A WOMAN'S HARDY GARDEN 



ever a bed or border is to be made, make it 

 right. Unless one is willing to take the 

 trouble properly to prepare the ground, there 

 is no use in expecting success in gardening. 

 I have but one rule : stake out the bed, and 

 then dig out the entire space two feet in 

 depth. Often stones will be found requiring 

 the strength and labor of several men, with 

 crowbars and levers, to remove them ; often 

 there will be rocks that require blasting. 

 Stones and earth being all removed, put a 

 foot of well -rotted manure in the bottom ; 

 then fill up with alternate layers, about four 

 inches each, of the top soil, taken out of the 

 first foot dug up, and of manure. Fill the 

 bed or border very full, as it will sink with 

 the disintegration of the manure. Finish off 

 the top with three inches of soil. Then it is 

 ready for planting. If the natural soil is stiff 

 or clayey, put it in a heap and mix with one- 

 fourth sand, to lighten it, before returning to 

 the bed. Thus prepared, it will retain mois- 

 ture, and not pack and become hard. 



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