435 



Junior Naturalist Monthly. 



Fig. 6. — Freeing the soil from lumps and stones. 



they are apt to grow 

 tall and " spindling." 

 That is rij^ht. Sift 

 the soil carefully, and 

 if it is clay soil, arid a 

 little sand to make it 

 more loose and 

 crumbly. If you are 

 able to get some 

 woods earth to mix 

 \Yith the clay, the 

 plant will like it very 

 much. That kind of 

 soil is mostly made of 

 decaying leaves and 

 wood, and the little 

 fuzzy working roots 

 can find plant food 

 in it to send up to the 

 starch factories in the 

 green leaves. If you 



cannot get woo d 

 earth, perhaps Father 

 will let you buy a few 

 cents worth of florists' 

 soil which is prepared 

 with food for hungry 

 plants. 



Right again ! Firm 

 the earth well, so that 

 the working roots 

 may not find their 

 way into little open 

 spaces where they will 

 dry up. They need 

 some air. but enough 

 will creep through the 

 firmed soil. Roots 

 seem to like to push 

 their way. 



I am glad you arc 

 making such straight 



Fig. 7. — Making the soil firm. 



