GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



garden, coax some one stronger than yourself to 

 dig up the ground thoroughly, and spade in some 

 fertilizer, — preferably farmyard manure. Plants 

 live on the tonic salts they draw out of the soil 

 through their roots, as much as they do on the car- 

 bonic acid gas which they take out of the air 

 through their leaves. So have the ground nour- 

 ishing, and also nicely pulverized and free from 

 sticks and stone, that the little rootlets can easily 

 work their way through and find their needed nu- 

 triment. 



Never forget that third rule before mentioned, — 

 ^'Preserve open lawn centers." A beautiful lawn 

 is as satisfying to the eye as flowers, so ne^^er spoil 

 one by cutting it up with beds. They can be put 

 along the sides, used for bordering walks, and 

 nestled close to the house. 



PLAN FOR SIMALL BACK YARD 



One of the loveliest gardens I know is at the back 

 end of a city lot, not more than thirty feet square, 

 with a plot of velvety grass in the center. The ir- 

 regular border surrounding this bit of lawn is a 

 mass of flowers from earliest spring until black 

 frost, — from March until December, — and delights 

 the whole neighborhood. The secret lies in the fact 



11 



