342 The Farmstead 



or to give away. The farmer used to large 

 areas is reluctant to undertake anything so 

 small as he imagines the garden to be ; hence, 

 too often he plows it and leaves the planting 

 and cultivation of it to the "women folks." If 

 he knew how to manage a garden he would find 

 that the half- acre of land devoted to small 

 fruits and vegetables could be made the most 

 profitable and pleasurable part of the farm. 

 Higher remuneration is received for the time 

 spent in harvesting the products of a large, 

 well kept garden, than in harvesting the cereals 

 or milking the cows. It must be said, how- 

 ever, that there are good reasons for the 

 farmer's distaste for gardening, for the gardens, 

 as usually laid out, necessitate the maximum 

 of hand-culture and the minimum of horse-cul- 

 ture. The result of such gardens is a minimum 

 of products secured by maximum of effort, and 

 a resultant surplus of weeds. 



The garden should be about four times as 

 long as it is broad, unfenced when possible, 

 near to the house, and should be, in minia- 

 ture, a farm with the cereals, grasses, and 

 large fruits left out (Fig. 138). The side 

 farthest from the dwelling should be devoted to 

 the perennial plants, such as grapes, currants 

 and other bush-fruits. Everything should be 

 planted in straight rows, with spaces sufficiently 



