CHAPTER I. 



THE GARDEN YARD 



NO man knows, nor can know, the capacity 

 of a yard of earth, for it is unlimited, 

 just as the speed of the engine is un- 

 limited. Just as with the engine, the only ques- 

 tion is whether it would pay to make it do any 

 more — it may cost too much. Where land is 

 cheap, labor is high; there inteUigent cultiva- 

 tion will pay, but intensive cultivation wiU not. 

 That is the place where the field crops should 

 be raised. 



But the garden crops should be raised right 

 round the towns and cities and it is foolish to 

 get to a distance from them. Stay right where 

 you are and get the piece of land that is best for 

 your purpose; buy it, if you can without pay- 

 ing too much for it; if not, rent it for as long 

 a term as you can; or get permission to use the 

 bit of land, the vacant lots — there are plenty 

 even in the most crowded cities — and raise your 

 truck and your income on those lots. Without 

 separating yourself from your acquaintances or 

 exiling your wife and children, learn to get your 

 living out of the earth. 



Suppose that a man owns his house, even if 

 it be but a bit of a bungalow, and suppose he 



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