ABC OF VEGETABLE GARDENING…..
This how-to book includes chapters on getting ready, mapping the garden, planting, seeds, early work, house plants, fruits, hot beds and cold frames, and small gardens.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY…..
Eben Eugene Rexford (July 16, 1848 – October 18, 1916) was an American writer and poet, and author of lyrics to popular and gospel songs. Eben E. Rexford was born in Johnsburg, New York. He moved with his family to Ellington, Wisconsin in 1855. His first poems were published in the New York Ledger when Rexford was fourteen. Among the many songs he wrote, Rexford is best remembered for the lyrics to “Silver Threads Among the Gold”, which were set to music by Hart Pease Danks. This song was one of the first items to be recorded mechanically. Another poem that has had continuing popularity is “The Ride of Paul Venarez”, which is considered to be a “cowboy poem”, even though the author was from Wisconsin. It has been turned into a song, “Billy Venero”, and has a colorful history.
Rexford was a prolific writer. Most of his books were about gardening. In addition, he wrote many poems and stories. He worked with the Ladies’ Home Journal for fourteen years. After leaving that magazine, he wrote for American Homes and Gardens, House and Gardens, and American Home Monthly. His articles also appeared frequently in Lippincott’s and Outing. Rexford’s fiction was published stories by Beadle and Adams and other periodical publishers. He was a member of the Chicago Press Club and the Authors Club of Boston. For more than twenty years he served as organist at the Congregational Church of Shiocton, Wisconsin. Following many years as Town Clerk at Bovina, he died in Green Bay and was buried at Bovina Cemetery. He received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Lawrence University, in 1908, and he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
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chapter 11 part A of ABC of vegetable gardening by Eban Eugene Rexford This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Chapter 11 part A Leftovers There are more ways than one to secure fertilizers and fine soil for the small garden If swart is cut from the roadside chopped into small pieces and stored away in some corner of the yard that is convenient to get at and the soap suds from wash day are poured over it each week it will in a short time if stirred frequently become a most excellent substitute for leaf mold the grassroots when decayed will become a vegetable fertilizer which will be found extremely valuable in the culture of such plants as require a light rich soil especially when small Some quite artistic effects can be secured in the vegetable garden by the exercise of a little thought The large leafed beet has foliage of a dark rich crimson quite as ornamental as that of many plants used by gardeners to produce the tropical effects which many persons admire When planted in the background with fine foliaged plants like carrot or parsley in front of it the effect will be extremely pleasing because of the contrast of color and also of habit The red pepper planted where it can show its brilliantly colored fruit against the green of some plant will give a bit of brightness that will not fail to be appreciated by those who have a keen eye for color harmony It is well to plan for these touches of the artistic even in the vegetable garden Tomatoes are often grown on racks and trelluses Where this is done there will be no danger of the fruits decaying as is often the case when the plants are given no support and their branches come in contact with the ground It is a good idea to scatter clean dry straw under the plants after they begin to set fruit It is also a good plan to pinch off the ends of some of the tomato vines after the first liberal setting of fruit This throws the strength of the plant into the development of the fruit that has set instead of into the production of new branches which are not needed It also hastens the maturity of it If the tomato is allowed to do so it will keep on growing and blooming and setting fruit throughout the entire season And as a natural consequence much of it will be immature when frost comes It is well to prevent this wasting of the plant’s forces by shortening the main branches of it in August and September In the chapter devoted to the mention of the best varieties of vegetables to plant I neglected to say a good word for sage and summer savory both of which the housewife will find very useful in seasoning soups sausage and other articles of food If cut when in their prime and hung in the shade to dry all their flavor will be retained When perfectly dry rub the leaves from the stocks pulverize them well and store in paper bags to prevent the loss of their flavor Dill and carowway seed are often used in cookery and as variety is the spice of life it may be well for the housewife to grow a few plants of each The writer has a very vivid recollection of grandmother’s caraway cookies and many of the present generation declare a liking for pickles flavored with dill To add to the attractive appearance of the table in winter I would advise growing a few plants of the red or purple cabbage to work up in sllo and salads Beets are capable of giving a bit of color to the table that will be as pleasing to the eye as the taste of this vegetable is delightful to the pallet A root of parsley potted in fall will not only afford much material for the garnishing of the various dishes to which the housewife likes to add a touch of this kind but it can be made the basis of a really beautiful table decoration A few bright flowers thrust in among its crinkly foliage will be quite as effective as many more pretentious decorative schemes The amateur gardener may begin work with the belief that one crop in a season is all he can expect from his garden He will soon discover his mistake The early radishes and the first crop of lettuce will mature before midsummer and the ground they occupied can be planted to later varieties from which a fully developed second crop can be expected Or other vegetables like beets and onions can be planted where they grew to furnish material for the pickling season After the early potatoes have been dug the ground they occupied should not be allowed to lie idle Something can be planted there for fall use to make the garden the greatest possible source of profit Not a foot of it should be suffered to go to waste at any time during the growing season Radishes would be well worth growing for their beauty alone A plate of them nested in their own green foliage gives the breakfast table a touch of bright color that adds the charm of beauty to the food with which it is associated The writer believes in making the table as attractive in appearance as the food on it is toothsome whenever it is possible to do so I noticed that I have overlooked the pumpkin The oversight was unintentional and I beg the pardon of the vegetable without which the housewife would be lost along about Thanksgiving time The pumpkin is out of place in the small garden because of its rampant growth but a few plants of the New England pie variety should be grown wherever there is room for it to supply material for the delicious pumpkin pies most of us enjoy so much in winter Well-riened specimens keep well when stored in cool dry cellers if placed on racks or shelves that will prevent them from coming in contact with the cold damp cellar bottom If frost nips the tomato vines before their fruit is fully ripened pull them up and hang them against a wall where the sun can get at them Hang blankets over them if the nights are cold Here they will ripen as perfectly as on the vines in the garden and one can enjoy fresh fruit from them until the coming of very cold weather Before cold weather sets in go over the garden be it large or small and gather up every bit of rubbish that can be found Pull up the dead plants and burn them Store racks and trelluses undercover for use in other season If these are properly taken care of they will last for several years but if left exposed to the storms of winter they will be short-lived Dig a quantity of parsnips and salsify to be stored in the cellar for winter use Cover the strawberry bed with leaves or straw spreading lightly Coarse litter from the barnyard is often used for this purpose but it is objectionable because of its containing so many weed seeds Many experienced gardeners advocate plowing or spading the garden in fall This they claim helps to kill the larae which insects have deposited in the soil and it puts the ground in good working condition earlier in spring But it will have to be gone over in spring to incorporate with it whatever fertilizer is made use of Fresh barnyard manure should never be used It ought to lie for at least a season before applying it to the vegetable garden give it a chance to ferment and kill many of the seeds that are in it If the soil of the garden contains considerable clay and is rather stiff in consequence the application of coarse sand old mortar and coal ashes will lighten and greatly improve it Do not allow grass or weeds to grow on any of the unused soil in or about the garden for insects will congregate there and make it the base from which to make their raids upon the plants you set out to grow We are often advised to apply a dressing of salt to the asparagus bed I have never been able to see that the plants received any direct benefit from it But if it is scattered quite thickly over the ground it will prevent weeds from growing thus benefiting the plants indirectly Asparagus is often attacked by a sporadic growth which causes the foliage to look rusty hence the term asparagus rust As soon as it is discovered cut the tops and burn them If allowed to remain the plants will likely be attacked next season as the spores are not killed by cold If the bugs and beetles that attack young plants of cucumber squash and melon do not yield promptly to the application of dry road dust fine coal ashes or land plaster It may be well to cover frames with fine wire netting such as door and window screens are made from and put over the plants Care should be taken to see that these frames fit the ground snugly or have earth banked up about them to prevent the enemy from crawling under After the plants have made their third or fourth leaves the beetle will not be likely to injure them I am often asked why writers on gardening matters never advise the use of homegrown seed One answer to this query is this In the ordinary garden plants stand close to one another and the varieties we grow are almost sure to mix by one variety being pollinized by another The seed from these plants will seldom produce plants like either parent variety Sometimes they may be equal to them in most respects but we cannot depend on their being Though therefore if we desire to grow superior varieties that are pure blood it becomes necessary for us to procure fresh seed each season from dealers who take pains to see that there shall be no mixing among their plants Every season some enterprising seedsman comes out with an announcement that he has developed or discovered a remarkable new variety of some standard vegetable so far superior to any other variety on the market that as soon as its merits become fully known it will drive all competitors out of the field Of course this new candidate for favor is offered at a fancy price because the supply is limited and the demand for it is increasing to such an extent that the entire stock will soon be sold out Order at once to avoid disappointment Don’t be in a hurry to take this advice Wait until next season The chances are that you will hear nothing more about it We have so many very excellent varieties now that there is no reason why we should ask for anything better If the novelty is the possessor of real merit you will be sure to hear about it later But it is hardly likely to prove an improvement on what we already have for it is hard to imagine anything superior to the standard varieties of vegetables that we have at present I would not advise purchasing seed at the general store Some of this may be reliable but so much of it is inferior that one cannot afford to run the risk of experimenting with it It is the part of wisdom to purchase where you can feel sure of getting just the variety you want We are likely to have a few frosty nights along about the middle of September Tender vegetables may be injured if not protected But if covered with blankets or papers the danger may be tided over and during the long period of pleasant weather that generally follows these early frosts we can get as much pleasure out of the garden as it afforded during the early fall It pays to protect The housewife will take a great deal of delight in the preparation of pickleilly chow chow and the various other condiments which have such a stimulating effect on the appetite in early spring when that tired feeling is likely to make a good deal of the food that is placed before us unattractive In the making of these good things unripe tomatoes and peppers will play an important part So will onions that are too small to store away for winter use She will find use for all these things which a man would consider worthless Really there is but little chance for waste of garden productions if there is an appreciative and prudent woman in the kitchen A few roots of horseradish should find a place in all gardens preferably in some out of the way corner where it can be allowed to spread without interfering with other plants Spread it well every little piece of root that is broken off in the ground in digging the large roots becoming an independent plant as soon as thrown upon its own resources Because of this tendency to take possession of the land many persons who have undertaken its culture refuse to give it a place in their gardens But it is really an easy matter to keep it within the limits assigned it by promptly uprooting any plant that may make its appearance outside the space given over to it Those who are fond of something pungent and peppery to eat with meats either hot or cold will not consent to be without it It is at its best as soon as the frost is out of the ground sufficiently to admit of its being dug It should be used as soon as possible after digging as it loses much of its peant quality if left exposed to the air for a short time Roots can be dug in late fall for winter use and packed in boxes of soil which should be stored in the cellar or some other place where they can be kept as cool as possible without actually freezing But in order to have it in perfection roots freshly dug in spring must be depended on Leaves of horseradish make excellent greens if used when green and tender A few of them cooked with young beets will give the latter a flavor that will make their sweetness all the more appreciable Speaking of greens reminds me to say that the dandelion can be cultivated to advantage in the home garden Under cultivation it improves in size and becomes a plant quite unlike the tiny 100leaf specimens we dig from the roadside in spring Of which a bushel will be required in order to secure a good mess for a greensloving family as most of such a picking will have to be discarded when it is looked over preparatory to cooking In order to prevent the garden grown dandelion from becoming a nuisance it must not be allowed to bloom and develop seed A most delightful salad can be made from the new growth of the dandelion in spring if properly bleached This can be done by covering the plants with dry leaves as soon as they begin to grow thus excluding light and inducing rapid development Or if most convenient flower pots can be inverted over the plants The small amount of light that comes to them through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot will materially assist in hastening the growth of the leaves in such a manner as to give them a crisp tenderness and deprive them of that bitter tang which characterizes the foliage when fully grown under exposure to the light and air Just enough of this spicy quality to make the salad delightfully appetizing will be found in them when grown in this way Mention has several times been made in the preceding pages of Bordeaux mixture This is a preparation used by small fruit growers everywhere to combat diseases of a fungus character which prevail to an alarming extent in almost all sections of the country in early spring It is a standard remedy for many of the ills that this class of plants is heir to and no up-to-date orchardist would think for a moment of neglecting its use if he would grow a fine crop of apples It is not here to for come into common use among those who grow small fruit on a small scale because it is rather difficult to prepare it properly But now a preparation of it that is ready for use by simply mixing it with water can be obtained from all seedsmen The use of it in spring when fruit is setting to prevent injury from the cculio and other enemies of small fruits is to be encouraged Every gardener should be provided with pruning shears with which to prune whatever plants he or she may grow that require frequent attention of that kind A jack knife answers the purpose very well in the hands of a man but up to the present time no woman is known to have made a success of its use Current bushes grow readily from cutings Insert a piece of half-ripened wood five or 6 in long into the ground and it will almost invariably take root In order to keep this plant in healthy bearing condition it should be pruned rather severely each season Cut away all weak wood and encourage the production of strong new shoots from which fruit will be born next season Remove a good share of the old branches after they have ripened the present season’s crop If this is not done the bush will after a little become crowded with branches And as all branches old and new will attempt to bear you will be pretty sure to have a production of very inferior fruit since it will be impossible for the bush to perfect all the berries that set and have them come up to the standard of superiority that should govern the grower Small currents are good as far as they go But the trouble is they don’t go far enough Many of them will have to be discarded when the housewife makes her selection If the amateur gardener desires to give some of his vegetables an early start I would advise him to try what may be called the sod method in preference to any other Sad is cut from roadside or pasture in fall and stacked up in the cellar for use in early spring When seed is to be sewn invert the piece of sod and scatter the seed over the surface which it will be understood was not the surface originally In other words what was the surface is now the bottom of the piece which receives the seed When it comes time to put the seedlings out of doors the sod can be cut apart in such a manner that each has its bit of soil and this can be transferred to the garden without interfering in any way with roots of the young plant While barnyard manure especially that which contains a good deal of cow manure is one of the very best of all fertilizers it is not always obtainable and this makes it necessary to resort to some kind of commercial fertilizer If one is not familiar with any of these fertilizers he ought not to select at random as he may get a kind not at all adapted to his requirements I would advise finding someone who understands the peculiarity of the soil in his locality and who has had some experience in the use of commercial fertilizers and being governed by his advice Experimental knowledge is often expensive and the use of a fertilizer that is not adapted to the soil in one’s garden often ruins a season’s crops The ideal support for pea vines is brush but not every gardener is able to obtain it Some persons substitute binder twine stretched from steak to stake This answers very well as long as the weather remains dry But as soon as a rainstorm comes along the twine absorbs so much moisture that it relaxes its tension and sags in such a manner as to endanger the vines which have taken hold of it Coarse meshed wire netting can be found much more satisfactory as it will not sag and cannot be blown down by winds Care must be taken to see that it is coarse meshed as the fine meshed source will not admit of the vines working its way out and in among the meshes If a supply of brush can be obtained use it by all means and at the end of the pe season pull it up and store it away in a dry place If this is done it can be made to do duty for several seasons If netting is used do not allow it to remain out of doors in winter By untacking it from the stakes which are set for its support and rolling it up carefully and storing it away from the storms of winter it can be made to last a lifetime Don’t depend upon homegrown seed Some of it may be just as good as that which can be bought from reliable seedsmen but the probabilities are that it is not because of the tendencies of most plants to mix Plants grown from seeds saved from the home garden often and generally show some of the characteristics of several varieties of the same family and frequently these characteristics are not the ones we would like to perpetuate Seedlings from varieties pollinized by other varieties show a decided inclination to revert to original types and these are in most instances the very characteristics we would like to get away from It is always advisable to procure fresh seed each season and to procure it from men who make seed growing a specialty End of chapter 11 part A