28 GARDEN PROFITS 



weather, when the soil is not properly firmed. The 

 soil may be pressed in various ways: with the foot, 

 throwing the whole weight at every step; by pound- 

 ing with the flat side of a spade or hoe; with a board 

 which may be walked upon till the soil is firm; 

 or with a roller. 



"Experiments were made to prove the wisdom 

 of firming the soil. Patches of celery and cabbage 

 were sown, and part of each planting rolled. Where 

 this was done the crops were good, but in the loose 

 soil not one celery seed in a thousand germinated, and 

 not one in a thousand of the cabbage seed. Corn and 

 beets, sowed the first week in July, and rolled, 

 came up in four days and perfected their crops 

 before the season ended, while the unrolled ones took 

 twelve days to germinate and did not mature before 

 frost checked their growth. In August spinach 

 and turnips were sown and a portion rolled. The 

 rolled portion came up at once and yielded a good 

 crop while that which was not rolled burned up 

 because the loose soil allowed the dry air to pene- 

 trate to the 'roots. 



"As will be seen by the table, a harvest of nearly 

 three months will come from vegetables sowed at 

 Fourth of July, beginning with squash and wax 

 beans about the middle of August and ending with 

 carrots that do not mind the first frosts and can be 

 left in the ground until November, when the season 

 is suitable. Where I have added the word "frost" 

 the vegetables had not run their course and would 

 v have continued bearing if the frost had been 

 de.layed. 



