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from the path to the fence. It is four feet wide, and one 

 hundred and seventy-five feet long. Thickly dotted over it 

 are thousands of delicate leaves just breaking through the 

 moist soil. This is Robert's seed-bed. The plants are 

 cabbages. By and by they will be carefully transplanted to 

 some other place. Next we come to a broad strip of land, 

 covered with solid ranks of peas, about three inches high, 

 thrifty and vigorous. Here are our thirty-five hundred 

 lettuce-plants growing rapidly, while between every row 

 a narrow thread of green shows where our radish-plants are 

 hastening to maturity. Beyond these is another and larger 

 lot of lettuce. These are quite small, having been planted 

 later than the others. There are about ten thousand little 

 plants dotted at equal distances over the ground. The 

 same delicate thread of radish extends between the rows 

 of plants as in the other lot. Here is our turnip-field look- 

 ing finely. The rows are very thickly filled with plants, but 

 Jack is busy thinning them out by hand. He has two boys 

 to help him, for it is no small job. Every plant has to be 

 examined ; the weak ones pulled out, and those that are to 

 remain left standing about four inches apart. There is half 

 an acre of plants, at least twenty thousand. If we get 

 half a cent apiece for the turnips, this little plantation will 

 yield us one hundred dollars ; so you see, as far as money 

 is concerned, our farm already presents a cheerful aspect. 



