MONEY IN THE BACKYARD 39 



crop, such as spinach, beets, lettuce or beans. The 

 third year, when the plants have produced their 

 second crop, plow up the bed, manure it and set 

 late celery. You may choose to keep the rows clear 

 the second year in order to pot runners and secure 

 new plants. But this would require but a part of 

 the bed at most. 



BARRELS OF STRAWBERRIES! DOING AWAY WITH 

 PLOWING, CULTIVATING AND MULCHING 



Speaking of strawberries, perhaps the most in- 

 tensive method of raising them is in barrels. In 

 the desire to be strictly agricultural and to grow 

 crops in convenient, straight rows, gardeners have 

 lost sight of the advantages of increasing their 

 garden space vertically, a method which was tried' 

 with notable success a few years ago. The origi- 

 nator gives the following prospectus: Barrels can 

 be placed four feet apart (centre to centre) allowing 

 2,500 barrels per acre. At the rate of J^ bushel 

 per barrel (which was his yield) this would amount 

 to 1,250 bushels per acre, or (at a conservative 

 estimate of 10 cents per quart), gross returns of 

 $4,000 per acre! 



Now I know skeptics — and perhaps you, your- 

 self — will say, "Oh, that is too much, that sort of 

 dream never works out," and forthwith begin to 

 discredit my advice — which is just the point. 

 / do not advise figuring on any such returns per acre. 

 That is just what I was driving at in the previous 

 chapter; that profits which are perfectly normal 



