LAYING OUT THE GARDEN 31 



nitrogen furnished the garden through the humus 

 in fall preparation are becoming most rapidly 

 available for plant-food. The corn, thus given an 

 abundant and constant supply of nitrogen, will 

 make continuous luxuriant growth. We shall 

 have many big succulent ears as a result; and 

 the extra nitrogen will thus be disposed of. After 

 the corn, this particular plat is ready the next 

 season for the legumes. The peas and beans then 

 will not grow merely vine and leaves. Plenty of 

 pods will develop rapidly; and we may expect a 

 big early crop of crisp beans and delicious tender 

 peas. 



The most interesting fact concerning these 

 leguminous plants is their ability to make a part 

 of their own food and, also, to provide nutriment 

 for other plants. You have heard it said that 

 bean-growing is good for a run-down abandoned 

 farm. Corn has a different relation to fertility 

 and it exhausts the food supply to a large degree 

 and seems to make no returns. The legumes, 

 however, not only take nitrogen from the air and 

 the soil for their own provision, but they render 

 this food available for other plants as well. You 

 will easily find their little food factories after 

 the peas and beans have begun to grow well. 

 Pull up a bunch of beans, and there on the 

 roots you will see the tiny nitrogen factories, the 

 nodules. Some of the nitrogen is left in the 

 soil. 



