Time and again have men who were good farmers, when looking over my grounds, said: “Well, it is too bad that I have not had a decent garden; but I am determined to have one after this, and will neglect it no longer.” I have no recollection of any farmer’s family among my acquaintances who would not enjoy its products. Perhaps the best reason, and often the only one, that can be given for so many almost entire failures in this respect is the want of time. It is a well-known fact that almost all of our farmers are short of the help they really need to keep their farms in good condition. Something is sure to be neglected, and, in three cases out of four, if not in nine out of ten, the poor garden is the first thing that is left to care for itself, which it generally does by growing a tremendous crop of weeds.
It is perfectly useless to attempt to have a respectable garden, unless arrangements are made in the spring for its planting and cultivation with the same care that arrangements are made for the care of the wheat, oats, corn, or potato crop, or the care of the dairy.
When these arrangements are made and faithfully carried into execution during the season, then shall we see good gardens upon our farms; and not only that, but, as a rule, they will be the best paying pieces of land upon the farm, not only in the comfort they give to the family, but in the profit as well.
I do not propose at this time to give you a treatise upon gardening. A few hints that may be of value to those who wish to make some improvement, is all that will be attempted.
In the first place, select, if you can have a choice, a piece of light, loamy soil, with a little sand, if you can get it. A heavy clay soil will raise as large a crop as the one above mentioned, but it is not as early, and is much more expensive and different to work. In laying out a garden on a farm take plenty of room, and arrange the goods in such a manner that the greatest possible amount of work can be performed with the horse.
The selection of seeds is to me the most annoying and perplexing job of the season. The circulars come pouring in, and are filled with the names of new varieties of this and that and the other, each better than any other of its kind, and so very desirable that you are apt to think that you must have a few of the seeds just to try them.
Of course, there is occasionally some improvement made in vegetables and plants but it is safe to say that in nineteen cases out of twenty the farmer or the amateur who invests in some new varieties of seeds or plants upon the recommendation of his circular, loses both money and time by the operation. If I should record my own experience in this line during the past twenty-five years, the result would show that I have drawn an occasional prize and a marvelous number of blanks, and some of them very annoying, as well as expensive ones.
I will give you a list of such seeds as have proven themselves to be about the best that I can find, after years of experience:
Asparagus—Conover’s Colossal.
Beets—Early Egyptian for first early; Early Blood Turnip for fall and winter.