GARDEN YARD 2e8 
tion of the soil before the planting begins. What 
you neglect in this line cannot be made up later 
in the season, and you will suffer in field and 
pocket. Be sure that your soil is neither too 
wet nor too dry when you begin operations, 
and when you are through, be just as sure that 
it is thoroughly pulverized and fertilized, so 
that it can retain moisture and afford the right 
bed for the tender seeds. Then plant all the 
hardy crops as directed in the chapters on crop 
raising in this book. 
Get your neighbors to co-operate with you in 
clearing out neglected roadside corners and in 
destroying weeds. It will pay. All the crops 
in the neighborhood will profit from this action. 
Don’t turn the stock out to feed until the grass 
has made some growth. You don’t want the 
roots gnawed out. 
Even in the northernmost parts of the New 
England States, much of the out-door planting 
is done in early May and the rest a little later 
in the month. Now is when you begin to realize 
the value of having done all your prepara- 
tion work early. Planting potatoes, peas, 
beets, cabbages, turnips, to say nothing of beans, 
corn, pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, etc., will 
take all your time every day that is not spent 
