Harvesting and Storing i8i 



seeds, which next spring will cause the perennial 

 exclamation, "Mercy, John, where did all these 

 w^eeds come from?" And John replies, ''I don't 

 know; we kept the garden clean last summer. I 

 think there must be weed seeds in the fertilizer." 



Do not let up on your fight with weeds, for every 

 good vegetable that is left over can be put to some 

 use. Here and there in the garden will be a strip 

 that has gone by, and as it is now too late to plant, 

 w^e just let it go. Yet now is the time we should be 

 preparing all such spots for w^ithstanding next sum- 

 mer's drouth! You may remember how strongly 

 was emphasized the necessity for having abundant 

 humus (decayed vegetable matter) in the soil — how 

 it acts like a sponge to retain moisture and keep 

 things growing through the long, dry spells which 

 we seem to be sure of getting ever}^ summer. So 

 take thought for next year. Buy a bushel of rye, 

 and as fast as a spot in your garden can be cleaned 

 up, harrow, dig or rake it over, and sow the rye 

 on broadcast. Just enough loose surface dirt to 

 cover it and let it sprout, is all it asks. If the 

 weather is dry, and you can get a small roller, roll 

 it in to ensure better germination. It will come up 

 quickly ; it will keep out the weeds which otherwise 

 would be taking possession of the ground; it will 

 grow until the ground is frozen solid and begin 

 again with the first warm spring day; it will keep 



