soil on the
heads. After the ground is frozen to the depth of
an inch or two, cover with strawy manure to the
depth of several inches.

Insects and diseases : Root maggots are a serious

114 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

pest ; consult Chapter VII for general remedies. One
of the most successful remedies (for cabbage or
cauliflower) is the use of pads of tarred paper. The
pads are cut in a hexagonal form in order to econo-
mize the material, and a thinner grade of tarred
paper than the ordinary roofing felt is used. The
dotted lines in the illustration represent slits or cuts
in each piece. Pads should be about two and one-
half inches in diameter; one thickness of paper is
enough. By having a steel die made, the complete
pads can be quickly and easily punched
out. The pads should be placed about
the plants at the time of transplanting
to the open ground. To place one,
bend it slightly, to open the slit, then
slip it on the plant, the stem enter-
ing the slit, after which spread the
pad out flat, and press the points formed by the
star-shaped cut snugly around the stem. When in
place, the pad rests flat on the ground, completely
encircling the stem and fitting tightly around it —
the idea being to prevent the root-maggot fly from
depositing her eggs on stem near the ground. Plants
while in the seedbed should be protected with mos-
quito-netting.

Cabbage worms — green and plentiful — are well
known to every cabbage grower ; they are the larvae
of the white butterflies which fly around cabbage
fields. Remedies : The main secret of success is
regular, persistent treatment nearly every week. One
treatment alone does little good, owing to the fact
that new egg supplies are being placed on the cab-
bages by the butterflies all summer. One part
pyrethrum to three parts flour, dusted on, is an
excellent remedy. Water at a temperature of 130°

CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER 115

will kill every worm it touches without injuring the
plants. Kerosene emulsion : An excellent remedy
while the plants are young, but may give the heads a
bad taste if used too late. Air-slaked lime: Some
growers say that this (or, in fact, fine dry road dust,
or any powdery substance) will kill every worm it
covers.

Cutworms work only at night. These worms
like to eat through the stems of cabbages, cauliflower,
tomatoes, etc. Several methods of combating cut-
worms have been invented, such as killing them with
poisoned bait scattered along the plant rows, etc.,
but one of the best ways is to fence them out. Cut
some stiff paper (tar-paper is good) into strips about
eight inches long and two inches wide. Put a strip
around a plant's stem, tightly lap the edges an inch,
and push the lower half of the circle into the soil —
to anchor it and to prevent worms from burrowing
beneath. Have the circle an inch away from stem.

Flea beetles have in recent years been destruc-
tive to young cabbage, radish and turnip plants.
Tobacco dust, applied freely, will usually drive the
pests away. Lime flavored with Paris green will
also help in most cases. In the seedbed the plants
can be protected with mosquito-netting.

Lice often attack cabbage. Remedies are given
in Chapter V.

Club-root is the most common and dangerous
cabbage and cauliflower disease. There is no cure,
but there are preventive measures. Infected plants,
refuse in cabbage fields, etc., should be burned. Ro-
tation of crops should be practised. Lime used
liberally on cabbage ground is an excellent prevent-
ive. The disease, however, usually makes its first
appearance in the seedbed, and can there be best

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

treated. The roots become swollen and distorted,
and the leaves look sickly. Treating the seedbed
soil with bisulphide of carbon, before planting, has
been recommended. It might also be advisable to
treat the seed, before sowing, as follows : Put the
seed in a cloth sack and soak for two hours in a
solution of one ounce of formalin in about three and
one-quarter gallons of water ; dry and sow at once.
Or try the onion-smut remedy (lime and sulphur)
given in Chapter VII.

CAULIFLOWER. — This vegetable is grown in prac-
tically the same way as cabbage, but I find that it is
a much more difficult crop to bring to perfection.
It succeeds best in a cool and moist climate, and in
a rich, moist soil. Irrigation is a great help. Buy
only the best seed; and push growth steadily along
by regular cultivation. After the head forms, tie the

leaves together over it
to prevent sunburning.
Early Snowball or Early
Dwarf Erfurt may be
started in hotbeds about
February ist, and trans-
planted in the same
manner as advised for
early cabbage. Algiers

and Veitch's Autumn
IF YOU CAN'T HOE OUT EVERY ~. , «. -j . •

WEED, BE HUMBLE AND PULL 'EM Uiant may be started in

an outdoor seedbed the

same as late cabbage. When prepared for market,
the leaves are usually neatly trimmed off even with
top of head, and the heads are packed in baskets,
crates, etc. Insects and diseases are the same as
those that infest cabbage; which may also be said of
the following vegetables :

CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER 117

BROCCOLI. — Not much known in this country.
Very similar to the late varieties of cauliflower.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS. — Belongs to the cabbage fam-
ily, but instead of forming a large head, miniature
sprouts or cabbages are borne along the stem —
which sprouts are considered a delicacy when young
and tender. Usually grown as a late crop, by sowing
seeds outdoors in June and transplanting about
August ist. Light freezing does not hurt the crop.
Or an early crop may be grown and cultivated the
same as cabbage.

KALE. — This is a form of cabbage which does
not head ; its large leaves are used for greens, and it
is sometimes called "borecole." Kale is sown out-
doors in the North in the spring, and is not usually
transplanted. Rows the same as for cabbage plants;
thin the plants to about fifteen inches apart. Kale
is very hardy and is improved by freezing.

Sea-kale : Differs from the foregoing and is
little known in this country. A spring vegetable,
says Long Island Agronomist, earlier than asparagus.
From seed sown in May good plants can be set,
like asparagus, into a permanent bed in September
and will remain for years. Earth is lightly piled
over the bed to a height of about a foot in early
spring, and when the shoots come through this cover-
ing they are cut off to the roots. This gives stalks
of kale much resembling celery; pull the leaves
apart as you would celery, cook in boiling salted
water until tender and serve with drawn butter,
with or without vinegar, as taste desires.

KOHLRABI. — This is a turnip-rooted cabbage, and
the tuber is the edible part. Not much grown in the
United States. Hardy. Sow the same as kale, and
use the bulbs when young and tender.

CHAPTER XII
CORN. BEANS. SWEET POTATOES

"Great helper in the cook's rare art.
The complete garden does its part."

WEET or sugar corn will do nicely on
almost any warm, well-drained, fairly-
rich soil ; it does especially well, I can
testify, on a turned-under clover sod.
It is a tender plant and sowings should
not be made in the North until early in
May. In the garden, corn may best be
planted in rows about four feet apart
(not in hills like the farmers' field
corn). Sow the seed thinly in drills and cover about
two inches deep (see Chapter V in regard to tarring
the seed), and thin the plants when well up to about
one foot apart. Cultivate, thoroughly. Make suc-
cessional sowings at ten-day intervals, until about
July 1 5th. Corn is usually sold at retail by the dozen
ears, and is shipped in various kinds of packages —
crates, barrels, baskets, sacks, etc. The ears are not
good unless pulled at just the right stage of juicy
development.

Varieties : Cory, Crosby, Early Minnesota,
Black Mexican, etc., are good early and second-
early kinds. Country Gentleman, Stowell's Ever-
green, etc., are standard late varieties. I grow all
of these.

Insects and diseases : Wireworms in the soil
are often troublesome (see Chapter VIII). Cut-
worms bother, too, but the wise grower plants

I2O BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

enough seed to insure a stand despite the cutworms'
attacks. Webworms and lice sometimes attack the
leaves (see buhach, and lice remedies, in Chapter
V). The corn-worm often eats the kernels of ripen-
ing corn, but no very satisfactory remedies are
known. Smut (a white or black fungus) is rather
common ; burn diseased leaves and ears ; never
throw them on the manure pile.

POPCORN. — Usually grown as a farm crop,
planted in hills about 3x3 feet apart, but may be
grown in the garden the same as sweet corn, if
desired. White Rice is the standard kind. Let the
ears become thoroughly ripe and hard before gath-
ering, and hang them in the attic until dry enough
to pop. Do not plant popcorn near sweet corn, nor
sweet corn near field corn, or the two kinds will
mix.

BEANS. — All the varieties are tender and should
not in the North be planted in the open ground
until about May 10th (earlier farther south). First
let us consider the edible-pod bush kinds known as
"snap" or "string" beans. These are of two general
types — the green-podded varieties (such as String-
less, Early Mohawk, Earliest Red Valentine, etc.),
and the wax-podded kinds (such as Wardwell's
Kidney Wax, Golden Wax, Valentine Wax, Yo-
semite Mammoth Wax, Stringless Wax, Perfection
Wax, etc.). Sow in drills about two feet apart (two
and one-half feet apart if to be worked with a horse
cultivator) and cover seed not more than two inches
deep. Thin the plants, when well up, to about four
inches apart. Make successional sowings every two
weeks, if you wish, until August ist. Beans prefer
a mellow, warm, rich soil ; but do not give them too
much nitrogen or they'll "run all to vines." One

CORN. BEANS. SWEET POTATOES 121

quart of seed will sow about 150 feet of drill. Do
not cultivate or pick beans when the vines are wet,
says Harriet, and I agree to that.

Snap beans for market are usually picked when
about half mature, and are packed without washing
in various kinds of baskets and crates. The round,
one-third-barrel veneer basket is a favorite in some
of the eastern states. In some localities beans can
be sold in bulk to canning factories.

White navy or other beans for winter use are
farm crops rather than garden crops and need not be
considered here. Pole beans of the "snap" variety
are listed in seed catalogs, but the bush kinds already
mentioned are more handy to grow and I prefer
them.

Lima beans : Plant about ten days later than
snap beans. The bush limas (Burpee's, Henderson's,
etc.,) should be planted in rows as advised for snap
beans, but spaced about eighteen inches apart in the
rows. No stakes or supports are necessary. Bush
limas are best for extreme northern localities, for
they do not require such a long season as the pole
limas.

Pole limas (Early Leviathan and King of the
Garden are good varie-
ties) are usually
planted, if in large
fields, four feet apart
each way (2,722 hills
to the acre) and culti-
vated both ways so as
to save considerable
hand work ; or the hills

are often spaced three PLANT ABQUT SEVEN LIMA BEANS
feet in four-foot-apart AROUND EACH POLE

122

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

rows, and cultivated only one way (3,630 hills to the
acre). Manure and fertilizer are generally applied to
each hill, and the poles are set in the center, before
planting the seed. Plant about seven beans around
each pole, eye downward, cover about an inch deep,
and when the plants are well up thin out to about
three plants to a pole. The seed is very apt to rot
in the ground if soil is too wet or cold. A New
Jersey bean grower informs me that he greases the
beans with lard before planting, and thus prevents
the rot of seed. He lards a quantity at a time in
a large pan, working a little lard into the mass
with his hands. One quart should plant about 100
hills.

The hills may, or may not, be raised a little
above the ground level ; personally I prefer them
nearly level. Manure and fertilizer should be well

mixed with soil in each

hill, with a two-inch top
layer of ordinary earth.
Poles are preferably of
cedar because that wood
is so durable, but any
stout pole about seven and
a half feet long will do.
These are easily set in
holes about a foot and a
half deep made with an
iron crowbar (see illus-

SETT.NG BEAN-POLES ,N HOLES Cation). _ Poles will last
MADE WITH A CROWBAR 'd iOYlg tltTlC II StOrCO

under cover in winter.

When poles can not be procured, the use of braced
end-posts and wires will answer the purpose and
save room in a small garden. One wire should be

CORN. EEANS. SWEET POTATOES 123

strung about six feet high, and another about six
inches from the ground — directly over the four- foot
row, with the beans planted as close together as
eighteen inches so as to take full advantage of this
trellis system. When the beans begin to run, binder
twine may be woven zigzag fashion between the two
wires to form a trellis for the bean vines to climb on.

Some folks nip off the vine tips when they've
reached the top of the poles or wires — to check
growth and hasten the formation of beans.

Limas may be forced by starting them about a
month earlier in dirt-bands, pots, etc., under glass,
and then moving them to the outdoor hills about
May 25th in the North, or when the second leaves
are formed. (See Chapter III.) Or they may be
forced in a small way in the outdoor hills, by using
the box-and-glass arrangement pictured in Chapter
XIII.

Marketing limas : When the shape of the beans
can be distinctly seen in the pods, it is about time
to pick them ; of course several pickings are made at
different times, until frost stops growth. Green
limas are packed and shipped in their pods in various
kinds of baskets, etc., or are sometimes sold at retail,
shelled, by the quart.

Bean insects and diseases : The principal insect
pests are the weevil (see Chapter VIII), and cut-
worms (Chapter XI). Several kinds of beetles
sometimes eat the leaves ; spraying the vines with
buhach may help to discourage them, or they may
be knocked into pans of kerosene. Mildew, rust
and blight can be largely controlled by early spray-
ings with Bordeaux.

SWEET POTATOES. — For best success this crop de-
mands a loose, sandy soil and a long, warm season;

124 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

therefore it is not grown, commercially, very far
north, although a supply for home use may be
grown almost anywhere south of central Michigan.
A very rich soil is not necessary; too much nitrogen
causes the plants to "run all to vines," but there
should be plenty of potash and phosphoric acid.

The greater portion of the commercial crop is
grown from sets, or "draws," produced by sprouting
medium-sized potatoes in a warm bed of soil. In the
southern states the seed potatoes are sometimes cut
into pieces in the same manner as Irish potatoes and
planted in the row where they are to mature. In
the south Atlantic and Gulf Coast states the sweet
potato is frequently propagated by making vine cut-
tings. Where only a small area of sweet potatoes is
to be grown for home use, the necessary plants can
best be secured from some one who makes a busi-
ness of growing them. If an acre or more is to be
planted, the grower should write to the U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and get a
copy of free Farmers' Bulletin No. 324, which gives
full details impossible to give in the space at my
command.

The "ridge" method of culture is quite common.
Probably it is the best way for the small garden.
Low ridges about a foot wide are thrown up, say
three feet apart from center to center, and are
rolled, or are allowed to settle a week or two be-
fore planting begins. The plants are set about fif-
teen inches apart along the center of each ridge.
Level planting is also practised, with the plants set
about thirty inches apart each way. This permits of
cultivating both ways until the vines interfere.

In the North the plants are usually set the latter
part of May or the first of June; earlier in the

CORN. BEANS. SWEET POTATOES 125

South. They are very sensitive to cold. Cultivation
should be thorough. The vines need disturbing to
keep them from .rooting at the joints.

Varieties : Yellow Nansemond and Jersey are
much planted in the North. Vineless (it has shorter
vines) is popular, too. These are dry and mealy-
fleshed — qualities which seem to be preferred in
northern kitchens. In the South the moist-fleshed,
sugary tubers (often called "yams") are preferred.
Southern Queen is a good one of this type.

Insects and diseases : Cutworms and flea-beetles
(see Chapter XI) sometimes bother. There is also
a white grub or borer which burrows in the vines
or roots ; infested vines should be pulled up and
burned. Sweet potatoes are also subject to fungous
rot, leaf-spot, scab, white rust, etc. Early sprayings
with half-strength Bordeaux and rotation of crops
are helps. Also the storage house, before storing
tubers therein, should be fumigated with sulphur
fumes.

Digging, storing and marketing: Some growers
contend that sweet potatoes should be dug just be-
fore the vines are frosted. Experience proves, how-
ever, that they will keep all right if dug soon after
a light frost. In the absence of a machine digger,
the potatoes can be plowed out with a two-horse
turning plow with a sharp rolling cutter attached to
cue the vines. Or they may be dug out by hand
with an ordinary potato hook. Handle as little as
possible. Be careful not to bruise. Slatted bushel
crates are best for handling potatoes, either sweet or
Irish. If not filled level full, they can be stacked
on top of each other in the wagon or elsewhere
without injury to the potatoes. Only straight,
smooth potatoes and none smaller than one and one-

126 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

half inches should be included with those intended
for market. The crooked, cut and broken potatoes,
and those affected with
black rot, should be saved
to feed to animals.

Pack for shipment in
barrels with burlap tied
over the head, or in baskets,
or whatever package your
market prefers. The one-
third-barrel, round, veneer
basket lined and topped with
paper, with a wooden cover,
ONE CLUSTER OF SWEETS- is a favorite Maryland
WEIGHT, EIGHT POUNDS. package for fancy "sweets."

BE CAREFUL NOT TO T1,.

BRUISE In Illinois the eleven-peck

barrel lined with paper is

used. If you want to store a large crop, consult
Farmers' Bulletin No. 324 in regard to commercial
storage methods. If you want to store a few tubers
for home use, put them in ventilated crates or bas-
kets in a dry, warm, frost-proof room. Do not put
them in the cellar. If each tuber is wrapped in a
piece of newspaper, the potatoes will keep longer. A
few might be wrapped and put in paper bags and
hung near the ceiling.

Remember : That it is always advantageous
to grade and pack goods with care so that the quality
will run uniform throughout, and then mark the con-
tents neatly on the package. That if perishable goods
come on the market late in the day they never sell
so well or for so much as when in early. That the
best goods sell to the best trade, and other goods to
the cheap trade, and each has its level of prices.

CHAPTER XIII
CUCUMBER. MELON. PUMPKIN. SQUASH

Plant the seeds and use the hoe,

Balmy be the weather;
Growth is sure though it be slow,
And the harvest time we'll know.

LL of the crops mentioned in
this chapter are tender and
seed should not be planted in
the open ground in the North
until the weather is warm and
settled — say about May I5th.
In Georgia, I am told, the
planting date would be about March I5th. A light
loamy or sandy soil is best. Put a handful of com-
plete fertilizer and a shovelful of well-rotted manure
or compost in each hill, mix well with the soil and
put two inches of "plain dirt" on top. I prefer low
hills that are very little if any above the ground level,
each hill about a foot in diameter. Sow plenty of
seed — about fifteen seeds scattered all over the hill,
covered half an inch deep and firmed with the back
of a hoe. When the vines are well up, thin out half
of them; when the remainder begin to run, thin
them out so as to leave only three — well spaced. Cul-
tivate and hoe (shallow) until the vines prevent.
Some growers practise nipping off the tips of lead-
ing shoots when three or four feet in length, to
force out side shoots and hasten fruiting.

These crops — especially melons and cucumbers —
are oftentimes hurried along by planting the seed

128

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

about a month earlier in dirt-bands, in pots, or on
inverted pieces of sod (see Chapter III), and raising
the plants under glass, or — on a small scale — in the
kitchen window. Then, without disturbing the roots
in the least, the plants are moved to hills outdoors
the latter part of May when the weather is warm
and settled. Or, if only a few hills are wanted,
here's another way to force the plants : Sow the
seed in permanent hills
outdoors early in April
(in the North), and cover
each hill with a small box
of any kind or shape,
without a bottom and with
a piece of glass laid on
for a top (see illustra-
tion). Thus you have a
cheap, r o u g h, miniature
coldframe over each hill,
which serves the double
purpose of raising extra-
early plants, and protect-
ing them from insects un-
til they get so big that the
boxes must be removed.
A piece of mosquito-net-
ting over the top will keep
out bugs whenever the glass is removed for ventila-
tion (and ventilation must be closely attended to
whenever the weather permits).

The foregoing general directions apply to all
these vine crops. The following are additional and
special points about each :

CUCUMBERS. — In large fields cucumbers for
pickles are often planted in hills 5x5 feet apart

A GLASS-COVERED BOX OVER

EACH HILL HURRIES MELONS,

ETC. PHOTO TAKEN MAY

9TH IN NEW JERSEY

CUCUMBER. MELON. PUMPKIN. SQUASH I2Q

(1,742 to the acre), and cultivated both ways until
the vines cover the ground. One ounce of seed will
plant about fifty hills ; about two pounds to the acre.
Sowings or successional sowings may be made as
late as early July in the North ; in fact, pickle grow-
ers sometimes plant late on purpose — to escape the
worst of the bug attack. Chicago Pickle, Everbear-
ing, Early Frame, etc., are good pickling varieties. A
small prickly kind called a gherkin is sometimes
grown. The crop is gathered in burlap bags and
sold by the bushel or the hundred pounds to pickle
factories, who usually make contracts in advance.
Only pickles of a certain specified size are wanted
(usually three or four inches in length, sometimes
smaller). Pickers must be hired, for the crop should
be picked regularly, systematically and often; for if
any of the cucumbers are allowed to grow large and
mature seeds, the production of the vine soon stops
(this rule applies to all cucumbers, and to some other
things).

Cucumbers for table use may be planted the same
as pickles, but are usually planted early because
wanted early. For one-way garden culture I like to
have the rows six feet apart, and hills about four feet
apart in the row. White Spine is an excellent large
variety. For market, cucumbers should be full size,
green and not too ripe, and graded as to size. One-
third-barrel round veneer baskets are often used as
a shipping package in the East. (Table cucumbers
are sometimes forced in greenhouses in the winter;
consult Farmers' Bulletin No. 254.)

A hint for the boys : Without detaching it from
the vine, slip a small cucumber into a fair-sized bot-
tle, and after it grows so as to fill the space cut it
from the vine. Folks will wonder how it got there.

I3O BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Another hint : Spade up the ground in a large
circle. Take a barrel, with the bottom knocked out,
set it in the center of the circle and fill it two-thirds
full of well-rotted manure. Plant cucumber seeds
in hills around the barrel, and every day turn in upon
the manure a pail or two of water. The water will
soak its way through and keep the ground moist
and rich.

MUSKMELONS. — Rows six feet apart and hills
four feet apart in the row, are about right. E. R.
Jinnette plants 5x5 feet and trains the vines all one
way in the row to facilitate cultivating and picking.
Earliness counts with this crop. Rocky Ford, Netted
Gem, Osage, Paul Rose, Jenny Lind, Montreal Mar-
ket, Hackensack, Blinn, etc., are favorite varieties.
(NOTE: Muskmelons are often wrongly called canta-
loupes. The true cantaloupe, says Prof. Bailey, is
a distinct kind having a hard, warty rind; it is fre-
quently grown in Europe, but is not much grown in
this country.)

Climax baskets (one-third-bushel size with
slatted cover) are a popular Illinois shipping package.
A slatted crate 12x12x22^ inches (inside measure-
ment), holding forty-five melons each, is a well-
known Colorado package. Other styles of packages
are used. The fruit should be graded as to size, and
packed so that the ribs of the fruit all run length-
wise of the package — this gives an attractive appear-
ance. How to tell when a muskmelon is ripe : Only
sound, heavily-netted, mature melons should be
shipped. But they must not be soft nor over-ripe.
When the stem parts readily from the melon is the
right time; if not picked promptly then it soon turns
yellow and soft. The vines should be picked over
every day ; sometimes twice a day.

CUCUMBER. MELON. PUMPKIN. SQUASH 13!

WATERMELONS. — Eight by eight feet suits me
for these long-running vines ; some growers prefer
them even farther apart. A long growing season is
required, and therefore only very early varieties can
be successfully grown in the North. Cole's Early
is good for this purpose. In the South watermelon
growing is a large industry, and carload shipments
are made. Kentucky Wonder, Sweetheart, Seminole,
Kolb's Gem, Gypsy, Dixie, etc., are favorite southern
kinds.

There is a variety known as "citron," the rind
of which is used for preserves. The flesh is not
edible. The real citron of commerce comes from the
fruit of a tree grown only in the far South.

The knowledge of telling a ripe watermelon
comes mainly by experience and observation, says
a southern grower. It is often claimed that when
the little "curl" or tendril on the stem is dead, the
melon is ripe; if green, the melon is also green.
This is not altogether a reliable sign. The flat, dead
sound emitted by the melon
when thumped with the finger
is also an indication of ripe-
ness. If on turning the melon
over and exposing the under
side, the white blotches are
found yellowish, rough, and
warty, with the surface suffi-
ciently hard to resist the finger nail when scratched,
it is another sign of ripeness. After the melon looks
ripe and thumps as if it were ripe, and if on pressing
it down, the interior appears to give, and this is also
accompanied by a slight crisp crackling, the melon
is almost sure to be ripe. (Melons that are to be
shipped should not be put to this latter test.)

132 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

PUMPKINS. — Usually grown by farmers in corn
fields. Seldom grown in the garden, but may be
planted, if desired, the same as watermelons. Quaker
Pie and Sugar are good varieties for home use.

SQUASH. — White Bush, Golden Custard Bush
and Yellow Summer Crookneck are favorite summer
kinds. Hills for these should be about four feet
apart each way. Of the winter varieties, Hubbard
is the best known. Marblehead, Boston Marrow, Es-
sex Hybrid, etc., are also grown. Prize squash, etc.,
of extra size may be raised by leaving only one
selected specimen on a vine; cut all others off and
remove blossoms, nip the ends off vines, and apply
liquid manure frequently to roots.

Plant winter squash the same distance apart as
watermelons. Late-planted squash, I've discovered,
often escape the black squash-bugs. This, and yearly
rotation, are the two secrets of success. Try plant-
ing some Hubbard seed the middle of June, choosing
a spot where no similar crop has been recently
grown. If a few bugs do find the vines, pick off
the pests in the early morning and kill them. Try
covering the vines about the hills with a mound
of loose earth — doing this about the time of the last
cultivation, with a hoe. This will prevent the
ravages of the squash root-borer which attacks the
growing plants about that time, as usually the vines
will start rootlets within this covering, and in spite
of the injury done to their roots will grow and set
nice squashes which will mature in this manner.
Gather winter squash before they are frosted, and
store in a dry place.

Insects and diseases : The following are ene-
mies of all the crops mentioned in this chapter. First
in importance is the well-known "striped bug" or

CUCUMBER. MELON. PUMPKIN. SQUASH 133

beetle which nearly always appears as soon as the
plants are above ground. In a small garden the
simplest remedy is a protecting cover of mosquito-
netting over each hill. In large gardens, the plants
may be kept well dusted with air-slaked lime, tobacco
dust and a little Paris green, mixed. Or the young
plants may be sprayed with Bordeaux, adding four
pounds of arsenate of lead to fifty gallons. Some
growers claim that an ordinary "moth ball" placed
on each hill will keep the pests away. Flea-beetles
and cutworms are sometimes troublesome (see Chap-
ter XI). Then there is a worm or caterpillar that
often makes trouble ; hand-picking is usually effect-
ive, followed by burning old vines and rubbish, and
rotation of crops. The louse or aphis often does
considerable damage to the leaves and vines and
is a difficult pest to combat because of its habit of
hiding on the under side of the leaves. Use any
of the lice remedies, and use an upward-spray noz-
zle arrangement that will put the spray under the
leaves (see illustration in Chapter V). The squash
root-borer (see Squash) attacks other vines some-
times.

Mildew, rot, blight, etc., may best be held in
check with the Bordeaux mixture, beginning early
and repeating the spray at intervals until the fruit
is half grown. (Use half-strength Bordeaux on
watermelon vines.)

CHAPTER XIV

TOMATO. EGGPLANT. PEPPER

How these vegetables do like to be tickled "with a hoe!
Humor 'em often. — Farmer Vincent.

<ARLY tomato plants are usually
started in hotbeds in the North
about February I5th. (Earlier in
the South.) Refer to Chapter III
for particulars of culture under
glass, transplanting, etc. One ounce
of seed should produce about 3,000
plants. Remember that too high a
temperature and too much moisture
make spindling, weak plants. Sixty-
five or 70° is about right. The first
transplanting to other flats in hotbeds is done about
March I5th, spacing 2x2 inches apart. If extra-
large, stocky plants are wanted, transplant them a
second time, about April I5th, spacing them five
inches apart, in coldframes or spent hotbeds. Finally,
after well hardening-off, about the last of May the
plants are moved to permanent quarters in the open
ground. (Owners of small gardens will generally
find it easier to buy plants than to raise them.) My
late or main-crop plants are sown in hotbeds as late
as April ist, transplanted to coldframes May 1st,
and set in the open ground about June ist. They are
not so large then as the earlier-grown plants, but are
all right for main crop.

Outdoor rows should be four feet apart; plants

136

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

set about three feet apart in the row. Or, if you
want a high, thick fence or screen (as shown in the
back -yard picture on next page), the plants may be

A BARE TOWN BACK YARD. BEFORE AND — AFTER
(SEE NEXT PICTURE)

set about two feet apart and trained up on a six-
foot-high netting or trellis. Large fields are some-
times set 4x4 feet (2,722 plants to the acre) and
cultivated both ways. A light, loamy soil is best for
early tomatoes. A picture on page 138 shows a
gardener applying fertilizer to hills in furrows ; a
little rotted stable manure has previously been
placed where each hill or plant is to be. This gar-
dener afterward sets the plants over each enriched
hill (his helper with a hoe first mixes soil with the
hill of fertilizer and manure, puts more soil on top,
and makes an opening for the plant). After each
plant is set the soil is firmly trodden around it with
the feet; the furrow, between hills, is either filled
with the hoe as the planting progresses, or the filling
is done by cultivating crosswise after the entire field
is set.

The after cultivation should be thorough and
regular. When the vines are large enough to need
support they should be tied loosely to stakes about

TOMATO. EGGPLANT. PEPPER

137

four feet high (higher, if desired), or supported on
high wire or wooden trellises, or on low A-shaped
frames or racks, or on piles of brush placed beneath
the vines — in fact, anything will answer that will keep
them off the ground. (Where large areas of toma-
toes are grown the vines are seldom supported.)
Pinching off the tips of the main upper shoots when
the plants on racks are about three feet high is prac-

SAME BACK YARD AFTER GROWING FLOWERS,
VINES AND A HIGH SCREEN OF TOMATOES

tised by a few gardeners, who claim that it "makes
the fruit earlier and finer" ; some others train the
vines to long stakes and regularly pinch off the side
shoots ; many others do no pruning of any kind.

Varieties of tomatoes : Earliana, Atlantic Prize,
Chalk's Early Jewel, Matchless, etc., are well-known
early red kinds, the first-named being especially early,
I find. Stone, Acme, Perfection, Jersey Red, Match-
less, Beauty, etc., are good main-crop varieties. To-
mato varieties soon "run out" and new kinds are
constantly being introduced; so names change

138

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

quickly. "Peach," Yellow "Plum," Red "Cherry,"
"Husk" and similar tomatoes are sometimes grown
for preserves or as novelties.

Marketing Tomatoes : Gathering should be done
two or three times a week — sometimes every day —
only picking the fruits that are ready each time. If
to be shipped some distance, pick them when they are
just beginning to color — even sooner for very long
distances. For near-by market let them color all
over, or nearly so, on the vines, but they should not
be over-ripe and soft. Choice early tomatoes for

distant shipment are
usually packed in
crates holding six
baskets (similar to a
Georgia peach crate),
and each tomato is
wrapped in paper. Or
sometimes flat boxes
carrying two layers
of wrapped fruits are
used. Later tomatoes
from near-by points
are packed in a variety of packages — bushel crates,
half-bushel baskets, third-barrel baskets, etc. Toma-
toes for canning factories are best handled in the
slatted bushel boxes recommended for potatoes ; the
factories contract to pay a certain price "per ton."

If frost threatens before the tomatoes and pep-
pers are all gathered, says Harriet (leaning over my
shoulder as I write), cover them with cloths or
papers and save them ; or pull the plants and hang
them under a shed; or cover with straw where they
stand; or pick the larger green tomatoes and let
them ripen in the sun indoors ; or wrap each green

APPLYING FERTILIZER TO MANURED
HILLS IN FURROWS, FOR TOMA-
TOES (SEE PAGE 136)

TOMATO. EGGPLANT. PEPPER 139

tomato in paper, store in a cool cellar, and keep for
later ripening in the sun.

Insects and diseases : The large green tomato
worm is the principal insect pest. Spray young plants
with arsenate of lead; hand-pick the worms on
fruiting vines. Rot and blight are the chief diseases.
Practise rotation of crops ; burn all diseased fruit
and dead vines ; keep the vines off the ground ; spray
with the Bordeaux mixture, beginning early and con-
tinuing at intervals until a few weeks before picking
time.

EGGPLANT. — The plants are grown under glass
the same as tomatoes, except that they require more
heat and care in the hotbed, and need not be started
quite so early. March ist is soon enough, in the
North. One hotbed transplanting is sufficient if you
space the plants well apart. To reach maturity, a
long, warm season is required; therefore commercial
success with this crop can not be expected too far
north. Choose a rich, loose, loamy soil ; clay is not
so suitable ; neither is too wet a soil. New York Im-
proved, Black Beauty and Black Pekin are the best
varieties where the season is long enough ; in ex-
treme northern localities the Early Dwarf Purple
would be more apt to mature its fruit. Plants may
be set 2^ x 2l/2 feet outdoors about June ist in the
North ; this is for hoe cultivation. For horse work
in a large field, 3x3 feet would be better.

Marketing eggplant : The fruit is usually cut
from the stem when nearly full-grown and fully-
colored. An over-ripe fruit changes from a bright
to a dull purple, and the seeds inside begin to swell;
it is then worthless for market or table use. Gath-
ering the fruits before they quite reach full size
increases the crop. A marketable eggplant should be

I4O BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

from six to nine inches long. Wipe clean, sort as to
size, and pack in barrels, baskets or crates.

Diseases and insects : Anthracnose (pinkish pits
or spots on the fruit), rot, mold, leaf-spot and stem-
blight are best prevented and held in check by early
and regular sprayings with the Bordeaux mixture.
Flea-beetles, potato bugs, etc., often attack the vines
(see remedies elsewhere).

PEPPERS. — The mild, sweet varieties for slicing
or stuffing are mostly in demand — such as Ruby King,
Bull Nose, Sweet Mountain, Chinese Giant, Neapoli-
tan, etc. Long Red Cayenne is the hot pepper of
commerce ; Chili and Cranberry are pickling favor-
ites. Grow plants in hotbeds the same as eggplant.
Set outdoors late in May, in rows two and one-half
feet apart, plants spaced twenty inches apart in the
row. Marketing may begin when the peppers are
a little more than half grown, and may continue
until they are ripe. Open barrels, crates, baskets,
etc., are used, each variety or size of pepper being
kept by itself. Unlike eggplant or tomatoes, peppers
often endure a small degree of frost in the fall
(although while young the plants are very tender).
Pepper plants are seldom troubled with insects ;
anthracnose and rot are the most common diseases
(see Eggplant).

FIGHTING FROST. — Commercial truckers some-
times save their tender vegetables, melons, etc., from
untimely late-May or early-fall frosts, by lighting
smudge fires here and there throughout the patch.
Or sometimes oil-burning metal pots are used (about
100 to the acre), similar to the ones used by western
orchardists.

CHAPTER XV
MISCELLANEOUS

ARTICHOKE, CELERIAC, CHARD, CORN SALAD, CRESS,

ENDIVE, GINSENG, HERBS, LEEK, MUSHROOM,

MUSTARD, OKRA, PARSLEY, SPINACH, ETC.

^HERE are two distinct kinds of arti-
chokes— one is grown for its potato-like,
underground tubers and is called Jeru-
salem artichoke, and the other is called
the Globe artichoke and the parts eaten
are the unopened flower heads (and
sometimes the young shoots). The for-
mer kind is seldom grown in American
gardens, being considered more suited
for farm culture for stock food; per-
fectly hardy; multiplies rapidly and will become a
bad weed if not kept within bounds ; once planted
it will maintain itself indefinitely; plant the tubers
the same distance apart as you would potatoes. The
Globe artichoke is propagated by seeds, or by suckers
taken from other plants. Seeds do not grow true to
name. Seedsmen sell plants for about $1.50 per
dozen. Set them about 3x3 feet apart ; protect the
crowns in winter with straw, etc. ; plants are good
for about three years ; not often grown in this coun-
try, but wrorth growing.

CELERIAC. — Little known in the United States.
It is a turnip-rooted kind of celery, and the "turnip"
is the edible part — either cooked or as a salad.

142 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Grown about the same as celery, but the stalks are
not blanched; the turnip part can be stored in winter
the same as any other root crop.

CHARD. — Also called Swiss chard or "leaf beet."
Few Americans know or value this member of the
beet family, but Harriet and I have recently learned
to prize it highly. Be sure to try some, early next
spring. Sow the seed in rows about two feet apart
and thin the plants so they'll stand about fif-
teen inches apart in the row. The thinnings may
be used for "greens." When the plants are full-
grown the large leaves and stalks may be pulled as
wanted (about as you pull rhubarb). Sometimes
Harriet cuts up and cooks leaves and stalks to-
gether (as you would spinach) ; sometimes she cooks
the whitish stalk part just as if it were asparagus,
and uses only the leaves for "greens." Either way,
the result is surprisingly pleasing. We like the greens
better than spinach. The plants produce stalks and
leaves until fall. Must be planted each year. Easy
to grow.

CORN SALAD. — Hardy. Sow in early spring the
same as lettuce. It matures in about seven weeks
and furnishes a bunch of leaves for salad. Or may
be sown late in summer for fall use. Seldom grown
in this country.

CRESS. — There are two well-known kinds —
"water cress," and "garden cress." (There is a
third kind, called "upland cress," which is little
known.) Water cress is a perennial and does best in
moist places or in running water. Seed may be pur-
chased of seedsmen and scattered along the edges of
brooks, etc. It grows without care when once estab-
lished. It may also be propagated by planting pieces
of plant stems in the wet earth. Garden cress is an

MISCELLANEOUS 143

annual, nearly hardy, and may be sown in April in
the garden like lettuce, or in late summer for fall
use. Water cress is the kind usually seen in mar-
kets, being better known than the garden variety.

ENDIVE. — Henry A. Dreer says : "Endive is
one of the best and most wholesome salads for fall
and winter use. Sow in shallow drills in April for
early use ; or for late use sow in June or July. When
three inches high, transplant or thin out to one foot
apart. When nearly full grown, and before they are
fit for the table, the plants must be bleached. This
is done by gathering the leaves together and tying,
to exclude the light and air from the inner leaves,
which must be done when quite dry, or they will rot.
Another method is to cover the plants with boards
or slats. In three or four weeks they will be
blanched."

GINSENG. — A hardy perennial plant found grow-
ing wild in shady places in many parts of the coun-
try, the roots of which are prized for medicinal pur-
poses by the Chinese. Seeds are planted in the fall
but usually do not germinate for eighteen months,
and not at all if not expertly handled; therefore
most gardeners who want to grow ginseng buy
young plants or roots of some professional grower.
The roots grow slowly, and five or six years must
elapse before they are large enough to gather. A
sandy-loam soil and partial shade are best.

Some folks seem to see a big future for culti-
vated ginseng ; but personal observation and inquiry
have made me a little sceptical about it. I can not
advise my readers to invest heavily in the business
nor to build rosy air-castles on possible profits. The
Chinese are the only buyers of the dried roots, and
the commercial possibilities of the business are there-

144

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

fore limited. I hear, too, that Chinese buyers dis-
criminate in favor of the wild root, paying a less
price for the cultivated product. Altogether it looks
to me as if the market might easily be glutted — and
then what? If you want to make money, better let
fads alone and stick to the staple products that
everybody wants. For further information write to
the U. S. Department of Agriculture and ask for
bulletins on the subject of ginseng growing.

HERBS. — These are of three kinds — pot herbs for
flavoring, sweet herbs and medicinal herbs. It is a
great pity that herbs are now seldom raised in the
home garden. The use of
them in medicine is perhaps
not so great in these days
when a doctor can be readily
called, but in the old times no
housewife was without a
goodly show of them in the
yard, and she dried them
carefully for winter use. Nor
are herbs used nowadays so
much for flavoring in cook-
ing; and, when they are de- PUTTINGW?NWTER us*?"
sired, the pressed leaves are

bought at the druggist's. The home-grown article is
far better than money can buy. A home with even
a small strip of land can find place for some of these
plants which are so valuable.

Herbs delight in a rich, mellow soil. Put them
in a corner by themselves where they will not inter-
fere with plowing, etc. When once started, little if
any cultivation is needed except to keep out weeds.
Sow seeds early in spring in shallow drills about
two feet apart; when up a few inches thin out to

MISCELLANEOUS 145

a foot or more apart. Herbs should be cut on a
dry day just before they come into full blossom,
tied in bunches and hung up in the attic or spread
thinly on a floor where they can dry quickly. Of
course cuttings for daily use, green, may be made
at any time, but too severe cutting weakens the plants.
Seedsmen sell plants, ready to set, of some of the
better-known herbs. Many of the perennial kinds
may be propagated by dividing the roots — which is
a good thing to do every few years ; and, when doing
so, discard the old, run-out part of each clump.

Among the better-known perennial herbs are the
following: Balm, catnip, fennel, horehound, hyssop,
lavender (not hardy too far north), sweet marjoram,
pennyroyal, peppermint, rosemary, rue, sage, spear-
mint, tansy, tarragon, thyme, winter savory, worm-
wood. Anise, coriander, summer savory and sweet
basil are annuals. Caraway and dill are biennials.
A winter mulch of straw or leaves is a good thing
for the perennial herbs.

LEEK. — Used in cooking, as a seasoning. Milder
than the onion. Sow early in April, in drills one foot
apart and one inch deep. When plants are six inches
high, transplant in a deep, rich soil, in rows twelve
inches apart and six inches in the rows, as deep as
possible, so that the neck may be covered and
blanched; draw the earth to them as they grow.
The seed may also be sown in August or September
and plants transplanted in the spring. The thick
leaves, as well as the soft bulb, are used. Leeks
may be stored green, with the roots in moist earth,
in a cool cellar.

MUSHROOM. — The growing of mushrooms in
cellars, sheds, etc., is sometimes called a fad, but —
unlike ginseng culture — it has substantial American

146 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

market possibilities. There is a steadily-growing de-
mand for good, fresh mushrooms, and I believe that
expert growers, properly equipped, can make money
in the business. But, like everything else that
promises so well, it "isn't so easy as it looks."
Amateurs should not expect to pick up many dollars
until they have acquired the necessary experience
and "knack." The culture of mushrooms is not,
strictly speaking, within the scope of a garden book,
and therefore I have not room to go into details ;
but any reader who is interested in the subject can
get full information by writing to the U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., and asking
for free Farmers' Bulletin No. 204.

MUSTARD. — Some people grow this for salads.
The seeds are often used for flavoring pickles, etc.
For salads, sow thickly in shallow drills, about a
foot apart, in April. Successive sowings may be
made every week or two. To grow seed, thin out
to four inches apart when two inches high.

OKRA. — More grown in the South than in the
North. Often called "Gumbo." The dwarf varieties
are best for northern gardeners. This vegetable is
extensively grown for its green pods, which are used
in soups, stews, etc., to which they impart a rich
flavor, and are considered nutritious. Sow the seed
thickly in rich, warm ground about the last of May
(in the North), in drills three feet apart, one inch
deep ; thin to one foot apart.

PARSLEY. — A hardy biennial plant much used for
garnishing and seasoning soups, meats, etc. Sow
thickly early in April in rows one foot apart and one-
half inch deep; thin out the plants to stand six inches
apart in the rows. The seed germinates very slowly
and often fails to come up in dry weather. To as-

MISCELLANEOUS 147

sist its coming up quicker, soak the seed. For win-
ter use protect in a coldframe or in a light cellar.

SPINACH. — For spring and summer use in the
North, sow the seed either broadcast, or in drills one
foot apart and one inch deep, as early as the ground
can be worked, and every two weeks for a succession.
For winter and early spring use, sow in September
in well-manured ground; cover with straw or leaves
on the approach of severe weather. The richer the
ground, the more succulent will be the leaves. For
wintering, sow only the hardy, prickly variety. Long-
standing and Victoria are good kinds for summer
use. (The large New Zealand variety should be
sown in hills 3x3 feet apart, four seeds to a hill.)

Cardoon, chervil, chicory, chives, dandelion, gar-
lic, sorrel, etc., are listed in seedsmen's catalogs,
but are so seldom grown in American gardens that
detailed information about them seems unnecessary
here.

ENTRANCE TO A <
HEDGES AND

ARDEN. NOTE THE NEATLY-CLIPPED PRIVET
SMALL EVERGREENS, AND THE ARCH OF
CRIMSON RAMBLER ROSES

CHAPTER XVI

THE FLOWER GARDEN

'1 he man who cheerfully sets the spade where his wife
directs, and lends himself willingly to her desires in the
flower garden, has in him the vital elements of good citizen-
ship and is a safe man to trust. — Tim.

H, for the return of the old-
fashioned flower garden ! Years
ago flowers were grown in bor-
ders rather than in beds — box-
edged borders on each side of
a rear walk, or alongside a
fence or a wall or a building,
rilled with a profusion of old-
time favorites growing in a de-
lightfully informal mass of color
and variety. In those days the nightmare "beds"
(dug out of the lawn in round or fanciful shapes)
filled with geraniums or foliage plants (set straight
and exactly even all around), were not common.

George H. Ellwanger, in The Garden's Story,
touches a tender spot in my heart when he says :

"One passes many neglected farm-gardens along
the road. Here, an old locust and mock-orange
have been allowed to sprout at will : the blue iris
has crept outside the fence, with clumps of double
daffodils turned over by the plow and flung on to
the roadside. There is a jungle of stunted quinces
and blighted pear trees. The spreading myrtle
patch has usurped the place of what was once a
lawn; tall thistles, hog-weed, pig-weed and burdocks

I5O HIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

make and scatter seed year after year; an army of
weeds has overrun the path — the plantain, purslane,
goose-grass, dandelion, joint-weed and mallow; and
a green goose-pond, over which are hovering yellow
butterflies, exhales its miasma in the sun. Once the
garden was beautiful, famous for its old-fashioned
flowers, and many were the slips the neighbors ob-
tained from its floral stores. The grain-fields and
fat pastures corresponded with the luxuriance within.
But the farm changed hands on the death of the
owner, and the new owners cared little for the
flowers."

In the hope that my readers may be induced to
reclaim the old gardens or start new ones along the
old lines, I will give a condensed and partial list of
the plants, etc., that Harriet and I (and some of the
friends whom we've consulted) think should be
included in an old-fashioned flower border :

HARDY PERENNIAL PLANTS AND BULBS

Anemone Japonica (also called Japanese anem-
one) : Grows two or three feet high. Blooms from
August until frost. Needs slight protection in win-
ter in extreme North. White or pink varieties may
be had.

Bleeding-heart (dielytra or dicentra) : An old-
time favorite. Bears heart-shaped flowers in grace-
ful, drooping, pinkish racemes, in May-June. Fern-
like foliage about two feet high.

Campanula (Canterbury bells; bellflower) :
There are a number of perennial varieties, but none
so beautiful and satisfactory as the biennial single
varieties called "medium" and "calycanthema." The
latter is the well-known cup-and-saucer kind. Both
come in various colors, but the whites and the pinks

THE FLOWER GARDEN 151

are the prettiest. Sow the seed any time from April
to July, and you should have nice plants in bloom
in June of the following year. By picking off the
blossoms as soon as they fade, the plants may be kept
in bloom about six weeks ; then pull them up and
plant something in their place, for biennials bloom
only one season.

Candytuft (iberis or hardy candytuft) : A low-
growing plant suitable for the foreground of borders.
White flowers in early spring.

Cardinal Flower (lobelia cardinalis) : Blooms
in spikes of brilliant cardinal-red, in August-Sep-
tember. Plants about two feet high.

Chrysanthemum, Hardy : Grows about two feet
high. Several varieties and colors. Flowers in late
summer and until frost.

Columbine (aquilegia) : Height, one to three
feet — according to variety. White, red, yellow, blue
and pink. May-June ; some varieties later. Succeeds
in almost any soil but does best in partial shade.

Coreopsis : Blooms June-September. Height
about two feet. Lanceolata grandiflora is a popular
variety. Yellow.

Crocus : Fine for early-spring bloom. Plant
the bulbs not later than early October in the North,
in fine, rich, deep, well-drained soil. Mulch with a
little strawy manure, or leaves, or straw alone.
Remove mulch in early spring. Divide and trans-
plant the bulbs every three or four years. Plant
crocuses in colonies along the front of your flower
borders, three inches deep and two or three inches
apart — using fifty or more bulbs of a color in a mass
if you want the best effect. Purpurea grandiflora is
a splendid purple kind, and Reine Blanche an excel-
lent white, Crocuses can be set in the lawn, but in

152 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

such a situation they are not apt to last longer than
about two years.

Daffodils, Jonquils and Poet's Narcissus are
planted and divided the same as crocuses ; but set
them about an inch deeper and about two inches
farther apart. They object to much stable manure,
and do well in semi-shade.

Day Lily: The best-known variety is hemero-
callis flava. It grows about three feet high and has
deep lemon-yellow flowers in June-July.

Delphinium (perennial larkspuj;) : More hardy
borders should contain these stately, beautiful
flowers. Belladonna is a fine new variety growing
about three feet high, with exquisite sky-blue flowers.
Formosum grows four or five feet high, and the
blossoms are deep, rich blue. The two varieties go
well together. Put Belladonna in front, space the
plants two feet apart each way and await develop-
ments ! But don't expect too much the first year.
As soon as a stalk is through blooming, cut it off at
the ground, and new stalks and bloom will soon
come.

Flag (blue flag; iris) : Since the blue flag of
our grandmothers' time, the iris has been improved
and new kinds introduced, until now there is a nice
list of German iris, Japanese iris, etc., which bloom
at different times, prolonging the season from May
into July. Buy one or more "clumps," of seedsmen,
set them out in the fall, mulch through the winter,
and "watch 'em grow."

Forget-me-not : A low-growing plant. Sky-blue
flowers that everybody loves. Set the plants in a
shady place, if possible.

Foxglove (jdigitajj^) : June- July. Flower stalks
on well-grown plants are from three to five feet high.

THE FLOWER GARDEN 153

White and rose-pink are the most pleasing, Harriet
thinks. Digitalis is a biennial and should be grown
the same as campanula medium. The plants like
shade.

Funkia (plantain lily) : Foliage and flowers
both attractive. Many varieties and colors. Blooms
July- August. Plants about a foot and a half high.

Grasses : Clumps of the various ornamental
grasses might well be included in the back corners
of the border. Their leaves are almost as striking
as some flowers. Our special favorites are the "Japan
rush" (eulalia gracillima univittata), and "zebra
grass" (eulalia Japonica zebrina) — the latter being
marked with bands across the leaf.

Hibiscus (jTTju^sJimallow ) : Grows about five
feet high. Blooms ~ August-September. Large,
showy, pink flowers. (Meehan's Mallow Marvel is
a recent introduction of distinct and superior merit.
The plants grow as high as a man and I never saw
more gorgeous pink, red, white, etc., flowers. Be
sure to plant some of these ; they begin to flower in
July and are in bloom a long time.

Holtyhock : A general favorite. Single or
double varieties. Height five to eight feet. Various
colors. July-August. They like a deep, rich, well-
drained soil, and appreciate a mulch-protection in
the winter. A fungous disease often attacks them,
but early sprayings with the Bordeaux mixture
should prevent it.

Hyacinth : Fine for early spring bloom. Various
colors. Plant the bulbs in well-drained soil early
in October, five inches deep and about six inches
apart. For best results, buy only first-grade named
varieties. Mulch the ground during the winter.

Larkspur (see delphinium).

154

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Lily: I could write a chapter about these, but,
alas ! space forbids. Among the many excellent
varieties I can mention
the following :
candidum — white,

LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY— A GREAT
FAVORITE OF HARRIET'S

Lilium
blooms

in June with the peren-
nial larkspurs, and is
sometimes called "annun-
ciation" or "madonna"
lily ; lilium auratum, also
called "gold-banded lily of
Japan," blooms in late
summer ; lilium tigrinum
splendens, or "tiger lily,"
spotted orange color; lil-
ium speciosum album, large white flowers with a
greenish band through the center of each petal ;
lilium speciosum rubrum, white, heavily spotted with
rosy spots ; lily-of-the-valley is last but not least — a
home is incomplete without a group of these lowly
little beauties. All lilies like partial shade; lily-of-
the-valley will do best in full shade. Lilium candi-
dum should be set only about two inches deep, dur-
ing August or early September ; lily-of-the-valley
can best be moved in October, and should also be
planted shallow. The other lilies mentioned may be
set in late fall or early spring, as you prefer, and
may be set six or eight inches deep in well-drained
soil. Sprinkling sulphur on the bulbs and putting
some sand beneath and around them, helps to keep
them from rotting.

Myrtle : A well-known evergreen trailing plant
with blue flowers in spring. Does well almost any-
where and spreads rapidly.

Pasony : Has been greatly improved of late

THE FLOWER GARDEN 155

years. Set the plants in the fall in deep, rich, well-
drained soil ; space at least two and one-half feet
apart ; mulch in winter.

Phlox, Hardy: Assorted colors and heights, ac-
cording to variety. Phloxes are among the very
showiest and most valuable of all hardy plants, and
by growing a complete collection they can be had
in bloom from spring until fall. The old varieties
have given way to the beautiful hybrid sorts of
handsome shades of pink, red, salmon, rose, etc., in
distinct colors. They should be in every garden, as
they succeed in almost any position with little care.
Every few years the clumps should be dug up, divided
and reset.

Pink : Delightful low-growing flowers. Who
doesn't remember the "moss" or "mountain" or
"clove" pink of his boyhood days? There are now
some newer, named varieties that are almost as fine
as carnations.

Poppy : Many people do not know that the Ice-
land and the Oriental varieties are hardy perennials,
and quite unlike the Shirley or annual kinds. Be
sure to have a few of these in your border.

Pyrethrum : Daisy-like flowers of various colors.
Two feet. There are now double varieties.

Rr.dbeckia : The variety called Golden Glow is
the most popular nowadays. Grows six feet high.

Starworts (hardy aster or Michaelmas daisy) :
Desirable additions to the garden, because the differ-
ent varieties bloom late when few hardy plants are
in flower. Various colors and heights.

Sweet-william : A great favorite. About eighteen
inches high. Various colors. June.

Tulip : Plant them in early October about four
inches deep and five or six inches apart. It is not

156 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

necessary to take up the bulbs every year, although
an occasional dividing and transplanting is desirable.
After the flowers and leaves die down, remove them
in early summer and — if you wish — stir the soil
lightly and sow flower seed of some kind, so that
the ground may be occupied without disturbing the
bulbs beneath.

Violet, Sweet : Partial shade is acceptable. Be
sure to save a place for these blue beauties.

Yucca (Spanish bayonet or Adam's needle) :
An evergreen plant somewhat resembling a century
plant. Flowers borne in spikes on tall flower-stalks.

GENERAL REMARKS AND CULTURAL HINTS. — Nu-
merous additions might be made to the foregoing list,
but the varieties mentioned will serve as an excellent
beginning and the flower-lover can try other kinds
from time to time. (There's always room for "one
more" in an informal border, says Martha.) In
regard to planting and culture, perennials may be
grown from seed sown outdoors any time from early
May to late July, and transplanted to the border
the following fall or spring ; or they may be sown in
their permanent places and thinned out when well up.
Or plants or bulbs may be purchased of seedsmen,
thus saving time and bother. Distances apart need
not be exactly considered, for straight rows are to be
avoided in the border ; simply have the plants so they
do not unduly crowd each other, and thin them out
from time to time as their growth may require. Have
the low-growing kinds toward the front edge, the me-
dium growers in the middle, and the tall varieties at
the rear. The flower colors should be arranged in a
pleasing way — as if you were painting a picture or
composing a harmony. Avoid jarring combinations;
use plenty of white to separate strong colors, and

THE FLOWER GARDEN 157

leave out doubtful shades that are likely to clash —

magentas, reddish-purples,, bluish-reds, etc. ; have

only pure reds, pinks, blues and white; put yellows

away somewhere by themselves — and you can not

help but have harmony in the border. Keep out

weeds, keep the soil loose and mellow. Late each

fall apply a mulch of

strawy manure ; remove

the coarser parts of the

mulch in the early

spring, carefully loosen

up the surface soil with

a hoe and a narrow

eight-tooth rake, and

apply a sprinkle of

hnnp mpn1 REMOVE THE MULCH IN EARLY SPRING

AND CAREFULLY LOOSEN UP

Prepare the border THE TOP SOIL

for planting by spading

it deeply (a foot at least) and working in a quantity
of well-rotted manure and some bone meal.

In regard to setting out plants, J. T. Lovett
says : "Some persons prefer autumn planting and
others claim spring to be the better season. As a
matter of fact, neither spring nor fall is to be pre-
ferred for the entire list of varieties. Beyond ques-
tion preony, phlox, dicentra, day lily, etc., make the
best growth when planted in autumn ; while Japanese
anemone, foxglove, Canterbury bells, hollyhock,
sweet-william and some others frequently perish the
first winter if planted in the fall."

FLOWERING SHRUBS. — Somewhere in the garden
there should be at least a few of the hardy shrubs
to supplement the perennial plants already mentioned.
They may be set along the back line of the flower
border ; or may be set in a border or bed by them-

158 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

selves, putting the tall-growing kinds to the rear (or
center) and the lower kinds in front. (Distances
apart vary from two to four or five or six feet, ac-
cording to variety.) Here is a short suggestive list
of shrubs: Althea (high-growing, late-blooming);
azalea (hardy kinds, low, early) ; barberry (Thun-
bergi is best-known variety, low, red berries) ; deut-
zia (both dwarf and tall-growing kinds) ; forsythia
(golden flowers very early, medium height) ; hy-
drangea paniculata grandiflora (splendid late
bloomer, plant in masses, prune new wood closely
each year, attains good size in time); lilac; rhodo-
dendron (prefers shade, different sizes and colors,
not hardy too far north, requires no pruning) ; snow-
ball ; spirea (various kinds, heights and colors —
plant several; sweet-scented shrub (a favorite of
our grandmothers') ; syringa or mock-orange; wei-
gela.

Pruning and care of shrubs : Keep the surface
of the ground loose and mellow. Mulch with strawy
manure in fall. Prune early-blooming shrubs as
soon as bloom has ceased; prune late bloomers early
the following spring. Little if any pruning is needed
the first few years, but the shrubs should be well
"cut back" at time of setting. There is no particular
science about pruning shrubs, other than the points
already mentioned; simply thin out, trim up or cut
back, as taste or circumstances may require.

ROSES.— No garden is quite complete without a
rose bed. I have not space to mention the many
excellent varieties here, but be sure to plant some
of the hybrid perpetuals — Baroness Rothschild, pink ;
Fran Karl Druschki, pure white; General Jacque-
minot, crimson ; Gloire Lyonnaise, white, tinted
yellow ; Mrs. John Laing, pink ; Mrs. R. G. S. Craw-

ford, rosy pink ; Paul Neyron, deep rose color ;
Ulrich Brunner, cherry red, are among the most
satisfactory kinds. Hybrid perpetuals are quite
hardy nearly everywhere, but a heavy mulch of
leaves or straw through the winter is always helpful.
Although called "perpetuals," they are not really per-
petual bloomers ; but many of them will produce
more than one crop of flowers in a season.

The hybrid-tea roses are more tender, but are
all-season bloomers if well cared for. In the North,
bend the branches down to the ground and stake
them there in late autumn and apply stable manure,
and on top of that a thick covering of straw or
leaves, held securely against winds by wire chicken-
netting laid flat and fastened along the edges with
stakes. Remove the covering in late April. Good
varieties are : Caroline Testout, bright rose color ;
Gruss an Teplitz, scarlet; Kaiserin Augusta Victoria,
creamy white ; Killarney, one of the most beautiful
pink roses in existence; La France, silvery pink,
very attractive. There are many other good kinds.

Tea roses are very free-flowering, but are almost
too tender for growing outdoors in the North, even
if protected with straw. In the greenhouse or in the
South, they are fine.

Then there are those old favorites, the moss
roses and the sweetbriars. The Rugosa roses, of
Japanese origin, are hardy and interesting; the seed-
pods are quite ornamental. Wichuriana is a low-
trailing species producing white flowers in July after
the June roses are through blooming. The dwarf
Polyantha roses bear pleasing clusters of dainty
small flowers all summer ; Pink Baby Rambler is
one of the best. There are also a Crimson Baby
Rambler and a White Baby Rambler.

i6o

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Pruning, culture and rose-bugs : Cut off the
upper one-third of each main shoot in the spring;
cut out all dead or diseased wood at any time; ever-
blooming roses may be cut back again after the June
flowering, which induces further bloom. Keep the
ground well stirred all through the growing season ;
spade deeply before planting; set plants about two
feet apart (more or less according to variety) ; re-
member that roses like a very rich clay-loam soil
with sufficient moisture. Rose-bugs are the worst
pest, generally, and no very good remedies are
known. Cover the bushes with mosquito-netting, or
knock the bugs into a pan of kerosene twice a day,
or spray with arsenate of lead as suggested in Chap-
ter V. (For other enemies, see general remarks and
hints on pages 165 and 166.)

CLIMBING VINES. — These as a rule do not belong
in the border, but should find a place somewhere in

or near the garden —
on porch, house, wall,
lattice screen, or
climbing upon a dead
tree-trunk, post or
fence. Dorothy Per-
kins, Thousand Beau-
ties, Gardenia, Crim-
son Rambler, Prairie
Queen, etc., are hardy
climbing roses that
succeed almost every-
where (give slight
protection the first two years in extreme northern
localities, by laying the vines down and covering dur-
ing the winter). Boston ivy, trumpet flower, honey-
suckles of various kinds, wistaria and clematis are

-7 ^~ — r

ENTRANCE TO A LONG ISLAND GAR-
DEN. ARBOR COVERED WITH CLEM-
ATIS PANICULATA, ETC.

THE FLOWER GARDEN l6l

all good in their proper places. The flowers of clem-
atis paniculata and clematis Jackmani are espe-
cially attractive. Little if any pruning is necessary,
except to cut out dead or diseased wood at any
time, and to remove surplus or not-wanted growth
in the spring. Cultivate a circle of ground around
the roots, and mulch with stable manure.

ANNUAL PLANTS AND VINES. — Planting flower
seed every year is a bother, but flower lovers can
not quite get along without some of their favorite
one-season bloomers. I can only mention a few of
the best-known :

Aster : The various annual varieties permit of
a blooming season from July until frost. Sow seed
in window boxes in early spring and transplant in
May; or sow seed outdoors about May ist.

Canna : Not easy to grow from seed (see hints
under Moonflower). Better buy roots of a seeds-
man. Set in rich, moist soil about fifteen inches
apart June ist or when danger of frost is over.
In the fall after a heavy frost, cut off tops near the
ground; later, before ground freezes, dig roots, dry
them well in the sun, and store in a cool cellar. The
roots need dividing every year or so.

Dahlia : May be grown from seed, but most
people prefer to buy roots of a seedsman and plant
out about May I5th, or when the weather is warm
and settled. Earlier bloom may be secured by start-
ing the roots in boxes in the house three weeks ahead
of outdoor planting time. Tie the plants to stakes,
for support. Have the ground rich. After frost has
blackened the vines, cut them off near the ground.
Dig the roots on a sunny day, dry them well, and
store in a cool cellar. The roots may be divided from
time to time, and the surplus used or sold. (Divide

l62 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

with a sharp knife; see that a part of old stem, with
a bud, is attached to each tuber.)

Gladiolus : Plant the bulbs any time in May or
June, about four inches deep and six inches apart.
The flower stalks often need some support. Succes-
sive plantings may be made until July ist, if a long
season of bloom is desired. After frost comes, dig
the bulbs, and when well dried in the sun cut off
each stalk about six inches above the bulb; store in
a dry, frost-proof place. The bulbs increase rapidly
each year.

Larkspur : The annual kinds are easy to grow —
pink, red, blue, white, etc. The double stock-flowered
larkspur is especially good. Sow in late April ; trans-
plant or thin out; look for flowers in July-August;
plants grow about two feet high.

Marigold : The African varieties grow about
two feet high and bear large yellow or orange-col-
ored flowers ; the French kinds are more dwarf in
habit, usually with striped colors. Raise plants in-
doors or in frames in early spring and transplant to
open ground in May ; or sow seed outdoors in May.

Moonflower : Large white flowers opening in
the evening. A strong climber. Best to start seeds
in the house in March and transplant in May, or
buy plants of a seedsman. The seeds germinate
slowly and uncertainly. File or cut a small notch
through the hard coat or shell of each seed, keeping
away from the germinating point, and the seeds will
sprout more quickly. (This hint also applies to
canna or other large hard seeds.) Note: There is
a variety of moonflower which is a hardy perennial ,
but the foliage is not attractive.

Morning-glory: A climbing favorite. Sow in
early May, and give the vines something to run on.

THE FLOWER GARDEN 163

The Imperial Japanese kinds are larger and finer
colored than the old-fashioned sorts.

Nasturtium : There are dwarf varieties and tall
or climbing kinds. They like a well-drained, sunny
place, and will blossom until frost comes. Usually
sown outdoors about May ist.

Pansy: Does best in partial shade. For very
early spring flowering the seed may be sown in cold-
frames in autumn; or in the open ground, plants
well protected with straw or leaves through the
winter ; or sow seed indoors in March and trans-
plant to the open ground in April. For summer
blooming, sow seed outdoors in April. Pick the
flowers often, so that none will go to seed.

Pea, Sweet: Likes a deep, heavy loam. Sow
in early spring in drills about six inches deep; cover
only about two inches deep at first, filling in the
remaining four inches when the plants are a foot
high. Support the vines on wire-netting, brush, etc.
Pick the flowers often; allow none to go to seed —
this is important if you want a long blooming season.

Petunia : The double petunias are handsome,
but the single kinds are entirely satisfactory. I
usually sow the seed outdoors May ist and thin the
plants to about ten inches apart; however, earlier
bloom may be had by starting the plants in window
boxes indoors and transplanting them in May.

Phlox Drummondi : This is one of Harriet's
favorite annuals. She likes to have a solid mass of
it somewhere; composed of separate white, crimson,
pink and yellow kinds ; this gives a better effect than
the ordinary mixtures sold. (The same rule holds
true with sweet peas and some other flowers ; buy
and plant each color by itself and the result is more
pleasing.) Grow the same as petunias.

164 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Pink (dianthus) : The double and single annual
varieties are both pretty, although they are lacking
in odor. Sow the seed outdoors about May 1st;
thin to six inches. If the plants are protected with
manure they often bloom the second year.

Poppy : Be sure to grow some Shirley poppies ;
also some of the double kinds. Sow seed in April
and thin the plants so they'll stand at least six inches
apart ; do not transplant.

Verbena : For best results, sow seed in window
boxes or hotbeds in early spring and transplant to
the open ground in May; or sow outdoors in May.

Zinnia : Grown in the same manner as petunias ;
the mixtures are hideous, buy separate colors.

Then there are a host of other annuals — candy-
tuft, cosmos, gillyflower or stock, mignonette, lady-
slipper, portulaca, sweet alyssum, etc., etc., — which
I have not room to touch upon here. But they are
nearly all of easy culture and the grower needs no
special knowledge.

As for the many kinds of so-called "house
plants" that are often moved in pots to the garden
in summer time, I can only say : Beware of setting
them out too early; toughen them first by letting
them stand on a sheltered porch for a few days,
protecting them with newspapers or cloths during
cold nights. Boston ferns and other house ferns
are improved by sinking the pots to the brim in the
ground in a place outdoors sheltered from hard
winds and partially or wholly shaded; thus treated
(and occasionally sprinkled with water) they will
"renew their beauty" for another winter.

INSECT AND FUNGOUS ENEMIES. — Only a few
general remarks are possible here. A careful study
of Chapter V should help the flower grower to decide

THE FLOWER GARDEN 1 6$

upon a remedy for almost any trouble. Does the
insect eat? Then arsenate of lead, hellebore, etc.,
will kill it. Or, if it does not eat foliage or flowers,
musn't it suck the juices from leaf or branch by
inserting its beak inside where stomach poisons can
not go? Then one of the contact poisons or lice
remedies is the proper thing to use. Is it a fungous
trouble not caused by any insect? Then half-strength
Bordeaux is probably best; or perhaps sulphur for
mildew. Or if both insects and fungi are at work,
try a combination of arsenate of lead and half-
strength Bordeaux.

Some of the shrubs — notably the lilac — are very
subject to a scale pest called the oyster-shell bark-
louse. The scales can be plainly seen, without the
aid of a glass, On the branches — brown in color and
shaped something like an elongated oyster-shell.
Remedy: Spray with the whale-oil soap solution
about the middle of May. There is also a scurfy
scale which looks like a tiny, oblong flake of cotton.
Use same remedy as for oyster-shell scale. Last, but
most dangerous, is the San Jose scale. This is a
round, dark scale with a central dot or nipple, and
is not easy to see without the aid of a magnifying
glass. It attacks and kills many shrubs, osage orange
hedges, trees, etc. The lime-sulphur mixture is the
standard remedy for San Jose. Seedsmen sell it by
the quart or gallon, ready-mixed. Or if you have
many shrubs or trees affected, write to your state
experiment station or to the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and ask for bulletins
about making and spraying the lime-sulphur mixture.
The time to use it is after the leaves are off — in the
late fall or very early spring. Make a thorough job
of it, and do not delay.

i66

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

If the flower garden has a garden hose and water
under pressure, most insects can be controlled by
throwing the water forcibly all over the plants every
day or so (but do not do this when the hot sun is
shining on them). This knocks off nearly all kinds
of bugs, lice, etc. (not scale insects), and they soon
get discouraged and disappear.

POND LILIES AND DOROTHY PERKINS ROSES

CHAPTER XVII
SMALL FRUITS

The berry garden is just the place
Where summer lends peculiar grace.
What possibilities may lie
In things drawn from its rich supply!

*IRST, let us talk about strawberries.
April is the best month in the North
to set the plants. Select almost any
kind of good, well-drained land on
which some hoed crop was grown last
season. The soil should be deeply
plowed, enriched with manure and fer-
tilizers and harrowed until fine and
mellow. Dig or buy plants from beds
set last season which have not yet
fruited, so as not to get "little potato'*'
runners from old, worn-out plants. Select well-
tested varieties that do well in your climate and soil,
and which are liked in your local markets. For horse
cultivation many growers set the plants in rows
about four feet apart, and about eighteen inches apart
in the row (7,260 plants to the acre). Spread the
roots out well and deep ; tread the soil firmly about
each plant ; see that the crown of plant is level with
ground, and uncovered but not too high ; pick off
all blossoms, runners, old and dead leaves, and keep
blossoms and fruit off during the first season. When
setting plants, avoid drying the roots by exposure
to sun or wind, and reject all small, feeble, or old
plants with dark-looking roots. Read Chapter III

1 68 HIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

for general planting hints. Before setting, many
growers practise shearing or cutting about one-third
off the ends of all roots. Remember that strawberry
plants are either pistillate (imperfect blossoms) or
staminate (perfect). Most growers insure good fer-
tilization of blossoms (without which the pistillate
varieties can not produce fruit) by setting one row of
a perfect-blossom variety, two rows of imperfect,
then another row of perfect — and so on. As soon
as the field is all planted, start the cultivator and
loosen up the trodden soil. Hoe and cultivate the
plants often but shallow. Arrange the runners by
hand, spacing them properly and securing each one
in place with a little soil or a small stone. When
enough runners have rooted, cut off the surplus ones
the same as if they were weeds. Aim to have the
final row not more than eighteen inches wide, with
plants spaced (irregularly) six to eight inches apart.
Continue to hoe and cultivate until hard frosts come
in the fall ; then, when the soil is well frozen, mulch
the rows or the entire field with clean straw, marsh
hay, etc. In late March or early April, if the mulch
on the strawberry bed is heavy and packed down,
loosen it up a little and rake part of it into the
aisles between the rows. I do not believe that it is
best, usually, to cultivate or hoe the bed in the spring ;
simply pull up weeds that push through the mulch.
If you want to keep the bed another year, says a
writer in Farm Journal, after fruiting time mow off
the plant leaves and tops, let them dry, rake into
aisles, and set fire to dry leaves and mulch and burn
it off. Choose a dry, windy day for this job, so that
the fire will run quickly along the aisles. As soon
as the new growth starts, narrow down the rows
by plowing one furrow away from each side, and

SMALL FRUITS 169

then cultivate the soil back into place. Then treat
the bed the same as the first year. When it has
borne two crops, better plow it under.

The foregoing well-known method is what is
called the "narrow matted row" system. Of course
in a small garden, for hoe cultivation only, the rows
might be closer together — say three feet and a half
apart.

Sometimes the "wide matted row" method is
used — allowing the plant row to become two or
three feet wide. Then, last but not least, there's the
"hill system" of culture — setting the plants about fif-
teen inches apart in rows about three feet apart,
for horse cultivation, or in two-foot rows for hoe
work only. Blossoms are kept off and all runners
are promptly and regularly cut off all through the
growing season, and the plants, not being exhausted
by runner, blossom or fruit bearing, put all their
strength into themselves and grow big, sturdy and
bushy. Apply a mulch when the ground freezes,
and look for a fine crop of extra-fancy berries the
following June. This method requires high culture
and fertilization to produce satisfactory results. Oc-
casional applications of nitrate of soda the first sea-
son, and again the following spring after growth
starts, are helpful. (Nitrate of soda is useful in
any system of strawberry growing. See Chapter
IV.)

Some folks advocate setting strawberries in
August or early September. I prefer spring-set beds,
but if you must set in the fall, use pot-grown plants
and begin to prepare the ground a few weeks ahead
of planting time. Plow it early so that it will have
a chance to settle. Harrow or rake it often, to keep
down weeds and conserve moisture. Then the bed

SMALL FRUITS 171

will be in fine shape to receive the plants. Pot-
grown plants can be had of most nurserymen; or
you can easily raise them yourself by buying a num-
ber of tiny pots, filling them with earth, sinking them
alongside a new strawberry bed, and causing a run-
ner to take root in each pot.

Strawberry varieties : There are hundreds of
them. Every locality has its favorites. New kinds
are constantly being introduced, and most old kinds
sooner or later drop out of sight. I have only space
to mention a few well-tested varieties which are
general favorites in many places at the time of this
writing ("P" means pistillate or imperfect blossoms,
"S" means staminate or perfect blossoms) : Bubach
(P), Haverland (P), Chesapeake (S), Marshall (S),
Warfield (P), Wm. Belt (S), Lovett (S), Nick
Ohmer (S), Glen Mary (S), New York (S), Sena-
tor Dunlap (S), Heritage (S), Rough Rider (S),
etc., etc. If you want extra early berries, regardless
of size, plant Michel's Early (S), Tennessee Pro-
lific (S), etc. For very late kinds, plant Gandy (S),
Parker Earle (S), Brandywine (S), etc.

Picking and marketing: Do not pick straw-
berries when they are wet ; when picked, hurry them
to a cool place out
of the sun; do not
bruise; pick every
ripe berry every day
or two; do not jerk
the berries off — nip
them off at the stem;
throw out over-ripe
or under-ripe speci-

m^t-jc T T1J FTo!^ DO NOT PICK BERRIES FOR SHIPMENT

mens. J tt. -"ale WHEN THEY ARE WET AND BE
says: ror distant CAREFUL NOT TO BRUISE

1/2 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

market, try to pick in the evening, or in the morning
after the dew is off the grass and yet before it is too
warm. If picking must be done all through the heat
of the day, plan some way to cool the berries. Pick-
ers of mature years are best ; and as a rule girls are
better than boys. Have a superintendent for every
ten or twelve pickers, to assign the rows, inspect the
picking, etc. Each picker should be numbered and
have a picking stand or carrier with like number
to hold four, six or eight quarts. Sort the berries
as picked into two grades, and always use new, clean
baskets made of the whitest wood possible. Fill
rounding full with fruit of uniform quality all the
way through. After berries are picked keep them
from the air as much as possible. Fruit, if dry
cooled, will keep much longer and keep fresher if
kept in tight crates. Ventilation in crates and bas-
kets does more harm than good." In many parts of
the East the 32-quart crate is the favorite shipping
package ; in Michigan and some other states, the 16-
quart gift-crate is popular (this kind is shown in the
packing-shed illustration in this chapter).

Strawberry pests : Leaf-spot, blight, rust and
mildew can all be largely controlled by early spray-
ings with the Bordeaux mixture. Rotation of crops
and the annual "burning over" of each bed after it
has fruited, will usually control the crown-borer, the
leaf-roller, and similar insects ; also, put some arsen-
ate of lead in the Bordeaux mixture and use the
combined spray until little green berries begin to
form, then stop, and resume spraying after the fruit-
ing season is over. White grubs (larvae of May
beetles or "June bugs" as they are sometimes called)
often attack the roots below ground and the plant
withers and dies; there are no good remedies, but

SMALL FRUITS

173

fall-plowing and regular cultivation are preventives;
never plant strawberries on ground which has been
in sod within two or three years and you'll have little
trouble with white grubs.

RASPBERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES. — To get a start,
buy plants of a nurseryman; or propagate from an
old patch, as follows : New plants of the red rasp-
berry and blackberry may be obtained by digging the
larger vigorous roots and cutting in pieces two or
three inches in length,
according to their size ;
the smaller the root
the longer it should be
cut. Cut the roots in
the fall and store in
boxes of sand placed in a
dry, cool cellar until
spring. As soon as the
ground can be properly
prepared, scatter the root
pieces thinly in furrows
and cover with two
inches of light, loamy
soil. Choose a moist, par-
tially shaded situation,
keep clean and free from
weeds, and by fall you
will have a good supply of strong, healthy plants
for early spring setting (for the North I favor
spring setting). An easier way, is to dig suckers
or sprouts that come up along or between the rows,
being sure to secure with each sprout a short por-
tion of the cross root from which it grew; dig
and set these in permanent rows in the early spring.
(Much of this digging, however, hurts a patch.)

GET BERRIES OUT OF THE SUN
AND INTO THE PACKING-
SHED QUICKLY

174 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

Blackcap raspberries do not sucker from the
roots and are propagated differently. When black-
cap tips bend down near the ground toward autumn,
new plants can be easily started. Bend down and
bury each tip a few inches beneath the ground, hold-
ing it in place by pegs, a stone, or the weight of a
little heaped-up soil. Most of the tips, if not dis-
turbed, will take root and form nice plants by next
spring ; at which time the parent canes can be severed
a few inches from the new plants, and the latter can
then be dug up and set out wherever desired.

Planting-distances, culture, etc. : Blackberries
for horse cultivation are usually set about eight feet
apart in rows, plants spaced about two feet (2,722
to the a,cre). Red raspberry rows, about six feet
apart, plants spaced about two feet (3,630 to the
acre). The plants, of both, sucker and run to-
gether in the row in a year of two, until there is a
continuous hedgerow about a foot wide (plants
which come up outside of this should be treated like
weeds). For small garden or hoe cultivation the
rows might be a little closer together. Blackcaps
fpr horse cultivation may be set in six-foot rows,
about two and one-half feet apart between plants;
or 5x5, and cultivated both ways if the rows are
straight in each direction (1,742 plants to the acre).
As blackcaps do not sucker, the hills will "stay put."

As to the depth to set plants of raspberries and
blackberries, I shall simply say: Set them only a
trifle deeper than they were before digging.

Soil for these berries should be moist, well
fertilized, loamy, well drained and deeply plowed.
Cultivation should begin in early spring and continue
(say at ten-day intervals) until about the middle of
August. A mulch at fruiting time is helpful and

SMALL FRUITS 175

practicable in a small patch. A cover crop is some-
times sown at the last cultivation, for turning un-
der in early spring. Do not plow the ground (after
it is planted) deeper than three inches; cultivate
about two inches deep; hand-hoe between plants
where the cultivator can not go. Do not let plants
produce fruit the first season ; a small crop may be
expected the following year; a full crop the third
year.

Pruning: The first year, none. After that,
cut out (close to the ground) all old canes each
summer as soon as they have fruited. At the same
time, cut out surplus canes (when the rows get too
thick) and diseased or feeble canes. Remove and
burn the cuttings, promptly. Don't let the rows
get too wide or too thick, but be sure to leave enough
new shoots for next year's fruiting. In the early
spring go through the patch again ; cut out all
broken or winter-killed canes or branches, shorten
remaining canes to four or five feet, and cut off at
least a third or half of each long side-shoot. Rake
up and burn all brush. (NOTE: There is another
pruning detail which is practised by some growers,
called "summer pruning" or "pinching." This con-
sists of pinching off the tip ends of all new shoots
when they are not more than two feet high — the idea
being to make the canes stocky and more self-sup-
porting, with low side-branches. This method has
advantages and disadvantages ; some growers greatly
favor it, while others condemn it and say that it often
causes too much late, tender growth that winter-
kills in the North. It seems to work better with
blackcaps and blackberries, than with red raspber-
ries.) If the canes are properly pruned, no supports
should be needed; although in small gardens it is

176 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

quite common to string stout wires along the rows,
either using double wires or tying the canes to a sin-
gle wire. Blackcaps and blackberries are usually
picked and packed in quart boxes in crates the same
as strawberries. Red raspberries are generally
packed in pint boxes. Get blackberries out of the
sun double-quick, or they'll turn red in spots, says
Tim ; and he speaks from experience.

Varieties : The following kinds of blackberries
are hardy, or nearly so, in New York State, says
O. M. Taylor : Agawam, Ancient Briton, Eldorado,
Snyder, Ohmer, Stone Hardy, Taylor, Wachusett.
The not hardy kinds are : Kittatinny, Lovett, Merser-
eau, Minnewaski, Wilson Jr., Early Harvest, Early
Mammoth. (The latter varieties may endure the
winter cold some years, but the safest way is to bend
down the canes lengthwise of the row in late fall
and cover with earth, in the extreme North; this
bending is done by first removing some soil from one
side of the roots.)

Gregg, Cumberland, Kansas, Ohio, Conrath, etc.,
are popular blackcaps. Cuthbert, Miller, London,
etc., are good red raspberries. Golden Queen is a
yellow-fruited variety. Shaffer is a purple-cap kind,
but not popular for market.

Insects and diseases : Cane-borers, gall-beetles,
tree-crickets and similar insects that infest rasp-
berry and blackberry canes, are difficult to combat
with sprays ; however, the prompt cutting out and
burning of old, dead and infested canes will usually
keep these enemies in check. A little worm (the
larvae of a black saw-fly) sometimes feeds upon the
leaves ; hellebore or arsenate of lead sprays will kill
it. Anthracnose (purplish or scabby patches on the
canes) is a fungous trouble; spray with the Bor-

SMALL FRUITS 177

deaux mixture and promptly destroy canes after
fruiting. Red rust (powdery, orange-red places on
leaves, etc.) is a very common trouble; dig out in-
fested plants — root and branch — whenever seen, and
burn; be careful not to scatter the dust on healthy
bushes; early sprayings with Bordeaux may help a
little.

CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES. — Buy plants. Or,
soon after the leaves fall in autumn, currant, goose-
berry and grape cuttings may best be made. Use
this season's new wood-growth; cut into lengths
about eight inches long, tie into bundles, and bury in
not too wet sand in the cellar, for spring planting.
Or if you will mulch them well through the winter,
they may be set at once in the fall. Set them slightly
leaning, top end up, about five inches apart, deeply,
in rows (each cutting having at least one bud above
and one below ground), cultivate them as you would
any other crop, and transplant them to their per-
manent place the following fall or spring. The soil
should be well firmed around the cuttings.

Most growers make the permanent rows 5x5 feet
and cultivate both ways ; but in a small garden the
bushes might be spaced about four feet apart in five-
foot rows. A well-drained clay or clay-loam soil is
liked best by these bushes. They are great feeders and
manure should be used bountifully. The roots run
close to the surface, so beware of cultivating deeply ;
but regular, light stirrings of the soil until August
are beneficial. Some growers cultivate the ground
once or twice in the spring and then mulch the sur-
face during the balance of the year ; this is a good
hint for the small gardener. In some localities cur-
rants and gooseberries are packed in quart boxes
the same as strawberries; consult your local market-

178 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

man. Gooseberries are usually marketed while in a
green, hard condition.

Pruning and pests : These fruits are usually
grown and trained in bush form, and shoots from
the base are utilized to renew the top gradually.
Pruning consists of cutting out weak or superfluous
new shoots, and old ones which have outlived their
usefulness or which have become diseased or infested
with borers. But never cut out too many old stalks
at once, for the bulk of the fruit is produced on such
wood. Stalks may be left until about three years
old — which is often the limit of their usefulness.
All shoots, old or new, may be cut back, as desired,
to make the bushes more compact and symmetrical,
and the fruit larger. In other words, thin out, cut
back, and gradually replace the older stalks with
younger ones. Burn all clippings promptly, for thus
the borer is kept down. The principal other enemy
is the currant worm which attacks the leaves in early
spring. Remedy : Spray the bushes with the helle-
bore mixture given in Chapter V, but do it promptly
when the first worm is seen ; watch the bushes
closely shortly after the leaves unfold in the spring.
Fungous blight troubles can be controlled with Bor-
deaux. Sulphur for mildew is often used.

Varieties : Perfection, Victoria, Cherry, Fay's
Prolific, are popular kinds of currants. Red Dutch
is the small, old-fashioned kind ; it is still grown.
White Dutch and White Grape are white varieties.
Black Naples is esteemed for jellies. Downing,
Houghton, Columbus, etc., are well-known native
gooseberries. Industry is a fine, large European
variety, very sweet; but more subject to mildew
than the American kinds.

GRAPES. — Buy one-year-old vines ; or propagate

SMALL FRUITS 179

them from cuttings as advised for currants (page
1/7). Vineyard rows should be about eight feet
apart, plants spaced about eight feet in the rows.
Any good, well-drained soil will do, but — commer-
cially speaking — grapes do their best only in certain
localities where temperature, climate, etc., are en-
tirely favorable. The "Chautauqua grape belt" in New
York state is such a place. There are others. How-
ever, a few grapes for home use can be grown
almost anywhere. On account of greater security
against frost dangers, an elevated location is pref-
erable to a low-lying place. In very cold sections
grapes do especially well on the sunny side of a wall,
fence or building. So be sure to have at least a few
Concords, Delawares, Niagaras, Brightens, etc.
After planting, cut back the top to about three buds
and let the vine grow as it pleases the first season.
Then, the next February, cut back the best cane to
about four "eyes" or buds, and cut off any other
canes entirely; when these buds commence to grow,
rub off all but the two strongest shoots, and, as they
grow, tie them to the wire of a trellis or to a stake.
The third year's pruning will depend somewhat upon
what system of training you decide upon ; the sub-
ject is too large and intricate for treatment here.
The Kniffen system is one often used; it consists in
training the vine so that it has four horizontal side
or main branches, two on each side, one above an-
other, tied to two wires ; the first wire may be about
three feet high, the second about five feet. I sug-
gest that every grape-grower should send to the
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.,
ask for free Farmers' Bulletins Nos. 284 and 471,
and learn all the facts about other systems.

Extra-fine grapes are obtained by cutting off the

l8o BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

inferior bunches and removing those that crowd
others. Cultivation, too, helps to make fine fruit.
So do annual applications of bone meal, stable ma-
nure, and some form of potash. Another aid to
high quality, is "sacking" or "bagging" the bunches.
The best time to do this is when the berries are
quite small — not larger than small shot. Ordinary
two-pound paper sacks can be used. The mouth of
each sack should be snugly wrapped around the stem
of the bunch, and securely held in place by pinning
or tying. The tie should be tight, but, of course,
not too tight. The sacks protect the grapes from
fungous and insect enemies, including wasps, birds,
etc., and the bunches thus protected are finer and
more perfect. For grape-rot and mildew, begin
early and spray the vines with Bordeaux mixture at
intervals of about two weeks. The addition of
arsenate of lead to the earlier sprayings will kill any
insects which eat the leaves (see Chapter V).

OTHER FRUITS. — In regard to the dewberry, etc.,
I must refer you to my Berry Book. There, also,
you will find many details about small-fruit growing
which lack of space excludes from this chapter.

INDEX

A PAGE PAGE

Ammonia .............. 52 Cardoon ............... 147

Angleworms ............ 62 Carrot ........ a ..;... 96, 97

Anise .................. 145 Catch crops ---- :. ........ 44

Annual flowers ..... 161-164 Caterpillars ............ no

Anthracnose ....... 140, 176 Catnip ................. 145

Ants ................... 62 Cauliflower ............. 116

Arsenical poisons ..... 56, 57 Celeriac .......... 141, 142

Artichoke .............. 141 Celery ............. 105-110

Ashes, hardwood. .43, 52, 65 Cellars .............. 92, 93

Asparagus ............ 65-70 Chard ................. 142

•D Chervil ................ 147

0 Chickens ......... 62, 81. 90

Bagging grapes ......... 180 Chicory ............ ....147

galm .................. J45 Chives ................. 147

^ean .............. I20> "3 Citron ................. 13!

eef ....... ! ........ • • • °3 Climbing flowering vines. 160

Beet ...... ;v:.... 95, 9&, 100 Cloth for frames ........ 32

Beetles. (See Asparagus, etc ) Clover ........... 44, 45, 88

Bellows for powder. ..59, 60 Club-root .......... 115, 116

£?rTleS ............. l67'17^ Coldframes.2o, 21, 23, 40, 128

Birds ......... .63, 180 Collards ............... in

Bisulphide of carbon.... 62 Compost ......... 26, 30, 47

Blackberry ......... 173, 177 Copper, sulphate of.. .55, 56

Blackcaps ••;•••••• ..... 174 Coriander ..... . ......... 145

Blanching (See Aspara- Corn ..... ......... 119, 120

gus Celery etc ) Corn salad. .... ......... I42

Blight. (See Potato, etc.) Cover crops ............. 44

Blossoms, never spray ... 62 Cress ............. 142, 143

Blossoms, pollination of, Crown-borer 172

63, 1 68 Crows ...... '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.*.'.' 63

Blossoms, removing, Cucumber .......... 127-133

132, 167, 169 Culls .................. 77

Bone meal.. ......... 43, 45 Cultivation. .34, 35, 36, 47-54

Bordeaux mixture ..... 55, 56 Cultivators ...49, 50, 51, 54

Borecole ............... 117 Currant ........... 177, 178

|orers ... ..... 125, 132, 178 Cuttings ........... 124, 177

Broadcasting.. 26, 43, 44, 47 Cutworms .............. 115

Bursting, cabbage ........ 112 Djrt_ban(is '.'.'. V. '.','.'.'.'. 3 V, 32

C Diseases. (See Onion, etc.)

Cabbage ............ 111-116 Distances apart ......... 34

Cane-borer ............. 176 Drag, plank ............. 17

Cantaloupe ............. 130 Drainage ............... 1 1

Caraway ............... 145 Drills, in soil ........... 37

Carbolic-acid emulsion... 58 Drills, machine ....... 37, 53

Carbon, bisulphide of.... 62 Drought ............... 48

l82 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

PAGE PAGE

Dugout 93, 101 Heave out, plants 49

Dust mulch 35 Hellebore 57

E Hen manure 52, 53

Earthworms 62 Hens 62, 81, 90

Eggplant 139, 140 Herbs 144, 145

Emulsion, kerosene 58 Hiller, celery 108

Endive 143 Hilling up. .66, 90, 107, 108

F goes 49, 50, 51, 5-2, 53

Fall-plowing 81,91 Hook potato 125

Fennel .145 Horehound 145

Fertilization ...43-47, 52, 53 Horseradish 73

Fire hotbeds...!.. .Ji II Hotbeds 19-23

Fires, smudge 140 gumus 43, 44, 45

Firming the soil. . . 26, 36, 39 -Hyssop 145

Flats 26-31,34 (

Flea beetle 115 Implements. (See Plows, etc.)

Float 17 Insecticides 55-59

Flowers 149-166 Insects. (See Onion, etc. )

Forcing. (See Hotbeds, etc.) Irrigation 51.5-2

Fork, digging 14 J

Formalin 56, 1 1 6 J-une bug 172

Frost, fighting 140 K

Fruits, small 167-180 Kainit 43, 90

Fungicides 55,56,62 Kale 117

Fungous diseases. (See Kerosene emulsion 58

Bean, Onion, etc.) Kohlrabi 117

G L

Gall-beetle 176 Labels, plant 41

Garlic 147 Lady-bugs 63

Germination. .25, 26, 40, 106 Land plaster 63

Gherkin 129 Lavender 145

Ginseng 143, 144 Leaf-roller 172

Glass for frames 21 Leaf-rot. (See Lettuce, etc.)

Gooseberry 177, 178 Leaf-spot. (See Beet, etc.)

Grading. (See Tomato, etc.) Leek 145

Grape 178-180 Legumes 45

Green fly 59 Lettuce 103-105

Greenhouses 22, 23 Lice remedies. 58, 59, 86, 87

Green manuring 45 Lime..... 46, 47, 52, 54, 55

Greens 96, in, 142 Lime-sulphur mixture/. .. 165

Groundhogs 62 Line, use of 33, 34, 37

Grub, white 125, 172 Liquid manure 45

Guano 45 M

Gumbo 146 Maggot. ( See Cabbage, etc. )

Gypsum 63 Mangel-wurzel 100

H Manure 20, 23, 43, 44, 45

Hardening plants 29, 164 Marketing. (See Aspara-

Hardy vegetables 27, 40 gus, Onion, etc.)

Harrows 17,67 Marking 33, 34, 37, 39

Heading 104 Mats for frames.. 29, 32, 33

INDEX 183

PAGE PAGE

May beetle 172 Pumpkin 132

Mealy bug 59 Pumps, spray 59, 60, 6 1

Melon 127-131 Pyrethrum powder 59

Mice, field 63 R

Mildew. (See Melon, etc.) Rabbits 62

Moles 63 Radish 97, 98, 99

Mulch, dust 35, 4$ Rakes 39, 49

Mulching 48, 49 Raspberry I73~I77

Muriate of potash 43 Red rust 177

Mushroom 145, 146 Red spider 59

Muskmelon ...127, 128, 130 Rhubarb 7Q-73

Mustard 146 Ridging ....16, 17, 66, 124

>J Robins 63

Nipping growth, Roguing 41

123 1^7 132 137 175 Roller 17

Nitrate of soda. . .' . . .45, 46 goot Borers 125, 132

Nitrogen ...45, 53, 121, 124 5°ot Cro.Ps 95'ioo

Q Root-cuttings 173

QI ra I46 Root maggots. (See Mag-
Onion .. 75-8i RcTse-bugs 57, 1 60

Oyster-shell scale 165 Rosemary , . . 145

P Roses 158-160

Packages, shipping. (See Rot. (See Onion, Potato, etc.)

Asparagus, Beans, etc.) Rotation of crops 38

Packing. (See Tomato, etc.) Rows, straight 33, 37

Paris green 56, 57 Rue 145

Parsley 146 Rust. (See Asparagus, etc.)

Parsnip - 97 Rutabaga 100

Peas 83-88 S

Pennyroyal 145 Sacking grapes 180

Peppermint 145 Sage 145

Peppers 140 Salsify 99

Perennial flowers 150 San Jose scale 165

Phosphates 43 Sash 21

Phosphoric acid 53 Savory 145

Pinching. (See Nipping.) Saw-fly 176

Pits, outdoor. . .92, 101, 102 Scab 56, 88, 125

Planters, machine. ... 36, 37 Scale pests 165

Planting and sowing. .25-41 Scarecrows 63

Plaster, land 63 Scuffle hoe 53

Plowing 1 6 Scullions 80

Popcorn 120 Scurfy scale 165

Potash 43, 45, 53 Sea-kale 117

Potato 88-93 Seeder, machine. .37, 49, 50

Potato, sweet 123-126 Seed, germination of. .25, 40

Preparation of the land. 9-17 Seed, good 39, 41

Profits 14, 15, 23 Seed growing 41

Pruning. (See Roses, Seed rotting 39, 123

Shrubs, Fruits, Vines.) ' Seed, soaking 39

Puddling 38 Seed, saving and storing. 41

184

BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK

PAGE T PAGE

Seed sowing 25-41 Tansy 145

Seed testing 25, 26 Tar, for seed corn 63

Seed, vitality of 25, 40 Tarragon 145

Selling. (See Marketing.) Temperature of hotbed,
Sets. (See Onion, etc.) 20, 23, 27, 135, 139

Setting. (See Transplanting.) Tender vegetables. 27, 29, 40

Shading 29, 35 Thermometer 20

Shearing plants 39, 168 Thinning plants 51

Shipping._ (See Potato, etc.) Thrips 59, 81

Shrubs, flowering. . .157, 158 Thyme 145

Shutters for frames 32 Tile drains 1 1

Slope of land 10 Time to sow, etc. (See Beans,

Small fruits 167-180 Flowers, Fruits, etc.)

Smudge fires 140 Toads 63

Smut. (See Onion, Corn, etc.) Tobacco 58, 81

Snails 62 Tomato 135-139

Soil, condition of. 44, 46, 47 Tools. (See Implements.)

Soil for frames 26 Topping 78

Soil for the garden. .. 10, n Transplanting 27-41

Soil, sour 46, 54 Transportation 9, 10

Soot 8 1 Traps, mole 63

Sorrel 54, 147 Tree-cricket 1 76

Sorter, machine 92 Trenching 16, 65, 109

Sorting. (See Grading.) Trimming plants (see also
Sowing and planting. . .25-41 Shearing) ..108, 167, 168

Spade 14 Turnip 99, 100

Spading 15? V

Sparrows, English 63 Varieties to plant 38

Spearmint 145 Ventilation. 23, 27, 29, 39, §3

Spinach '47 Vines, climbing 160

Spraying 55-62 *

Spreaders 14. 53

Squash 127, 128, 132 Water cress........ 142, 143

Stem-blight 140 Watering 26, 27, 28, 36

Stem-rot 105 Watermelon ..127, 128, 131

Storing. (See Onion, Potato, Webworms... 120

ej.c ) Weeders, hand 49

Strawberry 167-173 ^eed?. f> j>J' 53

Striped bug 132, 133 W,feyllsM ;8Z' 88' 9S

Subsoil . ii Whale-oil soap solution.. 58

Subsoil, 'plowing'.'.'-'- . .'16, 65 Wheel hoes 49, 50

Sulphate of ammonia 45 White grub 125, i

Sulphate of copper. . .55, 56 JR".."*; IOS

Sulphate of potash 43 Windbreaks . . 10

Sulphur 56, 125 Wind protection. i

Superphosphates 43 Wireworms. . .90, 96, 99, ' '9

Sweet basil 145 Worms. (See Earth-

Sweet corn 119, 120 worms, Currant, etc.)

Sweet marjoram 145 " ormwood 145

Sweet peas 163 Y

Sweet potato 123-126 Yams 125

JLJ.iJ.K3 JJWVXJLX J.U

STAMPED BELOW

AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS

WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN
THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY
WILL INCREASE TO 5O CENTS ON THE FOURTH
DAY AND TO $I.OO ON THE SEVENTH DAY
OVERDUE.

JUN 12 1933

261984
6 1937

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY