PLANNING AND PLANTING THE GARDEN 



plot, will show that, like the daisy, it is one of the 

 compositae. It will also furnish practice in trans- 

 planting. No plant shows better the sickness and 

 ill health resulting from overcrowding or loss of 

 sunshine; perhaps none offers better lessons in 

 the hygiene of plants, especially young ones. By 

 unerring analogy, it shows why pale faced, weakly 

 children come from crowded, squalid sections of 

 our city, and how much good air, good food (for 

 lettuce needs rich soil), and good sunshine mean. 

 In purchasing seed, care should be taken to con- 

 sult local conditions and the time limit of the pro- 

 posed garden, so as to select varieties that will 

 come to maturity sufficiently early. The child 

 wants a plant that shows off well rather than one 

 of particularly fme flavor. Other considerations 

 that might influence choice, particularly in the 

 observation plots, would be whether crops were 

 grown for the child's interest alone, or with a 

 view to furnishing special material for nature 

 study or drawing in the schools. A six weeks' 

 garden is about the shortest growing time al- 

 lowance, and for such in the latitude of New York, 

 on a good soil, the following seeds were chosen: 



Mature in: 



Radishes (Scarlet Globe). .. 17 to 25 days 

 Beans (Refugee, Thousand 



and One) 50 " 65 " 



Beets (Detroit Dark Red) ... 70 " 90 " 

 Turnips (White Strap Leaf) .70 '* 90 " 

 '59 



