45 
For the beds which are 7 feet wide by 30 or 40 feet 
long, with rows a foot apart, after the ground has been 
thoroughly plowed or spaded, few tools will be needed, 
but these few are quite indispensable. 
First, a rake 16 inches wide, with teeth just slightly 
bent. Now we used to think that a rake is a rake, but 
we find there are many kinds of rakes. The one we 
want has the teeth just slightly bent. If they are bent 
too much the rake is no good for the purpose intended. 
We want to use it in this way. After the bed has been 
plowed or spaded and we are ready to prepare the bed 
for planting, we go over the ground with this rake 
with a chopping motion, going down into the soil about 
six inches, working it up fine and removing every clod, 
piece of sod or other rubbish. This is a most important 
operation and cannot be done too thoroughly. The fu¬ 
ture ease with which the bed will be handled through 
the season, depends on how well this first raking is 
done. 
We go along the path on each side of the bed and 
shovel out the path for a depth of two or three inches, 
putting this dirt into the bed. This will give oppor¬ 
tunity to rake all trash into the path, but all coaise 
trash is removed entirely for we must cultivate the 
path, too. When finished, the path and bed should be 
on the same level, the path a little higher at first for 
it will be packed down with future tramping over it. 
But there will be no tramping over the bed itself. 
Then the bed will be staked for the rows, laying 
them out perfectly straight, and the bed laked again 
till it is perfectly level. The marking stakes may be 
about a foot long and of wood with a smooth surface 
on one side to receive the name of the variety. The 
