3 lbs. wheat bran
2 oz. white arsenic or powdered
lead arsenate
½ pint cheap molasses
Mix all together and add enough water to make a mash that will stick
together. This is very poisonous and extreme care must be exercised in
its use.
XII
PLANT DISEASES
Most of our vegetable crops are subject to attack by fungus or bacterial
parasites which cause disease. Preventive measures are the most
important in combating ills of this nature. These may consist of
providing unfavorable soil conditions for the disease, as in the case of
cabbage clubroot, or disinfection of the “seed” as practised for the
control of scab of potatoes. Other measures are: the application of
protective sprays, which kill the spores of disease organisms when they
germinate; rotation of crops; planting disease-resistant varieties; and
the avoidance of material carrying spores of disease, such as manure
containing parts of diseased plants.
_Bordeaux mixture_ is the standard fungicide. The formula which calls
for four ounces lump lime, four ounces copper sulphate (bluestone) and
three gallons of water is the one most commonly used.
It is made by dissolving four ounces of bluestone in an earthenware or
wooden vessel in one and one-half gallons of water. The lime is slaked
in another vessel by adding water gradually until it forms a mixture of
a milky consistency. Add more water to make one and one-half gallons and
strain through cheese-cloth. After it has been strained it should be
thoroughly mixed with the copper-sulphate solution and used immediately.
Bordeaux mixture made in this way will not keep, but should be applied
the same day. Stock solutions of copper sulphate and lime will keep
indefinitely if they are not mixed together.
_Liver of sulphur (potassium sulphide)_ is valuable for spraying plants
affected with mildew. Use one ounce dissolved in three gallons of water.
This solution discolors paint.
The following are some of the common diseases affecting vegetable crops:
Beans are attacked by _anthracnose_. It causes dark-colored, sunken
spots to appear on the leaves, stems, and pods. It frequently penetrates
to the seeds. Infected seeds should never be planted. It pays to look
over all beans that are to be used for seed and destroy all that are
discolored. Never work among the bean-plants when they are wet, as the
disease, if it is present, is easily spread by this means.
_Beets_ are subject to a _leaf-spot_. This causes small, round, dead
spots to appear on the leaves. Bordeaux mixture applied as soon as the
spots appear and at intervals of one or two weeks will check this
disease.
Cabbage.—_Clubroot_ is a disease which causes the roots of cabbage,
cauliflower, kohlrabi, and allied plants to become swollen and deformed,
and prevents them from functioning properly. If it is not noticed at
transplanting-time the first indication of its presence is the sudden
wilting of the plants. All affected plants should be destroyed. The
seedbed and that part of the garden where the cabbages are to be planted
should be limed two or three months before planting. Use between fifty
and sixty pounds of air-slaked lime on a plot twenty by twenty feet, and
thoroughly mix it with the soil.
Corn.—_Corn smut_ usually appears as swellings, covered with a silvery
membrane, on the tassels or ears. These break open later and disclose
the masses of dark-colored spores. The swellings should be cut off and
destroyed before they burst.
Cucumber.—_Anthracnose, angular leafspot_, and _downy mildew_ are
diseases attacking the leaves of cucumbers which can be controlled to
some extent by frequent spraying with Bordeaux mixture. This should be
applied as soon as the diseases are noticed and repeated at intervals of
one or two weeks.
Peas are affected by a _mildew_ which shows itself on the leaves and
pods as a whitish mold. The plants should be dusted with powdered
sulphur, or sprayed with potassium-sulphide solution to which resin
fish-oil soap has been added to make it stick to the leaves.
Potato.—Two important diseases affecting potatoes are _scab_ and _late
blight_. The former is a disease which lives in the soil and is also
carried over on infected potatoes. It shows itself as scabby spots on
the tubers. Seed potatoes can be disinfected by soaking them, before
they are cut, for two hours in a solution of one part Formalin to two
hundred and forty parts water. This treatment will not prevent scab if
the soil is already infected. An alkaline soil favors the growth of this
disease.
_Late blight_ appears late in the season and causes the leaves to
blacken, become watery, and decay, often accompanied with an offensive
odor. The disease also penetrates the tubers and renders them unfit for
storage purposes. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture is practised as a
preventive measure. It should be applied when the plants are six inches
high, and repeated at intervals of about ten days until the crop is
mature. Crops can be obtained without spraying, but Bordeaux mixture may
be considered as a form of insurance. Lead arsenate may be added to the
Bordeaux mixture if potato-beetles are present.
Tomato.—_Tomato leaf-spot_ is a disease which causes dark-brown spots
to appear on the leaves. The areas attacked shrivel and die. Spray with
Bordeaux mixture.
It is just as important to apply remedial or preventive measures early
in the case of diseases as it is in controlling insect pests. Fine
mist-like sprays should be used as recommended for applying stomach
poisons, and for the same reason.
XIII
THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES IN DETAIL
This chapter is devoted to hints on the cultivation of the more
important vegetables, together with some mention of varieties suited for
“war-garden” planting.
Artichoke, Jerusalem.—This has about the same food value as the potato,
but, unfortunately, it is a rather tasteless product. Proper cooking,
with the addition of sauces and condiments, will make it palatable. It
is a tall, coarse-growing plant belonging to the sunflower family. If
you have an out-of-the-way spot in your garden where nothing else will
grow, try a few artichokes. It needs sunshine, but is not particular as
to soil. It should be planted in the spring on ground that has had a
dressing of barn-yard manure spaded in. Plant the tubers a foot apart in
rows two feet apart. The plant is a perennial, and likely to become a
troublesome weed unless restricted to one corner of the garden.
Beans.—This group comprises some of the most important of garden
vegetables.
The various types of beans differ greatly in their requirements, and
there is scarcely any kind of soil or climate that will support
vegetation, where beans of one kind or another cannot be grown.
Most of the beans are very susceptible to cold and must not be planted
until the soil has warmed up and all danger of frost is past. There is
one kind, however, belonging to a different genus than the common beans,
which is not harmed by frost and which requires a long, cool season to
develop properly. This is the broad, or Windsor, bean. A rich clay loam
is best suited to this plant, and the seeds must be planted just as soon
as the ground is in condition to be worked on in the spring. Plant them
in rows two feet apart, and three inches apart in the rows.
The ordinary garden beans can be divided into two groups—the pole
beans, which can be subdivided into those of the string and Lima types;
and the bush beans, comprising string-beans, green and wax podded,
green-shell beans, dry-shell beans, and Limas.
The pole beans, especially the Limas, are very susceptible to cold and
cannot be planted outdoors in the vicinity of New York until toward the
end of May, and not until June if it happens to be a cool season. They
require a light, fertile soil for their best development. Seeds can be
planted in hills three feet apart each way, placing three or four seeds
in each hill. Poles must be provided for them to climb on and these
should be in place before the seeds are planted. They can also be
planted and trained on a trellis, as described in Chapter X.
Bush beans of the string type are less affected by cold than the
preceding, but are not very hardy in this respect. They may be planted
as soon as danger of frost is past if the ground is not too cold and
wet. The distance between the rows should be about eighteen inches, the
plants standing from three to four inches apart in the rows. Bush beans
will grow in a variety of soils ranging from those of a sandy nature to
clay loams, but they grow best in sandy loam. Shell beans of the
Improved Navy type (pea-beans) are especially adapted for planting in
sandy soils.
Bush Lima beans require the same kind of soil as the pole beans, and
should be planted at the same time. Make the rows two feet apart, with
the plants from six to nine inches apart in the row.
The following are good varieties. Of the dwarf, wax-podded kinds
_Rust-proof Golden Wax_ and _Burpee’s Kidney_ are desirable.
_Bountiful_, a flat-podded type, and _Valentine_, a round-podded kind,
are good examples of dwarf, green snap-beans.
In the pole beans we have _Golden Carmine_ and _Golden Cluster_, both
wax-pods, and _Kentucky Wonder_, an excellent, green snap-bean and also
suitable for providing dry-shell beans.
Of beans that are grown for their seeds the following may be noted:
_Dwarf Horticultural_ (can also be used as a snap-bean), _Improved
Navy_, and _White Marrow_.
The Limas are represented by two forms, the dwarf and the climbing
kinds. Good dwarf Limas are _Burpee’s Improved_, and _Fordhook_. For
planting in the Northern states, _Leviathan_, which is a quick-maturing
variety, is very suitable. This and _King of the Garden_, a very
productive kind, are pole, or climbing, Limas.
Beets are one of the hardy vegetables which can be planted as soon as
the ground has been prepared in the spring. There are two distinct kinds
of beets—those which have a globular or flat root, and those with a
long, tapering root. The latter are of slower growth than the round
kinds, and are very suitable for winter storage, but their cultivation
should not be attempted unless the soil is deep and of a sandy nature.
The globe beets are the best for the home gardener. For the first
planting a quick-maturing kind, such as _Crosby’s Egyptian_, should be
chosen. For later plantings _Detroit Dark Red_ is suitable, and this is
a good variety to plant toward the end of June or early July to form
roots suitable for winter storage. Beets can be planted in rows from
twelve to eighteen inches apart. After the seedlings have reached a
height of two or three inches they should be thinned out to stand four
inches apart in the row. If desired, these thinnings may be taken up
carefully, so as not to break the roots, and transplanted in another
part of the garden. Another plan is to defer thinning until the plants
are from four to six inches in height, and then use the thinnings as
“greens.” Beets will grow in almost any soil, but the best crops are
produced on sandy loams.
Cabbage may be grown as an early crop, to mature around June or July, or
as a late crop, to mature in the fall.
The early crop is usually produced from seeds sown in a greenhouse or
hotbed in February or early March, the young plants being set out in
April. They require plenty of room for development and should be planted
so as to stand from eighteen inches to two feet apart in the rows, the
rows being two and one-half to three feet apart. _Early Jersey
Wakefield_ is the variety commonly grown for an early crop.
Seeds for the late crop can be sown in May. If sown outdoors, a plot of
rich, sandy soil (a square yard will produce an ample supply of
seedlings for most home gardens) should be chosen. If the plot has been
limed a short time previous it is an advantage, as an alkaline soil
lessens the liability to club root, a disease which prevents proper
development of the cabbage. The resultant seedlings should be set out in
July. As late cabbages are stronger growers and form larger heads than
the early kinds, they should be given more room—three feet between the
rows and two feet apart in the rows. A standard variety for late
planting is _Flat Dutch_.
Cabbages will succeed in a variety of soils, but to get best results
heavy applications of decayed stable manure should be incorporated with
the soil before planting. Surface dressings of nitrate of soda are also
beneficial.
Carrot.—This crop can be planted any time after the ground is in
condition in the spring up to July, which is a suitable time to sow
seeds for the crop designed for winter storage. The quick-maturing
kinds, such as _Early Scarlet Horn_, should be sown first, choosing the
warmest position in the garden. These will be ready for use in a short
time, when they may be harvested and the ground used for another crop.
For later crops _Danver’s Half-long_ may be used. Carrot seed should be
sown in rows a foot or fifteen inches apart and one-half inch deep. The
early varieties should be thinned to stand about two inches apart, while
the main crop needs about four inches between each plant. Some people
defer the thinning of their carrots until they are of sufficient size
for the table. “Baby” carrots are one of the most delicious of
vegetables when they are properly cooked, far preferable to the roots
that have been allowed to mature. While this plan has great advantages,
the carrots left behind do not attain so great a size as would be the
case if thinning had been attended to earlier.
A deep, well-cultivated soil is the best for this crop. In heavy soils
that have not been deeply worked, the short-rooted kinds, such as
_Ox-heart_, should be planted.
Cauliflower.—The cultivation of cauliflower is substantially the same
as that of cabbage. It is a cool-weather crop, and not much success is
likely to be obtained if attempts are made to mature it during hot
weather. For this reason it is either planted early, or as late as
possible consistent with the prospects of maturing the crop. It requires
a light, rich soil. When the heads begin to form, it is advisable to
bend the outside leaves over and fasten them in such a way that the head
is shaded from the sun. Cauliflower is emphatically not a crop for the
novice.
Celery.—There are two distinct kinds of celery—the so-called
“self-blanching” varieties, and the green-leaf kinds. The former are the
earliest to mature, but are not to be compared for flavor and tenderness
with the latter.
Seed of the early kinds, of which _White Plume_ is an example, is sown
in February in a greenhouse or hotbed. The young plants should be
transplanted once or twice, either in shallow boxes filled with earth or
in the open ground, before the plants are set out where they are to
mature, in May or June. Celery naturally forms a long “tap root” with
few fibers. The object of the successive transplantings is to check this
“tap root” and promote the formation of a mass of fibrous feeding-roots.
The plants are placed in single or double rows thirty inches or three
feet apart, and from four to six inches apart in the rows. When they
attain sufficient size they are blanched by placing boards, a foot wide
and as long as can conveniently be handled, on either side of the row.
Other methods of blanching are by slipping a drain-pipe over each plant
or by wrapping around them a collar made of stout paper and tying it in
place with twine.
Seed of late celery is sown about the same time as the early kinds, or a
few weeks later, and the procedure is the same up until planting-time,
which is early in July. Late celery is of stronger growth than the early
varieties and needs more room for its development. The plants should be
set in rows three and a half to four feet apart, and six inches apart in
the rows. In some sections it is customary to dig a trench six inches or
more deep and plant the celery in this. By this means watering is
facilitated, and it is easier to blanch the celery later on. This method
is not advisable when the good soil is shallow, as it results in the
roots being placed in the infertile subsoil. Blanching of late celery is
usually effected by mounding the stalks with earth dug from between the
rows. Two persons can most advantageously perform this operation, one
holding the stalks together so that the soil does not fall into the
heart, the other mounding up the soil and patting it into position with
the back of a spade.
It is not worth while to attempt to grow celery unless a rich, moist
soil is available.
Good varieties of “self-blanching” celery are _White Plume_ and _Golden
Self-blanching_. Among the best of the “green-leaf” kinds are _Giant
Pascal_ and _Winter Queen_. The latter variety has a splendid flavor and
keeps well into the winter.
Chard.—One of the easiest to grow and most productive of the pot herbs
is Swiss chard, “silver beet” or “leaf beet” as it is sometimes called.
The seeds should be sown in rows about eighteen inches apart. When the
plants are about four inches high they can be thinned so as to stand six
inches apart and the thinnings used as “greens.” Later on alternate
plants should be taken out, so that finally each plant is a foot away
from the next. After this stage is arrived at the chard should be picked
by pulling off the outside leaves.
There are two varieties listed in the catalogues. One, _Lucullus_, has
crumpled leaves and very broad, thick, white midribs. This is the
variety that should be grown when it is desired to cook and serve the
midribs separately, after the fashion of asparagus.
Swiss chard is a form of beet which does not produce edible roots.
Nitrate of soda, as recommended for kohlrabi, is an excellent fertilizer
for this crop.
Corn, the most delectable of all vegetables, should receive the
attention of all home gardeners who have sufficient room and a fairly
rich soil. This is a vegetable the flavor of which rapidly deteriorates
after the ears have been removed from the plant; therefore the store
article can never be as good as the home-grown kind.
The hill and drill methods of planting each have their vehement
advocates. Good crops can be obtained either way, but the drill method
is probably best for the small garden. The seeds are planted in drills
two inches deep, dropping two or three seeds at every foot. When they
germinate, all but the strongest plant should be pulled up from each
group. The rows can be two and a half feet apart for the small-growing
kinds like _Golden Bantam_, and three feet for the larger varieties such
as _Stowell’s Evergreen_.
When the hill system of cultivation is adopted, five or six seeds are
planted in spaces two and a half or three feet apart each way. The young
plants are thinned out to stand three or four to a hill.
Corn needs to be frequently hoed to get best results.
Several methods may be adopted in order to insure a succession of corn
for the table. A quick-maturing variety may be planted at intervals of
three weeks up to the middle of July, or, early, midseason, and late
varieties may be planted at the same time in May or June.
The removal of the side shoots which appear in the axils of the leaves
at the base of the plant should be attended to. This is known as
“suckering.” It causes the vigor of the plant to be concentrated in the
production of ears instead of being frittered away on side shoots or
“suckers” which will never amount to anything.
Corn should not be planted until the soil has warmed up and danger of
frost is past. It is permissible, however, to take a chance with a few
rows by sowing early, in the hope that they will come through all
right—say about the end of April or beginning of May in those sections
which possess a climate similar to that of New York.
Cucumbers are a crop that requires a fair amount of room for proper
development. They should be planted in hills five feet apart each way,
with four or five plants in each hill; or in rows five feet apart, with
the plants standing about one foot apart in the rows. The seeds should
not be planted outdoors until all danger of frost is past. An early crop
can be obtained by raising the plants in a greenhouse by sowing the
seeds early in berry-boxes and transplanting outdoors when the weather
is warm enough. It is a good plan, when planting outdoors, to sow the
seeds rather thickly, about ten seeds to a hill, so as to get a good
stand and lessen the risk of losing the plants by insect attacks.
The soil most suitable for cucumbers is a sandy loam that has been well
enriched with decayed stable manure. They will succeed admirably on
newly broken sod land.
The best cucumbers for outdoor planting are those belonging to the
“white spine” type, of which _Davis Perfect_ is a good example. For
supplying small cucumbers for pickling, _Fordhook Pickling_ is one of
the best varieties to grow.
Egg-plant is a tropical plant which will not mature its fruits in the
Northern states unless its season of growth is lengthened by starting
the plants in a greenhouse or hotbed. It is very susceptible to cold and
it is scarcely safe to set the young plants outdoors until June in the
latitude of New York. Egg-plant requires a sunny position and a warm,
light, fertile soil. It can be planted in rows two and a half to three
feet apart, two feet being allowed between the plants in the rows.
_Black Beauty_ is a standard variety. _Early Long Purple_ is a
quick-maturing kind.
Kale.—The cultivation of kale is practically that of late cabbage. It
is an extremely hardy vegetable and will stand a great deal of frost.
Kohlrabi is another member of the cabbage group. It is desirable to
mature it quickly, as slow-grown plants are woody and inedible. This
quick growth is effected by planting in rich soil and by giving
top-dressings of nitrate of soda at the rate of one ounce to ten feet of
row. The swollen stems should be eaten when they are about two inches in
diameter. _Early Vienna_, either white or purple top, is a good variety.
The seeds may be sown in the spring just as soon as the ground can be
worked, in rows from fifteen to eighteen inches apart. When the young
plants are large enough they are thinned to stand six inches apart in
the rows; if so desired, the thinnings may be used as “greens.”
Lettuce, the most important salad crop, requires a rich, sandy soil. It
is seldom that it will “head” properly in city backyards, because of
unsuitable soil and other adverse conditions. Lettuce is a cool-weather
crop, and during the hot days of summer the greatest difficulty is
experienced in growing it. There are several different types. The
loose-leaf kinds, those that do not form a head, are the easiest to
grow. The other forms are the Romaine, or Cos, which makes a columnar
head, and the ordinary kind, or cabbage lettuce.
The seeds should be planted shallowly in rows a foot or eighteen inches
apart, and afterward the young plants must be thinned to stand ten or
twelve inches apart in the row. A row twenty feet long is enough to
plant at one sowing. Other plantings should be made at intervals of two
or three weeks, so as to provide a succession. During hot weather the
plants are benefited by being shaded with cheese-cloth screens. These
can be conveniently made by tacking cheese-cloth on lath frames of
suitable size, which should be supported on stakes driven into the
ground.
Quick growth is essential to obtain crisp, well-flavored lettuce. This
can partially be brought about by the use of nitrate of soda, as
recommended for kohlrabi. Avoid getting any of the nitrate on the leaves
of the plants, as it will burn them.
Good varieties of lettuce are _May King_ and _Hanson_, belonging to the
cabbage-head type; _Grand Rapids_, a loose-leaf variety; and _Paris
White Cos_.
In cities sparrows are frequently troublesome to growers of lettuce, as
they are fond of picking off the leaves of the young plants. Protection
is effected by stretching several strands of strong thread a few inches
above the rows. The sparrows become very suspicious of an arrangement of
this kind, and it is usually efficacious in keeping them away from the
plants.
Muskmelon.—The cultivation of this crop is very much like that of
cucumber. Muskmelons are rather more susceptible to cold than the
latter, and in consequence the soil and air must be warm before they are
planted. The soil must be well drained or they will not succeed. When
they have to be planted on land that is cold and poorly drained it is a
good plan to plant them on ridges or mounds, about two feet across,
raised six inches or so above the general level. This assists the soil
in warming up and insures better drainage. A layer of decayed manure
about three inches thick, buried in the hills where the plants are to
grow, greatly helps this crop and others of a similar nature, such as
cucumbers, squash, and pumpkin. Frequent cultivation of the surface soil
is necessary to stimulate growth, keep down weeds, and conserve
moisture, when the plants are young. Good varieties of muskmelon are
_Emerald Gem_, a small or salmon-fleshed form, and _Rocky Ford_ and
_Hackensack_, which are of medium size with green flesh.
Okra.—The cultivation of okra is very similar to that of corn, although
otherwise they have nothing else in common. It succeeds best in a sandy,
well-fertilized loam.
Onion.—There are two ways of producing a crop of onions—from “sets”
and from seed. “Sets” are small onions produced by sowing seed very
thickly in rather poor soil and allowing the plants to mature as they
stand. This results in a crop of small bulbs which are stored over the
winter and sold the following spring as onion “sets.” There are two
methods of raising onions from seed. The plants may be obtained by
sowing the seed in a greenhouse in February, transplanting the seedlings
to the open ground in April. The procedure most commonly followed,
however, is to plant the seeds in rows a foot apart, in the position
where they are to mature, as early as possible in the spring. When the
young plants appear they are thinned to four inches apart. If the
seedlings are left until they are the thickness of a lead-pencil they
may be pulled and used as a salad in the form of bunch onions.
A crop can be produced earlier by the use of “sets.” These are planted
in furrows two inches deep, spacing them two inches apart. The soil is
then drawn over them and firmed. After some growth has been made,
alternate plants may be pulled out and used as salad, leaving the
remainder to mature.
Thorough preparation of the soil is essential to achieve success in
growing onions. It should be dug up as deeply as possible, thoroughly
pulverized, and afterward compacted by rolling with a garden roller or
by tramping. Onions succeed best on soil which is fairly retentive of
moisture and rich in nitrogen. Top-dressings of hen or sheep manure, or
of nitrate of soda, are beneficial to this crop. Remember what has been
said previously with regard to taking care not to apply too much of any
of these fertilizers. Weeding is a very important operation in
connection with onion-growing, and some of it, when the weeds are close
to or in the rows, has to be done by hand. If the weeds are allowed to
obtain a headway the crop will suffer greatly in consequence.
In wet seasons, and when planted in rich, retentive soils, the bulbs
sometimes fail to mature at the proper time. When they show signs of
growing too late in the fall, it is customary to go over the plot and
break over the tops. This can be done by dragging a board over the
onion-bed, or, if the plot is a small one, it may be done by hand. This
process arrests growth and causes the bulbs to mature so that they are
suitable for winter storage. Immature bulbs will not keep properly.
Standard varieties of onion are _Yellow Danvers_ and _Southport Globe_,
which can be obtained in red, white, and yellow forms. _Prize-taker_ is
a very large, mild onion which succeeds best when started in a
greenhouse.
Parsley succeeds best in a clay loam soil that has been well fertilized
with stable manure. The seeds are slow to germinate and it is frequently
four or five weeks before the young plants show themselves above the
ground. Growth may be hastened by soaking the seeds in tepid water for
twenty-four hours before sowing them. They should be planted in rows a
foot apart and the young plants thinned to stand six inches apart.
_Champion Moss Curled_ is a good variety.
Parsnip.—A long season is required for the development of large roots.
The seeds should be sown in April in rows from fifteen to eighteen
inches apart, afterward thinning the seedlings so that they stand six
inches apart. The seeds are slow in germinating and it is a good plan to
sow a few seeds of radish in the drill with them. The radishes germinate
quickly and serve to break the surface crust and to mark the row so that
cultivation may be performed close to the row without disturbing the
parsnip seeds. The radishes are mature and can be pulled and used for
the table by the time the parsnips have appeared above the ground.
A deep, loamy soil is most suited for the production of parsnips. In a
shallow soil the roots are likely to be stunted and misshapen. The
following method of producing extra-large and well-shaped roots is
sometimes used by exhibitors of vegetables. Holes about two feet deep
and three inches in diameter at the top are made in the ground with a
crowbar at intervals of about nine inches. These holes are filled with
sifted fertile earth, and three or four seeds planted in each. When the
seedlings appear, all but the strongest are pulled out. This method is
only to be recommended when it is desired to walk off with the prize for
the best parsnips at the county fair or the town vegetable show. _Hollow
Crown_ is a good variety.
Peas are essentially a cool-weather crop, and they especially resent
hot, dry conditions at the root. For this reason the seeds should be
planted just as soon as the ground is workable in the spring. The dwarf
varieties can be planted in double rows about six inches apart, leaving
a space of eighteen inches or two feet between each double row. The tall
varieties, which need support of some kind, may be planted in the same
way, but a space varying from three to five feet must be allowed between
the rows, according to the height of the variety planted. The taller the
variety, the greater is the necessity for ample space between the rows.
It is said to be possible to produce a crop of peas in the fall by
sowing the seeds in August, but the writer has never seen much success
attained with a crop at this season; at any rate, not in the vicinity of
New York. For a late crop of peas it is advisable to dig a trench from
six to eight inches deep and sow the seeds in this, covering them with
two inches of soil, as usual. Water them thoroughly if the weather is
dry. As the plants grow the earth should be gradually drawn into the
trench until it is filled up to the surrounding level. This system is
adopted so that the roots may be well down in the earth and thus
protected from the hot rays of the sun. This is also a good method to
adopt for late spring plantings of peas.
A fairly fertile, loamy soil, well drained, but of a retentive nature,
is most suited to peas.
_First of All_, thirty inches high, is a good variety of the
smooth-seeded type of pea. This type does not possess such a good flavor
as the wrinkled-seeded kinds, but the seeds are not likely to rot if
planted in cold, wet soil. _Nott’s Excelsior_ is an excellent dwarf
variety of the wrinkled-seed type. Of the tall kinds, _Alderman_, five
feet in height, _Gradus_, thirty inches, and _Champion of England_, five
feet, are to be recommended.
Peppers require very much the same conditions as tomatoes and egg-plant,
except that they may be planted somewhat closer together. The rows
should be from eighteen inches to two feet apart, with the plants spaced
from one to two feet apart in the rows. _Bull Nose_ and _Chinese Giant_
are good examples of the mild, sweet kinds, with _Golden Queen_ to give
color variation in the salad made from them. _Long Red Cayenne_ and _Red
Chili_ should be chosen if the peppery varieties are desired.
Potato.—The largest crops of potatoes are produced in cool, moist,
climates such as are found in Great Britain, parts of Europe, and, in
the United States, in Maine and Michigan.
The soils best suited for potatoes are fertile, rather sandy loams which
should be fairly retentive of moisture. A soil of this nature which has
been heavily fertilized with barn-yard manure the preceding year may be
considered ideal for potato culture. The use of barn-yard manure,
particularly if it is fresh, is inadvisable if the soil contains a good
proportion of humus and is in good physical condition. It is claimed
that the practice of using barn-yard manure the current season causes
the crop to be more susceptible to attacks of potato scab. Many of the
largest growers of potatoes refrain from fertilizing directly with
barn-yard manure, but rely instead on the use of commercial fertilizers.
These may be applied broadcast over the field in the spring, after the
soil has been plowed, and harrowed in. If only a small quantity of
fertilizer is available, it is preferable to apply it by spreading it in
the furrows, but thoroughly mixing it in the soil before the potatoes
are planted. The fertilizer obtainable from most seedsmen under the name
of “potato manure” can safely be used in the furrows at the rate of five
pounds to a plot of four hundred square feet.
“Seed” potatoes should consist of medium-sized tubers, Northern grown,
and free from disease. Although whole potatoes may be planted, the usual
practice is to cut them into pieces, each piece containing two or three
“eyes,” or buds. When cutting the potatoes for sets make each piece as
“chunky” as possible so that there is a good-sized piece of potato for
the “eyes” to draw upon for their food supply until they have formed a
root system of their own.
There are two methods of planting potatoes—in hills and in furrows or
rows. In the hill system of planting, the plants are spaced from two to
three feet apart either way, the distance being dependent on the vigor
of the variety. When planted in furrows the rows are spaced from two to
three feet apart and the sets placed from twelve to eighteen inches
apart in the rows. The early varieties may be planted about four inches
deep, and the late varieties about six inches.
When the shoots appear above the ground the surface soil should be
cultivated to conserve moisture and to keep down weeds. Later in the
season when the tubers are being formed it is customary to hill them up
with earth so as to cover the tubers and prevent “greening,” and also to
assist in keeping the roots cool.
The potato is particularly susceptible to environmental conditions. A
variety that may be an excellent cropper in one section may be an utter
failure in another. It is thus difficult to recommend any particular
variety. The best plan for those who are to attempt the cultivation of
potatoes is to make inquiry in the neighborhood with a view to finding
the variety that is most successful in that locality.
The following are standard varieties that are widely grown: early
varieties—_Irish Cobbler_, _Early Rose_, _Early Ohio_; main-crop
varieties—_Carman No. 1_, _Green Mountain_, and _Rural New-Yorker_.
Pumpkins will succeed under practically the same conditions as outlined
for cucumber and melon. They are also subject to the same insect pests.
This crop is frequently grown in the corn-patch, in hills about eight
feet apart each way, planting five or six seeds to a hill.
Radishes are only palatable when they have been grown very quickly. If
they are slow in coming to maturity the product is pithy and worthless.
A light, rich soil is most suited to the production of radishes. The
seeds should be sown in rows nine inches or a foot apart and the
seedlings thinned to about two inches. It does not pay to transplant
radishes. Five or six feet of row is sufficient to plant at one time,
securing a succession by planting other batches at intervals of about
ten days. Radishes are usually not in great demand during the summer
months, as the home grower has been surfeited by his spring crop. Those
who are so fond of radishes that they want them throughout the whole
season should plant _White Strasburg_ or _Icicle_ to mature during the
hot weather, and _Cardinal Globe_, _Round Red Forcing_, or _French
Breakfast_ for an early crop.
_Winter radishes_, which form very large roots and may be stored by the
same methods adopted for beets and carrots, are usually sown about the
end of July or beginning of August. They need more space in which to
mature—about eighteen inches between the rows and six inches in the
rows.
Rutabaga.—See Turnip.
Salsify or _Vegetable Oyster_ is a vegetable that is coming into more
general use. Seeds are sown early in the spring on deeply broken ground
in rows fifteen inches apart, and the plants thinned to three inches.
The roots are dug in the fall and stored like beets, or they may be left
in the ground and dug when required for use, if the weather permits.
Spinach is a cool-weather crop that requires a light soil heavily
manured with decayed stable manure for best results. The seeds should be
planted in very early spring or in September, in rows fifteen inches
apart, and the plants thinned to stand four inches apart. Nitrate of
soda as recommended for kohlrabi is good for this crop.
Spinach (New Zealand).—Although called spinach, this is an entirely
different plant and belongs to another family. It luxuriates during hot
weather and will supply the table plentifully with “greens” throughout
the summer. Seeds should be planted during April or May in rows two feet
apart, the plants later being thinned to one foot. When the plants
attain a foot in height picking may begin, using the tender shoot-tips,
or leaves, as required. The thinnings, of course, are also available for
cooking.
Squash.—Cultivate the same as cucumber. The bush varieties should be
planted four feet apart each way, and the vining kinds from six to eight
feet.
There are several different types of squash. The summer kinds are
represented by the _Pattypan_ and _Crookneck_ types, and the winter
varieties by the _Hubbard_.
They are subject to much the same insect pests and diseases as the
cucumber and muskmelon.
Sweet Potatoes are not very well adapted for Northern gardens, although
they are grown to a considerable extent in parts of New Jersey.
They succeed best in a rich, sandy soil. The “sets” are usually planted
on slightly raised, broad ridges about four feet apart. They are spaced
from twelve to eighteen inches apart along the ridges.
The production of “sets” is usually effected by placing small potatoes
in a hotbed and covering them with sand. This causes them to sprout, and
when the shoots are six or eight inches in length they are pulled off
with roots attached and planted as described.
_Yellow Jersey_ is a good variety for Northern planting.
Swiss Chard.—See under Chard.
Tomato.—This plant adapts itself to a great variety of soils, and will
succeed almost anywhere if it receives warmth and sunshine.
It is seldom worth while for any one without greenhouse facilities,
unless he wishes to have the experience, to raise tomatoes from seed.
Young plants can be obtained at a low cost at planting-time from
seedsmen who have every convenience for raising them cheaply.
The distance apart between the plants when they are set out in the
garden depends on the method of training adopted. The truck farmers and
market gardeners seldom go to the trouble of staking their plants. They
are simply set out in the field three or four feet apart each way and
allowed to grow naturally. This results in the spoiling of some of the
fruit through coming in contact with the soil.
The home gardener can usually afford the time and trouble required to
stake his tomatoes, and receives his reward in the shape of more fruit
of better quality.
One method of training is to set out the plants a foot apart in rows
three feet apart. If this scheme is adopted each plant must be supplied
with a stout stake to which it is tied, and the plant must be restricted
to a single stem. This last is effected by pinching out the side shoots
with thumb and finger as soon as they are formed. Avoid taking off the
flowering shoots or you will have no fruit.
Another method is to set the plants three feet by two feet, and support
them as described in Chapter X. In this case it is advisable to prune
out the thin, spindly shoots which frequently congregate in the centers
of the plants. This causes the vigor of the plant to be concentrated in
the strong, fruiting shoots, admits light and air, resulting in better
ripened tomatoes.
They can also be trained on the south side of the house, supporting them
with tape or cloth passed around the shoots and fastened to the wall
with tacks.
Favorite tomatoes are _Chalk’s Early Jewel_ for an early crop, _Stone_
and _Ponderosa_ for main crop. In small gardens _Dwarf Stone_ can be
used to advantage.
Turnip is a hardy crop well suited for early spring or late fall
cultivation. For the early crop such varieties as _Snowball_ or _Early
White Milan_ should be planted. The seed may be sown as soon as the
ground is prepared in the spring, in rows a foot apart. When they are
large enough the young plants must be thinned out to stand about four
inches apart.
_Yellow Globe_, _Golden Ball_, or the white strap-leaf kinds may be sown
for fall use. They are cultivated in the same way as the preceding
except that the seeds are sown in July or August.
_Rutabaga turnips_ grow much larger than the preceding, require more
room, and a longer period for development. They can be sown in May or
June in rows two feet apart, and the young plants thinned out to stand
about ten inches apart in the rows. Treated in this way, they will form
large roots suitable for winter storage.
Turnips succeed best in a loamy soil in which there has been
incorporated a liberal supply of well-decayed stable manure.
Watermelon.—These plants succeed under much the same conditions, and
need the same treatment as muskmelon. They are rampant growers and the
hills should be spaced about eight feet apart each way. They are,
therefore, not adapted for cultivation in very small gardens.
The striped cucumber-beetle is also partial to watermelon.
For planting in Northern gardens, quick-maturing varieties such as
_Cole’s Early_ and _Fordhook_ should be planted.
XIV
HARVESTING AND STORING
The flavor and tenderness of many vegetables depend in a large measure
on their being harvested at the proper time. The picking of string-beans
should be early, constant, and methodical, partly because old beans are
stringy and unpalatable and partly because, if picking is neglected and
the plants allowed to form seed, production ceases. Peas should always
be picked just as soon as the pods are well filled, before the seeds
commence to harden. Their flavor deteriorates if they are picked more
than an hour or two before they are needed for the table. The same
remarks apply to sweet corn. There is an old saying that “the pot should
be boiling before the ears are picked from the plant.”
Great care should be taken in harvesting beets. If the roots are bruised
or broken, or if the leaves are cut off too close to the root, the color
of the beets, one of their greatest attractions, will be lost in
cooking. The crispness of salad plants—celery, lettuce, radish, and
onion—is enhanced if they are gathered early in the morning and stood
in water in a shady, cool place until they are required for use. Such
crops as Brussells sprouts, kale, celery, and parsnips are considered to
be improved in flavor after they have been slightly frozen. The fruits
of tomato, watermelon, and muskmelon should be allowed to ripen on the
plants. Muskmelons are ripe when the fruit parts readily from the stem
on being lifted in the hand.
Proper harvesting is a prime necessity if vegetables are to be
successfully stored for winter use. Bruised, broken or diseased
vegetables should always be rejected, as decay is almost certain to take
place when they are stored, and this is likely to spread to the sound
vegetables.
A cellar with an earthen floor, well ventilated and frost-proof, in
which a temperature of from 40° to 45° Fahr. can be maintained, forms a
splendid storage-place for potatoes, the majority of the root crops, and
some of the leaf vegetables. If there is a furnace in the cellar which
raises the temperature too much, the coolness required may be obtained
by partitioning off part of the cellar, preferably in a corner
containing a window, so that ventilation may be secured.
Quite a number of vegetables can be successfully stored in the open by
burying them in pits or trenches and covering with straw, salt hay, and
earth. Some of the disadvantages of this method are the inaccessibility
of the vegetables when the weather is severe, and the difficulty of
looking them over occasionally so that diseased and decayed specimens
may be removed. When storing vegetables in this way it is important that
the whole of the covering should not be put on at one time, as this
endangers the whole pile of vegetables through the possibility of
heating.
_Root, Tuber, and Bulb Crops_
Artichoke (Jerusalem).—The tubers of this plant are unaffected by frost
and may be allowed to remain in the ground all winter. In those sections
where the frost penetrates the ground deeply a supply sufficient for use
during the winter should be dug in the fall and stored in sand in a cool
cellar.
Parsnip, Horseradish, and Salsify may be treated in the same way as the
preceding.
Beets should be carefully dug up after the first frost and handled
gently to avoid breaking or bruising them. Cut off the leaves about an
inch above the roots and pack them with moist sand or earth in boxes in
a cool cellar. Covering the roots in this way maintains their freshness
and prevents shriveling.
Carrots.—In the fall large numbers of fibrous roots are produced on the
sides of the large tap-root. These roots spoil the symmetry of the
carrots and impair their flavor. The crop should therefore be harvested
before these fibrous roots form. Observation of the roots is the only
way of determining the proper time to dig them up. In other respects
they are stored the same as beets.
Potatoes for winter use should be dug on a dry day as soon as possible
after the tops have died down. Leave them lying on the surface of the
ground for a few hours, so that they may dry properly. (It is
inadvisable to allow them to be exposed to the light for too long a
period, as it will cause the tubers to become green and unfit for use.)
They can then be gathered up and placed in boxes or barrels in a cool,
frost-proof cellar, but not exposed to the light. All diseased or
injured tubers should be laid aside for immediate use, provided they are
not too far gone, in which case they may be boiled and fed to pigs or
chickens, or destroyed by burning, so as to avoid the possibility of
spreading disease.
Potatoes may also be stored outdoors in sections where the winters are
not too severe. A high-lying sandy piece of ground should be chosen on
which to make the “pit.” Dig out the soil for a depth of about six
inches and line the excavation with three inches of straw. Place the
potatoes in a pile on this and cover with a similar thickness of straw
or hay. Place over this a layer of earth three inches thick to prevent
the straw from blowing away. Gradually increase the covering as the
weather becomes more severe, until a thickness of a foot or eighteen
inches is reached. A layer of manure over this is advisable in very cold
climates. If the pile is a large one it is important that ventilation
should be provided for. This may be accomplished by sticking a stovepipe
into the center of the pile and allowing the top to project above the
covering of earth, or by allowing a tuft of the straw that forms the
first covering to extend in the same manner. This vent-hole must be
covered with a board, a piece of oilcloth, or something similar to
prevent rain from entering.
Other vegetables that may be stored in this way are _beets, carrots,
turnips, salsify_, and _parsnips_.
Rutabagas and Turnips require to be dug up before severe frost. They can
be stored the same way as potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes are very difficult to store over the winter. The loss
through decay in storage is enormous every year, even though proper
facilities are obtainable. They need a warm, dry room and a constant
temperature. The less they are handled after being stored the better.
The best advice for those who have raised a crop of this vegetable is to
avoid loss by eating them as quickly as possible.
Onions should be properly “cured” before they are stored. This is
accomplished by harvesting them during dry, settled weather, and
allowing them to lie in windrows two or three days before bringing them
indoors. They should then be placed in a cool, airy room in slatted
crates, so that air has free access to them. If wet weather is prevalent
at harvesting-time they may be “cured” by placing them in a single layer
under cover until they are thoroughly dry. The dead leaves and loose
scales should be pulled off before storing them.
_Leaf Crops_
Cabbages can be stored by digging them up with some soil attached to the
roots, and packing them close together on the floor of a cool cellar.
Treated in this way, they are a rather “smelly” vegetable, and, unless
the cellar is tightly shut off from the rest of the house, likely to
cause some unpleasantness. They can be stored outside in the way
recommended for potatoes by placing them head downward in a trench or
pit.
Cauliflower.—It is possible to preserve cauliflower, for a short time
only, by digging them with roots attached and suspending them head
downward in a cool, moist cellar.
Celery can be dug in the fall and packed closely in boxes in an upright
position in a cool cellar. The more roots and soil adhering to the
plants the better the chance of success. When the soil dries out it must
be watered, but be very careful not to get any water on the leaves or
leaf-stalks. Another way of caring for celery is to dig a trench deep
enough to accommodate the plants when they are placed upright. Pack them
as tightly as possible in this and cover with boards to keep out rain.
In severe weather it will be necessary to put on an additional covering
of straw and earth.
Parsley.—In sections where the winter is not too severe parsley may be
kept green through the greater part of the winter by covering the patch
with a bottomless box, with a pane of glass for covering the top. The
box should be banked with manure or leaves, and the glass covered with
straw in very cold weather. Parsley can also be dug up, placed in
plant-pots, making the soil firm about the roots, and kept in a cool,
sunny room.
_Seed or Fruit Crops_
Beans.—Dry-shell beans should be allowed to stay on the plants until
the pods dry up and become yellow. They may then be gathered, and
shelled when convenient. If they are infested with weevils they should
be dry baked in a temperature of about 145° Fahr. Care must be taken not
to allow the temperature to rise above this figure, or the beans will be
roasted and spoiled. Fumigating with carbon disulphide is also an
efficacious expedient, but somewhat dangerous because of the explosive
properties of the fumigant.
Pumpkin and Winter Squash can be stored in a warm, dry room. It is
advisable to turn over the fruits selected for storing two weeks or so
before they are harvested, so that the side that has been lying on the
ground may have its rind hardened by exposure to sun and air.
* * * * *
Although concerned primarily with “war gardens,” the methods advocated
can be used by all vegetable growers who practise intensive cultivation.
The fundamental principles of soil management also apply equally to
flower-gardens.
The writer has found in his experience that good crops can be raised, on
what would be usually considered poor soil, by men and women who know
little of horticultural practices. Larger crops could have been produced
had they known more of the art of growing vegetables. It is to help such
people that this book has been written, from information gained during
twenty years of professional experience.
It is the earnest hope of the author that the crops raised by “war
gardeners” will be of such a size as to cause this last chapter to be
the one that is most consulted.