LITTLE GARDENS 



they will sting and even " sew up people's ears," 

 are absolutely harmless, and they are voracious 

 feeders on the mosquitoes, that will breed in 

 your lake if it is allowed to stagnate. The 

 dragon-flies eat mosquitoes, both in the larval 

 and winged states. 



Possibly you are so unfortunate as not merely 

 to be short of water, in which case an aquatic 

 garden is hopeless, but of soil. Your yard may be 

 of sand, or builders' rubbish, in which not even 

 purslain will grow. Well, luckier men have had 

 to contend with harder problems. The mansions 

 on Nob Hill, in San Francisco, are builded on 

 sand that is little more fertile than a plate, or 

 stove-lid, yet by sodding, fertilizing and water- 

 ing it has been surfaced and is as green as the 

 parks of Eastern cities. This takes time and 

 some money, and circumstances not unconnected 

 with the latter commodity may oblige you to cre- 

 ate your garden by degrees. In the first year 

 you may have to consider most of it as walk, 

 raking up the coarser materials and strewing 

 gravel over the paths. Yet, you can doubtless 

 buy three or four loads of good loam; you may 

 even have it of some lot owner for the asking, 



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