128 



GARDEN STEPS 



handful of commercial fertilizer with the earth on 

 the top of the hill, to start the seeds. 



Sowing the Seed. — When the earth has been re- 

 placed and firmly packed down, till the edges of the 

 hill are on a level with the soil around it and the 

 center is slightly higher, scatter ten or fifteen seeds 



An old well bucket, sunk in the ground, provides water through the 

 dry spells for several hills of cucumbers. 



about an' inch apart. Sift over these a half inch of 

 soil, rounding it up towards the center. Make this 

 firm with the shovel. Then sift a thin layer of earth 

 on top for a dust mulch. This will make a hill 

 nearly two feet across, well fertilized, with a crown 

 rising about two inches above the surrounding level. 

 Do not make this mound, or hill, much higher than 



