The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming.Shaw, Ellen Eddy
General
The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming.
Shaw, Ellen Eddy
Gardening -- Juvenile literature
"Among bush beans are the dwarf, snap or string beans, the wax beans,
the bush limas, one variety of which is known as brittle beans. Among
the pole beans are the pole limas, wax and scarlet runner. The scarlet
runner is a beauty for decorative effects. The flowers are scarlet and
are fine against an old fence. These are quite lovely in the flower
garden. Where one wishes a vine, this is good to plant for one gets both
a vegetable, bright flowers and a screen from the one plant. When
planting beans put the bean in the soil edgewise with the eye down.
"Beets like rich, sandy loam, also. Fresh manure worked into the soil is
fatal for beets, as it is for many another crop. But we will suppose
that nothing is available but fresh manure. Some gardeners say to work
this into the soil with great care and thoroughness. But even so, there
is danger of a particle of it getting next to a tender beet root. The
following can be done; Dig a trench about a foot deep, spread a thin
layer of manure in this, cover it with soil, and plant above this. By
the time the main root strikes down to the manure layer, there will be
little harm done. Beets should not be transplanted. If the rows are one
foot apart there is ample space for cultivation. Whenever the weather is
really settled, then these seeds may be planted. Young beet tops make
fine greens. Greater care should be taken in handling beets than usually
is shown. When beets are to be boiled, if the tip of the root and the
tops are cut off, the beet bleeds. This means a loss of good material.
Pinching off such parts with the fingers and doing this not too closely
to the beet itself is the proper method of handling. I throw this in for
the benefit of our future cooks, the girls.
"There are big coarse members of the beet and cabbage families called
the mangel wurzel and ruta baga. About here these are raised to feed to
the cattle. They are a great addition to a cow's dinner.
"The cabbage family is a large one. There is the cabbage proper, then
cauliflower, broccoli or a more hardy cauliflower, kale, Brussels
sprouts and kohlrabi, a cabbage-turnip combination. George has worked
out cabbage culture successfully. I refer to him for full particulars.
"Cauliflower is a kind of refined, high-toned cabbage relative. It needs
a little richer soil than cabbage and cannot stand the frost. A frequent
watering with manure water gives it the extra richness and water it
really needs. The outer leaves must be bent over, as in the case of the
young cabbage, in order to get the white head. The dwarf varieties are
rather the best to plant.
"Kale is not quite so particular a cousin. It can stand frost. Rich soil
is necessary, and early spring planting, because of slow maturing. It
may be planted in September for early spring work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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