WHAT TO DO WITH A CITY YARD. 47 



pear. The first crop of stalks can be taken off the 

 second spring. Pull them off with a sideways twist 

 to break the stalk close to the root. If convenient 

 cover the roots in the fall with coarse stable manure 

 and rake it off clean in the spring, as soon as the 

 frost leaves the ground. 



If your space is crowded, a single row of lettuce 

 might be put in front of the rhubarb plants in the 

 spring, before the leaves begin to spread. 



For the north end of the plot tomatoes will be use- 

 ful. Buy the plants already started in pots. Six or 

 seven plants can be placed at equal distances across 

 the end of the bed next the fence. As they grow, it 

 will be found a good plan to give them a large trellis 

 or guard for support. One good way is to support a 

 barrel hoop on three small stakes and to put the hoop 

 over the plants so that the heavy branches will spread 

 over and lean upon it, and carry the fruit above 

 the ground. Another good idea is to get two light 

 wooden strips and place one on each side of the six 

 plants and support them at each end with stakes 

 driven cross-wise into the ground. Several of 

 the seedsmen advertise a very good tomato trellis 

 hinged at the top, and ready for immediate use in 

 the garden. The main thing is to keep the heavy 

 branches off the ground, and a few sticks and a lit- 

 tle gumption will do it. 



Tomatoes are very cheap and it might be said that 

 there are more profitable plants for a city lot. This 

 is true, and yet it will be found an advantage to cul- 

 tivate tomatoes, as the fruit is best when quite fresh. 

 In the early spring, while plants are small, the first 

 three feet of this border, next the grass, can be used 

 for lettuce, spinach or radish. 



If preferred this warm border can be used for 

 cucumbers or melons (not both.) The cucumber is a 



