$2 Download. Gardner's Pocket Manual: Treatise on Gardening. 114p

My reasons for writing this little

work have been: First, that I felt that

there was need for a cheap practical book

on gardening, and second, that the ex perience

of twenty-five years as a gardener,

and a sincere lo\ e foi' the calling,

had enabled me to gain some valuable

facts that would be of profit to the general

reader.

I am aware that there has existed a

strong prejudice against books on farm ing

and gardening, but I believe that it is

rapidly disappearing ; partly because of

growing intelligence among farmers, and

partly because more of the writers of

modern books on these subjects have been

practical men. From boyhood until forty

years old I cultivated, in connection with

a small farm, a market garden, and in that

prove his method of farming as he sees

\vhat can be done on a small amount of

land by heavy manuring and good culture.

The farmer having a large amount

of land from which to select his garden

spot, and a supply of manure with which

to enrich it, ought to and may have the

best of garden vegetables ; and from the

latter part of May, when he begins on his

early peas, lettuce, spinach and radishes,

until the beginning of the next year, at

least, the garden will contribute some thing

every day to his table, and from

years of experience at the head of a family,

I estimate that at least what would cost

$ioo in market, can be grown on one fourth

of an acre.

To show what a small garden may be

made to contribute to the wants of a family,

I append a letter written by my brother.

I visited him in Indianapolis in the sum mer

of 1876, and was so much pleased

with his garden that I asked him to write

an account of it for publication:

Indianapolis, Ind., Deceniher, 1876.

My garden was but a small affair, of a little

more than four rods square of ground. I got a

prettv good spread of manure on it from a neigh boring

pig sty. but on spading it up found that I

liad a heavv,"badly tramped and rather wet piece

of ground. '

I accordingly threw it up in four beds

with open drains between, giving it as I went

along a thorough pulverizing. Excepting onions,

GARDENERS POCKET iMANUAL.

CHAPTER II.

SELECTION AND PREPARATION OF GAR DEN

SPOT.

Conceding that a garden is as valuable

to a family as the preceding chapter as serts,

it will pay to select the best spot on

the farm for it, or if necessary, spend

quite a sum of money in the preparation

of a garden spot.

The best soil for the garden is a sandy

loam on a dry foundation. On many of

our upland farms the'e are streaks of

what we call "black ground." These

black, loamy soils are warm, and give

vegetables an early start, and it will pay

to locate the garden on such soil, even if

it must be at some little distance from the

house.

Where a soil of this character is select ed.

Fall plowing will be found of great

benefit, as it will enable you to plant

hardy vegetables a week or ten days

earlier than you otherwise could.

If you have not black loam, you must

take such land as have and go to work to

GARDENER S POCKET MANUAL. 9

make it as nearly as possible what you

wish it to be. It will be found a profitable

investment to expend fifty or even one

hundred dollars on a quarter-acre to put

it in good condition, rather than to culti vate

land in the condition that a majority

of our gardens are in.

Our market gardeners near the great

cities find it necessary to expend nearly or

quite $300 per acre each year on their

land, in order to cultivate it profitably.

To have a profitable garden you must

be as nearly as possible independent of

the weather, so as to grow good crops

whether it be wet or dry, and if your land

is thoroughly underdrained, deeply work ed,

and well enriched, you will find your

crops flourishing, when on soil without

such preparation they would be a failure.

If, in addition to the above, vou protect

it on the west and north by a tight board

fence or evergreen hedge, you have all

the conditions necessary to success. If

the garden is a heavy clay, coat it well

with sand; if too sandy, haul on swamp

muck, or clay, and so bring it to the condi tion

desired. It will take some labor and

expense to do all this, but when once

done it is permanent, and no one will ever

ren^ret the cost.