CHAPTER XX 

 THE HOME GARDEN 



The home gardens of the country ought to be more 

 important than the commercial gardens and the trucking 

 areas. Perhaps they are, but as we have no statistics of 

 them we are unable to compute their produce or to esti- 

 mate their influence in the life of the people. If there 

 are twenty-five million families in the United States, there 

 ought to be several million home gardens. The value of 

 these gardens in the education and discipline of children 

 and in the raising of supplies should exceed all estimate. 



The elements to be considered in the home garden are: 

 (1) An enterprise within the means and labor supply of 

 the family; (2) a sufficient product to supply the house- 

 hold; (3) continuous succession-crops; (4) ease and 

 cheapness of cultivation; (5) maintenance of the produc- 

 tivity of the land year after year. 



The quantity of product to be grown depends on the 

 size of the family and its fondness for vegetables. An 

 area 100 x 150 feet is generally sufficient to supply a family 

 of five or six persons, not considering the winter supply of 

 potatoes ; but the area must be well tilled and handled. 



The ease and efficiency of cultivation are much en- 

 hanced if all the crops are in long rows, to allow of wheel- 



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