134 PRIZE GARDENING 



The location was at a summer home at Thomas- 

 ton, Maine, which was being started for the benefit of 

 poor children trom the cities. Miss Guild had little 

 previous experience in gardening, the land was rocky 

 and infested with weeds and insect pests, so that many 

 of the crops failed to pay expenses. To cap the climax 

 of trouble, a neighbor s cow broke in several times and 

 completely spoiled some of the crops. The crops were 

 worth twenty-seven dollars and fifty-nine cents, at a 

 cost of one hundred and ten dollars and seventy-five 

 cents. But a portion of the loss is offset by tools and 

 material on hand and by improvement to land. The 

 two views show some of the difficulties and also the 

 beautiful scenery of the mountain range in the back- 

 ground, also some of the excellent but costly vege- 

 tables grown. 



A Nice Little Income from one-tenth acre was 

 reported by Mrs. R. Kirk, Oskaloosa, Iowa, winner of 

 a five-dollar Woodruff award. The vegetables not 

 wanted for the table were sold to the lady's butter cus- 

 tomers, and the total income was fifty-five dollars and 

 ninety cents ; cost, thirteen dollars and thirty-five cents ; 

 net, forty-two dollars and fifty-five cents. The tomato 

 crop w^as very successful. Seed of Fordhook First 

 was started March 9 in soil from the potato bin, cov- 

 ered lightly with earth and a pint of wood ashes on top. 

 The box was then covered with a cloth and thoroughly 

 wetted with hot water, and set behind the stove three 

 days with the cloth still on. They came up quickly 

 and well and were moved to a cooler place. *' I think 

 the whole secret of raising nice plants is not to crowd 

 them and to keep them cool enough to prevent their 

 spindling," writes Mrs. Kirk. " In setting in the gar- 

 den, I level the ground and put plants two and one- 

 half feet apart each way, with about a pint of wood 

 ashes to each. The soil has already been manured. 



