66 
THE GARDEN OF THE WORLD 
Why do dande¬ 
lions \ill the 
grass? 
soil is much better because of the nitrates left in 
it by the nitrogen-using bacteria which live on 
the roots. Farmers should plant their fields to 
clover once every few years to keep the soil rich. 
They should do this especially if they raise corn, 
for corn is hard on the soil, and if grown too 
many years in succession, will not give a good 
crop. All up-to-date farmers alternate clover 
with corn or wheat. This method of keeping 
the soil rich is called “rotation of crops.” 
The dandelion is a great nuisance to the 
gardener. He fights it all summer long, and 
usually he finds at the end that the dandelion 
has won the battle for it is a very good fighter. 
If beaten in one way, it will come back in an¬ 
other. Cut off its leaves; it sends up some new 
ones. Cut off the root; it starts growing at the 
cut place. Pull it up by the roots; and if every 
bit of it comes up, which hardly ever happens, 
this one is conquered. But by this time it has 
sent out hundreds of seeds; so next year it will 
be even harder. 
The dandelion has many good weapons with 
