22 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



"primal curse" of the race is really its opportunity, it is a fact that 

 without work there can be no successful gardening in California. 

 Perhaps work is the price of success everywhere; perhaps the 

 aggregate of muscular effort proportional to the result is less in 

 California than elsewhere but let no one deceive himself that the 

 California garden will make itself. The item of work may be re- 

 duced to a minimum by intelligent direction. Insight and obser- 

 vation will teach just when each act should be performed to secure 

 the richest co-operative response from nature's forces, and to miss 

 this advantage will entail a vast amount of unnecessary effort, but 

 the modicum of incisive action must be bestowed. It will appear 

 later, in connection with the discussion of the planting season, 

 that timely work is a prime factor in fact the pivot upon which 

 the effort may turn from delight to disappointment. California 

 conditions, though exceedingly generous are equally exacting 

 probably more exacting than those of humid climates. It is clear 

 then that not only is work an essential, but it must be work well 

 directed and maintained. 



The third essential is water. By due understanding and em- 

 ployment of the characters of the natural growing season and of 

 the soil in each locality, it is possible to produce a great wealth and 

 variety of vegetables in most parts of the state without irrigation. 

 In some parts succession or rotation can be carried through the 

 year by the most intelligent cultivation to prevent evaporation or 

 by the use of land naturally and continuously moistened by under- 

 flow. Still, the far greater area of the state will not give satis- 

 factory vegetable supply without additions to rainfall and the irri- 

 gated garden should therefore be the end in view in most of ou'r 

 farm planning. Fortunately this is not nearly so difficult to attain 

 as is commonly thought, as will be shown in a later chapter, and 

 if the farm-architect have the will to work, he will not long lack 

 the water to insure the perfection of his desires in his home garden. 



Possible Exceptions. These faint suggestions of the require- 

 ments of success in gardening, even on the narrow, farm plan, 

 may intimate that broadside exhortations to vegetable growing are 

 not wise and shed some light upon the reasonableness of those 

 who claim that they can not profitably or successfully undertake 

 it. Our great specialty farmers are apt to have their heads and 

 hands too full to think of personally mastering gardening prac- 

 tice in a peculiar country. The attempts which have been made 



