A BOX OF SEEDS IN CALIFORNIA. 



But the grocer wanted to tell a story, so we all had to wait until it was finished. 



"I just read of a fruit grower," he said,"who says that his garden of fifty feet 

 square supplies enough vegetables, excepting potatoes, for a large family, and requires 

 less than half a day's attention during a week." 



"Well, that's very interesting to me, because my garden will be fifty feet square, 

 too," said the little girl's mother. "What does he grow?" 



The storekeeper slowly unfolded a newspaper from his vest pocket and read from 

 it: "He grows the following vegetables and he plants them each month in the year on his 

 fifty feet square, as follows: 



January— After the 20th, turnips, cabbage seed, carrots, lettuce, peas. 



February — Radishes, beets, salsify, spinach, onion seed or sets. 



March — Potatoes (in field), turnips, cabbage, lettuce, peas, cabbage plants. 



April — Cucumbers, watermelons, muskmelons, squashes, tomato plants, radishes, 

 beets, salsify, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, cabbage seed. 



May — Carrots, lettuce, peas, onion seed or sets. 



June — Radishes, beets, beans, corn, salsify, cabbage plants. 



July — Carrots, lettuce, cabbage seed. 



August — Potatoes (in field), corn, beans, radishes. 



September — Cabbage plants, peas, turnips, salsify and carrots. 



October- — Beets, beans, onion sets, lettuce. 



November — Turnips, spinach, salsify. 



December — Winter radishes, peas, lettuce. 



"Now, this man is located in a district where there are some frosts," said the 

 grocer. "But the period of frosts is very short and they are light ones at that. He plants 

 in rows eighteen inches apart, irrigates his garden every ten days in trenches, and cul- 

 tivates twice a week. In favorable seasons he has natural moisture from November 

 till April or May. If the rainfall is light, he cultivates twice a week." 



" Well, I don't suppose that I will have the success that he had because I havent had 

 the experience. We are just beginning, because we want to raise our own vegetables," 

 said the little girl's mother. 



"These are all good seeds, ma'am, and you are almost sure to have success," said 

 the storekeeper. 



"The man I just read you about planted certain seeds in certain months because 

 he had in mind crop rotation. But there are other seeds than those given that can be 

 planted in the different months, and the rotation can be considerably varied, all de- 

 pending largely on what vegetables you want from your garden at any given season of 

 the year." 



"Now among the vegetables you can plant in February or March to good advantage 

 are beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, lettuce (which can be planted any time 

 of year), onions, peas, sweet potatoes, radishes, salsify, and turnips. I have given these 

 few because they are adapted to the valley and foothill ranges throughout California. 

 But in this locality you can plant tenderer vegetables like sweet corn, tomatoes, cu- 

 cumbers and vegetables." 



"Well, please give me some lettuce seed, peas, sweet potatoes, radishes, cabbage 

 and beets," said the little girl's mother. 



80 It happened that the package in which I lay was wrapped up with other pack- 

 ages and given to the little girl to carry. 



"Well, thank you ever so much," said the little girl's mother, "when I have any seeds 

 to buy I shall buy them of you." 



And so we hurried away to the garden for she said, "Now I know that these seeds 

 are as eager to be planted as I am to plant them." 



Which was quite true. 



Note.— While In the form of a story the facts here given are authentic. The names 

 of the two growers mentioned are those of actual persons. 



