SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
459 
Now construct your central or dividing path, throw- 
ing the soil moved on the beds on either side. To do 
this you will need a shovel. 
Next define or limit your beds, making the sides and 
ends as straight as possible. You ought now to have 
two rectangular beds, each three feet by twelve feet, 
with a narrow path separating them all ready to put in 
the seeds. It would be a good thing to have your beds 
raised a little, two or three inches above the general 
level of the surrounding earth. This will make them 
more distinct and will obviate the settling of water on 
your beds ; in other words, will drain them. 
Seeds 
The principal counsel to be given here is to use great 
care in the selection of seeds because it is a bitter dis- 
appointment and a discouraging experience to find that 
after all your labor your seeds are worthless. It would 
be well to test a sample of your seeds to determine their 
germinating power. If you have a reliable friend from 
whom you can secure your seeds, you are fortunate, 
but if you must purchase at the dealer by all means 
patronize one of established reputation. 
For the first garden I should plant lettuce, radishes, 
beets and beans in one of the beds. The other bed may 
be devoted to flowers. 
Planting 
Your beds are now supposed to be all ready for the 
seeds. That is to say, they are shaped and graded and 
raked fine. The next thing to do is to lay your board 
across the bed, with one edge six inches from the edge 
of the bed. Then stand on the board and with a 
pointed stick make a shallow furrow on each side of 
the board close to the board. Here I should put the 
lettuce. It is desirable to have the seeds evenly and 
