GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



ened by a tall, unsightly elevated railroad, — were 

 invited to form a club that would be taken once a 

 week out on Long Island to garden. A vacant lot, 

 one hundred by one hundred and ten feet, in Flush- 

 ing, about twelve miles away, had been offered for 

 their use, and some of the older people saw that the 

 ground was first properly ploughed up, for, of 

 course, the children couldn't be expected to do that 

 kind of hard work. 



But they could, and they eagerly did see that 

 the soil was then properly prepared by breaking up 

 the clods, removing all the sticks and stones, and 

 getting the earth raked beautifully smooth. Sev- 

 eral Flushing ladies agreed to help, making out 

 lists of the flowers and vegetables most easily grown 

 there, getting the seeds free by asking for Ihem 

 from their Congressman at Washington, and then 

 showing the children how to plant. 



First a five-foot border was measured off clear 

 around the lot, for a flower bed, and each child had 

 its own section. After finding out what each one 

 wanted to grow, one bed was planted to show how 

 the work should be done, — the depth to put in the 

 seeds, the distance the rows should be apart, the 

 way to cover, besides the placing of the tallest 

 flowers at the back or outer edge, and the lowest 

 or edging plants along the foot path. 



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