F55 Hew fnrfe At CUDrnjell Iniwcrattg Siibraty DATE DUE '-i/'6 AUGl _, I *iSS*»'' im iMi'^lk PIIINTKD IN U.S.A. Cornell University Library SB 321.F55 Practical gardening, vegetables and fruit 3 1924 002 853 327 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924002853327 PRACTICAL GARDENING PRACTICAL GARDENING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS HELPFUL HINTS FOR THE HOME GARDEN COMMON MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM BY HUGH FINDLAY, B.S.A. PBOFEaSOB OF HOBTICCLTUBE IN THE JOSEPH BLOCUM COLLEGE OF AGBXCULTUBB, STBACUSE UNIVEBSITT, BTBACUSE, H. T. AUTBOB OF "house PLABTB, THEIB CASE AHD CULTUBS" ILLUSTRATED D. APPLETON AND COMPANY NEW YORK LONDON 1918 ^-v.\l0 8l COPTBIOHT, 1918, BT D. APPLETON AND COMPANY Printed in the United States of America DEDICATED TO MY FRIEND HON. JOHN T. ROBERTS WHO LOVES THE ART OF GARDENING, AND WHO FEELS THE HEART THROB OF THE SOIL FOREWORD This book is prepared primarily for those practical lovers of Nature who wish to add to the world's great store house more vegetables and fruits. There have been several books written on the scien- tific treatment of the vegetable and fruit gardens and also the large commercial tracts of land devoted to the production of these crops for market. This book is con- structed with the view of aiding the home gardeners in the fundamental principles involved in growing a few varieties of vegetables and choice fruits. The scientific principles, as far as they may be applied in a practical way to a small garden, have by no means been left out, but they have been put in a language that is not technical. The general advice is applicable in any section but the dates of putting these principles into operation vary according to the latitude and altitude of your section of the country. The gardener must also be governed by the variation in seasons. AU the problems that may confront several gardeners who may live as neighbors cannot be considered in a single book or any number of books. Each individual gardener must try out the soil, seed and methods advised and carefully consider the results, then formulate rules for himself individually to follow. The cultural requirements, the more common insects and diseases, with the latest method of their control, vii FOREWORD have been expressed in a simple language from prac- tical experience. The object of the book is not only to aid the gar- dener in supplying the table with fresh vegetables dur- ing the spring and summer months^ but to aid in the growing and storing of vegetables and fruits for the home to be used during the non-producing winter months. I am especially indebted to Mr. E. C. Dinturff of the College of Photography, Syracuse University, for his valuable aid in securing and developing illustrations. Also to Prof. Albert E. Wilkinson for his cooperation in permitting a reprint from "Home Vegetable Garden- ing," Series No. 2, Cornell Reading Course as foxmd on pages 66-68, 76-95. My thanks are due to the Macmillan Company for permission to reprint from pages 106-108 of "Bailey's Farm and Garden Eule Book," pp. 62-65, 69-74, and also to the United States Department of Agriculture for suggestions in the selection of varieties. Bulletin No. 485, and for drawings. Figs. 68, 69, 70. The following magazines have been kind enough to allow me to reprint from the Author's original. Mother's Magazine, Figs. 21, 22, 23, 32, 51. Coun- tryside, Figs. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 42, 45, 57, 60, 61, 62, 63 and pp. 52-53, 320-378. Gar- den Magazine, Jan., Article by Adolph Kruhm, Double- day, Page & Co., N. Y., pp. 88-95 and Fig. 1. American Agriculturist. Figs. 71, 72, 73, 74. Rural Life, Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. I am indebted to many "Back-Yard" gardeners for in- formation contained in this book. Spacuse, N. Y. Uvm FiNDLAY. CONTENTS CHAPTER page I The Three Types op Back Yard GaH' DENS 1 II The Soil and How to Make It ^ 11 III Fertilizers and How to Use Them 24 IV Tools and How to Use Them 37 V Planning the Home Garden 54 VI The Hotbed and Cold Frame 96 VII Gaining Time in Early Spring 110 VIII The Potato 119 IX Peas, Their Care and Culture 1S5 X Root Crops—Early and Late 141 XI Salads and Greens All the Year Round 148 XII The Onion and Kindred Plants 160 XIII Warm Season Crops 169 XIV Vine Crops 185 XV Celery and Celeriac . 195 XVI Cabbage and Kindred Plants 204 XVII Rhubarb and Asparagus . 212 XVIII Vegetables Not Commonly Grown 221 XIX Keeping Vegetables and Fruits Over Winter 228 XX The Strawberry .... 239 CONTENTS CHAPIEB PAGE XXI Small Fruits and How to Grow Them 260 XXII The Grape 264 XXIII The Apple Tree 273 XXIV Pears, Cherries, Plums, Peaches, and THE Quince 289 XXV Intensive Gardening 303 XXVI Community Gardens 310 XXVII What to Do Month by Month . 320 Index 379 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE 1.—Daylight saving and the gardener .... 3 2.—Part played by power and temperature in growth of plant 12 S.—Clay soil from a well-tilled garden . .16 4. —Garden loam best soil for general gardening . 16 5. —Sand. Note lack of any humus . .16 6. —Muck soil with undecayed vegetable matter . 16 7.—Eight way to spade 39 8.—Wrong way to spade 40 9. —Right and safe way to leave tools . .41 10.—Wrong dangerous way to leave tools not in use 42 11.—Correct way to use hand-cultivator ... 44 12.—Tiring way of using seeder 45 13.—^Efficient way of handling rake 46 14.—Inefficient manner of raking 47 15.—Diagram of a hotbed 97 16.—Broken bits of pots put in to insure proper drainage 112 17.-^Seed sown in divided flat 112 18. —Sifting sand and loam over the seed . 112 19.—Pressing soil round seed to hasten growth . 112 20.—Glass and paper used to prevent evaporation . 1 14 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE 21.—^Early summer squash 114 22.—Glass used to hasten growth of cucumbers . 114 23.—Home made plant protectors 114 24.—Young cabbage plants protected by strawberry boxes 116 25.—Transplanting lettuce. Making hole with two fingers 116 26.—Firm pressure of soil round roots of young lettuce 116 27.—Seed potatoes saved from best producing hills 124 28.—Leave one to three eyes in each piece of potato 124 29.—Flat divided into sections and, well-drained . 124 30.—Seed potatoes well covered with soil . .124 31.—Three weeks gained by starting potatoes in a flat 128 32.—Cucumbers started early in a strawberry basket ,128 33.—Kohl Rabi the size of a baseball, ready for use 128 34.—Swiss chardj one of the easiest greens to grow 138 35.—The American Wonder Pea, a good wrinkled variety 138 36.—Dwarf curled Scotch Kale. A very nutritious green 138 37.—Rust proof Wax Beans. Very good variety for home garden .138 38.—A flat full of thrifty lettuce plants 2x2 inches apart 150 39.—Thrifty lettuce plant before and after pruning leaves 150 40.—A mature plant of loose leaf lettuce . .150 ILLUSTRATIONS PAQE 41. —Two heads of lettuce of different lands . 150 42.—Multiplier Onions before and after cleaning for table 162 43.—Onions grown from transplanted seedlings . 162 44.—^Loosening head of cabbage to prevent cracking 162 45.—Early Snowball cauliflower ready for kitchen 162 46.—Raking surface of soil before sowing seed . .177 47.—Pressing sail down with rake to aid germina- tion 178 48.—Tent of pole beans sheltering lettuce in hot weather 180 49.—Drying beans on pole for winter use . .180 50.—Smut in corn waiting to be cut out and burned 188 51.-^—Squash bores at work in stem of squash vine 188 52.—An okra seed pod ready to harvest . .188 53.—Summer asparagus divided to show white flesh 188 54.—Packing soil roimd celery plant to protect heart 200 55.—Blanching rolls partly and entirely placed over celery 200 56.—Celery blanched by boarding and packing soil 200 57.—Lettuce planted amongst asparagus to get shade 214 58.—A. Asparagus right for cutting. B. Stalks too old for cutting 214 59.—A thrifty row of thick stalked rhubarb . 214 60.'—Good type of ventilator for storage . 230 61.—Tomato vine ready to hang in cellar or store in attic 230 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE 62.—Beets too closely cut, too small, and just right for storing 230 63.—Box and celery plant both ready for packing for winter 230 64.—Diagram of vegetable pit with ventilator and straw 231 65.—Currant cuttings showing callus formed dur- ing winter 256 66.—Two cuttings of the currant 256 67.—Two sucker cuttings and root cutting of black- berry 256 68.—Unpruned grapevine trained by 6-arm renewal system 267 69.—Pruned grapevine trained by 6-arm renewal system 268 70.—Pruned and unpruned vines in successive years 270 71.—Various devices for protecting fruit trees . .276 72.—Bad crotch and threatening wire .... 276 73.—Photograph of badly planted tree .... 276 74.—^A fine root system in tree 276 75.—Garden record on file at garden headquarters 314 76.—Sign to protect war gardens 318 PRACTICAL GARDENING CHAPTER I THE THREE TYPES OF BACK YARD GARDENS The prosperity of any country depends not alone upon its great manufacturing plants or extensive farm- ing but upon the productiveness of every back yard garden.