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the soil about the stems of growing plants, usually 

 at the time of second or third hoeing. It used to 

 be the practice to hill everything that could be hilled 

 "up to the eyebrows," but it has gradually been 

 discarded for what is termed "level culture" ; and 

 the reader will readily see the reason, from what 

 has been said about the escape of moisture from 

 the surface of the soil's ; for of course the two upper 

 sides of the hill, which may be represented by an 

 equilateral triangle with one side horizontal, give 

 more exposed surface than the level surface repre- 

 sented by the base. In wet soils or seasons hilling 

 may be advisable, but very seldom otherwise. It 

 has the additional disadvantage of making it diffi- 

 cult to maintain the soil mulch which is so desirable. 



ROTATION OF CROPS 



There is another thing to be considered in making 

 each vegetable do its best, and that is crop rotation, 

 or the following of any vegetable with a different 

 sort at the next planting. 



With some vegetables, such as cabbage, this is 

 almost imperative, and practically all are helped by 

 it. Even onions, which are popularly supposed to 

 be the proving exception to the rule, are healthier, 

 and do as well after some other crop, provided the 

 soil is as finely pulverized and rich as a previous 

 crop of onions would leave it. 



