272 THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



making the dust blanket over the whole garden as soon 

 after a rain as the ground can be raked. This time varies 

 with the kind of soil. On a very light soil we can begin 

 almost as soon as the rain has stopped ; the heavier the soil 

 the longer we must wait, until on very heavy clays we may 

 have to wait a whole day, or even more. What we must 

 wait for is to have the surface in such condition that it will 

 easily crumble when scratched with the rake. If we try to 

 work the clay soil too soon, it will merely pack or cling to the 

 tool. But if we wait until the right time, it will easily break 

 up into little lumps which the rake immediately makes 

 finer. 



There is more than one way of doing this. On a small 

 garden the rake ought to be used, and nothing else. The 

 earth can be scratched to a depth of nearly two inches. If 

 at first it does not break up fine, leave it as it lies until the 

 whole garden has been raked, and then begin again. The 

 sun or the wind has by this time dried the little lumps, so 

 that at the touch of the rake they will fall into powder. 



If the soil is very stubborn and heavy, and yet is so dry 

 that it will not cling nor cake, the hoe may well be used first. 

 Do not cut deeper than about two inches, and let the surface 

 wait until the lumps have dried. Then the rake will pulver- 

 ize the whole. 



If the vegetable garden is very large, the wheel-hoe ought 

 to be used. It will save time. Put in first the cultivating 

 teeth ; five of them come with most machines. Go up and 

 down through all the rows and break up the whole surface. 

 Then change the teeth to the rakes (there are usually two 

 with a cultivator), and go over the whole again. When you 

 are finished, there will be a fine dust mulch on the garden. 



The work is delicate, and is especially so at first. You 

 must work as close to the little seedlings as vou can without 



