204 



Gardening 



FIG. 1 20. When the soil is dry, the row should be watered before thinning. 



careless weeding or thinning, the roots of the plant may 

 be badly broken and loosened in the soil, so that the plant 

 will have a great part of its water supply cut off. Hence 

 weeding is best done at a time when the soil is moist, or 

 even quite wet ; and it is best to do the weeding on cool 

 days or in the late afternoon, especially if the crops have 

 become tender and weak through much shading by weeds. 

 If such precautions are not taken, crops may be severely 

 checked in their growth. It is the using of common 

 sense in such matters that makes one person a more 

 successful gardener than another. 



Thinning. Crops that are grown from seed sown in 

 the garden often need thinning. The roots of individual 

 plants need room to spread and feed in the soil, and the 

 leaves need plenty of room in the air. Crowded plants 

 always grow poorly. Thinning should be done early, 

 so that the young plants may be properly spaced from the 



