A Living from the Land Part 6

From what has been said in this brief description of soil treatment and soil improvement, it is evident that one must live with his soil for some time in order to understand it and to be able intelligently to correct its deficiencies, overcome its weaknesses and make it capable of supporting plants which are desirable from the owner's point of view. In the great majority of cases, the improvement process, while a slow one, is far from hopeless and almost any soil that is not extremely sandy or clayey can be so intelligently treated as to make it productive.

_Cultivation._--Any discussion of soil treatment is not complete without mention of cultivation. Intelligent cultivation is an essential factor in securing adequate crops. It is interesting to recall that the word "manure," which has come to mean fertilization or fertilizer, is derived from the Latin word "_ma.n.u.s_" meaning "hand" and implying "manipulation"

of the soil, which we now call cultivation. Cultivation has been most frequently practiced as a method of destroying weeds, thereby making all of the available plant food subject to absorption by the roots of the desired plants and not by the intruders we call weeds. Cultivation does more than destroy weeds, however. It opens up the soil so that air containing atmospheric nitrogen can penetrate it and so that the bacteria requiring air for their best growth may have it available. Furthermore, cultivation conserves moisture and is more essential during dry periods in the growing season than at any other time.

We know that in entering the soil the rain water follows certain channels in and around the soil particles on its way to the subsoil. When the rain has ceased and the top layer of soil becomes dry, the tendency is for the water to work up through these same channels to the surface, where it evaporates. Cultivation, by breaking up these channels, or capillary tubes, checks the escape of moisture into the air. It creates a blanket of dry surface soil which insulates the soil moisture from the air above. The tendency of soil moisture to reestablish capillary methods of escape makes recultivation necessary from time to time in dry weather. Care must, of course, be taken that the cultivation is not harmful to roots of growing plants. If these roots are disturbed or destroyed through cultivation, more harm than good may result because of the damage to the root systems.

_Farm Power and Equipment._--Where the land area to be cultivated is larger than the family garden some type of equipment for working the land, propelled by horse or motor, will be found desirable and in larger areas essential. One or more horses may be used where there are stabling facilities and where arrangements can be made for the daily care and feeding that these animals require. A horse suitable for work purposes may be obtained for less than $200. The price will, of course, depend upon the age and physical soundness of the animal, but should not exceed $150 for a physically sound animal under ten years old. A person unskilled in the a.s.sessing of animal values should obtain the services of a veterinarian or an experienced horseman in making a selection. A horse for this purpose should be of quiet, tractable disposition, bred and broken for work purposes. The cost of caring for a horse for one year will approximate $125, including feed and bedding, but without labor charge.

Leather harness costing $25 to $50 will be required and in addition tools, including a plow, a harrow, and a cultivator costing about $15 each. Other special equipment such as a mower will cost considerably more, depending upon the type used.

If the members of the family are fond of animals and willing to a.s.sume the responsibility for their daily care, the horse will be found an efficient and useful source of power for tilling the land. In this connection it should be pointed out that flies breed with great rapidity in the strawy manure of the stable, and such wastes should be spread upon the land almost daily or treated to prevent fly-breeding.

_Tractor Power._--Just as large tractors have supplanted horses and horse-drawn equipment on thousands of farms in the United States, the so-called garden tractor has become increasingly popular for the tilling of small acreages. The tractor requires "feed" only when it is working, is not subject to the ills that beset animals, and may be used for twenty-four hours a day if necessary. It makes an appeal to the mechanically minded members of the household and, if properly cared for, will give economical and lasting service.

The usual type of garden tractor consists of two large wheels with lugs on them to give traction and is driven by a one- or two-cylinder motor. A plow, a cultivator, or mower may be attached to the drawbar, the operator walking behind and regulating the speed and guiding the outfit by handles provided for the purpose. Earlier types of these machines were not always satisfactory owing to construction weaknesses and occasionally balky motors. Those now on the market, however, are greatly improved, require less attention, and rival their big brothers, the powerful farm tractors, in dependability.

There are a number of types and makes of garden tractors now on the market, ranging in price from $175 or less to $400, the cost depending largely upon the size and capacity of the motor. In selecting a satisfactory garden tractor attention should be directed to the simplicity and power of the motor, the type of bearings, the method of lubrication of all moving parts, the working speed and the economy of fuel. Bearings ought to be of standard, long-wearing type since these are subject to hard service. Two speeds are desirable, a slow one for heavy duty and a faster one for lighter work. The tractor should operate all day on about 2 gallons of gasoline and a quart of oil. In addition to power applied at the drawbar where special tools are attached, a pulley will be found a desirable accessory for operating belt machinery such as small feed mills, pumps, and cream separators. The rating of the motor should be not less than 3 horsepower at the drawbar for the ordinary tasks it will be called upon to perform.

All types of attachments are available for the garden tractor. These include plows, disks, harrows, cultivators, mowers, fertilizer distributors, planters, sowers and seeding accessories. The prices of these vary according to make and quality. Levers are provided for adjusting the depth of plowing, cultivating and seeding. Some of the large type garden tractors are equipped with a seat on a sulky attached to the machine so that the operator can ride and have complete control over speed and the type of work he wishes to do. A modern garden tractor will be found very useful in taking care of a lawn or garden. In the case of larger areas under cultivation, but not of field size, this type of machine is rapidly gaining popularity for performing efficiently and economically the numerous jobs that are to be done on every small farm.

_Do's_

Select a soil type that is inherently productive, fertile, retentive of moisture and easily cultivated.

Supplement soil fertility by adding chemical fertilizers either singly or in combination.

Buy mixed fertilizers on the basis of guaranteed a.n.a.lyses.

Use legumes (peas, beans, etc.) to add nitrogen to soils and increase humus content.

Add specific bacteria for the production of various legumes.

Use manure and green crops to supply humus.

Apply lime when soil test shows need for it as plant food and general soil improver.

Practice methods that make soils absorptive of moisture and permit escape of excess water.

Cultivate the soil to check escape of moisture and to kill weeds.

Use a horse or garden tractor for cultivation of areas larger than the family garden.

_Don'ts_

Don't buy land that is continually wet and swampy.

Don't expect to produce satisfactory crops on soils that are extremely heavy or clayey or so sandy as to quickly lose moisture and fertility.

Don't try to produce crops without maintaining the humus supply in the soil.

Don't neglect cultivation as a means of conserving moisture, destroying weeds and stimulating root growth.

_Chapter_ VII

FOOD FROM THE GARDEN

The home vegetable garden should supply an important part of the food for every family living in the country. Vegetables that are of the right varieties and that are fresh and properly prepared are nutritious, wholesome and economical. Not only does the well-organized home garden reduce the cost of feeding the family, but it const.i.tutes an effective method of maintaining better health among all members of the household.

Even common vegetables that are grown from the best varieties and served fresh will be a revelation to those accustomed to buying them in stores.

Deterioration in quality and palatability begins immediately in vegetables when they are harvested. The more perishable the commodity, the greater is the rate of deterioration.

The commercial vegetable grower usually inclines toward varieties that are capable of producing a heavy yield per acre or that stand shipment and temporary storage with the least apparent loss from deterioration. In order to have his products reach the consumer in an attractive condition, the commercial grower usually must harvest them before they are at their best. The channels through which vegetables and fruits pa.s.s on their way to the city consumer are devious, slow and costly. Such a consumer therefore usually receives so-called fresh products that have been removed from the plant or the soil before maturity is attained and after such already poor quality has deteriorated through aging processes.

All these disadvantages of vegetables purchased in the city are eliminated by the possessor of a garden where he may produce his family's needs (and they are genuine needs) in the way of fresh vegetables. These products are essential in supplying such necessary elements as minerals, vitamins, acids, and cellulose. Dietary authorities advise that leafy vegetables, sometimes called "greens," contain food elements not found in root vegetables. For the maintenance of health, the diet should include a variety of vegetables besides potatoes.

_a.s.sets of a Garden._--A garden is a source of recreation, pleasure and satisfaction to every member of the family. Real enjoyment can be had by working in it a little time each day. To those whose work may be sedentary and of a routine nature, the garden furnishes a source of inspiration and adventure. Daily evidences of plant growth and the novelty of having vegetables of one's own growing stimulate interest in it. The garden is an aid in maintaining health through physical exercise and the liberal consumption of the fruits of labor. There is no other avenue of activity that can afford so much in the way of health, economical recreation and pleasure as a well-planned garden.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (_Courtesy New Jersey Agricultural Extension Service_)

The well-planned garden furnishes food throughout the year for the entire family.]

Having decided on a garden, the question immediately arises as to the procedure to be followed to get the most out of it. Special attention has been given to this problem by experts throughout the country and specific recommendations are now available on the subject at state agricultural colleges. These cover varieties, planting dates, adequate area, fertilization, rotation of crops and storage. Typical recommendations along these lines are given here for the north-central and eastern states.

Readers living elsewhere may wish to check them with the practices recommended by authorities in their home states.

_Vegetable Growing by Rule._--The most effective method of presenting the story of recommended vegetables, desirable varieties, seed required, average yields and other pertinent data is in tabular form, such as that used in Table I, which has been prepared for the aid of home vegetable gardeners by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, and which is based on years of study of the subject. Table II, prepared by the Michigan State College of Agriculture, shows the amount of seed that should be purchased to supply an adequate quant.i.ty and variety of important vegetables for a family of six persons.

Examination of the planting table will show that the setting of plants or roots is occasionally recommended instead of the use of seed. This is desirable in some cases to get quicker results and in other cases is essential if a crop is to be secured during a normal growing season. While it is possible for the grower to raise these plants, or sets, himself, usually more satisfactory results can be obtained through buying them from a capable plant grower. The growing of sets is a specialized business requiring conditions of heat, moisture, fertility and skill, frequently beyond the patience and capacity of the amateur. There are plant growers in nearly every neighborhood who will grow the needed plants at small cost. Arrangements should be made in advance for growing the varieties or strains that are wanted, and usually the grower can furnish his own seed for the plants if that seems desirable to him. One desiring to grow one's own plants from seed can secure full information from a practical grower or from state and county agricultural agencies.

TABLE I

PLANTING TABLE FOR VEGETABLES[1]

-----------------+----------------------+-------+-------+------------+ Distance between Seed Depth rows for Name of Variety for to sow cultivation, vegetable 100- seed, inches row inches +------+-----+ Horse Hand -----------------+----------------------+-------+-------+------+-----+ Asparagus Washington, Palmetto 1-yr.- 8-10 5 ft. 4 ft. old roots roots Beans Green bush Stringless Green Pod, 1/2 pt. 1-1-1/2 30 18 Bountiful Yellow bush Currie's Rust Proof, 1/2 pt. 1-1-1/2 30 18 Davis' White Wax Pole green Kentucky Wonder, 1/2 pt. 1-1-1/2 36 30 Old Homestead Bush lima Fordhook 1/2 pt. 1-1-1/2 30 30 Pole lima King of the Garden 1/2 pt. 1-1-1/2 48 36 Beets--early Crosby's Egyptian 1 oz. 1 28 15 Late Detroit Dark Red Cabbage--early Jersey Wakefield, 1 pkt. 1/2 30 30 Copenhagen Market Cabbage--late Danish Ball Head, 1 pkt. 1/2 36 30 Succession, Cantaloupe Early Knight, 1/2 oz. 1 54-60 40 Fordhook Carrots Chantenay, 1 oz. 1/2 30 15 Oxheart Celery Golden Self-blanching, 1 pkt. 1/4 36 30 Easy Blanching Corn--early Golden Bantam, 1/4 lb. 1 36 30 Howling Mob Corn--late Golden Bantam, 1/4 lb. 1 36 30 Evergreen Cuc.u.mber White Spine, 1/2 oz. 1/2-1 48-60 48 Davis Perfect Eggplant New York Improved, 1 pkt. 1/2 48 48 Black Beauty Endive Green Curled, Broad 1 pkt. 1/2 30 18 Leaved Batavian Kale Scotch Curled, 1 pkt. 1/2 30 18 Siberian (over winter) Kohlrabi White Vienna 1 pkt. 1/2 30 15 Lettuce Spring and fall Green-leaved Big Bos. 1 pkt. 1/2 18-20 15 Summer N. Y. Salamander 1 pkt. 1/2 18-20 15 Romaine G. R. Exp., Trianon 1 pkt. 1/2 18-20 15 Okra Perkins Long Pod 1 oz. 1 36 30 Onion sets Yellow Strasburg, 1 qt. 1 18 14 j.a.panese (Eberheser) Onion seed Yellow Globe Danvers, 1 oz. 1/2 18 14 Southport Globe Parsnips Hollow Crown 1/2 oz. 1/2 18 15 Peas Little Marvel, 1 pt. 1-1-1/2 30 30 Laxtonian, Telephone Peppers Ruby King, Pimento 1 pkt. 1/2 36 30 Potatoes Irish Cob., Green Mts. 1/2 pk. 3-4 36 36 Pumpkins Cheese, Small Sugar 1 oz. 1/2 60 60 Radish Scarlet Globe, Icicle 1/2 oz. 12 15 5 Rhubarb Victoria Roots 5-6 48 48 Spinach--spring Bloomsdale, Savoy 1/2 oz. 1/2 20 15 Spinach--summer New Zealand 1 oz. 1 48 36 Spinach--fall Va. Dis., Resist. 1/2 oz. 1/2 20 15 Savoy Squash--summer Gold. Sum. Crookneck, 1 oz. 1-1-1/2 48 48 White Bush Scallop Squash--winter Boston Marrow, 1 oz. 1-1-1/2 72 72 Warted Hubbard Sweet potatoes Yel. Jersey Plants -- 36 36 Swiss chard Lucullus 1 oz. 1/2 30 30 Tomatoes--early Chalk's Early Plants 1/2 48 36 Jewel, Bonny Best Tomatoes--late Matchless, Stone Plants 1/2 48 36 Turnips Purple Top Strap. Leaf 1 pkt. 1/2 24 15 Rutabagas Golden Ball, 1 pkt. 1/2 24 15 Lg. Island Improved 1 pkt. 1/2 24 15 -----------------+----------------------+-------+-------+------+-----+

--------+--------+------------+-------------+------- Average Distance Time of Average days between planting Time of yield from plants seed harvest 100-foot seed in row, outdoors row to inches harvest --------+--------+------------+-------------+------- 16 -- Spring- 15 2-lb. 2 yr.

July 1 bunches 3 Apr 15 June 20 2 bu. 40-65 July 15 Sept. 15- Frost 3 Apr. 15 June 20 2 bu. 50-70 July 15 Sept. 15- 2-2-1/2 bu. 95-100 Frost 10-30 May 1-20 Aug. 15 2-2-1/2 bu. 95-100 10 May 1- Aug. 1-Frost 2 bu. 110-120 July 36 May 15 Aug. 1-Frost 2 bu. 110-120 2-3 Apr. 1 July 15 2-2/1/2 bu. 45-60 July 20 Nov. 15 18 Apr. 15 July-Sept. 45-55 heads 100-120 18 July 1 Oct.-Nov. 45-55 heads 120-150 48 hill May 15 Aug. 10 6-8 fruits 90-1l0 per hill 1-1-1/2 Apr. 1 Aug. 1 2 bu. 65-90 July 1 Nov. 6 June 1 Sept. 15 200 stalks 120-150 15 or 30 May 1 July 12 4 doz. ears 60-75 hill 18 or 30 June 15 Aug. 20- 4 doz. ears 75-90 hill July 1 Frost 48 hill May 15 July 10 200 cuc.u.mbers 60-75 Aug. 20 1-1/2 bu. pickles 48 June 1 Aug. 20- 125 fruits 140-160 Frost 56 Apr. 15 June 15 65 plants 60-90 July 15 Oct.-Nov. 18 Apr. 1 June 1 60 bu. 55-65 Sept. 1 Apr. 3-4 Apr. 15 June 15 2 bu. 50-70 Apr. 15- Aug. 15-Oct. 14-18 June 1 Oct. 70 head 70-90 14-18 May 15 June 1 70 head 70-90 14-18 Aug. 1 July-Aug. 70 head 70-90 10-15 May 15 Aug. 10 900-1000 pod 90-140 1 Apr 1 May 15 140 bunches 45-75 1 Apr. 1 Aug. 20 1-1/2-2 bu. 110-130 3-4 Apr. 1- Sept.-Nov. 2 bu. 140-160 May 15 2 Apr. 1- June 10-July 2 bu. 45-70 15 (in pods) 18-20 May 15 Aug. 15- 5 bu. 125-150 Frost (6 per plant) 14 Apr. 15 July 1 3 bu. 90-120 48 May 15 Sept. 1- 75 pumpkins 70- 90 Frost 1 Apr. 15 June 1 100 bunches 30-65 Sept. 1 Oct. 25 48 Mar.-Apr May-Nov. 8-10 stalks 1 yr.

plant 2 Mar. May 3 bu. 45 36 Apr. 15 June 15 Cut all 65-120 summer 2 Aug. 15- Oct.-Nov. 3 bu. 50-60 Sept. 15 48 May 1 July 10 136 squash 60-70 48 June 1 Oct. 75 squash 120-130 18 May 15 Oct. 1-10 3 bu. 140-150 6 Apr. 15 June 5- Pull until 50 Frost frost 36 May 15 July 10-Aug. 4 bu. 120-150 36 June 1 Aug. l-Frost 4 bu. 150-170 2 Apr. 1 June 1 2 bu. 45-70 2 Aug. 1 Oct.-Nov. 2 bu. 45-70 2 Aug. 1 Oct.-Nov. 2 bu. 45-70 --------+--------+------------+-------------+-------

TABLE II