THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 183 



pears above ground till the fully matured product is ob- 

 tained. This interest is increased by the work one does in 

 helping the plants grow, through the killing of weeds and the 

 cultivation of the soil. Another very attractive feature is 

 the fact that gardening takes one out in the open amid 

 pleasant surroundings at a time of the year when nature is 

 at her best. 



And furthermore a well-kept garden is in itself an attrac- 

 tive feature to be compared in some ways with the flower 

 garden. The foliage effect of many plants is attractive. 

 This is especially true of the carrot with its fern-like leaves. 

 Some garden plants like peas and pumpkins have attrac- 

 tive flowers, and the corn plant with its erect tassels and 

 drooping silks is an attractive feature of the garden. 



The plan. During the late winter or early spring before 

 the planting is begun, a map of the garden should be drawn 

 on paper. The vegetables to be planted should be decided 

 upon and the names written in the proper places on the 

 paper ; and the number of rows of each kind of vegetable and 

 the distance between the rows should be indicated. This 

 will first require that the dimensions of the garden be meas- 

 ured and recorded on the plan. 



Kind of vegetables. In deciding upon the vegetables to 

 be planted several considerations will need to be taken into 

 account, such as the size of the garden, the time required 

 for the vegetables to mature, and the succession of crops. 

 If the garden is small, those vegetables should be avoided 

 which require a very large area for the returns yielded. 

 Among these are melons, pumpkins, winter squashes, and 

 potatoes. 



Varieties. It is important to consider the matter of the 

 most suitable variety of each vegetable planted ; that is, 

 the different kinds of peas, corn, etc. Varieties differ in 

 yield, taste, size, time required for maturing, and character 

 of growth, such as climbing peas and beans and the dwarf 



