24 GARDENING WITH BRAINS 

 experienced gardener, ready to answer all your 

 questions promptly. Some other good books 

 will be referred to later on. 



INCREASING THE YIELD 



Mr. French does not claim too much when he 

 says that the information brought together in 

 his book from many sources "is enough to 

 increase by half the yield of many a garden" 

 which illustrates the importance of brains in rais- 

 ing vegetables. Here is a sample of his wisdom : 



A still better method of hand sowing consists in making 

 the drill deeper than directed, scattering along it some 

 good chemical fertilizer, rich in nitrogen, and covering 

 this with earth before sowing the seed, which direct 

 contact with the chemical would injure. The fertilizer, 

 thus placed, gives the plant the much-desired quick 

 start, with a supply of food for later growth. 



Whatever seeds you sow, try to give them 

 this quick start by using the kind of fertilizer 

 or manure indicated in Mr. French's book. 

 Such a start is of superlative importance because 

 of our hot summers and possible frosts in Sep- 

 tember. Take corn, for instance. To give it 

 "the 'pep' and vigor so necessary to win the 

 race with the weeds, weather, and especially 

 that wary contestant, Jack Frost," as L. F. 

 Graber remarks, it must have some quickly avail- 

 able commercial fertilizer from the very start, 

 well mixed with the soil. (Bone meal and muri- 

 ate of potash are particularly good; or you can 

 use a little powdered hen manure or commercial 



