AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL . 7 



and vegetables to almost any size, form, color, or flavor 

 desired, to make corn, grain, and grasses tall or short, and 

 richer in production. In fact he discovered that man 

 could guide plant forces exactly as he did mechanical and 

 chemical forces. 



Pulling weeds and hoeing corn tired the muscles, but 

 the growing plants formed a wonderful moving picture 

 that taught beautiful lessons not to be learned in books. 



When in early spring the sun warmed the soft, damp, 

 earth and it was made mellow and smooth by deep plow- 

 ing and thorough cultivation, peas, beans, beets, carrots, 

 turnips, and onions were planted. The little tomato, cab- 

 bage, pepper, and cauliflower plants were carefully removed 

 from boxes or hotbeds, where the seed had been sown 

 even before the snow had disappeared, and were placed 

 in the ground now ready for them. How eagerly was their 

 growth watched, each tiny new leaf being greeted with joy ! 



With exultant pride the first bright crimson radishes 

 were pulled from the plot, where the lettuce as it peeped 

 forth from the brown earth spelled in brightest green 

 L-u-t-h-e-r. When, a little later in the season, the sweet 

 corn was planted, the boy, like Hiawatha, would 



"Go to wait and watch beside it; 

 Kept the dark mould soft beside it, 

 Kept it clean from weeds and insects. 



