CHAPTER XXXIII. 



A FEW PRACTICAL "DON'TS." 



DON'T imagine that you cannot do any- 

 thing with a bit of ground. You can. 

 Don't run away with the idea that 

 the farmer's Hfe is all fun or all labor. It isn't. 

 It is a mixture of both, and fun and labor are 

 equally healthful and profitable. 



Don't think that breaking up the surface 

 soil for an inch or two is the same as plowing. 

 It is not. The old proverb is good advice for 

 the farmer — " Plow deep while sluggards sleep." 

 To plow in the fall is to lessen your spring work 

 by at least a third. Spring plowing is easier 

 because of it, and the work of the harrow is 

 lighter. 



Don't begrudge manure. All forms of life 

 require food. If you want your plants to grow, 

 feed them. 



Don't plant tiny, tender seeds in hard, cold, 

 lumpy soil and expect them to grow. They 

 won't. Pulverize your soil, warm it with sun, 

 air and manure ; make a cosy Httle bed for your 

 seeds, and while they snuggle into it, they will 

 be sending out little sprouts all the time to see 

 what the rest of the world is like. Just as it is 

 good business policy to treat your hired help as 



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