BOOK OF THE HOME GARDEN 



think of them and it will help you to go on with your 

 hard work. 



Let us think of the little roots that are going into 

 the ground ; they are after food for the plants and 

 they want moisture and something there is in the 

 ground that the moisture helps make ; they want the 

 soil tucked all around them, but loose enough so 

 the little feeder or hair rootlets can scout around 

 for food. 



There is one thing I want you always to remem- 

 ber, that a root does not want a lot of air, for air 

 dries them out and then they die. So while your 

 garden soil is going to be as fine as you can make 

 it, it must not be all puffy with air, but must be 

 firm for the plant rootlets. 



There are two kinds of plants that we have in 

 our gardens. I like to call them "stay-at-homes" 

 and "movers." That means some plants must al- 

 ways stay where the seed is sown, and others can 

 be moved when the plants are small. The ones that 

 are "stay-at-homes" send down a long fine tap-root, 

 and cannot bear to be moved, while the "movers" 

 have a bunch of fibrous roots, like a mat of hair, 

 close to the surface and they do not mind much if 

 you move them carefully. 



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