SITUATION AND SOIL 47 
on a clothes pole, their blossoms flashing here and there 
through the green. ' 
The foot passenger hurrying along the thoroughfare, or 
threading his way through the dim alley, would never by the 
wildest chance guess what is going on up above the noisy 
world. And yet this striking picture,- if only he could see it, 
would go far to convince him of two things: that nature, if 
she is coaxed ever so gently, will come more than halfway to 
meet a plant lover, and that hard-pressed human beings are 
eager to make sacriflces for the sake of some green things 
a-growing, and so turn the most impossible spots into gardens. 
Of all the significant details before him not one escaped 
the swift eye of Uncle John, who interpreted them to his 
ready listeners. The actual result of the climb to the steeple’s 
height turned out in the end to be not so much a tribute to 
the historic past as the awakening in these pilgrims of a 
desire to understand present issues and to speed the civiliz- 
ing forces of the future. 
The best possible outcome of such an expedition would 
take some practical form. It might be the prompt canvass 
of one’s own neighborhood to learn what could be done to 
encourage school and’ home gardens. And then the question 
would arise as to available land and how to pick out the most 
suitable spots. In the ideal situation there is no doubt that 
one of the " must haves ” is a flood of morning and midday 
sunshine. The afternoon sun does not count for so much ; 
it is in fact a " may have.” If the land can further oblige 
by sloping gently toward the south and east, it will be to its 
advantage. This slight incline, too, is a point in favor of 
good drainage, only it should not actually lie on a hillside, 
or the richness of the soil will be washed away. 
Next, the chosen spot begs protection from north winds. 
Sufficient shelter is often afforded by a building, a high fence, 
