204 Gardening 
Fic. 120. When the soil is dry, the row should be watered before thinning. 
careless weeding or thinning, the roots of the plant may 
be badly broken and loosened in the soil, so that the plant 
will have a great part of its water supply cut off. Hence 
weeding is best done at a time when the soil is moist, or 
even quite wet; and it is best to do the weeding on cool 
days or in the late afternoon, especially if the crops have 
become tender and weak through much shading by weeds. 
If such precautions are not taken, crops may be severely 
checked in their growth. It is the using of common 
sense in such matters that makes one person a more 
successful gardener than another. 
Thinning. Crops that are grown from seed sown in 
the garden often need thinning. The roots of individual 
plants need room to spread and feed in the soil, and the 
leaves need plenty of room in the air. Crowded plants 
always grow poorly. Thinning should be done early, 
so that the young plants may be properly spaced from the 
