1 88 SCIENCE OF HOME AND COMMUNITY 



saves many backaches and enables one to do the work of car- 

 ing for the garden in very much less time and with much 

 more pleasure. The two most important attachments are 

 the hoes and the cultivator teeth. 



Preparation of soil. In order to get the best results, the 

 soil should be enriched with manure or fertilizer. It should 

 be plowed or thoroughly, spaded as soon in the spring as it 

 can be worked. Special attention should be given to the 

 preparation of the soil where seeds are to be planted. It 

 should be gone over with a rake, the lumps taken out, and 

 the top soil left in fine condition. 



Planting the seeds. The garden line should be used to 

 lay out the rows straight. The garden should be planted 

 in long rows rather than in short beds, as this makes the work 

 of cultivating the garden much easier, especially if a wheel 

 hoe is to be used. If one row is more than it is desired to 

 plant with one kind of seed, then the remainder of the row 

 may be planted with some other seed which requires about 

 the same space between the rows. In planting seeds, three 

 things need to be considered, the depth, time, and distance. 



Depth. The depth of planting depends chiefly on the size 

 of the seed, the larger seeds being planted at a greater depth. 

 A general rule is to plant a seed at a depth of two or three 

 times its smaller diameter. The depth of planting a few 

 common seeds is given in the table on page 198. 



Time. The time of planting the first seeds depends upon 

 the hardiness of the seedlings to frosts. This time varies with 

 the latitude and with the season, according to whether the 

 spring is early or late. The average time for a few seeds 

 in the .latitude of New York City is given in the table. 

 Vegetables may be divided into two groups; hardy and 

 tender. The hardy vegetables, like radishes and peas, can 

 stand the light frosts of spring and so may be planted as 

 soon as the soil is in good condition to work. The tender 

 vegetables, like cucumbers and tomatoes, are killed by the 



