ABOUT FRUITS, FLOWERS AND -FARMING. 



107 



SPRING WORK IN THE GARDEN. 



WHEN spring comes, everybody begins to think of thf 

 garden. A little of the experience of one who has learned 

 some by making many mistakes will do you no harm. 



Too MUCH WORK LAID OUT. When the winter lets us 

 out, and we are exhilarated with fresh air, singing birds, 

 bland weather, and newly-springing vegetation, our ambi 

 tion is apt to . lay out too much work. We began with an 

 acre, in garden ; we could not afford to hire help except for 

 a few days ; and we were ambitious to do things as they 

 ought to be done. By reference to a Garden Journal 

 (every man should keep one), we find that we planted in 

 1840, sixteen kinds of peas; seventeen kinds of beans; seven 

 kinds of corn ; six kinds of squash ; eight kinds of cabbage ; 

 seven kinds of lettuce ; eight sorts of cucumber, and seven 

 of turnips seventy-six varieties of only eight vegetables ! 

 Besides, we had fruit-trees to transplant in spring- flowers 

 to nurture, and all the etceteras of a large garden. Al 

 though we worked faithfully, early and late, through the 

 whole season, the weeds beat us fairly ; and every day or 

 two some lazy loon, who had not turned two spadefuls of 

 earth during the season, would lounge along and look over, 

 nnd seeing the condition of things, would very quietly say 



