A YEAR'S CYCLE IN THE GARDEN 171 



commence, also, and I want to emphasize its im- 

 portance right away. 



Don't wait for weeds to appear before you begin 

 to cultivate. See if you cannot prevent the appear- 

 ance of even one. I assure you the task will become 

 easier and easier as the weeks go on. Whenever 

 you thin out a row clean out the weeds if there 

 are any. But better than this scratch the soil 

 very lightly every few days whether there is any- 

 thing sowed, or growing, or not. The majority of 

 weeds in a garden are from home-grown seeds, so 

 if you exterminate the first crop before it ripens, you 

 will have seriously inconvenienced any future weed 

 growth. And don't forget that frequent cultivation 

 is the next best thing to rainfall for keeping plants 

 supplied with moisture; the latter cannot evapo- 

 rate from the firm soil beneath ; the plant-roots get it. 

 Before you begin to cultivate sit down and learn 

 one rule by heart. 

 Don't cultivate, hoe, or 

 pick beans when they are 

 wet. Anthracnose, the 

 cancerof beandiseases, 

 will certainly become Good for hand-weeding and loosen- 

 .j . . f , ing the soil, among perennials . 



an epidemic if you do. 



It may seem as though I had lost sight of the 

 fact that this is the garden of a business man who 

 cannot give all day to his vegetables. But I have 

 not. It is remarkable how much you can do in an 

 hour, in a garden built on the modern, long-row plan, 

 and with the up-to-date implements. Suppose you 

 can walk fifty feet in, say, ten seconds. Then surely 



