444 



Junior Naturalist Monthly. 



The film of water upon the soil grains is never still, it is always either 

 trickling down, or climbing back to the clouds. It has no difficulty in its 

 upward climb through well firmed soil, but when it reaches the loose '' earth 

 mulch " which the careful farmer keeps on the surface of the soil in dry 

 weather, it is obliged to stop. The spaces are too wide for it to cross. 



Pepperpod has been out in her garden, thinning the rows of pepper- 

 grass, killing the robber weeds, and loosening up the earth between the 

 rows, which the last shower had beaten hard. Now she is tired and wants 

 a rest and a lunch before she puts away her tools. jMost of the thinnings 

 she takes to her mamma for a salad at dinner time, but a few she puts 



between thin slices of bread and l)ut- 

 ter, and sits down on the porch to eat 

 and rest. 



Her peppergrass bed has given the 

 family so many nice relishes, and she 

 has so greatly enjoyed their pleasure 

 in it, that now she is, planning for 



more things to grow. 



She has spaded up a place for her 

 tomatoes, which are getting too big for 

 the berry-box ; and she will sow more 

 radishes and lettuce beside. 

 If she has good success with her 

 radishes and lettuce her mamma has 

 promised to buy them by the bunch, 

 paying the market price, and Pepper- 

 pod must learn to put them up neatly 

 for sale. Corn and string beans may 

 be put in after the lettuce and rad- 

 ishes have been pulled. That is. if 

 Pepperpod continues as enthusiastic 

 as she is now. I think she will, es- 

 pecially when she buys Fourth-of-July 

 fireworks with her radish and lettuce 

 money. 



She means to have a few flowers 

 too, besides the nasturtiums, which are 

 now big enough to transplant. She planted sweet peas some time ago. for 

 they do not mind cold weather, and asters, bachelor's buttons, j-iinks, 

 phlox and marigolds grow so easily that even a little girl may succeed 

 with them. T wish you might see her garden when it is in bloom. She 

 will gladly ])luck you a bouf|uet. for her greatest pleasure in her garden 

 is in the pleasure it gives to her friends, 



