This tells us that soil must be pre- 

 pared so that seeds will get air. 

 HOPE REIGNER, 

 B 5th Grade. ' Oakland. 



* * * 



CAPILLARY TUBES 



The sand has very large capillary 

 tubes and the water does not go up 

 steadily. It goes up quickly for a 

 little while and then it stops. 



The clay has very small capillary 

 tubes and the water does not go up 

 so quickly but it goes up slowly and 

 surely. 



The way we experimented was to 

 put two tubes into a glass of water, 

 one small one to represent the clay 

 capillary tubes, and one large one 

 to represent the sand capillary tubes. 

 The water climbed higher in the 

 small tube. 



The humus which is decayed wood, 

 leavesa nd roots of trees contains 

 the plant food. 



WALTER VEWAIS 



A 5th Grade. Oakland. 



HOW 



* * * 



MADE A HOTBED 



In making a hotbed, first se- 

 lect a good place where the sun will 

 shine all day; then dig the ground 

 five inches deep, and throw the dirt 

 out; next fill in with fresh manure; 

 next cover the manure with three 

 inches of good sandy loam. Then 

 take some boards and make a sort 

 of an enclosure around it, one side 

 being about one foot high, towards 

 the east, and the other side about 

 two feet in height. Cover it with 

 a cloth for a few days then sow 

 the seeds. 



The ground in the bed is warmed 

 by the manure under the soil, the 

 seeds and plants planted in this bed 

 will grow rapidly, and in a short 

 time will be ready to transplant. • 

 MANUEL FAUSTINA 



San Leandro School. 

 * * * 



MY GARDEN 



One corner of our school yard, 

 about fifty feet long and thirty feet 

 wide, has been set aside for our 

 vegetable garden. 



Some cf the boys divided it into 

 twenty-five garden plots, each eight 

 feet long and five feet wide, with a 

 path two feet wide on three sides. 



Each of us has chosen one of 

 these plots for his own garden which 

 we must dig, plant and take care of. 



We had just begun digging when 

 the rain came and made us stop. 



I am going to plant radish, let- 

 tuce, and peas in my garden. I 



know I shall enjoy taking care of it 

 and watching the plants grow. 



When our plants are grown, we are 

 going to exhibit them. 



JOSIE ANDERSON 

 San Leandro School. 

 * * * 



WHAT CULTIVATION WILL 

 DO TO THE SOIL 



I am a pupil in the 'eighth grade of 

 the Niles Grammar School and have 

 found by experience in my own lit- 

 tle garden that cultivation is very 

 aeedful to the soil. All soil must 

 be cultivated in some way. If it be 

 a little garden, a hce or stick will 

 do, and if a large farm, a cultiva- 

 tor will be necessary. If it were 

 aot for cultivation all the moisture 

 would escape from the soil through 

 the capillary tubes that are in the 

 soil, and the sun would absorb it all. 

 The capillary tubes are the little 

 .paces in the soil. 



Cultivation prevents this because 

 when the soil is cultivated, it breaks 

 ill the capillary tubes in the soil. 

 This prevents the water from es- 

 caping. 



If the soil is not cultivated often 

 enough, it will become very hard be- 

 ause cf the evaporation of the wa- 

 :er or moisture in the soil, and irri- 

 ation will become necessary, or 

 ;he plants and seeds will not grow. 

 .Vhen you once irrigate, you will 

 nave to keep it up, so it is by far 

 the better plan to cultivate your 

 land for it will save you the trou- 

 ble of irrigating. 



ZULMERA DOMINICI 



Niles School. 



* * 



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