The Preparation of the Garden 



Plow your garden early in the season, but 

 not until the ground is in what is called good 

 working condition. It is possible to plow it 

 as soon as the frost is out of the ground, but 

 it is not good policy to do so. Wait until most 

 of the water from snow and rain has had a 

 chance to drain away. If you turn up a fur- 

 row while the ground is wet and sticky, it will 

 drop from the plow in chunks, and probably 

 remain in that condition for a considerable 

 length of time. But if you wait until surplus 

 moisture is out of the ground, the soil will be 

 pretty likely to crumble apart readily espe- 

 cially after it has been exposed to sun and rain 

 for a short time. You gain nothing by too early 

 plowing, as most amateurs seem to think. In 

 fact, you lose time by it, for the later plowing 

 of a well-drained soil will put the garden in good 

 working condition a few days sooner that it will 

 be if plowed while wet and cold. Here is one of 

 the instances where haste makes waste of time. 



Always plow your garden in such a manner 

 as to get the longest possible furrow. The 

 fewer turns you have to make, the better will 

 the work be done. The amateur may not 

 understand the logic of this assertion until he 



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