PLANTING THE GARDEN 41 



almost always, at the best, sacrifices flavor and 

 tenderness even though the vegetables survive the 

 cold and frost and finally come to maturity. Even 

 the sturdy root vegetables, when started too soon, 

 make growth more slowly as a natural result, and 

 for that reason are fibrous and stringy and tough 

 and flavorless. Experience has proved that even 

 the hardy frost-resisting peas are often put in too 

 soon. Later peas have more than once matured 

 earlier than those planted two weeks before, while 

 the ground was still cold. The later peas made 

 continuously rapid growth and, for that very rea- 

 son, produced more pods and tenderer peas and 

 were ready for the table much quicker. Steady 

 rapid growth is indispensable for the production 

 of large crops of tender full-flavored vegetables. 



In planting, protection of the seed hastens 

 germination. Specific directions may be given 

 concerning distances between rows, amounts of 

 seed to be used, and depths of sowing and covering 

 for different varieties of seed. With a fair chance 

 and not too many hindrances, good seeds are sure 

 to grow. Seven lima beans may be expected to 

 produce seven sturdy lima bean plants. To bring 

 about this ideal condition, however, the seeds 

 must be safeguarded at the very outset against all 

 foes. In spite of the care taken in its prepara- 

 tion to keep the soil free from invasion by garden 

 enemies, plenty of cutworm, wireworm and May- 

 beetle grubs are likely to be on hand, waiting until 



