THE FARM GARDEN 133 



during the first year, bore plants of the second group is planted 

 the second year to plants of the third group, and so on. Thus 

 by rotating crops, the three divisions may indefinitely be 

 kept in a condition best adapted to each of these three groups 

 of plants. 



Another method that has been used with good results is 

 to rotate garden crops with some legume, such as clover. 

 This plan has two advantages. It gives the land a rest every 

 third year and it increases the supply of humus and nitrogen 

 in the soil. 



The method is as follows : The garden is divided into three 

 equal parts; for the first year clover is sown on part i and 

 vegetables on 2 and 3; for the second year, clover is sown 

 on part 2, vegetables on i and 3; the third year, clover is 

 sown on part 3, vegetables on i and 2. This completes the 

 rotation which is then repeated. 



It will be a simple matter to get the garden started if a 

 detailed plan is made and seed procured during the winter 

 when there is plenty of time not needed for other farm work. 

 During part of the winter months it might be well to have 

 the class in agriculture make a planting plan for the garden, 

 each pupil constructing a plan for his own home garden. 



There are two steps in making such a plan. First, the plot 

 should be drawn to scale from actual measurements of the 

 area of ground to be used, each foot represented by a fraction 

 of an inch on the drawing. For example, a plot 80 by 160 

 feet, represented on a sheet of paper with a scale of one- 

 eighth of an inch to a foot, would make a rectangle ten by 

 twenty inches; a distance of three feet between rows 

 would be indicated by a space three times J, or f of an 

 inch. 



After the exact area of the garden has been drawn to 



