328 FARMING BY INCHES; 



lars, and two cents for the next two thousand, which gave 

 another forty dollars ; lastly, we sold eight thousand at one 

 cent each, which gave us eighty dollars more, making in all 

 one hundred and sixty dollars for our lettuce. The rest we 

 lost through ignorance. We let them stand too long, and 

 they went to seed on our hands. Among other things we 

 forced a lot of potatoes, and when the young plants were 

 well started, we planted them out one rainy day. We had 

 something over seven hundred hills ; they came in early, and 

 brought a great price. The gross amount was one hundred 

 and ten dollars. To economize room we sowed seed of the 

 ' New Perpetual Spinage Beets ' between the potatoes, and 

 harvested sixteen bushels of nice greens, which brought 

 about fifty cents a bushel, or eight dollars for the lot." 



" That was not a very large crop, Nelson." 



" No ; but you see we got it from land that otherwise would 

 have been idle ; besides it only cost the labor and seed, which 

 I suppose amounted to about one dollar. That reminds me 

 of our radish speculation. At my wife's suggestion we 

 planted radishes between the rows of lettuce." 



" It was not my idea," said I ; "I got it from the 

 books." 



" A very sensible plan, Mrs. Nelson," said the doctor. 

 "A few books well read will put one well along on almost 

 any road." 



