The Vegetable Garden

A Clare county lady gives through the Lansing Eepublican the following directions for the management of a vegetable garden: Let the ground be well prepared and worked smooth enough to allow of the use of a marker ; if you have none, get or make one, it will pay for itself in one season ; the one 1 use is made of a straight piece of wood about three inches square, and seven feet long; through each end and in the center is driven a sort of drag tooth (of wood) 15 inches long, and pointed at each end ; this is allowed to project six inches on each side ; leave or.e side with these three teeth, but on the other add two more ut equal distances on each side of the center ; one side will be the right distance apart for corn and potatoes, while the other will mark 14 inch rows. A couple of light poles make a con venient pair of shafts to draw it by. Measure your flrst row with a garden line, and run the first tooth of your marker close to the line ; the next bout can be made each time by running the tirst tooth of the marker in the last mark made. You will be surprised to see how much difference having the rows perfectly straight will inake in the appearance of your garden. Let the rows run east and west, so that the plants may get the benefit of the sunlight on all sides. Place rows of the same width together. If the seed is sown by hand, regúlate the of planting according to the condition of the soil and the size of the seed. For almost any of the small seeds, carrots, beets, onions, parsnips, etc, from one-half to one inch is deep enough ; but be sure you reach moist earth, even if you have to plant deeper. Peas need to be planted about two inches deep ; for a succession of this delicious vegetable, plant again, a week or ten days later. Do not be afraid of working the sou too much ; it cannot be done. Just as soon as the plaats show, run a rake between the rows; a common 10 inch rake is just the thing for the 14 inch rows, and in a day or two go over them again ; this can be done two or three times before they need deep hoeing. When the the plants are up high enough, say three or four inches, thin to trom three to six inches, Of course the above rule is meant to apply to lettuce, turnips, radishes, carrots, beets, sage, spinach, and such things. It is a gooá plan to go over the rows at least twice. For instance, if you thin lettuce to three inches, by the time it is ready to use you can take out every other plant; the Simpson is a good kind for early lettuce ; it bears transplanting well.