130 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



low grounds and into the superior heat of the southerly 

 slopes will be found of advantage. In addition to the 

 ridge above, such protection from north and northwest 

 winds as a windbreak of trees or farm buildings or a high 

 fence will be valuable. There is great difference in the 

 safety and speed of winter vegetables on benches and hill- 

 sides, as compared with the lower lands at their feet only 

 a few rods away perhaps. Warm protected slopes are best 

 for winter and the worst for summer vegetables. Shallow 

 soil spread on porous rock is non-retentive and warm for 

 winter growth, but it may be impossible, even with irriga- 

 tion, to carry good succulent growth on it during the blis- 

 tering summer heat. Then the deep loams of the creek 

 borders and other level lands delight the gardener with 

 the largest returns for the least water. 



Nearness to Water Supply. The summer garden should 

 be near the water supply, if it be developed from home 

 sources, or the water should be piped to it, which is almost 

 equivalent to moving the reservoir to the garden site. Car- 

 riage of water in a flume entails losses by leakage and 

 evaporation and earth-ditches are distressingly wasteful 

 by evaporation and percolation. One often sees water 

 started on its wayfrom the homesite tanks toward a dis- 

 tant garden, making mud-holes and losing volume all the 

 way. In many cases another well-outfit for the sole use of 

 the garden would be a good investment. 



Nearness to the Home. If fairly good conditions exist 

 near the home site, by all means locate the garden there. 

 It will win the interest and profits by the attention of the 

 family, and will yield its supplies directly to their hands 

 in most cases. Besides, with the tools handy, spare hours 

 now and then will be given to its working when the leisure 

 is too short to warrant or incline one to walk to a distant 

 patch. The time thus saved may almost keep the garden 

 going in good shape. Then, a well-kept garden is an or- 

 nament and the ornamentation of our rural homes is often 

 rather scant. 



Protection from Intrusion, To be any comfort and 



