Planting Seed in the Open Ground 



cultivation a week, either with scuffle or cultiva- 

 tor, will keep the garden in excellent shape, but 

 every rain MUST be followed by cultivation of 

 some sort, for there is great loss of moisture if 

 this is not done and weeds follow quickly after 

 rain. 



The various weeds with which the garden is 

 afflicted come at separate intervals — not all to- 

 gether, and when one has eradicated one set of 

 weeds there is usually a brief interval before the 

 appearance of the next detachment. But one 

 must have them continually in mind and keep 

 a sharp lookout for the first tiny seedlings and 

 destroy them before they have made even one 

 pair of true leaves. Working around individual 

 plants with a trowel or hand weeder has this ad- 

 vantage that it spies out the enemy before it 

 would attract attention if the rows were worked 

 with hoe or cultivator. The severe thinning that 

 such plants as beets, carrots, endive, salsify, onions 

 and the like require clears the rows of weeds and 

 helps materially in general cultivation. This 

 thinning out should always be done prior to cul- 



45 



