6o 



GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 



it some animal manure and spade it into the ground ; this 

 makes admirable fertilizer. Beware, however, of just one thing : 

 do not spade in the seeds that remain hanging on old, dry 

 weed stalks. This would bring a harvest of troubles indeed. 

 Instead, kindle a bonfire of all such weeds and in good time 

 stir in the ashes. Better still, make a large scrap basket of 



ALABAMA'S FUTURE FARMERS 1 



stout wire netting. Put it in an out-of-the-way place and, 

 when full, set fire to it without removing the scraps. 



Mr. Gladstone thoroughly understood garden economies. 

 One day as he was strolling in his garden, so a visitor relates, 

 there fluttered across the beds a scrap of paper. He caught 

 it adroitly with the tip of his cane and, pressing it into the 

 earth, scraped the soil well over it. Such a simple act illus- 

 trates the instinct of the true gardener. 



1 These lads have made an expedition to the woods to get leaf mold 

 for their garden. 



