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Show Washington County Gardens Yiewed x, By State Horticulturist Dr. A. L. Stark, state extension horticulturist from the Agriculture Agricul-ture college, recently visited all of the gardens of the county that were entered in this year's contest. con-test. With Mr. Stark on the tour was Anson B. Call, county agent. There will also be another checkup check-up this fall on gardens by Mr. Stark or someone else who is qualified for this work, states Mr. Call. After making the check-up, Mr. Stark issued the following statement state-ment as to the condition he found and suggestions he would give for the improving of gardens in this county. Statement by Doctor Stark Some home vegetable gardens in Washington County are excellent, some are fair and many fall in intermediate classifications. One common to all gardens, however was their lack of either varieties or quatities or both. Many gardens in the garden contest con-test had only five or six kinds of vegetables while the neighboring gardens grew 20 or more different kinds in excellent condition. The fact that the neighbors can produce pro-duce many different sorts is ample evidence that these will grow during dur-ing hot summer. From the point of view of health and adequate diet a large selection of vegetables is desirable. As to the lack of quantities sufficient to support the family, (Continued on page six) Washington County Gardens Viewed By State Horticulturist (Continued from first page) there were numerous examples of ; very small home gardens fori rather large families. This condi- j tion existed even though much idle j land surrounded the present small j garden space. A family of 10 or 12 people can hardly expect the j proper amount of produce from a; garden space 30 or 40 feet square, j Yet many such small gardens were found in connection with large, families. The produce from the home vegetable garden should not i only supply vegetables for summer sum-mer use but should also provide ' enough for canning purposes for! winter use as well. Weeds In Garden j The presence of weeds in some j gardens not only reduced the score the garden received on the contest : but also reduced the quality of the vegetables. Weeds compete i with the vegetable plants for f ood : and water. The garden should be kept free from weeds if highest; quality and largest amounts of J produce are to be obtained. ; i.i t- 7:.. n rnt' ! Although we live in the "Great Open West" there is no logical I reason why our kitchen and home vegetable garden should be separated by a larger portion of this vastness. When the garden is several hundred feet from the kitchen much less use is made of the produce because the housewife j does not have the time to take a 'hike every time she needs a head of lettuce or a bunch of carrots. The garden should be as close to I the kitchen as possible so that it jwill be easy to obtain produce in a i very short time. Fewer radish and j lettuce plants will go to seed if the garden is conveniently located. I Although the gardens in the con-' con-' test have all been scored now 'there will probably be another I visit made to in-pect the later gardens. Low scores can be appreciably ap-preciably increased if the fall : gardens show improvement over , the summer gardens. Tin1 goal .should not lo so much to win a j prize in the contest as to maintain an adequate supply of healthful, fresh vegetables for the family the 1 year around. The purpose of the contest is to encourage the pn-jduction pn-jduction of this supply. |