128 PRIZE GARDENING 



sowing the quickly germinating onion seed, a little of 

 it in the drills with the onion seed, the rows became 

 visible in a few days, and cultivation could begin 

 at once. 



Mrs. Ludwig, being a farmer's daughter and 

 sickly in childhood, did not have the advantage of com- 

 pleting even a common school education, and being one 

 of a large family of children, began work away from 

 home at the age of fourteen. She was married at 

 twenty-two to F. M. Ludwig, sixteen years ago. Their 

 triumph came in 1900 in the shape of a little five- 

 acre home paid for and practically out of debt. The 

 family includes two boys and four girls, a happy rol- 

 licking set, every one natural horticulturists and stu- 

 dents of nature. 



A Woman's Garden Diary. — An excellent under- 

 standing of the toils, perplexities and joys of the aver- 

 age amateur gardener may be gathered from the prize 

 winning record given below by Mrs. W. R. Bale of 

 New Jersey : 



I commenced my garden by planting in boxes in 

 a sunny east window in the cellar a few lettuce and 

 cabbage seeds, and by putting tomato seeds in flower 

 pots in the kitchen windows. The mice ate the lettuce 

 and cabbage plants after they were nicely started. I 

 then sowed more the last of March in the house, put- 

 ting them out of doors when the weather was suitable. 

 These thrived apace and gave good plants for the gar- 

 den later. 



The first real work done in the garden was pre- 

 paring the ground for sweet peas and celery. This 

 was late in March and during early April. As I 

 wished to raise celery plants for sale, I sowed two 

 ounces of seed, every one of which I think sprouted. I 

 made a level row six inches wide, over which I scat- 

 tered the seed thinly. This proved a good way, as the 



