6 GENERAL ADVICE 



he mowed the lawn. When I remonstrated, he 

 declared that it was nothing but burdock ; but I 

 insisted that, so far from being burdock, it was 

 really Lappa major, since which time the plant 

 has enjoyed his utmost respect. And I find that 

 most of my friends reserve their appreciation of 

 a plant until they have learned its name and 

 connections. 



The dump-heap which I mentioned has a surface 

 area of nearly one-hundred and fifty square feet, 

 and I find that it has grown over two hundred 

 good plants of one kind or another this year. 

 This is more than my gardener accomplished on 

 an equal area, with manure and water and a man 

 to help. The difference was that the plants on 

 the dump wanted to grow, and the imported 

 plants in the garden did not want to grow. It 

 was the difference between a willing horse and a 

 balky one. If a person wants to show his skill, 

 he may choose the balky plant: but if he wants 

 fun and comfort in gardening, he had better 

 choose the willing one. 



I have never been able to find out when the bur- 

 docks and mustard were planted on the dump; 

 and I am sure that they were never hoed or wa- 

 tered. Nature practices a wonderfully rigid econ- 

 omy. For nearly half the summer she even 

 refused rain to the plants, but still they thrived; 

 yet I staid home from a vacation one summer 

 that I might keep my plants from dying. I have 



