BOOK OF THE HOME GARDEN 



been pulled ; in this way you would be able to gain 

 quite a little time on the new crop. Some gardeners 

 are so choice of their land and so careful it shall 

 not be idle one moment, they carry seeds in their 

 pockets, and when they pull up a plant like lettuce, 

 or some young carrots, or such early things they 

 put a new seed (always of a different vegetable 

 however) in its place. 



Now, why do these gardeners put a different kind 

 of seed in these places? Because each variety of 

 plant seems to take a little something different out 

 of the soil. If we grow one crop, like corn or pota- 

 toes or beans or pansies or asters or dahlias, or in 

 fact anything, on the same piece of ground for many 

 years in succession, they get poorer and poorer and 

 the bugs and diseases get into the soil and stay 

 there, feeling sure they will find their particular pet 

 crop to feed on next year. But if we change our 

 crops, the bugs and blights do not find what they 

 are used to and we have a better chance to control 

 them, and the soil is kept in better condition. 



Here is another reason for a garden plan al- 

 ways date one and make notes upon it as the season 

 goes by for instance, we will mark on our plan 

 where it says radishes "followed by cabbage" and 

 where it says lettuce "followed by swiss chard." 



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