BOOK OF THE HOME GARDEN 



to see if the small one would care for the large one. 

 They did very well, but not as well as frequent 

 cultivation. Eschscholtzias (California Poppies) 

 and dwarf nasturtiums planted close to sweet peas 

 and dahlias shade the ground very well ; but we must 

 not forget that they are taking food and moisture 

 from the soil, too, so our garden soil should be pretty 

 rich in humus and the plants should receive plenty 

 of moisture if we want to grow two kinds of plants 

 so close together. 



You will be much interested in your corn if you 

 have never grown it before and will probably try 

 very hard to keep the roots covered unless you know 

 that those big strong roots which sprawl out all 

 around the plant are not feeders, but only bracers. 

 Some kinds of corn grow so tall (18 feet in some 

 places) that the winds would easily blow them down 

 if wise Mother Nature had not done some civil engi- 

 neering and given them a big strong brace near the 

 roots. So do not try to cover these roots up and 

 pile the earth around the stalk for the plant will 

 have to spend time and strength sending out new 

 ones higher up for a new brace. But do cultivate 

 often or put on a mulch, for corn needs to grow 

 quickly in order to make good tender ears. The 

 feeder roots go down into the soil and spread out 



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