Category: Horticulture

Charles Black of Mercer county, New Jersey, tells how to secure early plants for early gardens; as follows : ” Hotbeds and cold frames are easily made and managed. They can be counted on to give so much pleasure and profit that nearly all farmers should have at. least one of each to grow plants […]

Like the currant, the gooseberry does best in a cool climate. The northern states and, in the south, the mountains, are best adapted for this fruit. Like the currant, also, the gooseberry does best on moist soil. Its chief enemy is the gooseberry worm. (See Currant.) Properly managed gooseberries furnish abundance of fruit, which can […]

” To enable one man to mark out straight rows in the quickest possible manner.” writes R. J. Dallinga of Summit county, Ohio, we stretch two, strong cotton lines, which cost us about 25 cents apiece, where the first two rows are to be, say, 3 feet apart. “From a garden drill we remove all […]

In proportion to the amount of care it requires, the grape will produce more pleasure and profit than any other of our temperate climate fruits. It needs only a warm soil and sunny exposure, and, preferably, an elevation above the general lay of the land in order to do well. As to training, stakes or […]

Lime is applied to the soil mainly to make heavy soils lighter, to make sour soils sweet, to make certain mineral compounds soluble so plants can utilize them, and to act upon the organic matter and make it release plant food. As to what form lime shall be applied in, J. C. M. Johnson of […]

There are four classes of American raspberries. Two of these, the white and the red, belong to the same species. The third is the black raspberry, or blackcap, which forms a class by itself. The fourth class is a hybrid between the red and the black. The cultivation of all these is the same except […]

” There are three prerequisites to successful strawberry production fertile soil, strong, vigorous, fruitful plants, and thorough cultivation,” writes W. H. Burke of St. Joseph county, Michigan. “Anyone who will observe these points in practice may be assured of success. We find that, in order to produce vigorous and fruitful plants, we must keep the […]

” It is unfortunate that so many farm gardens are ruined at the outset by inferior seed. In the country,” writes A. B. Ross of Pennsylvania, ” we depend on the country store for our seed far too much, and we are careless. Look out for the gaudily illustrated seed box. If you knew its […]

“House-raised plants are never so thrifty as those raised in hotbeds and cold frames.’ In the latter the growth is quicker, more uniform and the process of hardening off can be begun, as it should be, a month after the plants have made their appearance. Cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, egg-plants, and onions go into the hotbed; […]

“Don’t wait till the last minute to plan the garden. Plan to get two crops, where possible, in one season. In the onion bed and between the early beets plant parsnips and salsify. They will not interfere with each other at all. If the corn is checked, bush limas may be planted one way of […]