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diff --git a/old/53098-0.txt b/old/53098-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f0581cf..0000000 --- a/old/53098-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11817 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Mary Frances Garden Book, by Jane Eayre Fryer - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Mary Frances Garden Book - or Adventures Among the Garden People - -Author: Jane Eayre Fryer - -Illustrator: William F. Zwirner - -Release Date: September 20, 2016 [EBook #53098] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARY FRANCES GARDEN BOOK *** - - - - -Produced by Emmy, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - -[Transcriber's Note: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs=, -underlined text is wrapped in ~tildes~ and italic text is surrounded by -_underscores_.] - - - For all boys and girls who love to help things grow. - Jane Eayre Fryer - -[Illustration: A GARDEN WHICH MARY FRANCES AND BILLY PLANTED] - - - - -[Illustration: - - The Mary Frances - Garden Book - or - Adventures Among - the Garden People - - by Jane Eayre Fryer - - with Illustrations - by William F. Zwirner - - - The - John C. Winston - Company - Philadelphia -] - - - - - -CAUTION - - The entire contents of this book are protected by the - stringent new copyright law, and all persons are warned - not to attempt to reproduce the text, in whole or in - part, or any of the illustrations. - - Copyright, 1916, by - JANE EAYRE FRYER - - - - -BY THE SAME AUTHOR - - -THE MARY FRANCES COOK BOOK - -——OR—— - -ADVENTURES AMONG THE KITCHEN PEOPLE - -The Mary Frances Cook Book is the exceptionally clever and fascinating -story of a little girl who wanted to learn to help her mother. Only -it is much more than a story. It tells in story form how Mary Frances -learned to cook. She wants to know what all the kitchen pots and pans -are for, so she asks them. And they tell her—the pots and pans talk. -The book gives recipes in the simplest, plainest words. It describes -every operation clearly—just what Mary Frances did, and how she learned -to avoid mistakes. The book stimulates the imagination and creates a -desire to follow Mary Frances’ example. 8vo. Cloth, 170 pages. Over 200 -colored illustrations by Margaret G. Hayes and Jane Allen Boyer. - - =PRICE, $1.20 NET.= - - -THE MARY FRANCES SEWING BOOK - -——OR—— - -ADVENTURES AMONG THE THIMBLE PEOPLE - -It tells, in as quaint and delightful a story as ever appealed to a -child’s imagination, how the fairy Thimble People teach Mary Frances -to sew. It teaches the reader how to sew—how to make every variety of -garment—how to make the various stitches—how to use patterns—how to -fold and cut the material—how to piece it together. The book includes -a complete set of patterns for doll-clothes—undergarments—street -clothes—coats—hats—even a wedding dress. Illustrated with 300 colored -drawings that for interest and instruction are absolutely inimitable. -320 pages. 8vo. Cloth bound, with colored inlay on front. Colored -illustrations by Jane Allen Boyer on every page. - - =PRICE, $1.50 NET.= - - -THE MARY FRANCES HOUSEKEEPER - -——OR—— - -ADVENTURES AMONG THE DOLL PEOPLE - -A glimpse into this book is enough to make a girl’s heart leap. Here -she finds not only the story of the Paper Doll Family of Sandpile -Village, and how they acquired a home, but also the paper dolls -themselves—thirty-six large sheets of dolls and of the new, patented -kind of cut-out furniture. The practical explanations of household -duties and management are woven in so skilfully that as the story tells -how Mary Frances learned to dust, or sweep, or make beds, the little -reader takes it all in eagerly as part of the story. 250 pages. 7¼ x 9½ -inches. Illustrations on every page. Cloth, with colored inlay on front. - - =PRICE, $1.50 NET.= - - - - -PREFACE - - -DEAR BOYS AND GIRLS: - -Mary Frances and Billy have been growing up, and with their growing, -they have learned to love the great out-of-doors. - -No, they haven’t outgrown fairy folk, at least Mary Frances hasn’t, -for that is a part of this story—how Feather Flop, the rooster, and -Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Bouncing Bet, the fairies of the wood, helped -teach her to garden. - -But in their study and work, Mary Frances and Billy learned more than -that—they learned to appreciate what a wonderful amount of energy is -expended by Mother Nature in growing one little plant from a seed; how -careful she is that nothing be wasted; and what pleasure there is in -tilling the soil, and helping things grow! - -Everything else in the Mary Frances stories had to do with indoors: -in cooking, feeding the body; in sewing, clothing the body; in -housekeeping, sheltering the body. In gardening, which took them -out-of-doors, the children had so much fun and had so much to learn, -that the whole story cannot be put down here—you must finish it out for -yourselves in your own gardens. - -That you, too, may learn to help things grow, and share the pleasure -which Mary Frances and Billy, and their friends, Eleanor and Bob, had -in making a garden, is the wish of - - THE AUTHOR. - - MERCHANTVILLE, N. J. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. FEATHER FLOP, THE GARDEN BOSS 17 - II. FEATHER FLOP OVERSLEEPS 22 - III. BILLY PLANS THE GARDEN 26 - IV. FEATHER FLOP’S ARGUMENT 31 - V. GARDENS FOR LITTLE FOLKS 34 - VI. GARDENS FOR BIG BOYS AND GIRLS 46 - VII. EARLY SPRING GARDEN 51 - VIII. EARLY SUMMER GARDEN 54 - IX. MID-SUMMER GARDEN 56 - X. AUTUMN GARDEN 61 - XI. SOME FAVORITE ANNUALS 63 - XII. WINDOW BOXES 69 - XIII. BILLY TESTS THE SOIL 74 - XIV. HOW TO PLANT 79 - XV. THE OUTDOOR SEED-BED 84 - XVI. SEED BABIES AND THEIR NURSES 89 - XVII. NAMES OF PARTS OF FLOWERS 96 - XVIII. GOOD MRS. BEE 102 - XIX. THE STORY OF FERTILIZATION 106 - XX. THE STORY OF THE HONEY BEE 113 - XXI. HOW THE BEES WORK 119 - XXII. THE CHILDREN’S MONEY-MAKING PLANS 126 - XXIII. MR. HOP TOAD HOPS IN 131 - XXIV. MR. CUTWORM, THE VILLAIN 142 - XXV. BIRDS AS PLANTS’ FRIENDS 145 - XXVI. LITTLE LADYBIRD 153 - XXVII. CURLY DOCK 157 - XXVIII. THE STUPID HONEY DROPS 161 - XXIX. SOME SPRAYS FOR GARDEN PESTS 165 - XXX. EARLY VEGETABLES 170 - XXXI. FEATHER FLOP’S TEMPTATION 175 - XXXII. FEATHER FLOP GETS ANGRY 178 - XXXIII. FATHER AND MOTHER’S SURPRISE 183 - XXXIV. FEATHER FLOP MAKES UP 188 - XXXV. ROSES 192 - XXXVI. THE BEST ROSES TO PLANT 199 - XXXVII. THE WICKED ROSE BUGS 211 - XXXVIII. THE FAIRY WOOD NYMPHS 217 - XXXIX. GOOD AND BAD WEEDS 225 - XL. BOUNCING BET AND HER FRIENDS 233 - XLI. BUTTERCUP AND DAISY FAMILIES 242 - XLII. WATER BABIES 249 - XLIII. HOW PLANTS GROW 257 - XLIV. A WICKED INNKEEPER 262 - XLV. UNINVITED GUESTS 267 - XLVI. HOW SEED BABIES TRAVEL 270 - XLVII. HAVE A SEAT ON A TOAD STOOL 274 - XLVIII. SOME WAYS TO RID OF WEEDS 280 - XLIX. QUEEN’S LACE TRIMS WELL 287 - L. THE WILD FLOWER GARDEN 292 - LI. GROWING PERENNIALS FROM SEED 298 - LII. THE MONEY THE CHILDREN MADE 303 - LIII. MARY FRANCES’ GARDEN PARTY 310 - LIV. FEATHER FLOP’S CONCEIT 323 - LV. BOB AND BILLY’S VACATION 328 - LVI. DAFFODIL AND OTHER BULBS 334 - LVII. BILLY BUILDS A HOTBED 344 - LVIII. SOME HINTS ON GROWING VEGETABLES 348 - LIX. THE CITY GARDEN 360 - LX. GARDEN COLOR-PICTURES 364 - LXI. PATTERNS FOR PAPER FLOWERS 367 - LXII. THE MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUTS 371 - LXIII. LITTLE GARDENERS’ CALENDAR 373 - LXIV. BUDDING AND GRAFTING 376 - LXV. PRIZES AT THE COUNTY FAIR 377 - - - - -THE MARY FRANCES GARDENS - -To be Cut Out and Mounted by the Reader - -(For Instructions, See Chapter LXII) - - - INSERTS - 1. MARY FRANCES’ PLAY HOUSE I, II - 2. MARY FRANCES’ EARLY SPRING GARDEN III - 3. MARY FRANCES’ EARLY SUMMER GARDEN IV - 4. MARY FRANCES’ MID-SUMMER GARDEN V - 5. MARY FRANCES’ AUTUMN GARDEN VI - -These cut-outs will familiarize the child with the plants shown, and -their season of bloom, and inspire a love for practical out-of-door -gardening. - -[Illustration: THE PLANT FAMILIES - - Cherry - Rose - Blackberry - Strawberry - Peach - Apple - - Potato - Egg Plant - Tomato] - - - - -INSTRUCTIONS— - -GARDENING - - - CHAPTER - 1. TO PREPARE THE SOIL XIII, XIV - 2. HOW TO PLANT SEEDS XIV, XV - 3. NAMES OF PARTS OF FLOWERS XVII, LXI - 4. FERTILIZATION OR REPRODUCTION XIX-XXI - 5. INSECT ENEMIES AND REMEDIES XXIX - 6. HOW TO PLANT BULBS LVI - 7. CONCERNING VEGETABLES LVIII - 8. ROSES: HOW TO PLANT AND TEND XXXV-XXXVII - 9. THE BEST ROSES TO GROW XXXVI - 10. ANNUALS: WHEN AND HOW TO PLANT XI - 11. PERENNIALS: WHEN AND HOW TO PLANT LI - 12. HOW TO TELL THE COMMON WILD FLOWERS XXXIX-XLVIII - 13. HOW PLANTS GROW XLIII - 14. HOW TO MAKE A HOTBED LVII - 15. BEST LIST FOR CHILDREN’S FLOWER GARDENS V - 16. BEST LIST FOR CHILDREN’S VEGETABLE GARDENS V - 17. OUTLINE OF EACH MONTH’S WORK FOR A YEAR LXIII - -[Illustration: THE GARDEN PEOPLE - - Good Mrs. Bee - Feather Flop - Little Lady Bird - Beauty Butterfly - Mr. Hop Toad - Mr. Cut Worm - The Wicked Rose Bugs] - - - - -CHAPTER I - -FEATHER FLOP, THE GARDEN BOSS - - -“OH, dear, I can’t understand a word this book says,” sighed Mary -Frances, who was sitting on the garden bench, looking over a seed -catalogue. “I can’t understand it!” - -“Of course you can’t,” said a strange voice. “Not without help.” - -Mary Frances was startled; she looked about, but saw no one. - -“Why, who can it be?” she exclaimed. - -“You can’t without help, I said.” - -Feather Flop, the big Rhode Island Red rooster, came strutting around -the corner of the bench. - -“Why, is it you?” cried Mary Frances. “What do you know about -gardening?” - -“I ought to know a lot about gardening. I’ve lived in a garden most of -the time ever since I was hatched,” shrilled Feather Flop. - -“Yes, you have,” laughed Mary Frances, “and you’ve eaten up what you -oughtn’t to, too.” - -“That was when I was bad. I’m going to be good now.” - -“Oh, well, that is different,” replied Mary Frances. “What’s the first -thing to do?” - -“Let me see,” said Feather Flop, scratching his head with one foot. -“Let me see—why, the first thing—the first thing is to get the ground -ready!” - -“What do you do to get it ready?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Why, dig, of course,” answered Feather Flop. “I can dig.” - -“Well, well,” replied Mary Frances, “I see you really want to help me, -so we’ll plan out what we’re going to do. I want all kinds of flowers -and vegetables.” - -“Did you start the seeds in the house in March so that some would be -ready to set out now?” asked Feather Flop anxiously. - -“Oh, no,” said Mary Frances, “but Billy did. He has a lot of little -seedlings growing.” - -“Can’t you steal some?” asked Feather Flop. - -“Oh, I wouldn’t do that, Feather Flop,” said Mary Frances. “Would you? -I’d rather ask Billy for them.” - -“Don’t say anything about me when you do,” begged the rooster. - -“Why?” queried Mary Frances. - -“I’m afraid of him. He’s chased me out of the——” - -“Vegetable garden several times this Spring, already,” laughed Mary -Frances. “Maybe if he knew how much you wanted to help with this -surprise garden of mine, he would be kinder to you.” - -“He’s kind enough,” said Feather Flop, “but I’m not anxious to know him -much better yet a while. So I’ll ask you not to mention me.” - -“All right,” agreed Mary Frances, “I think I understand. But Billy -wouldn’t hurt you.” - -“Do you really wish me to help you, Miss Mary Frances?” asked the -rooster. - -“I certainly do, Feather Flop,” said the little girl; “if you will be -so kind.” - -She could scarcely keep from laughing at how pleased and proud he -looked. - -“Then, let us take a look at the garden plot,” he said, leading the -way to the front of Mary Frances’ play house. - -“I’ll set right to work,” said Feather Flop, beginning to scratch, -“right to work, and dig the whole afternoon, and early to-morrow -morning, too.” - -“Don’t work too hard,” said the little girl. “I think I ought to help -you.” - -“Oh, no, little Miss,” answered Feather Flop. “Why, see what’s done -already.” - -Mary Frances put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing aloud as -she looked at the little round hole the rooster had made. - -“You do splendidly,” she said, “and to-morrow morning I’ll be here -bright and early.” - -“Just one question,” called Feather Flop. “Is the garden a secret?” - -Mary Frances turned back. “In a way,” she explained. “You see, Father -gave Billy a part of our big garden for his camp and garden——” - -“I know,” said Feather Flop, nodding. “I was down there one day—and I -don’t care to go again.” - -“I wanted to ask Father for a garden plot of my own,” went on Mary -Frances, “but Billy said, ‘Why don’t you have a flower garden in front -of your play house, and a vegetable garden back of it and surprise all -the folks?’ You can’t imagine, Feather Flop, how delighted I was with -that idea.” - -“Fine idea!” agreed Feather Flop, scratching again. “Won’t it be -splendid when the things grow!” - -“And won’t it be a perfectly lovely surprise!” cried Mary Frances. - -“I won’t tell anybody,” volunteered Feather Flop. “It will be grand to -have a real secret with someone.” - -“Oh, thank you, good old Feather Flop,” answered Mary Frances. “Are you -certain you don’t want me to help spade up the garden?” - -“Claws were made before spades,” said Feather Flop, scratching away. -“I’d like to do this myself, please. Come bright and early in the -morning when you hear me crow.” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -FEATHER FLOP OVERSLEEPS - - -VERY early in the morning Mary Frances awoke and listened a long time -for Feather Flop’s signal, but not a sound was to be heard except the -faint crowing of a distant rooster at the far end of the village. - -“I expect he crowed before I was awake,” concluded Mary Frances, as she -quickly dressed and went down-stairs on tiptoe. - -The sun was just getting up as she ran out into the garden. - -“Hello, Feather Flop,” she called softly as she hurried along, but -there was not a sight or sound of Mr. Rooster. - -“Mercy,” she thought, “I hope nothing’s happened to him. Where can he -be? Oh, see, he’s dug—let me count,” (counting them off) “eighteen -holes! My, it must have tired him out.” - -“But where can he be?” she went on, and called again and again as -loudly as she dared: - -“Feather Flop!” - -“_Feather Flop!_” - -“FEATHER FLOP!” - -“Oh, maybe he’s in my play house!” she suddenly thought and ran to -look. And there he was—where do you think? Fast asleep in one of the -doll’s beds with the covers tucked close up under his bill! - -“Well, you’re a funny kind of a gardener,” laughed Mary Frances as soon -as she recovered from her astonishment. “Here it is long past crowing -time.” - -Feather Flop turned over. Then he began to mutter sleepily: - - “I don’t care what people say, - I shan’t get up and crow to-day; - I’ve never laid in bed—so then! - I shall not crow till half-past ten—to-night!” - -“Oh, Feather Flop!” cried Mary Frances. “Oh, Feather Flop! How you -disappoint me! Why, I’ve gotten up early because you promised to help -in my garden! Come, get up!” going toward the bed. - -“Excuse me!” exclaimed Feather Flop, hopping out of bed. “Excuse my bad -manners, dear Miss,” and away he ran out the door and into the garden -before Mary Frances could catch up. - -“My, but you can dress quickly, Feather Flop,” she called. - -“Oh, nothing like having your clothes grow on you,” answered Feather -Flop, lifting his wings, “especially if they are pretty.” - -Mary Frances laughed. “Come, come, no conceited remarks, please,” she -chided; “and now to work.” - -“It takes longer than you’d think,” said Feather Flop, beginning to -scratch, “especially with an empty stomach.” - -“How dreadful of me not to think of your breakfast, Feather Flop,” she -said, and ran to get some corn. - -“Thanks, thanks,” said Feather Flop, hungrily eating. “If they only -didn’t keep the food locked up, I could help myself, and not have to -trouble anybody.” - -“Well, this is not gardening,” he went on; “and besides, I want my -dessert. I had splendid luck yesterday—four hundred and fifty-one grubs -I ate, and several score of nice long worms. Besides, I let Robin -Redbreast have a hundred or so.” - -“Oh, my,” shuddered Mary Frances. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Feather Flop, looking up. “You didn’t want -any, did you? I’d have been delighted to have saved some for you.” - -“Oh, my, no!” cried Mary Frances. “Oh, no, thank you! No!” - -“You’re sure?” inquired Feather Flop. “Well, you must certainly be glad -they are not left here in the garden to eat up your plants, I know.” - -“Indeed! I’m much obliged, Feather Flop,” said Mary Frances. “While you -dig, I’m going into the house to get some seeds, and to plan out my -garden.” - -“All right!” said Feather Flop. “Don’t mention me, please, to——you -know.” - - - - -CHAPTER III - -BILLY PLANS THE GARDEN - - -“MARY FRANCES,” called Billy, as she came into the house, “I say, let’s -start work in your garden to-day. The first thing to do is to dig and -spade it.” - -“Oh, Billy, it looks as though it had been done,” answered Mary -Frances. “I guess I can plant it right away.” - -“Ha! Ha!” laughed Billy. “Why, it has to be dug deep; the earth has to -be turned under, and compost mixed with it and all pulverized before -little seeds or plants can take hold with their roots.” - -“How deep?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Oh, about a foot, I guess,” said Billy; “but don’t let’s talk too loud -if you want to keep this garden a secret. Let’s go out and have a look -at it.” - -“You needn’t mind—” began Mary Frances, but Billy was well on the way. - -“That old Rhode Island Red! See what he’s done!” exclaimed Billy, -throwing a stone at the rooster. - -“Oh, Billy,” begged Mary Frances. “Poor old Feather Flop! Don’t scare -him! Maybe he thought he was helping!” - -“Helping?” laughed Billy. “Helping! If he tries to help that way when -things come up, I’ll wring his neck!” - -“Oh, you wouldn’t do that, Billy,” cried Mary Frances. “He’ll be good, -I know.” - -“Well,” said Billy, “you’re responsible for his behavior then—he’s your -rooster. I’d like to clip his wings and cut his tail off right up next -his ears—maybe.” - -“He will be good, Billy, I feel sure,” answered Mary Frances. “But you -are very kind to dig my garden up.” - -“Well,” answered Billy with a very grown-up air, “I know what sort of -an undertaking this is. How’re you going to lay the garden out?” - -“Oh, I don’t know yet,” answered Mary Frances. “Won’t you help me plan -it?” - -“Yes, but it’s best to begin with pencil and paper; that’s the first -thing Miss Gardener told us in our ‘Home Garden Course.’” - -“Well, here they are,” laughed Mary Frances, throwing open the play -house door. - -“Fine,” said Billy, seating himself at Mary Frances’ little desk and -helping himself to the articles needed. - -“But wait,” he continued. “If I show you how to plan this surprise -garden you must carry out my directions. I don’t get caught with any -promise to do all the work.” - -“Oh, no! No—indeedy! Of course not; I’m just crazy to start and I -promise not to trouble you a bit.” - -“Well then,” said Billy, “here goes for the— - - -GARDEN LESSON NO. 1 - -_Planning a Garden_ - -First: How much ground have you to work in? - -Let us say 15 x 25 ft. in front of the play house for the Flower -Garden, and 15 x 15 ft. in the rear for the Vegetable Garden.” - -He rapidly drew an outline of the two gardens with a pretty sketch of -the play house between. - -“Now,” he went on, “you will wish to leave a walk down the center with -a border of flowers on each side,” sketching them in. - -“You see, the beauty of a garden depends so much on the way it is laid -out that garden planning has become a profession, and the man who -studies it is known as a landscape gardener.” - -“My,” laughed Mary Frances, “how much you learned at the garden school; -you’re lots better than a seed catalogue.” - -“Much obliged,” replied Billy, “that’ll do for bouquets. Now listen: -the way to grow early Spring flowers is to plant bulbs in the -Autumn—about the first of November. Then, early in March, sometimes -even in February, tiny snowdrops will pop up and, a little later, -beautiful crocuses.” - -“Won’t that be grand!” cried Mary Frances. - -“Yes, in the next lesson perhaps, I’ll give you a list of bulbs and -plants which you can set out at the proper time. - -“The best scheme for the vegetable garden is to work it out into small -rectangular beds between well-kept walks,” said Billy, finishing the— - - -LAY-OUT OF THE GARDENS - -“How perfect!” exclaimed Mary Frances examining the sheet of paper -which Billy handed her. “I can just imagine how beautiful my gardens -will look. Isn’t it a lovely idea to have that circle in the walk!” - -“It would look fine if it had a sun-dial built in the center,” said -Billy, much pleased with his sister’s praise. - -[Illustration: THE MARY FRANCES PLAY HOUSE GARDEN] - -“Oh, Billy, Billy,” laughed Mary Frances, “I believe, I do believe you -are going to surprise me!” - -“What are you talking about?” cried Billy. “I must be going—another -lesson to-morrow, if you say so, because you didn’t interrupt more than -twice while I was talking.” - -“It pays to be good,” he teased as he went off. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -FEATHER FLOP’S ARGUMENT - - -NEITHER of the children had noticed the head of the big rooster as he -peered curiously through the curtained window of the play house while -they were talking. - -As Mary Frances came out of the door, Feather Flop walked around the -corner of the house. The little girl was so absorbed in looking at the -plan that she did not see the rooster. - -“Caw-caw!” Feather Flop cleared his throat. “Caw-caw!” - -“Why, Feather Flop,” cried Mary Frances, “How you surprised me! I was -so busy studying out Billy’s plan for the garden——” - -“Is he anywhere about?” inquired Feather Flop, looking around -anxiously. “I thought I saw him go.” - -“Yes, he’s gone, Feather Flop,” laughed Mary Frances. “But let me show -you—he has been planning such a delightful garden for me.” - -“Delightful!” shrilled Feather Flop. “Delightful! I don’t think so.” - -“Why, what makes you say that? How do you know what he planned?” -inquired Mary Frances. - -“I heard every word, every word,” said the rooster. “Of course you -didn’t see me—I was peeping in the window.” - -“Oh, Feather Flop!” cried Mary Frances. “Were you eaves-dropping?” - -“I was listening,” acknowledged Feather Flop, “and I don’t approve of -the plan at all.” - -“Why, what’s wrong with it?” asked Mary Frances. “I think it’s -beautiful.” - -“It’s not sensible!” said Feather Flop. “It’s not useful!” - -“But it seems perfect to me. How would you change it, Feather Flop?” - -“Nobody can eat flowers!” exclaimed Feather Flop. “See here,” he looked -over Mary Frances’ shoulder as she sat down on the bench, and pointed -with his claw, “that plan fills the entire front yard with bloomin’ -plants and gives only the little back yard for such things as taste -good!” - -“Dearie me! Dearie me!” laughed Mary Frances. “Is that it, Feather -Flop? Why, don’t you love to see beautiful flowers?” - -“Not half as much as I do to eat beautiful lettuce and beet tops and -other beautiful vegetables,” declared Feather Flop, shaking his head -sadly. - -“It’s too bad, Feather Flop,” said Mary Frances, smoothing his fine -feathers, “but I’ll see that you get plenty of such green things as you -like.” - -“Oh, thank you, little Miss,” said the rooster. “If you will do that, -I’m ready to help with your silly—I mean your brother’s, plan.” - -“Thank you, Feather Flop, for all your help,” said the little girl, -“and good-bye for now. I must go or maybe mother will send Billy to -look for me.” - -“Good-bye! good-bye!” cried Feather Flop, jumping off the bench and -running away as fast as possible. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -GARDENS FOR LITTLE FOLKS - - -“HOW would you like another lesson on gardening to-day, Mary Frances?” -asked Billy the next morning as he appeared at the door of the play -house. - -“Oh, Billy, you know I’d just love to have one!” said Mary Frances, -getting the desk ready. - -“This time we are to make a list of what to plant, if I remember -correctly,” said Billy, taking a seat. - -“Let me see: we will try to plant the garden so that we will have -flowers in bloom from early Spring till late Fall. - -In order to have flowering plants continuously in the garden, we must -use the class of flowers called Per-en-ni-als,[A] _the roots of which -live from year to year_. - -If we depend on An-nu-als,[B] the seeds of which must be planted every -Spring, we will not have blooms until Summer or early Fall. - -So you see, in order to plan wisely, our next lesson is very important, -and it is our— - - -GARDEN LESSON No. 2 - - -WHAT TO PLANT - - Now, Mary Frances, I have really planned a delightful - landscape flower garden for you to plant in front of - your play house, and a wonderfully useful vegetable - garden for the back of the play house; but before I - give you that outline, I am going to pretend that you - are a very little girl, and I will give you a list, - just as our teacher handed it to us. I have it here: - - -GARDEN FOR LITTLE FOLKS - - 1. Plan out the garden; that is, make a list of what - you wish to plant. - - 2. Draw a picture map of your garden, marking the space - where each different kind of flower or vegetable is to - be planted. - - 3. Remember that low-growing plants should be placed - in the foreground (front part) of the garden, and - tall-growing plants in the background. - - 4. Order the plants or seeds. - - 5. Get the ground ready. (See Chapter XIV.) - - 6. Now begin to plant, following instructions in - Chapter XV. - - If space for your garden is about 10 x 15 ft. it would - be delightful to plant it as shown by the picture-map - drawn here. - - -GARDEN FOR LITTLE FOLKS—10X15 FEET - -[Illustration: (.) Bulbs. 2. Iris (blue). 3. Bleeding Hearts. 4. -Pyrethrums. 5. Sweet William. 6. Phlox. 7. Eupatorium. 8. Coreopsis. 9. -Gaillardia. 10. Chrysanthemums. 11A, 11B, 11C. Roses. 12. Hardy Asters. -13. Iceland Poppies. 14. Cosmos (not to be given a permanent place in -garden; it may be used, however, as a filler between Hardy Perennials). -15. Alyssum. 16. Nasturtiums.] - - Plant Daffodils and Tulips between Hardy Perennials as - indicated on plan with dots. - - Now, for an— - - -EXPLANATION - -OF - -THE LITTLE FOLKS FLOWER GARDEN - - -FOUR HARDY BULBS FOR LITTLE FOLKS GARDEN - - These bulbs should be planted in late October or early - November. They bloom in the early Spring and then die - down, to come up the next Spring. - - -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- - No. | | | | - on | No. of Flowers | How Deep | | Average - Map. | to Plant. | to Plant. | Color. | Price. - -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- - (.) | 6 Emperor Daffodils. | 4 inches. | Yellow. |25c for ½ doz. - -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- - (.) | 6 Cottage Garden | 4 inches. |All colors.|15c for ½ doz. - | Tulips, called also | | | - | May-flowering Tulips. | | | - -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- - (.) | 6 Darwin Tulips. | 4 inches. |All colors.|15c for ½ doz. - | Bloom later than | | | - | “Cottage Garden” | | | - | Tulips; grow taller. | | | - -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- - (2) | 6 German Iris roots, | 4 inches. |Blue, |50c for ½ doz. - | called also | |purple, | - | “Blue Flags.” | |and yellow.| - -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- - - -HARDY PERENNIALS - - The plants whose roots live on from season to season, - or “winter over,” and come up every Spring, are called - Hardy Perennials. - - The plants whose roots die in the Fall, and do not - “winter over,” are called Annuals. - - When a boy or a girl undertakes to start a flower - garden, how much more desirable it seems to plant, for - the most part, Hardy Perennials, which will “come up” - the next Summer and the next, and so on for years; - instead of Annuals, the seeds of which must be sowed - every Spring. - - Of course, the seeds of Hardy Perennials may be sowed - in the Spring, but _Hardy Perennial plants raised from - seeds, seldom bloom until the next year after the seeds - are planted_. - - [Illustration: Hand]Therefore, it is best for the - beginner, in most cases, to buy _plants_ of Hardy - Perennials. - - If you wish to start seeds, however, see Chapter LI on - “Perennials.” - - Following is the list of— - - -TWELVE HARDY PERENNIALS FOR LITTLE FOLKS GARDEN - - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - No. | | | - on | Name and Number | Remarks. | Average - Map. | of Plants. | | Price. - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (3) | 2 Bleeding Hearts. | Pink heart-shaped flowers on |15c a plant. - | | graceful stems. | - | | | - | | Buy the plants in clumps in | - | | the Fall. | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (4) | Hardy Py-re-thrums.| Red, pink, white daisy-like |20c a plant. - | | flowers. | 10c a - | | | package. - | | When ordering, use the name: | - | | “Pyrethrum Hybridum.” | - | | | - | | It is best to plant seeds in | - | | early Spring or August, to | - | | get plants which will “winter| - | | over” and bloom the next | - | | Summer. | - | | | - | | Plants may be purchased if | - | | you wish blooms the first | - | | year. | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (5) | Sweet-Williams | “Biennials,” which means the | 10c a - | (London Tufts). | plants “come up” the second | package. - | | year, but do not do well | - | | after that. | - | | | - | | Plant every other year; | - | | preferably in August. | - | | | - | | Order mixed seed. | - | | | - | | Sweet-Williams often sow | - | | their own seed. | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (6) | 3 Hardy Phlox. | 1 Salmon Pink: order |20c a plant. - | | “Elizabeth Campbell,” or | - | | “Rheinlander.” | - | | | - | | 1 White: order “Mrs. | - | | Jenkins.” | - | | | - | | 1 Lavender: order “La Vague,”| - | | or “La Mahdi.” | - | | | - | | Buy the _plants_ of Hardy | - | | Phlox. The seeds are not | - | | generally satisfactory, | - | | because they should be sowed | - | | within a short time after | - | | ripening. | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (7) | Blue Thoroughwort | Order “Eupatorium Celestium.”|15c a plant. - | (“Eu-pa-to-ri-um”).| | - | | Blue misty flowers, sometimes| - | | called “Blue Mist,” pretty in| - | | mixed bouquet. Bloom late in | - | | season. | - | | | - | | Buy the plant. | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (8) | 1 Co-re-op-sis. | Order “Coreopsis Lanceolata |15c a plant. - | | Grandiflora.” Yellow | - | | daisy-like flowers. A large, | - | | bushy plant. | - | | | - | | Keep the flowers well picked,| - | | to get continuous bloom. | - | | | - | | Easily raised from seed if | - | | planted early. | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (9) |1 Blanket Flower | Large reddish-brown flowers | 10c a - | (Hardy | with yellow edges, etc. | package. - | “Gail-lard-i-a”). | | - | | It loves to bloom. | - | | | - | | If sowed very early, it often| - | | blooms the first season. | - | | | - | | Order _mixed_ seed. | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (10) |3 Chrys-an-the-mums.| Order “Hardy Pompon” |3 for 45 - | | (1 yellow, 1 red, 1 bronze). | cts. - | | | - | | Bloom very late in the Fall. | - | | | - | | Buy the plants. | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (11) | Roses (See Chapter | Dwarf “Baby Ramblers”: |50c a plant. - | XXXV). | (_a_) 1 Fairy Rose--“Cecile | - | | Brunner.”Little double | - | | flowers of soft rosy pink on | - | | a creamy white ground. | - | | | - | | (_b_) 1 Baby | - | | Tausendschön—“Louise Walter.”| - | | Larger flowers of a tender | - | | shade of pink. | - | | | - | | CHINESE ROSE: “Hermosa”—pink.| - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (12) | 3 Hardy Asters | Lavender, pink, white and |15c a plant. - | (“Mich-ael-mas | purple little daisy-like | - | Dai-sies”). | flowers, growing in clusters | - | | on large tall bushes. | - | | | - | | Buy the plants. | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - (13) | Iceland Poppies. | All colors. | 10c a - | | | package. - | | Sow mixed seed in August to | - | | grow plants which will bloom | - | | the next Summer. | - | | | - | | Cover with leaves in the | - | | Fall. | - | | | - | | Order mixed seeds of “Papaver| - | | Nudicaule.” | - -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ - - -ANNUALS - - Sow the seeds of Annuals early in the Spring. The roots - of Annuals do not live over Winter, and seeds must be - sowed every Spring. - - -ANNUALS FOR LITTLE FOLKS GARDEN - - -----+----------------------+-------------------------------+--------- - No. | | | - on | Name and Number | Remarks. | Average - Map. | of Plants. | | Price. - -----+----------------------+-------------------------------+--------- - (14) | Cos´-mos. | Easily grown in poor soil. |10c a - | | Grow over 4 feet tall. | package. - | | Flowers: pink,white, garnet, | - | | with yellow centers. | - | | | - | | Buy mixed seed, “Summer or | - | | Early Flowering” Cosmos which | - | | will bloom early and continue | - | | until frost. | - -----+----------------------+-------------------------------+--------- - (15) | Sweet A-lys´-sum. | A charming edging plant. |5c a - | | Order “Little Gem,” which | package. - | | grows 4 inches tall, and | - | | blooms like a snow carpet. | - -----+----------------------+-------------------------------+--------- - - -VEGETABLES FOR LITTLE FOLKS GARDEN - - ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- - | | Average - | | Price - Name. | Remarks. | per - | | Package - | | Seed. - ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- - _Nasturtiums._ | In the early Spring, sow seeds of | 5c. - | _dwarf_ nasturtiums for narrow | - Buy “Tom Thumb” or | border along the walk of the | - Dwarf. | vegetable garden. | - ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- - _Lettuce._ | Plant a small quantity of Early | 5c. - | Lettuce seeds in the early Spring; | - Buy “Early | when plants are two inches high, | - All-heart;” Early | plant more seeds; thin plants out, | - Cos; Late Lettuce. | that the ones left standing may grow | - | large. Plant a few seeds every week | - | until weather grows very warm. | - | | - | Lettuce does not grow well in very | - | warm weather. | - | | - | Plant late variety in early Fall. | - | | - | _Cos or Romaine lettuce_ is easily | - | grown, and stands the heat better | - | than the other varieties. It has a | - | very crisp fleshy rib in the leaf, | - | but the leaf part is not so delicate | - | as of the other varieties. | - | | - | _All lettuce needs very rich soil._ | - ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- - _Parsley._ | Plant in early Spring. | 5c. - | | - Buy “Dwarf Curly.” | Soak seed overnight in warm water, | - | mix sand in the water, and fling | - | sand and seed over the prepared | - | ground. Sometimes it takes six weeks | - | for parsley seed to “come up.” | - | Except far north, it lives over | - | winter if well covered with leaves. | - | | - | Plant some parsley every year, as | - | what has “wintered over” goes to | - | seed very easily. | - ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- - _Onions._ | “Onion sets” are tiny little onions | 10c a - | which are set out in early Spring, | pint. - Buy yellow “Onion | about 2 inches apart in rows. | - sets.” | Usually when they are partially | - | grown, they are pulled, and green | - | tops and bulbs are used for salads | - | and in soup. | - ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- - _Thyme._ | A very pretty low-growing herb, used | 5c. - | to flavor soup, and “stuffing” for | - | meat. Grows easily from seed if | - | sowed early. Lives over winter | - | --except far north--if covered with | - | leaves. Is, therefore, a | - | “perennial.” | - | | - | Plant in the Spring in the northern | - | states. | - | | - | Plant in the Fall in the southern | - | states. | - ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- - _Radishes._ | Sow a few radish seeds every week | 5c. - | for four weeks, to have new young | - Buy Little Red | tender radishes ready for pulling | - Globe-shaped. | each week. | - | | - | Radishes do not do well in very hot | - | weather. | - | | - | The late or “winter” radish is | - | planted in the early Fall. | - ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- - _Tomatoes._ | Tomato seeds may be sowed in a |2 for 5c. - | box placed in a sunny window or | - Buy _2 plants_ of | under glass in the hot bed in very | - early and 2 of | early Spring, but unless a large | - late varieties. | number of plants is needed, it is | - | better to buy the young plants. | - | | - | A very interesting variety is | - | “cherry tomatoes,” which grow in | - | little clusters of red fruit | - | resembling cherries in appearance. | - | Buy 1 plant. | - ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- - - The approximate cost of this garden for little folks is - three dollars. - - Seeds of all these vegetables may be started in the - house. See Chapter XIV, page 81, “To Plant Seeds in - Boxes.” The young plants may be put out in the garden - when they are of some size, about which you will read - later. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[A] See Chapter LI on Perennials. - -[B] See Chapter XI on Annuals. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -GARDENS FOR BIG BOYS AND GIRLS - - -“OH, Billy,” cried Mary Frances, as her brother laid down the paper, -“that doesn’t sound a bit babyish to me! If I could just have a garden -like that——” - -“That’s an all-right garden,” interrupted Billy, “but, Mary Frances, it -isn’t much compared with my plan for your wonderful play house garden, -as you’ll soon see when I give you the— - - -GARDEN LISTS FOR BIG BOYS AND GIRLS - - The following-named flowers, which are pictured in the - Mary Frances Garden Cut-Outs, are described in the - outlines that follow the lists. - - Do not attempt to plant all the flowers named, but read - the lists, and study the descriptions carefully. Then - select the plants you prefer for your garden, and make - your own list ready for ordering. - - You will notice that certain names are repeated in - several instances. This is only to show the period of - bloom, whether early Spring, Summer, or Autumn, or - throughout the season. - - -NOTE ON THE GARDEN CUT-OUTS - -DEAR GIRL OR BOY: - - No doubt you will wish, just as Mary Frances did, to - be able to cut flowers every few days from your garden - for your mother to use as a “centerpiece” on the - dining table, or for your father’s desk, or for your - grandmother’s dresser, or to give to some dear friend. - - Now, anyone can have a few plants which will bloom at - some time or other, but the garden you and Mary Frances - have in mind is one which will have flowers blooming - from March, through April, May, June, July, August, - September, October, and on into November, until killed - by frost. - - Flowers nearly nine months of the year! Yes, that is - quite possible in almost every part of our country—if - you study carefully the outlines given on pages 51-62, - inclusive. - - The _first_ outline gives a list of plants which bloom - in the Early Spring. (See Garden Cut-Out No. 1.) - - The _second_ names the plants which bloom in the Early - Summer. (See Garden Cut-Out No. 2.) - - The _third_, the plants which bloom in Mid-Summer. (See - Garden Cut-Out No. 3.) - - The _fourth_, those blooming in Late Summer or Early - Autumn. (See Garden Cut-Out No. 4.) - - For instructions for making the Garden Cut-Outs, see - Chapter LXII, page 373. - -[Illustration: PICTURE OF MARY FRANCES PLAY HOUSE BEFORE THE CHILDREN -PLANTED THE GARDENS - -For Directions for Garden Cut-Outs, see Chapter LXII] - - -_Thirty-seven Hardy Perennials_ - - Aster (Wild) - Alkanet (Anchusa) - Baby’s Breath - Bellflower - Bergamot - Blanket Flower - Bleeding Heart - Campanula - Candytuft - Centaurea - Chrysanthemum - Columbine - Coreopsis - English Daisy - Forget-me-not - Foxglove - Hollyhock - Larkspur - Lupine - Marguerite - Monkshood - Pæony - Pinks {Moss - {Hardy - Poppy {Iceland - {Oriental - Phlox (Hardy) - Pyrethrum - Poker Plant - Rock Cress - Roses - Sneezewort - Speedwell - Sweet Alyssum (yellow) - Sweet-William - Thoroughwort - Violet and Viola - Wall Flower - Windflower - - -_Twenty Annuals_ - - Ageratum - Cockscomb - Cornflower - Cosmos - Cigar Plant - Everlasting - Four-o’Clock - Garden Geranium - Lemon Verbena - Nasturtium - Petunia - Princess Feather - Periwinkle - Phlox - Scarlet Sage - Snapdragon - Sweet Alyssum (white) - Verbena - Wild Cucumber Vine - Zinnia - - -_Eight Bulbous Plants_ - - Daffodil - Hyacinth - Iris - Lily of the Valley - Madonna Lily - Snowdrop - Tulip - Yellow Day Lily - - -A LETTER ABOUT THE GARDEN CUT-OUTS - - _Dear Boy or Girl:_ - - _No doubt you will wish, just as Mary Frances did, to - be able to cut flowers every few days from your garden, - for your mother to use as a “center piece” on the - dining table, or for your father’s desk, or for your - grandmother’s dresser, or as a gift for a friend._ - - _Now, anyone can have a few plants which will bloom at - some time or other, but the garden you and Mary Frances - have in mind is one which will have flowers in bloom - from March, through April, May, June, July, August, - September, October, and into November until ruined by - frost._ - - _Flowers over eight months of the year! Yes, that is - possible in nearly every part of our country—if you - study carefully the outlines following this page._ - - _The first outline gives a list of plants which bloom - in the Early Spring._ - - _The second names the plants which bloom in Early - Summer._ - - _The third, the plants which bloom in Mid-Summer._ - - _The fourth, those blooming in Autumn._ - - _These lists are nearly like the ones given Billy by - his teacher, which he and Mary Frances used in planting - a garden in front of the Play House. As you read these - lists, turn to the pictures of the Mary Frances Garden - Cut-Outs, and try to recognize the flower named._ - - _All that Mary Frances wished, she and Billy made “come - true,” and every day through the flowering season she - gathered flowers from, her garden—but that is part of - the story, so now begin to read_ - - -A FEW HINTS ON GROWING THE FLOWERS SHOWN IN THE GARDEN CUT-OUTS - - In using the following lists, if the garden space is - small, select only the names marked with a star. - - The height of each plant is given because it is - always desirable to plant low-growing flowers in the - foreground; and tall ones in the background. - - The following-named Perennials (the roots of which live - from year to year) may be grown from seeds, but _cannot - be depended upon to bloom the first year_. - - Instead of beginners starting _seeds_ of _Perennials_, - it is well to buy the young _plants_ from a reliable - dealer to start the permanent garden, and to experiment - with seeds after acquaintance with those plants already - established. - - Do not buy many plants of any kind, as a few, well - cared for, will increase in number the next year. - - Annuals (the roots of which die in the Fall) will bloom - the same season as planted. Start seeds early, either - in a box in a sunny window, or in a warm sunny corner - out of doors early in May. - - The first step in garden-making is the planning of the - garden. - - (See Chapter LXII on “The Mary Frances Garden - Cut-Outs.”) - - The second step is selection of the seed, and the - ordering of the same from one of the _best_ seed firms. - - Never try inferior or untested seeds. It is no economy. - - In regard to “color scheme,” see Chapter LX. - - For artistic effect, it is usually best to plant the - same kind of flowers close together to obtain “masses” - of bloom. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -EARLY SPRING GARDEN - -LIST No. 1 - - -FIVE BULBS* FOR EARLY SPRING HARDY GARDEN - -See Mary Frances Garden Cut-Out No. 1. - - _Plant the following named bulbs in the Fall._ See - Chapter LVI. - - ---------------------+------------------------------------------------ - | - Names. | Remarks. - | - ---------------------+------------------------------------------------ - Snowdrops. | Pure white small bells, blooming late in - | February or early in March, whenever the snow - | leaves the ground. - | - | Leave bulbs in the ground over Winter, covered - | withleaves. - | - | Plant 4 inches deep. - ---------------------+------------------------------------------------ - Nar-cis-sus or | Daffodil bulbs are very hardy, and increase in - Daff-o-dils.* | number from year to year. They should be - | covered with leaves over Winter. - | - | The best varieties are “Emperor”* and - | “Empress.” - | - | Plant 4 inches deep. - | - | Barii Conspicuus, a Star Narcissus, is - | beautiful for cutting. - | - | Poet’s Narcissus have beautiful white petals, - | with golden and red center. - ---------------------+------------------------------------------------ - Cottage Garden* | Beautiful large flowers of all colors, making - (May-flowering) | the Spring garden bright and gay. - Tulips. | - | Plant bulbs 4 inches deep. - | - | Plants grow 18 to 24 inches high. - ---------------------+------------------------------------------------ - Darwin Tulips. | These beautiful, stately tulips grow two feet - | high and more. Large globe-shaped brilliant - | blooms. - | - | They come in all colors except yellow. - | - | Plant 4 inches deep. - ---------------------+------------------------------------------------ - Hy-a-cinths. | Plant only a few hyacinth bulbs, because they - | do not “winter over” well; new bulbs should be - | added every year, as the old ones deteriorate. - | - | Colors: pink, purple, white. - ---------------------+------------------------------------------------ - - * If garden space is small, select only the names - marked with a star. - - -SEVEN HARDY PERENNIAL PLANTS WHICH BLOOM IN THE EARLY SPRING - -As pictured in the Mary Frances Garden Cut-Out No. 1. - - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - | Botanical | | - Common Name. | Name. | Remarks. | Height. - | | | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Rock-cress. | Ar-a-bis | Little white flowers | 6-8 - | Al-pi-na. | blooming in early Spring. | inches. - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - English Daisies. | Bel-lis | Little white and pink | 3-6 - | Per-en-nis. | flowers, blooming in | inches. - | | April and May. | - | | | - | | Pretty among Poet’s | - | | Narcissus, or mixed in an | - | | edging. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Bleeding Hearts.* | Di-el-y-tra. | Pink heart-shaped drops | 24 - | | on graceful stem. | inches. - | | | - | | Raised from plants only. | - | | | - | | Buy clumps in the Fall. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Moss Pinks. | Phlox | White, rose, lilac, | 4-6 - | Sub-u-la-ta. | little flowers blooming | inches. - | | in April and May. | - | | | - | | Blooms make a carpet of | - | | flowers. | - | | | - | | Buy only a few plants as | - | | they soon spread. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Violets. | | There are native and | 4 - | | double Russian varieties. | inches. - | | | - | | Buy plants of | - | | sweet-scented double | - | | Russian variety. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Yellow Alyssum | A-lys-sum | Little yellow clustered | 12 - “Basket of Gold.” | Sax-a-tile. | heads of flowers. | inches. - | | | - | | Pretty for edging flower | - | | beds. | - | | | - | | Sow seed in August. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Wallflower. | | Not perfectly hardy in | 15 - | | all places. | inches. - | | | - | | Fragrant brown and yellow | - | | flowers. | - | | | - | | Plant seeds in August, in | - | | a protected southern | - | | corner, where they may | - | | “winter over” if the | - | | weather is not very | - | | severe. Plant needs sun. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - In order to obtain good Spring blooms, plant these flowers in August - of the Summer before, or earlier. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - - * If garden space is small, select only the names - marked with a star. - - -[Illustration: MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT - -No. 1 - - -EARLY SPRING HARDY GARDEN - -For directions for making, see Chapter LXII] - - MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT - No. 1 No. 1—_Continued_ - - For description of the flowers Hyacinths, - shown here see Chapter VII. Rock-cress, - English Daisies, - _List of flowers shown in the Bleeding Hearts, - Early Spring Hardy Garden_ Moss Pinks, - Violets, - Snowdrops, - Narcissus or - Daffodils, - - - Cottage Garden Tulips, Yellow Alyssum, - Darwin Tulips, Wall Flower. - - Sundial - - -[Illustration: MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT - -No. 2 - - -EARLY SUMMER HARDY GARDEN - -For directions for making, see Chapter LXII] - - - MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT - No. 2 No. 2—_Continued_ - - For description of the flowers Anchusa, - shown here see Chapter VII. Lupines, - Tufted Pansies, - _List of flowers shown in the Bleeding Hearts, - Early Summer Hardy Garden_ Hardy Candytuft, - Forget-me-not, - Yellow Alyssum, Perennial - Columbine, Cornflower. - German Iris, - Lily-of-the-Valley, - - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -EARLY SUMMER GARDEN - -LIST No. 2 - - -ELEVEN HARDY PERENNIAL PLANTS WHICH BLOOM IN THE EARLY SUMMER - -As pictured in the Mary Frances Garden Cut-Out No. 2. - - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - | Botanical | | - Common Name. | Name. | Remarks. | Height. - | | | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Yellow | A-lys-sum | See List No. 1 for | 12 - Alyssum.* | Sax-a-tile. | description. | inches. - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Columbine. |A-qui-le-gi-a.| Airy, graceful plants, | 18-24 - | | with spurred flowers, in | inches. - | | red, blue, violet, white, | - | | yellow. Buy the seed of | - | | “Long Spurred Hybrids.” | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - German Iris | I-ris | Lavender, purple, yellow, | 24-30 - (“Blue Flags”). | Ger-man-i-ca.| white. | inches. - | | | - | | “Corm” roots which | - | | “winter over” and take | - | | care of themselves, | - | | “coming” up every Spring | - | | in increased numbers. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Lily of the |Con-val-la- | Sweet-scented tiny white | 6 - Valley. | ria. | bells. | inches. - | | | - | | Buy clumps and roots in | - | | Spring or Fall. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Alkanet or | An-chu-sa | Buy “Dropmore” variety. | 36 - Bugloss. | I-tal-i-ca. | | inches. - | | Blue flowers. | - | | | - | | Buy the plants. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Lupines. | Lu-pi-nus. | Varieties in blue, white, | 24-28 - | | pink. | inches. - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Tufted Pansies.* | Vi-o-la | Sow seed early. | 5-8 - | Cor-nu-ti. | | inches. - | | Resemble pansies, not so | - | | large; but bloom all | - | | Summer. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Bleeding Hearts. | Di-el-y-tra. | See List No. 1 for | - | | description. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Hardy Candytuft.* | I-be-ris. | Buy “Iberis | 8-10 - | | Sempervirens”: white. | inches. - | | | - | | Pretty for edging. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Forget-me-Not. | My-o-so-tis. | Buy “Myosotis Palustris | 8-10 - | | Semperflorens.” Sky-blue | inches. - | | little flower. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Hardheads or | Cen-tau-re-a.| “Centaurea Montana” is | 2 - Knap Weeds. | | known as the Perennial | feet. - | | Cornflower. Bears large | - Perennial | | violet-blue flowers from | - Cornflower. | | July to September. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Rambler roses also bloom in early Summer. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - - * If garden space is small, select only the names - marked with a star. - -[Illustration: MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT - -No. 3 - - -MID-SUMMER HARDY GARDEN - -For directions for making, see Chapter LXII] - - - MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT - No. 3 No. 3—_Continued_ - - For description of the flowers Marguerites, - shown here see Chapter IX Coreopsis, - Gaillardia, - _List of flowers shown in the Hardy Phlox, - Mid-Summer Hardy Garden_ Hardy Pyrethrums, - Tufted Pansies, - Hardy Larkspur, Baby’s Breath, - Pæony, Hardy Candytuft, - Anchusa, Hollyhocks, - Bellflower, Veronica, - Madonna Lily, Japanese Bellflower, - Poppies, Summer Violet. - Foxglove, - Sweet William, - Hardy Garden Pinks, - - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -MID-SUMMER GARDEN - -LIST No. 3 - - -TWENTY-FOUR HARDY PERENNIAL PLANTS WHICH BLOOM IN MID-SUMMER - -As pictured in the Mary Frances Garden Cut-Out No. 3. - - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - | Botanical | | - Common Name. | Name. | Remarks. | Height. - | | | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Hardy Lark-spur.* |Del-phin-i-um.| Order plants of varieties | 24 - | | named, “Belladonna” and | inches. - | | “Formosum,” which are | - | | turquoise blue and dark | - | | blue. | - | | | - | | Buy the plants, or seeds. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Pæony. | | Bloom but once in the | 3 - | | season. | feet. - | | | - | | Beautiful showy large | - | | rose-like flowers. | - | | | - | | Foliage of plant dies | - | | down in Winter, coming up | - | | in young new “shoots” in | - | | the Spring. | - | | | - | | Colors: red, pink and | - | | white. | - | | | - | | There is also a “tree” | - | | variety. | - | | | - | | Most pæonies bloom in | - | | early Summer. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Alkanet or | An-chu-sa. | See List No. 2 for | - Bugloss. | | description. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Bellflower.* | Cam-pa-nu-la.| _Perennial Varieties_: | - | | (_a_) Campanula Carpatica | 8 - | | (Carpathian Hare-Bell). | inches. - | | Bloom from June to | - | | October. Blue. | - | | | - | | (_b_) Campanula | 2-3 - | | Persicafolia (Peach | feet. - | | Bells). One of the best. | - | | Large blue, and white | - | | varieties. | - | | | - | | (_c_) Campanula | 4-5 - | | Pyramidalis (The Chimney | feet. - | | Bellflower). Stately | - | | pyramid form plant, with | - | | many blue flowers. There | - | | is also a white variety. | - | | | - | | It is best to buy plants | - | | of the above. | - | | | - | | NOTE.—There are also | - | | biennial varieties of | - | | Campanula; namely, | - | | Campanula Medium or | - | | Canterbury Bells, and | - | | Campanula Calycanthema | - | | (Cup and Saucer). | - | | _Biennial_ means of two | - | | season’s duration. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Madonna Lily.* | Li-li-um | Pure white lilies, | 2-3 - | Can-di-dum. | resembling Easter Lilies, | feet. - | | growing on strong stems. | - | | Plant in the Fall (or | - | | possibly in the early | - | | Spring), 6 inches deep, | - | | preferably in the shade | - | | of some other perennial. | - | | Lay bulbs on the side | - | | when planting. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Oriental Poppy. | Pa-pa-ver | Very large showy poppies | 36 - |O-ri-en-tal- | in various colors. | inches. - | is. | | - | | Buy plants in clumps in | - | | August. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Foxglove. | Dig-i-tal-is.| See tall flowers pictured | 36 - | | on cover of this book. | inches. - | | | - | | Various colors. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Sweet William.* | Di-an-thus | Red, white and various | 18 - | Bar-ba-tus | colors. | inches. - | | | - | | See Garden for Little | - | | Folks. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Hardy Garden | Di-an-thus | Buy plants. | 6-12 - Pinks.* | Sem-per-flo- | | inches. - | rens. | Various colors. | - | | Old-fashioned favorites, | - | | with spicy odor. | - | | | - | | Excellent for cutting. | - | | | - | | Also: “Dianthus | - | | Latifolius Atcroccineus.” | - | | Hybrid Sweet-William, | - | | with brilliant crimson | - | | double flowers, blooming | - | | all Summer. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Iceland Poppy.* | Pa-pa-ver | Buy “Papaver Nudicaule” | 9-15 - | | mixed seed. | inches. - | | | - | | See description in Garden | - | | for Little Folks. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Marguerite.* | An-the-mis | Buy “Anthemis Tinctoria.” | 15 - | Tinc-to-ri-a.| | inches. - | | Color: yellow. | - | | | - | | Buy plant. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Coreopsis.* |Co-re-op-sis | See Garden for Little | 24 - |Lan-ce-o-la- | Folks for description. | inches. - | ta. | | - | | Buy plant. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Blanket Flower. |Gail-lard-i-a.| Buy Gaillardia | 24 - | | Grandiflora. Crimson and | inches. - | | yellow. | - | | | - | | See Garden for Little | - | | Folks. | - | | | - | | Sow seed early. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Hardy Phlox.* | | _Phlox Suffruticosa_ are | - | | the Early-flowering Hardy | - | | Phlox. | - | | | - | | _Phlox Decussata_ are the | - | | later Hardy Phlox, and | - | | are the variety most | - | | used. | - | | | - | | All colors: Crimson, | - | | white, salmon pink, etc. | - | | | - | | See List of Hardy | - | | Perennials for Little | - | | Folks Garden. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Hardy | Py-re-thrum | Red, rose, white flowers. | 18-24 - Pyrethrums.* | Hy-brid-um. | | inches. - | | See Garden for Little | - | | Folks. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Tufted Pansies.* | Vi-o-la | See List No. 2 for | 3-6 - | Cor-nu-ti. | description. | inches. - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Baby’s Breath. |Gyp-so-phi-la | Tiny white misty flowers, | 20-30 - |Pa-nic-u-la- | beautiful to use in | inches. - | ta. | bouquets, making a | - | | “cobwebby” filmy spray | - | | over the flowers. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Hardy Candytuft. | I-be-ris | White low-growing | 8-10 - | Sem-per-vi- | flowers. | inches. - | rens. | | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Hollyhocks.* | | A grandmother’s | 5-8 - | | favorite—picturesque in | feet. - | | a garden background. Red, | - | | white, yellow, rose, | - | | pink. | - | | | - | | Cut down the stalks when | - | | the seeds are dry. | - | | | - | | Plant seeds; they will | - | | bloom the next season. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Speedwell. | Ve-ron-i-ca. | Blue, rose, white. | 12-24 - | | | inches. - | | Plant seeds in August. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Hybrid Tea Roses. | | See Chapter XXXV on | - | | Roses. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Japanese |Plat-y-co-don.| Blue, and white flowers; | - Bellflower. | | deep-cupped and star | - | | shaped. Buds resemble | - Balloon | | tiny balloons. Easily | - Flower. | | grown. Buy plants. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Yellow Day Lily. |Hem-e-ro-cal- | Yellow and orange tall | 18-36 - | lis. | lilies. | inches. - | | | - | | These are not pictured in | - | | the Cut-outs, but are | - | | very similar to the | - | | madonna lily in form. | - | | They will grow in the | - | | shade. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Summer Violet. | Vi-o-la | Resembles single violets, | 4 - | Cor-nu-ti | and very desirable, for | inches. - | Pur-pu-re-a. | flowers appear when | - | | blooming season of | - | | violets is passed. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - - * If garden space is small, select only the names - marked with a star. - - Turn to Chapter LX on “Garden Color-Pictures,” to read - about combinations of color for the garden. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -AUTUMN GARDEN - -LIST No. 4 - - -THIRTEEN HARDY PERENNIAL PLANTS WHICH BLOOM IN THE EARLY AND LATE FALL - -As pictured in the Mary Frances Garden Cut-Out No. 4. - - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - | Botanical | | - Common Name. | Name. | Remarks. |Height. - | | | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Hardy Larkspur. | Del-phin-i-um.| See List No. 3 for | - | | description. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Monks Hood. | Ac-o-ni-tum. | Curiously shaped blue and | 3-5 - | | white flowers. Will grow | feet. - | | in shade. | - | | | - | | Buy the plants. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Hardy Phlox.* | | See List of Hardy | - | | Perennials for Little | - | | Folks Garden. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Sneezewort. | He-len-i-um. | Yellow, old-gold, | 36 - | | changing to terra-cotta, |inches. - | | daisy-like flowers. | - | | | - | | Buy “Riverton Gem,” | - | | “Riverton Beauty.” | - | | | - | | Plant seed in August, or | - | | buy the plants. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Hardy Asters* | Mich-ael-mas | See Garden for Little | 36 - (“Starwort”). | Dai-sies. | Folks for description. |inches. - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Hardy | | All colors except blue | 15-24 - Chrysanthemums.* | | and purple. |inches. - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Wind Flower. | A-nem-o-ne | Rose, pink, white | 2-4 - | Ja-pon-i-ca. | flowers. If grown from | feet. - | | seed, protect with | - | | shade-cover until | - | | started. | - | | | - | | Cover well in the Fall | - | | with straw or leaves. | - | | Will not grow in all | - | | soils. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Blanket Flower. | Gail-lard-i-a.| See Garden for Little | - | | Folks for description. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Coreopsis.* | | See Garden for Little | - | | Folks for description. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Red Hot Poker. | Tri-to-ma. | Yellow-orange-scarlet | 36 - | | showy flowers hanging |inches. - Flame Flower. | | downward in long clusters | - | | on “spike” heads. | - Torch Lily. | | | - | | Buy plants. Not shown in | - | | the Cut-Out. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Tufted Pansies. | Vi-o-la | See List No. 3 for | - | Cor-nu-ta. | description. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Hybrid Tea Roses. | | See Chapter XXXV on | - | | Roses. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------- - Thoroughwort.* |Eu-pa-to-ri-um.| See Garden for Little | - | | Folks for description. | - ------------------+---------------+---------------------------+------— - NOTE.—Most seed houses furnish collections of seeds of Wild Flowers. - They may be had in tall-growing and dwarf varieties for a very - reasonable price. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - - * If garden space is small, select only the names - marked with a star. - - -[Illustration : MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT No. 4 - - -EARLY AND LATE FALL HARDY GARDEN - -For directions for making, see Chapter LXII] - -MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUT - -No. 4 - -For description of the flowers shown here see Chapter X. - -_List of flowers shown in the Early and Late Fall Hardy Garden_ - - Hardy Larkspur, - Monk’s Hood, - Hardy Phlox, - Helenium, - Hardy Asters, - Hardy Chrysanthemums, - Anemone, - Japanese Wind Flower, - Gaillardia, - Coreopsis, - Tufted Pansies, - Eupatorium. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -SOME FAVORITE ANNUALS - - - A few Annuals may well be added to these lists. Even - though Annuals must be planted every Spring, there are - many worth the trouble; in fact, a garden would look - lonesome without some of the old favorites. - - A very convenient arrangement is to give one bed in the - vegetable garden to the starting of Annuals. - - The plants may be moved, when some size, to the hardy - garden, near the place of some of the Perennials - which die down; for instance, hyacinths, tulips, and - other bulbs. Indeed, those having short roots may be - placed directly over the bulbs after their leaves have - withered and dried. - - A border of low-growing Annuals along the vegetable - beds makes the vegetable garden a place of beauty. - - If you live where there is snow in Winter, in order to - have early Summer blooms, the seeds must be started - early, under glass protection, in a sunny window, or in - a hotbed. A box with a glass cover is a good substitute - for a hotbed. If the seeds of Annuals are planted out - of doors, they rarely bloom before Mid-Summer, while - many Perennials, which have been out all Winter, bloom - in early Spring. Select from the following lists the - flowers which from the description are most pleasing to - you. - - -LIST OF FIFTEEN ANNUALS - - (All may be raised from seeds. They do not “winter - over.”) - - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - | Botanical | | - Common Name. | Name. | Remarks. | Height. - | | | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Cockscomb.* |Cin-e-ra-ri-a.| Crimson, showy flowers | 24 - | | easily grown. Resemble | inches. - | | the comb of a rooster. | - | | | - | | Bloom in the Fall. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Princess Feather. | Ce-lo-si-a | Yellow and crimson, | About - | Plu-mo-sa. | feathering spikes of | 2½ - Feathered | | bloom. | feet. - Cockscomb. | | | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Youth-and-Old- | Zin-ni-as. | All brilliant colors. | 2 - Age.* | | | feet. - | | Bloom late in Fall. | - | | | - | | Easily raised. | - | | Large-flowering Dwarf are | - | | the best seeds to plant. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Mad Wort.* | Sweet | Charming edging plant. | 4 - | A-lys-sum. | Tiny white thick flower | inches. - | | heads. | - | | | - | | Buy “Little Gem.” | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Wild Cucumber | | A rapid Annual Climber. | - Vine. | | | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Floss Flower. | A-ger-a-tum. | Blooms from early Summer | 12-15 - | | to late Fall. | inches. - | | | - | | Buy “Blue Perfection;” | - | | small blue flossy flowers | - | | which grow in thick | - | | clusters. Excellent for | - | | blue among cut flowers. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Snapdragon* |An-tir-rhi- | Resemble sweet peas, | 18 - (“Biennial” | num. | but are easily cared for; | inches. - plants). | | need no trellis or | - | | support. Excellent for | - | | cutting, having stout | - | | stems. Sow in February or | - | | March in seed-boxes. | - | | Bloom from July to | - | | November. Best variety; | - | | large Flowering Half | - | | Dwarf. | - | | | - | | Colors: garnet, red, | - | | rose, pink, copper, | - | | orange, yellow, white. | - | | Plants sometimes sow | - | | their own seed for next | - | | season. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Scarlet Sage. | Sal-vi-a | Brilliant red bloom from | 24 - | Splen-dens. | Summer through Fall. Too | in. - | | harsh a shade for a | - | | border plant. Use only in | - | | a mass in the garden. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Cornflowers.* | Cen-tau-re-a | Sometimes called: | 15 - | Cy-an-us. | “Bachelor’s Buttons,” | inches. - | | “Blue Bottle,” “Ragged | - | | Robin.” | - | | | - | | Buy “Double Blue” | - | | variety. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Nasturtiums. | | Orange, yellow, salmon | 10 - | | color. | inches. - | | | - | | Buy “Dwarf” variety. | - | | | - | | Excellent for edging. | - | | | - | | There is a tall growing | - | | variety which clings to a | - | | support, or “climbs.” | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Cosmos. | | See Garden for Little | - | | Folks for description. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Verbenas. | | Buy sweet-scented | 18-24 - | | verbenas which come in | inches. - | | red, rose, pink, purple, | - | | lavender, white. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Four-o’Clocks. | Mi-rab-i-lis | Do well everywhere. | 2 - | Jal-ap-a. | | feet. - | | Mixed colors. Give each | - | | plant twelve inches of | - | | room. Interesting because | - | | often visited by humming | - | | birds. | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - Mourning Bride. | Sca-bi-o-sa. | | - | | | - Pincushion | | | - Flower. | | | - ------------------+--------------+---------------------------+-------- - - * If garden space is small, select only the names - marked with a star. - - Note: For description of Sweet Peas, see page 356. - - Our grandmothers loved also lady slippers, heliotrope, - mignonette; but the perennial flowers have taken the - place of many old-fashioned Annuals because they - require less care. - - Among the most interesting Annuals are— - - -EVERLASTING FLOWERS - - which may be dried and will keep their color for years. - They make charming winter decorations for the table. - There are several varieties. - - Do not try all of the varieties named, but select from - the descriptions the one or two which would be most - pleasing to you. - - --------------------+----------------------------------------+-------- - | | - Common Name. | Different Varieties. | Height. - | | - --------------------+----------------------------------------+-------- - Everlasting Flowers | A-cro-lin-i-um. Pretty white and | 15 - or “Immortelles” | rosy-pinkflowers, which should be cut | inches. - (pronounced | and dried while in the bud state. | - im-mor-tél). | | - | Hel-i-chry-sum (Strawflower). One of | 30 - | thebest “Everlasting” flowers. Plant | inches. - | 12 inches apart. Mixed colors. | - | | - | Xer-an-the-um. One of the prettiest of | - | “Everlastings.” Purple, white, rose. | - | | - | Globe Am-a-ranth (Bachelor’s Buttons). | 12 - | Resemble clover heads in white and | inches. - | purple. | - --------------------+----------------------------------------+-------- - - In drying “Everlasting” Flowers, make a paper flower - holder in the following manner: - -[Illustration] - - -PAPER FLOWER HOLDER - - 1. Cut a large square from a heavy piece of paper. - Eight inches is a good size. - - 2. Fold the paper across four times, as shown by the - dotted lines in figures 1, 2, 3, 4. - - 3. Cut along dotted line A-B, figure 5. - - 4. Open to form figure 6. Clip a tiny piece off the - point, and clip along the edges as shown. - - 5. Spread the paper open. Set it over the mouth of deep - vase or jar, and let the stems of the “Everlastings” - hang full length through the little openings cut in the - holder until dried. This method of dried Everlasting - flowers gives long straight stems. - -“Some list, that,” said Billy at length, “and we haven’t yet thought of -what we will plant in the - - -VEGETABLE GARDEN - -See Chapter LVIII, “Some Hints on Growing Vegetables.” - - Peas - *Onions - *Parsley (Dwarf Curly) - *Tomatoes - *Lettuce - *Thyme - Peppers - Potatoes - *Radishes - Carrots - Beets - Beans—Stringless - Beans—Bush Limas - Corn - Leeks - Cucumbers - Sweet Basil—a soup herb - -* If garden space is small, select only the names marked with -a star. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -WINDOW BOXES - - -“WHY, Billy, the very thought of a garden like this almost frightens -me,” cried Mary Frances. “I don’t believe I ever, ever can remember -one-quarter of the names!” - -“Pshaw!” exclaimed Billy, “that’s just like a girl! I wouldn’t let -a few names scare me! Besides, there aren’t so many names; some are -_repeated_ in each list. That’s not a very difficult garden, if managed -just as Miss Gardiner explained.” - -“Oh, I’m not scared—exactly,” said Mary Frances, “not when I have such -a wonderful teacher, ahem! Professor Billy, when does my next lesson -come?” - -“Can’t promise,” said Billy not knowing whether to be pleased or vexed, -“next lesson begins work. Hello! I see by my note book, I’ve left out -a part of this lesson. I suppose it is because we’ve never had window -boxes that I overlooked this list.” - -“Window gardens are almost like a doll’s garden, it seems to me,” said -Mary Frances, as Billy started to read: - - -SUGGESTIONS FOR PLANTING OF WINDOW BOXES - - 1. Have the boxes made with small holes, or outlets, so - that there may be good drainage; for although plants - love to drink water, they do not enjoy having “soaking - wet feet” all the time. - - 2. In the bottom of the box place some pebbles or - broken stone; this, also, to make the drainage good. - - 3. Fill box with sifted sand and humus (or manure) very - much as for seed boxes. See Chapter XIV. - - - Following is a list of— - - -NINE EXCELLENT FREE-BLOOMING PLANTS FOR WINDOW BOXES - - (Most are annuals, easily started from seeds) - - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - Petunias. | Many beautiful colors. Sow the seeds indoors; the - | plants may be placed out as soon as danger of - | frost is passed. If seeds are saved, they should - | be taken from the weakest plants, as they will - | give better results than from stronger plants. - | - | Bloom until killed by frost. Buy double large - | flowering. - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - Zinnias | All colors except blue and purple. Buy “Dwarf - (”Youth-and-Old-Age“). | Double” varieties. Bloom late into the Fall. - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - Phlox Drummondi | Very many beautiful mixed colors. - (Annual Phlox). | - | Easily grown. - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - Sweet Alyssum. | Buy the tall variety, of trailing habit: “Alyssum - | Maritimum.” Plant near edges of box. - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - Cuphea (Cigar Plant). | Interesting little plant, growing one foot high. - | Little scarlet flowers, shape of hollow cigars, - | with black and white tip, resembling ashes. - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - Ageratum | Buy Dwarf Variety. See List of Annuals for - (Floss Flower). | description. - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - Verbenas. | Sweet-scented Verbenas. - | - | Colors: Rose, pink, white, purple, lavender, etc. - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - Vinca Major Varigata | Excellent for trailing over the edges of window - (“Variegated | boxes. - Periwinkle”). | - | Leaves glossy green with light green edges. - | - | Flowers, blue. - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - Geraniums. | Too well known to need description. Easily grown - | from “cuttings.” - | - | See Chapter XXXV. - | - | Do not expect geraniums to bloom the year round. - | Give them rest in Winter or Summer by pinching - | off the buds. - -----------------------+-------------------------------------------------- - - One of the prettiest shallow window boxes is planted - with Violas in mixed colors, with “Tom Thumb” Alyssum - for edging. - -“Oh, Billy, will you build me a window box soon for my play house?” -asked Mary Frances with enthusiasm. - -“Will I? Indeed, Mary Frances, what do you think! I don’t believe -you’ll find another fellow——” - -“Oh, Billy, I didn’t think! I didn’t! You’re so good to give me these -lessons! I’ll wait until later for the window box.” - -“You’d better,” said Billy; “you interrupted my notes. There is just -one more flower mentioned in these lists. It is— - - -------------+--------------------------------------------------------- - Lemon Verbena| An old-fashioned favorite, because of the sweet-scented - (not hardy). | foliage. It is better grown in the garden than in - | window boxes. The flowers are insignificant, but the - | lemon-scented leaves are a delight. - -------------+--------------------------------------------------------- - -“Some ‘Lemon verbena’ I shall have!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “I -remember it well in Grandma’s garden, don’t you?” - -“I remember it, but I remember another sweet-scented leaf better: - - -----------+---------------------------------------------------------- - Ber-ga-mot.| Hardy, easily grown. - | - | Flowers: Brilliant red; pretty, but not beautiful. Leaves - | very fragrant. Humming birds often gather nectar from the - | flowers. - -----------+---------------------------------------------------------- - -“Oh, Billy, I remember that, too. Wasn’t it lovely! I know Grandma will -give me some roots. Now, let’s begin the next lesson. I am so anxious -to get to the place where I really begin to do something!” - -“Well, you could do something right away,” said Billy. “You could start -in this box which I filled with earth yesterday, and hung outside your -play house window——” - -“Oh, Billy!” breathed Mary Frances, “I didn’t see it! My, how pleased I -am!” - -“Humm!” Billy acknowledged her gratitude and continued: “You could -start— - - -AN HERB-GARDEN WINDOW BOX - -A SOUP-AND-SAUCE GARDEN - - -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- - Parsley. | See List of Vegetables for Little Folks’ Garden. - -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- - Sage. | A savory herb. Buy the plant. It grows about 15 inches - | tall. - -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- - Mint. | Used for “mint sauce.” Easily grown. Buy the plant. - -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- - Chives. | Somewhat like small delicate green onion tops. Bear a - | pretty blue flower. Buy clump of roots. - -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- - Thyme. | Edge the box with thyme. - | - | See List of Vegetables for Little Folks’ Garden. - -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- - -“I’ll start it immediately,” declared Mary Frances, who was very fond -of cooking, “I’ll get my purse and go to the florist’s right now to buy -the plants.” - -“Good-bye, then!” called Billy, “I’ve done my part. My next help is in -eating the soup—or sauce!” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -BILLY TESTS THE SOIL - - -“DO you suppose, Professor—I mean Billy—do you imagine we can keep the -garden a secret?” - -The early Spring day was so lovely that the children were sitting in -the summer house. - -“I guess the folks will suspect something,” answered Billy, “when they -see us digging and spading, but they won’t for a moment think of all -we’re planning to do.” - -“They can’t help seeing things grow,” Billy went on, “but how little -they’ll expect you to come in some day with radishes and lettuce from -your own garden.” - -“You’re just like Feather Flop!” exclaimed Mary Frances. - -“Well, I like that!” - -“I mean,” Mary Frances caught her breath, “I mean you think only of -the vegetables, and forget that I will bring in a beautiful bouquet of -flowers for the table.” - -“Oh, to be sure,” nodded Billy, “but you won’t have either unless we -begin the next lesson. The first thing after making out the list, so -our professor told us, is to understand about the soil. He said that -after knowing what to plant, we must learn how to plant. So let us go -have a look at the soil near the play house.” - -In front of the play house, Billy caught up a handful of earth. - -“Listen, Mary Frances,” he said, earnestly, “let us examine this -closely. To test the soil is the most important point in gardening, as -you will readily see after you have heard— - - -GARDEN LESSON No. 3 - -TESTING THE SOIL - - There are very few places where the soil is “just - right” for plants. - - In order to find out what kind of soil is in your - garden, you may make a little test by squeezing some - tight in your hand. - - Almost any soil, if very damp, will “hold together;” - that is, if a handful is squeezed, it will stay in the - shape of the hand, so do not make the test until two or - three days after a rain, when it will be quite dry. - - -CLAYEY SOIL - - If, in a couple of days after a rain, the soil is - sticky, something like putty, and a squeezed handful - holds together, and shows the marks of your fingers, it - is clayey soil. - - Now, if the soil in your garden is clayey, it will - never, never do for plant babies. No indeed! - - You see, it holds so close together that the little - roots cannot push it apart, and cannot grow. So to - clayey soil you must add something which will lighten - it up; like sand, or even coal ashes, or stable manure - which contains a large quantity of straw. - - Deep digging and forking help a lot, too, in breaking - up the tight hold which clay grains have upon each - other. Sometimes that in itself will make the clay - sufficiently light. - - -SANDY SOIL - - Little plant babies are so delicate that a very sandy - bed would not do for them either, for a rain might wash - away the soil from their roots. - - All plants are very particular, and grow best if their - bed is “just right.” - - So, if in a couple of days after a rain, a squeezed - handful of your garden soil will not hold together at - all, and sifts through your fingers, heavier material - must be added. - - A little clay worked into the sand and run over with a - roller helps; but there is something even better—it is - stable manure. - - -HUMUS - - Stable manure[C] not only helps hold sandy soil - together and lightens clayey soils, but it contains a - very great deal of plant food in the form of humus, and - without humus all the other plant food in the soil is - of very little value to the plant. - - -WHAT HUMUS IS - - I know you are going to ask me what humus is; but first - I want to ask you to think what the soil is. Yes, dirt, - that is right; but dirt came from where? - - For the most part from broken and crumbled-up rock, for - this earth was once nearly all of rock. - - But dirt or soil is not only rotten and broken and - crumbled-up rock, as you will see in one minute. - - Do you remember how the leaves fell off the tree last - Autumn, and how the grass died down? What became of the - leaves and grass? - - They died, yes, and turned into leaf mold, which is one - form of humus. - - You have guessed right, Mary Frances. Humus is decayed - vegetable matter. - - -WHAT HUMUS DOES - - Humus mixed with water makes humus soup, which is the - very best kind of plant food, and the plant babies love - it. They drink it through their roots, you know. - - Not only does humus help with the matter of food, but - it holds moisture in the soil, and in some almost magic - way makes other plant food into a form which the plant - can use. - - Of course, you wish to give your plants the best kind - of food, and of course you will want humus. - - But suppose you cannot readily get stable manure, or - leaf mold from the woods, why then, you can make humus. - Every day the very things you need to make humus may be - going to waste. - - -TO MAKE A COMPOST HEAP - - Save all the vegetable tops, leaves, grass, etc. Pile - them up and let them decay. When decayed, they are - humus. - - Another way to make a compost heap is to dig grass sods - about eight inches square, and make them into a pile - about two feet high, with layers of earth and manure - between, and let stand in the weather to decay. Turn - over when decayed. When wanted for use, cut some down, - knock apart and spread. - - You have heard of sowing rye or oats, and “ploughing - the crop under” to enrich the soil; this makes humus - out of the green rye or oats and their roots. - - The plant baby and big plants, too, need many different - kinds of food, but the most important is humus. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[C] Manure should be well rotted, otherwise plants cannot make use of -it, for they must have food that has been “broken down,” so that the -plant roots can take up what they need. - -Manure that is rotted has been piled up and left out in the weather -with a board or two for cover to shed water. The pile has been turned -over once a month, and dampened when dry. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -HOW TO PLANT - - -“OH, yes,” continued Billy “I’m going to tell you how the plants eat, -and why they are so fond of plant-food soup, and why they like bones -(of course, for soup! that is right); but I think you would prefer that -story later on, and would rather talk now about— - - -GARDEN TOOLS - - The best small garden tools are a “Ladies’ Set,” for - they are strong and yet small and pleasant to handle. - - A fork for digging; a rake and a hoe and a “cultivator” - are necessary. - - -TO DIG UP THE GARDEN - - 1. Drive the fork down into the ground, with your left - foot on top of the prongs, and lift the clod of earth - high enough to turn over. - - 2. After dropping it, “spank” it apart into little - lumps and dust. - - Commence this work at the back of the garden, and step - backward over the untouched earth, until you have - covered the entire plot. Begin at the left-hand corner - “A” and across to the right. - - In this way, you will not step on the loosened soil, - nor pack it down. - - Of course, in large fields, this work is done with a - plow. - -[Illustration: SPADING THE GARDEN] - - -TO PREPARE THE SOIL - - 1. Spread humus or manure, or both, all over the - surface and dig it in, in the same manner in which you - first dug up the garden, if you wish to be entirely - certain of having success. - - But even then, the soil is not fine enough. No. I see - you shake your head. But, Mary Frances, if you want a - lovely garden, you must get the garden table ready for - the plant roots in the most enticing way. - - 2. Next, take your rake and “comb” the earth to and fro - until it is all light and feathery. - - Of course, in large fields, this work of raking is done - with a harrow. - - 3. After planting the seeds, pat the soil down firmly - so that it will be firm enough for the little rootlets - to “get a hold,” yet will be movable so that they may - grow. - - -TO PLANT SEEDS IN BOXES - - Little seeds are not always started, or planted, out of - doors. - - Instead, early in the Spring, seeds are often started - in boxes in a sunny window, or in hotbeds. (See Chapter - LVII.) - - We’ll make a hotbed of our own one of these days, Mary - Frances, but at present we’ll have to be satisfied with - seed boxes. - - -PREPARING THE SOIL - - 1. For starting seeds indoors, use shallow boxes, - placed in a sunny window. - - Cigar boxes are of a convenient size for children to - use. The soil should be fine and rich in humus. - - 2. Sift some soil from the compost heap, or some leaf - loam (soil from the woods), or some well rotted stable - manure,[D] through a large mesh sieve (ash sifter) and - mix with the same amount of fine sand. - - 3. Fill the boxes with this mixture; water it well with - a fine sprinkler. - - -SOWING THE SEED BOXES - - 1. Sow the seeds thinly, sprinkle them like pepper from - a shaker on the surface, and over them spread a very, - very little sand. - - 2. If possible, cover the box with glass to prevent - the soil from drying, but let the _air into the box by - tilting the glass_ on one side, using a cork on the - edge. - - -WATERING THE SEED BOXES - - 1. Do not water often, but when necessary to do so, use - the finest sprinkler possible. - - 2. Water seed boxes in the morning. For if watered at - night, the tiny plants may “damp off,” or mildew. - -“Oh,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “how careful a gardener has to be! What -lovely beds must be made for little seeds!” - -“Exactly so,” agreed Billy. “I see you get the point of the lesson. It -is really about how to make the beds for the seed babies.” - -“The dear little things,” said Mary Frances. “Billy, I had no idea how -easily I would learn to love the thought of them.” - -“Well, then you’ll enjoy the next lesson,” said Billy, turning over -the leaves of his note book. “Our professor told us next a good deal -about the seed babies.” - -“Can’t we go right on now with that lesson?” asked Mary Frances, in -delight at the willingness of Billy to teach her. - -“I guess so,” replied Billy, looking at his watch. “The ball team -doesn’t meet until two-thirty.” - -FOOTNOTE: - -[D] Manure is sold by the pound in powdered form by all leading seed -houses. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE OUTDOOR SEED-BED - - -“LET me see,” said Billy. “What lesson is this?” - -“It’s the fourth lesson,” Mary Frances counted on her fingers. “I -remember perfectly.” - -“Right you are,” replied Billy, rising and bowing; “and I shall begin -this lecture by reciting a little piece of poetry, called— - - -TWO LITTLE ACORNS - - Two little acorns - Sitting on a stem— - One little acorn - Says, “Ahem!” - Other little acorn - Says, “Oh-ho! - I wonder, now, - What makes us grow? - - “I don’t know, - But this I see; - It must be someone - Wiser than we.” - Other little acorn - Says, “Oh-ho! - Indeed, indeed, - That must be so!” - -Billy made a deep bow, and Mary Frances clapped her hands; then Billy -opened his note book, cleared his throat, and began: - - -GARDEN LESSON No. 4 - -THE OUTDOORS SEED-BED - - Having found how to get the outdoors seed-bed ready, we - will next learn how to plant the seed. - - Of course, you have made your list of the seeds needed, - and have received them from the dealer. - - If possible, it is best to run the planting of the rows - or drills north and south so that _the sun will shine_ - upon the rows of plants all day, from the east in the - mornings; from the west in the afternoons. - - You will need a garden line to make a straight first - row. - - -TO MAKE A GARDEN LINE - - 1. Cut two sticks about as large around as a broom - handle, each eighteen inches long. - - 2. Point the ends so that they may be easily stuck into - the ground. - - 3. Tie one end of a strong twenty-five foot cord to - each stick. Roll the cord on the stick. - - -TO USE THE GARDEN LINE - - 1. Decide where you wish the first row of plants to - grow. - - 2. Push the stick, not having the roll of cord, down - into the ground at the end of this imaginary row. - - 3. With the other stick in hand walk back, unrolling - the cord until you reach the other end of the imaginary - row of little plants. Try to make this row very - straight, as all the other rows will be measured from - it. - - By the way, this row should be quite near the edge of - the bed, so that you will not have to step on the loose - “feathery” soil. - - 4. Drive the other stick down into the earth, drawing - the cord tight. - - -PLANTING IN DRILLS - - 1. Prepare the rake to mark the little rows, or drills, - for the seed. Have ready three good-sized corks. Stick - the middle tooth of the rake half way through one cork. - - 2. Do the same to the two end teeth. - - 3. Run one end tooth of the rake along the stretched - garden line keeping all the teeth parallel with the - line. Continue to use the rake across the entire bed. - This is a convenient method of getting straight rows. - Make the drills (hollows) about a half inch deep. - - -BROADCASTING - - Seed are often not sowed in “drills,” but are - “broadcast;” where plants are to be thinned out when - they come up, and not to be transplanted, the _drills_ - are better. - - _Broadcasting_ is throwing the seeds lightly over the - surface of the ground, so that each will fall a little - way apart from the other, like sprinkling with pepper - from a pepper shaker. - - -COVERING THE SEEDS - - After the seeds are sown, draw the earth lightly over - them either with your hands or with the back of the - rake. It is best to sow seeds just before a rain, - except when the seeds are very small; then, just after - a rain. If there is no rain, sprinkle lightly, but - thoroughly dampen the earth. - - Pat the earth down gently with the palms of your hands - or with a board. - - A board is much the better if seed has been broadcast. - - The reason? Oh, yes, the reason is that the soil will - be too light and airy unless firmed. - - The little seed rootlets need close-packed light earth, - with no lumps. Just imagine how tiny they are, and how - near to them must be the tiny grains of sand for them - to take hold on. - - -TO MARK THE BEDS - - After the seeds are planted, drive down at the ends of - the first and last rows little stakes, marked with the - names of the kind of seed planted in the section. - -“Perhaps you think you will remember what kinds of seed you’ve planted; -but one is never certain. Once I thought I had planted carrots and when -the plants grew, I had beets. It is not safe to try to remember. - -“So much, then, for how to put seed babies into their beds. - -“By and by, they are going to wake up, and we must understand how to -take care of them. The best way to learn how to take care of them is to -find out what they are, and what they need.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -SEED BABIES AND THEIR NURSES - - -“FIRST of all, we must understand that the seed has a coat which holds -the living, sleeping baby. You see, the baby itself is so tiny and -delicate that it would not be safe for it to be out without its seed -coat. The wind and the sun would soon dry it up and kill it; then, too, -it would die of hunger, for it is too little to find its own food. So -its mother wraps the baby up in its strong seed coat, and puts its food -in beside it, in the same coat. And there the seed baby lies sound -asleep until—until everything is just right for it to wake up. The time -it likes best to awaken is in Spring, when the weather is getting warm. - - -SEED BABIES IN THEIR COATS - - You will put your seed babies, coats and all, into the - warm ground early in the Spring, when they will feel - like growing. Then you will dampen them, for without - moisture and food, the seed baby will not wake up. The - moisture swells the seed coat, and wakens the baby, and - gets the food ready for the baby to eat. - - The baby begins to eat the food its mother put inside - the seed coat; it stretches itself, and pretty soon - sends down into the earth a “teeny-weeny” rootlet. This - rootlet takes a little food from the earth up to the - baby. Oh, yes, plant soup, that is the kind of food it - takes. Plant soup is mixed earth and water. - - How good it is for the plant child, depends on how - sweet the soil is, and how much humus or compost - or manure food is in the soup. Humus soup tastes - wonderfully good to the baby plant. - - -COTYLEDONS - - Well, not only does the baby plant send down this tiny - rootlet, but its tiny stem grows upward, and bursts - through the seed coats and show two tiny leaves. - - The two tiny leaves which appear on top of this stem, - while down in the soil grew larger, threw open the - seed coat, and came up to the surface for the air and - sunshine. - - These leaves are called the seed-leaves, or - cŏt-ŷ-lē´-dŏns. They are not the true leaves of the - plant baby, but are nurse-leaves which go ahead of the - leaves of the baby plant, and really hold the true leaf - of the baby between them. - - These nurse-leaves take care of and feed the tiny plant - baby until it can send out its own tiny leaves to - gather air and digest food for itself. - - If you pull up a Lima Bean Seed Baby after it has - started to grow you will see the nurse-leaves. - - No plant should be moved or transplanted until at least - two true leaves, or leaves of its own, not nurse-leaves - (cotyledons), have appeared. - - Of course, when the little plants first come up there - will be so many that each will choke the other, and so - we must learn about— - - -THINNING OUT THE PLANTS - - When the little plants are about two inches high, pull - up all the weak plants, leaving the stronger ones from - one to six inches apart, according to the kind of - plants. - - The little plants will need moisture, too—not just - “watering,” but the moisture which lies far beneath - the surface, and which can only be had by keeping the - surface soil in good condition, so as when the plants - grow one of the most important things we have to learn - to do is— - - -TO CULTIVATE - - “Cultivating” means breaking up the soil where it - hardens about the plant. _It is the most important part - of gardening_ after planting, except “thinning out.” - - Cultivating is done by use of the hoe and “cultivator,” - the rake-like tool which has but few prongs. Draw the - cultivator between the rows of plants every day or two. - Use the hoe in smaller spaces. Use the hoe to chop down - weeds below the surface of the ground, being careful - not to cut into the roots of the garden plants. - - In breaking up the hard soil, or “cultivating,” the - weeds are destroyed, but hard soil is a worse enemy - of plant babies than weeds even, although every child - knows how dreadful it is for a garden to let weeds - steal all the food from the baby plants. - - { air, - Baby plants need { food, - { moisture. - - Now if there is a hard crust of soil around the roots, - they cannot get the _air_; so we _cultivate_ or break - up the hard soil to give them air. - - Baby plants cannot get _food_ if big strong weeds steal - it from them; so we _cultivate_ to kill the weeds. - - Baby plants need _moisture_, perhaps more than anything - else, so we cultivate; for cultivating keeps in the - moisture that is down in the soil. I will explain this - in a very little while. - - So you see _Cultivating_ is the most important garden - work. - - -WATERING - - Perhaps you think watering the garden most important. - If so, you are mistaken. Yes, the garden must be - watered from time to time; but when it is watered - it should be drenched soaking wet, never sprinkled - a little every day or two. One soaking in a week - is better than a light sprinkling every day. Light - sprinkling brings the roots to the surface, where the - sun dries them up in a short time. On the other hand, - the rain or a thorough drenching soaks down, down, - down, into the earth, where it is stored up for future - use. - - -THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTIVATING - - Now, I am going to tell you why cultivating is so - important in regard to moisture. - - If the soil is all soft and fine and loose, the rain - can easily run down through it to the roots. - - If it were hard, the water would run off to lower - ground. That’s easily understood. - - But immediately after the rain, when the sun comes out - and the wind blows, the surface of the soil begins to - dry. - - Then the sun “coaxes” and “pulls” the water up, up, up, - to the surface it has dried, something like the way you - pull the juice of an orange up through a stick of lemon - candy. Now let me ask you—could you pull much orange - juice through the stick of candy if the stick of candy - were crumbled or broken apart at the top? No, you could - not. - - Neither can the sun pull the moisture up through the - tiny little tubes in the soil if we break those little - tubes and crumble the tops into dust. No, you need not - look for these tubes, Mary Frances; they are too tiny - for you to see, but they act very much like blotting - paper to bring the under moisture up to the surface, - and unless they are broken and crumbled, the deep earth - moisture goes sailing off into the air to meet the sun, - as fast as if it ran out of a little spigot running it - off, and the poor plant baby dries up for want of deep - moisture near its roots. - - How shall we break these tubes (the sun’s lemon candy - stick)? - - Yes, that’s right, Mary Frances! - - By CULTIVATION. - - * * * * * - -“Jiminy! what a long lesson!” exclaimed Billy, wiping his forehead, -“What’re you going to do for me, Mary Frances, for all this wonderful -instruction?” - -“I’ll give a dinner in your honor, Professor, and let you invite whom -you please.” - -“On one condition,” said Billy, “that every thing we have will come out -of your garden!” - -“Agreed!” - -“To-morrow we begin real work and put into practice some of these -remarkable lectures,” added Billy earnestly. - -“Oh, how glad I am!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Billy, it seems too -wonderful! My, I’m glad Mother and Father sent you away to school, -though I did miss you terribly, but you learned such a lot that it -makes up for it.” - -“Augh! Mary Frances, you make a fellow feel queer, I wasn’t such a -perfect little _angel_ in _school_.” - -“Oh, certainly not, certainly not, Billy,” laughed Mary Frances, -“that’s the wonder of it—to think a bad boy like you could learn so -much, that’s the puzzle to me.” - -“Humm!” said Billy to himself as he looked after Mary Frances’ fleeting -figure, “It’s lucky for that girl that I’m a scout.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -NAMES OF PARTS OF FLOWERS - - -THE children worked in the garden early and late for days, and if the -grown-ups in the big house suspected they were gardening, they did not -hint that they thought of such a thing. - -Billy spaded, and Mary Frances planted, and Feather Flop looked on from -a distance whenever Billy was anywhere to be seen. - -One day, Mary Frances met him as she came to the compost heap, where -she was going to throw some weeds and grass cuttings. - -“Why, Feather Flop,” she exclaimed, “I haven’t seen you for -ever-so-long! Where have you been?” - -“I’ve been—I’ve been—watching,” said Feather Flop, “and when I’ve -thought I dared, I’ve weeded your garden; yes, I have. Haven’t you -noticed how few weeds there were?” he asked anxiously. - -“I have, Feather Flop, indeed I have; only the other day I said to -Billy, ‘I almost could imagine someone had been “cultivating” the -garden this morning.’” - -“That was the morning I got up before daylight, and went out there -and scratched, and scratched, where I felt _sure_ I would not disturb -anything which ought not to be disturbed,” said Feather Flop, delighted. - -“My,” said Mary Frances, “how perfectly dear of you, Feather Flop; I -can’t begin to tell you the wonderful fairy-story-feeling I have, to -know that all the time that Billy and I are studying and working, you -are so interested and kind, so anxious to help me!” - -“Oh, yes, dear Miss,” sighed the happy rooster; “but I certainly do -wish I could do more and be with you oftener.” - -“Never mind, Feather Flop,” said the little girl. “Some day when Billy -goes to town, we’ll spend the whole day together.” - -“Good!” cried Feather Flop, delighted. “Good! and now, please let me -show you where I found so many cutworms.” - -Mary Frances and he walked over to the garden. - -“Right there,” explained Feather Flop, going toward the tomato plants -and pointing with his wing: “right down there. About twenty, I guess -there were, and I had some difficulty——” - -“Get out of that garden, will you, Feather Flop!” roared Billy, -coming with a stick. “Say, Mary Frances, why don’t you chase that old -good-for-nothing rooster off? If he doesn’t look out——” - -“Oh, Billy,” cried Mary Frances. “Oh, Billy, you ought—he was—he has -eaten a lot of cutworms. I know he has! You don’t understand!” - -“I don’t understand! Well, I guess I don’t! Get out of here, you old -busybody of a rooster!” said Billy. - -Mary Frances felt so sorry about the rooster she couldn’t have helped -crying, and out came her handkerchief. - -“Oh, Billy,” she sobbed, “he’s so interested—in the—garden.” - -“I should say he is!” said Billy. “I should say so! But whatever can be -the matter with _you_, gets me! For pity’s sake, dry up those tears. I -was going to give you the next lesson.” - -At that Mary Frances dried her eyes. - -“Oh, were you, Billy—will you?” She was delighted. - -“Yes,” said Billy, “if you’ll stop weeping. The next lesson is a real -one in Botany, or the study of flowers and plants; and since I’ve -found these few buttercups, which I pressed in my collection of dried -flowers, if you wish, I shall begin— - - -GARDEN LESSON No. 5 - -NAMES OF PARTS OF FLOWERS - - Not all flowers have every part. The buttercup (or - better, the single geranium) is an excellent flower to - study to show the various parts. - - To learn the name of each part, our teacher told us— - - -THE STORY OF LITTLE BUTTERCUP - - Little Buttercup has on a yellow collar. - - Her collar is called a ~cô-rŏl-lá~. - - Her corolla collar is made of five scallops; each - scallop is called a ~pĕt´-al~. - - The petal scallops of Little Buttercup’s collar corolla - are held in place about her neck in a little green - cup-shaped holder. - - This holder is called a ~cā’-lŷx~, or cup. - - The calyx cup has five pointed scallops. - - Each scallop is called a ~sĕp´-ăl~. - - Little Buttercup wears not only a beautiful yellow - collar corolla made of shiny yellow petals, held in - place by the green sepals of the calyx cup, but she has - a lovely necklace of fringe close about her neck. - - Each thread of fringe is a stā´-men. - - Each stamen is made of a thread called a - ~fĭl´-ă-mĕnt~, and on the end of each filament - dangles a little bead, called an ~ăn´-thẽr~. - - Proud little Buttercup not only wears all of these - beautiful things, but she uses powder! - - On each anther bead Little Buttercup carries some - yellow powder. - - This powder is called ~pŏl´-len~. - - She must be very proud when she gets all dressed up - in the lovely Spring days in her best finery—a shiny - corolla collar, made of yellow petals, held in a - calyx cup, made of green sepals, and a stamen fringe - necklace, powdered with pollen! - - Oh, yes, she wears a lovely dress of green lacey - leaves. The leaf is made strong, just as children are, - by a bone, a leaf-bone or a ~mid-rib~. - - All other flowers dress in a similar way, but not every - flower has as many beautiful things to wear as has - little Buttercup. - - When you see flowers after this, look for the lovely - corolla, calyx, stamens, and other parts of the - flower, which you have learned to know through Little - Buttercup. - - There is another part to a buttercup, called the - ~pis-til~, but I shall tell you about that part of - flowers in the next lesson, in just the way our teacher - told us. - -“Oh,” cried Mary Frances, as Billy finished, “What a delightful lesson! -Never again will buttercups seem the same. Although I always loved -them, they will be so much more interesting after this.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -GOOD MRS. BEE - - -“GETTING tired?” asked Billy as Mary Frances finished planting the last -of her radish seeds. - -“Not so very,” answered Mary Frances, “but I would like to take a -little rest,” sitting down on the garden bench. “Doesn’t everything -look lovely—the beds all laid out, and neat as biscuits in a baking -pan!” - -“It is some garden, believe me!” agreed Billy, wiping his brow. “I -guess I’ll stop for a few minutes, too,” throwing himself down at the -foot of the tree. - -“Oh, Billy, you oughtn’t to lie there on the ground,” chided Mary -Frances; “you’ll take your death of cold.” - -“Ha! Ha!” roared Billy, getting up. “Yes, Grandmother, certainly, your -darling grandchild understands your kind admonition and obeys,” taking -a seat beside Mary Frances, who made room for him. - -“Oh, Billy, don’t tease,” she begged. “Please don’t! I’ve enjoyed my -Garden Lessons so much, and you’ve been so kind——” - -“Say, Mary Frances, if you want me to go away, just keep on praising -me, will you,” interrupted Billy. - -“All right,” said Mary Frances, “I’ll stop, but I’ve gone over and over -in my mind the lesson about the seed babies. It all seems so wonderful -to me. Do you know, Billy, I’ve often wondered how the little seed -babies are made. Where does their mother get them?” - -“Well,” began Billy, “I guess I can explain.” - -“Oh,” shrieked Mary Frances suddenly. “Oh, Billy, excuse me, please, -but that bee nearly dashed in my face.” - -“It’s not after you, Mary Frances,” laughed Billy. “That’s good Mrs. -Bee looking for honey. And she’ll have hard work to find it to-day, I’m -thinking. Still, I saw a few very early blossoms out on the shrubs at -the end of the garden.” - -“I saw them, too, Billy. Isn’t it lovely that we have such beautiful -things to enjoy.” - -“That’s what Mrs. Bee thinks, too,” said Billy; “and in fact, the -flowers are made beautiful, not for us especially, but to attract the -bees and moths and butterflies.” - -“But I can’t imagine why,” said Mary Frances; “the bees only steal -honey from them.” - -“Only steal honey!” exclaimed Billy. “But then, I used to think so -myself, Mary Frances, until about a year ago, when I learned better. -You see, the bees do every bit as much for the flowers as the flowers -do for the bees.” - -“Oh, do they? That’s wonderful, Billy. Please tell me about it?” - -“If you’ll move over far enough on this bench to let me be -comfortable,” growled Billy. - -“Oh, certainly, certainly; excuse me.” Mary Frances almost fell off the -end. “Oh, say, Billy, let’s go over under the trees and I’ll swing in -the hammock, and you can take the bench.” - -“All right,” said Billy, following Mary Frances. - -“Now,” suggested Mary Frances, settling herself in the hammock, “I know -you feel just like telling me the whole story.” - -“All right,” agreed Billy, “and I have a surprise for you—I just -caught that honey bee you saw. Here, in my cap.” - -“Oh, let’s see it, Billy,” Mary Frances put out her hand. - -“Take care!” warned Billy. “I guess you forget how a bee stings. Go get -a large-mouth bottle and I’ll slip it in.” - -Billy gently slipped the bee into the large bottle Mary Frances brought. - -“Notice, Mary Frances, how furry its little body is.” - -“Why, it’s covered with yellow!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “I thought -bees were rather dark in color.” - -“Yes,” said Billy, “yes, this bee is quite dark in color; the yellow -you see is pollen powder.” - -“Oh, off the anther bead!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “It’s off the anther -bead of some flower!” - -“Guessed right that time,” said Billy. “That’s what it is, all right. I -wish I could tell you the whole story of the bee and of fertilization -the way Miss Gardener told us in class.” - -“Won’t you try to remember, Billy; won’t you try?” begged Mary Frances. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE STORY OF FERTILIZATION - - -“WELL, as nearly as I can remember,” began Billy, “Miss Gardener said -she had been studying very hard on the formation of parts of flowers, -and the story of fertilization. It was pretty dry stuff, too, as it was -taught when she was young; but the way she told it was so interesting -that I took notes which will help me in telling you about - - -THE BIRTH OF SEED BABIES. FORMATION OF THE PISTIL - - The pistil is the tall green center stalk generally - found in the midst of the stamens. - - The pistil is very interesting, for it has to do with - the way in which the seed baby is born. - - [Illustration] - - {the stigma (the top), - The pistil has three parts {the style (the stem), - {the ovary (seed holder). - -“The pistil is the real mother of the seed babies.” - -“Here, Mary Frances, I am going to cut a flower off that geranium in -the window, down the center to show you. Mother will not object.” - -When Billy had cut the flower down lengthwise he explained further - - -THE NEED OF POLLEN - - Now, the pistil needs pollen off the anthers of some - other flower in order to bring seed-babies to life. Oh, - yes, Mary Frances, I’m coming to the part about the - bees. The pistil needs pollen, as I said; sometimes a - pistil needs the kind of pollen which is on the anthers - of the same plant, sometimes a pistil needs pollen - from the anthers of some other plant, but it must have - pollen to give seed babies life. - - -HOW CAN THE FLOWERS GET POLLEN - - Now, flowers cannot walk, nor can the pistils or - stamens of flowers walk. How can they get the pollen - powder to their pistils? How can the pollen powder get - to their pistils? - - -THE FLOWERS SPREAD A FEAST FOR INSECTS - - In some cases the breeze blows some pollen upon the - pistils of a few flowers, but it is a very _uncertain_ - way, to depend on a breeze; so the wonderful flowers - _spread a feast_ of just the most delightful food for - _bees_, and sometimes for butterflies, and sometimes - for moths; and not only do they get the most enticing - food ready for such insects, but they put out the most - beautiful signs telling them the feast is ready. - - They make the sign just as attractive as they possibly - can for the particular kind of insect they wish to come - to them to eat. - - They use the loveliest colors and the most delightful - odors, which please the bees, the butterflies, the - moths, more than they please even you and me, by their - wonderful beauty and fragrance. - - -NECTAR - - The food they give the bee is—no, Mary Frances, it is - not honey, it is _nectar_, out of which the bees make - honey. - - -HONEY BEE’S HONEY-CHURNS - - Yes, I know you want to learn how they make it. No, - they do not churn it in a churn; they really churn it, - though. That is a good guess. They churn it in their - honey-sac stomachs. The honey bees love pollen, too. It - is their flour—pollen flour—and they carry it to their - hives in little basket-like places on their legs. - - -THE INSECTS CARRY POLLEN - - Now, the bees in coming to get this feast of good - things to eat—the nectar for honey, and the pollen - for bee-flour, both of which are very necessary for - bees—do just exactly what the flowers want them to do - above everything—_to carry pollen_ from some anthers to - the pistil. This they do without knowing what a great - kindness they are bestowing upon the flowers. - - They think they are just doing their duty in gathering - nectar to make honey and pollen for bee-flour, but in - dipping their heads down into the deep calyx where the - nectar is stored, they get their furry bodies covered - with pollen, and when they come out of that flower, or - go to visit another, they spread pollen all over the - stigma of the pistil! And when the pollen is spread on - the stigma of the pistil, somehow, in some wonderful - way it sinks down through the style into the ovary - where the dear little seed baby is born. - - If you cut open an old bloom going to seed you will see - a number of seed babies in the ovary from which they - will fall when they are ripe. - - -BUMBLE BEES HELP - - Sometimes flowers are very particular as to just what - insect shall do this work for them. For instance, the - clover hides its nectar too deep for the honey bee’s - tongue to reach; so the bumble bee and butterfly do - most of the work of pollination for the clovers. - - The little butter-and-eggs flower depends upon bumble - bees, too, to bring pollen to the pistil, for she - closes the nectar holder with so tight a lip that the - weight of the honey bee is not heavy enough to open it. - - -ANIMALS WOULD STARVE WITHOUT THIS WORK OF INSECTS - - By the way, it is a dreadful thing to kill bumble bees. - They do the work of pollenizing for many a deep-cupped - flower, and _without their aid and the aid of some such - insects, everybody would starve_, for there would be - no seed and no new plants to take the place of the old - ones as they died, and animals and birds and mankind - would perish of starvation. - - -MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES HELP, TOO - - This work of pollenizing depends for the most part on - bees, but many butterflies and moths feed on nectar - in the same way. Most moths’ tongues are very long, - and many long-necked flowers depend upon them to bring - pollen on their soft, furry bodies to the pistils. The - moths fly at night, so many long-necked flowers, like - the moonflowers, do not open their blooms nor shed - their sweet odors in the day time, but wait to show - their sweetness until their favorite insect is flying. - - Now you see that Beauty Butterfly and night moths are - not just a gorgeous bit of living color. Such moths and - Beauty Butterfly accomplish much good. - -“Well, Miss Gardener said she lay out in the hammock, just as you are -lying, Mary Frances, studying just what I have told you, only in a much -more difficult way, and she kept saying over and over to herself, -‘Corolla, calyx, sepals, stamens, pistil,’ in order that she might know -her lesson, when all at once her book began to slip out of her hand and -she could not seem to cling to it at all. She heard the dull thud as it -hit the ground.” - -“Are you ready?” asked a strange buzzy voice. “I’m always in a hurry, -you see. Are you quite ready?” - -“I’m ready,” answered Miss Gardener; “ready for anything; but please, -where are you, who are you, and what am I to be ready for?” - -And again the buzzy voice spoke: “Ready to go with me?” - -Miss Gardener looked around toward where the buzzy voice seemed to come -from. There, sitting on a rose nearby, was a honey bee. - -“Oh,” gasped Miss Gardener, “I’m—that is—I——” - -“You’re afraid!” buzzed the bee, coming near her. “You’re afraid I’ll -sting you!” She laughed. “We never sting unless we think we need to -take care of ourselves or our lovely children.” - -“Oh,” apologized Miss Gardener, “I—that is, I—I’m ready, Mrs. Bee.” - -“All right, then,” buzzed the bee, flying nearer. “Are you certain -you’re not afraid?” - -“I’m not,” declared Miss Gardener; but she said a little shiver went -down her spine. - -“Very well,” buzzed the bee, coming straight at her and hitting her -between the eyes. - -Miss Gardener tried to scream; before she could do so she had the -queerest sensation. Before she could think whether the bee had stung or -not, she began to sink down, down, down, down, down, down, until she -was just the size of the bee. - -“You’ve wondered so long,” said the bee, “about what a beehive was like -inside, I am going to take you on a visit to ours. But we must hurry, -or I shall not get my duty to the hive people done. Besides, you cannot -enter without some pollen or nectar; so here, stop and get a bit.” - -“How can I?” began Miss Gardener. - -“Fly over to that rose I was on,” said the bee. Miss Gardener flew and -gathered some pollen, and, together, Mrs. Honey Bee and she winged -their way over to the hive. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -THE STORY OF THE HONEY BEE - - -“NOW,” began her strange little friend, “I shall tell you about the -honey bees. - - There are two thousand different kinds of bees known - at the present time, but the most useful and best - understood are the honey bees. The homes (usually - wooden boxes) furnished by man for bees are called - hives, but the wild bees live ordinarily in hollow - trees or caves. The prettiest and gentlest family of - the honey bees are the Italian Bees. - - Perhaps you think you lead a busy life. If you worked - from earliest morning to dark you could not be busier - than good Mrs. Honey Bee, for she never trifles nor - wastes a minute. - - Perhaps you think she goes leisurely from flower to - flower, sipping the sweet nectar, and has a very - delightful time simply enjoying herself. - - You are mistaken, then, for the worker honey bee is not - thinking of herself at all, except to eat just enough - to keep her well. - - She is working for the good of the whole Bee family, - and especially for the little Baby Bees. - - You begin to see in all your studying, that almost all - living things seem to live with the purpose of helping - baby things like themselves to live. - - So good Mrs. Bee is not gathering honey and pollen - bee-flour to “gobble” them up, but is going to pack - much of them away for the use of the bees who will live - over winter, and for the baby bees, and for the male - bees who have no way of gathering food from the flowers - for themselves. - - -THE BEE CITY - - A Beehive city is a wonderfully busy place. - - From twenty thousand to forty thousand, or more, - inhabitants live in the Bee City, so no wonder it is - a busy place. You would think that everything would - be in confusion, but on the contrary everything is - in marvelous law and order. Every inhabitant knows - just what part it is expected to do, and each kind - of inhabitant is particularly fitted to do its own - particular part. - - {A Queen Bee, - In every Beehive City there are {Many Worker Bees, - {Quite a number of Drone Bees. - - -THE QUEEN BEE - - The Queen Bee is the mother bee, and it is her duty to - lay eggs, out of which Baby Bees are hatched. - - -WORKER BEES - - The Worker Bees do the work of the Beehive City. They - gather food, and feed and care for the inhabitants, and - keep the city clean. - - -DRONE BEES - - The Drone or male Bees do not work. Their bodies help - keep the hive warm, but they cannot do any real work. - One of them is the husband of the Queen Bee, but after - she first marries him she doesn’t pay any attention to - him. She is too busy laying eggs in the cradle cells - the Worker Bees have made. - - -WHY THE WORKERS KILL THE DRONES - - Yes, it is expensive to feed the Drone Bees, and when - the weather begins to turn cool, perhaps in September - or October, the Worker Bees who up to that time have - cared for the Drones, begin to rid the Hive City of - them. They bite off their wings, and bite them in half - sometimes—anything to kill them or send them away. No, - it is not as cruel as it sounds, for you see, if Drone - Bees kept on living they would eat up the honey which - is so much needed in the Winter by the Worker Bees and - the Queen who live over to care for the new Baby Bees - in the Spring. - - -THE WONDERFUL BODIES OF THE BEES - - Now, each different kind of honey bee has a body which - is particularly fitted to the work it has to perform. - - -THE BODY OF THE WORKER BEE - - The Worker Bee, the one you see so often on flowers, - has a body made especially for the kind it is to do. It - has many excellent eyes which look to you like but two - eyes, unless you see them under the magnifying glass, - and wonderful an-ten-næ, and a tongue in its head. The - antennæ are its horn-like feelers, and they resemble - your arms in the way they reach out, and examine - objects by “handling” them. - - -THE ANTENNÆ - - The antennæ are so delicate that the bee can tell the - shape and size of any object by just passing them over - it. On the antennæ are smell-hollows with which the bee - “scents out” the honey. - - -LEGS, WINGS, AND CLAWS - - On the bee’s body, as you know, are the legs and wings. - At the end of each leg is a pair of claws. - - -POLLEN BASKETS - - On each hind leg of the Worker Bee is a hollow in which - she packs the pollen flour which she gathers. These are - the pollen baskets. - - -THE WINGS - - The front pair of wings is larger than the hind pair, - and often in older bees who have done much work, the - edges are frayed and torn. - - -THE INDUSTRY OF THE WORKER - - A Worker Bee does not live often over five weeks. She - actually works herself to death! - - Just think. A bee has to visit nearly one hundred - flowers to fill her honey-sack with nectar, and when it - is full, it does not contain a full drop! - - -WAX POCKETS - - Under the body of the Worker Bee are the little wax - pockets. The wax is very important, as it is used to - make the cells in which the honey is stored, and the - cells in which the eggs are laid. - - -THE HONEY-SAC - - The honey, you remember, is carried to the hive in the - honey-sac of the Worker Bees. - - -THE BODY OF THE QUEEN BEE - - The Queen Bee, or Mother Bee, is longer than the - Worker Bee and has a tapering, graceful body. She - has no pollen basket, because it is not part of her - work to gather pollen or honey, her work being to lay - eggs—sometimes as many as three thousand in twenty-four - hours, equal to about twice her own weight! - - -THE STING - - Both the Worker Bees and the Queen Bee have a sting to - use as a weapon of defense. - - When enemies, such as mice, or moths, or bees from - other hives get into the hive to steal honey, the sting - is very much needed by the Worker Bees, as you can - easily see. - - The Queen uses her sting in a different way, as I shall - tell you later on. - - -THE BODY OF THE DRONE - - The Drone Bee differs much in appearance from the - Worker and Queen, his body being broad and blunt. His - eyes are very large and wings strong. He has no wax - pockets nor pollen pockets. His tongue is not long - enough to get honey from the flowers. He cannot even - find food for himself, and when driven out of the hive, - as sometimes in the Autumn, he starves to death in a - short time. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -HOW THE BEES WORK - - -AS I said, the work in the Beehive City is divided up. - - The Worker Bees are divided into various groups: who - forage for nectar; who gather pollen; who guard the - entrance to the hive from enemies; who clean the city; - who build the comb; the nurse-bees, who feed the - babies; the undertakers, who carry away the dead; and a - group whose duty it is to fan the air to keep the hive - cool. - - -THE VENTILATING WORKERS—THE FANNERS - - They keep their tiny wings vibrating so rapidly that - sometimes the draught they make will put out a lighted - candle flame held at the entrance of the hive at night. - - -THE COMB BUILDERS - - When a colony or swarm of bees first enter their new - home or hive, the comb builders set about making the - comb. The comb is formed of food-cells, in which to - store honey and pollen; and cradle cells, in which the - queen may lay her eggs. - - The comb (cells) is made of beeswax—yes, the kind that - your mother uses on her sewing thread sometimes. - - After getting in the right position on the coiling of - the hive (for bees build downward), the bees take from - their wax pockets some little scales of wax, and begin - kneading and chewing them into the correct degree of - softness, and they or their helpers fix it in position. - They make the cells six-sided, and there is no wasted - space. - - -THE QUEEN’S WORK - - All the time the comb builders have been working, the - queen has wandered about in an excited way. When she - sees that there are cells ready for her, she begins to - lay eggs. She is attended by a number of bees who clean - her, and massage her, and wait upon her, and feed her - “royal jelly.” - - -WORKER BABY BEES - - In three or four days each egg (which looks like a tiny - grain of rice) hatches into a little white grub, and - later the nurse bees begin to feed it—no, not honey, - but a kind of milk—honey bee milk—which the nurses - make. The little grub feeds on this for three days, - then is given richer bee-milk, and grows very rapidly, - turning into a chrysalis on the fifth or sixth day. It - spins around itself a silken cocoon, and is sealed into - its cell by another set of worker bees. - - In about two weeks it turns into a full-fledged worker - bee; but there she is all sealed up in the cell. How - can she get out? - - It doesn’t take long for her to discover she has a - sharp pair of jaws, and she bites her way out. She is - very pale and weak, so the nurse bees begin to clean - and feed her. - - As soon as she gains strength, she gets right to work - on some task like feeding grub-babies; and perhaps - after two weeks of such work, she flies away to gather - nectar. - - -THE DRONE BABY BEE - - The Drone Bee is hatched in the same way, only it takes - longer for him to become perfect. - - -THE QUEEN BABY OR PRINCESS - - But the Queen Bee is different. - - When the worker bees decide they need a queen, the comb - builders make three or four queen cells, or “royal - cradles,” which are ordinary cells made large by - cutting away parts of the next-door cells and building - a hanging cell. - - In these larger cells are placed the eggs. When the - first egg is hatched, it is a princess bee. - - -WHY BEES “SWARM” - - The old queen, knowing the princess will be the new - queen, “swarms” with the bees who wish to follow her to - a new hive. - - The new queen, as soon as hatched, goes to the other - royal cells and stings the other little princesses (who - might try to be queen if they hatched) to death, and - commences to be mother-queen of the Bee City. - - -HOW BEES SPEND THE WINTER - - The bees spend the winter in a kind of sleep. They - cluster together to keep warm. - - When the early Spring days come, and some of the bees - begin to bring in pollen and nectar, the queen begins - to lay eggs. - - These eggs will be hatched out into worker bees to - carry on the work of the hive, and the bees that lived - over winter will live only long enough to care for them - until they can carry on the work of the hive. - -At length the Bee sighted her hive. “We are home,” she said to Miss -Gardener, “and I will explain to the guard bees that it is all right -for you to enter, as you are one of us.” - -Miss Gardener thanked her. They flew to the Bee City entrance gate, and -her new friend disappeared within. - -Miss Gardener just poked her head inside to see how it seemed, when all -the guard bees started toward her, and the foremost one stung her and -stung her until—she woke up shrieking, to find that there was a hive -of bees swarming on the tree just over her head. - -“Oh,” cried Mary Frances, “did they sting her?” - -“No, not really,” said Billy; “it was only a dream, but somehow the -fact that the bees were swarming there must have made her dream of the -stinging.” - -“Well, I just believe Miss Gardener never had to study the lesson about -the bees,” said Mary Frances. “I imagine her wonderful dream taught -her.” - -“But she was always sorry, she said, that she did not get inside the -hive in her dream,” replied Billy. - -“What wonderful little creatures bees are!” exclaimed Mary Frances. -“When people sell honey, do they steal it from the bees?” - -“Yes, practically that,” said Billy; “yet it is not a serious theft, -for the bees generally store up much more honey than is needed, and the -bee keeper always leaves enough for them to use.” - -“Billy, wouldn’t it be lovely to have a hive?”[E] said Mary Frances. - -“I’ve thought of it myself,” acknowledged Billy. “One hive would make -from four dollars upward in a year, but I don’t think we’d better -experiment along any other line than gardening this year at least.” - -“Well, I guess you’re right, Billy,” laughed Mary Frances, “although -you’re a pretty good manager, we don’t want too many ‘bees in our -bonnets’ at one time, do we? Oh, Billy, do you remember the verses we -used to say when we were little— - - “The great round sun is sleepy, - And wants to go to bed; - So he hides his face so shiny - Behind a kerchief red. - - “Then all the little clovers - That dot the velvet lawn, - Begin to nod their tiny heads - And put their night-caps on. - - “Good-night, you winsome clovers, - All snug in grassy beds; - You’ll dream of busy bumble bees - A-buzzing round your heads.” - -“That would please ’most any youngster,” remarked Billy, as Mary -Frances finished, “but I think it is about time for us to let this -honey bee fly away. She is anxious, no doubt, to get to work,” as he -opened the bottle. - -“Good-bye, good Mrs. Bee!” called Mary Frances as it flew away. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[E] For information as to Bee Keeping write for Farmers’ Bulletins on -Bee Culture, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -THE CHILDREN’S MONEY-MAKING PLANS - - -THE children were in the garden, pulling weeds and “cultivating.” - -The little plants had come up quite a way through the soil. - -With her hoe Mary Frances was drawing little mounds of earth quite high -around the stems of the plants. - -“Now, Mary Frances,” exclaimed Billy, “you’re doing just wrong! That is -one of the garden ‘don’ts.’ Don’t pile the earth high over the stems.” - -“Why, if you please, Mr. Billy?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Because—” started Billy; then: “Oh, you must know, Mary Frances.” - -“I suppose because the little rootlets need rain, and little hills -would make the water run off,” guessed Mary Frances, “and I’ll do it -right after this; but, really, Billy, I’m afraid I’ll never learn all -my lessons as well as you know yours. It is a marvel to me how much -you know. How you must have studied!” - -“Humm!” said Billy, hoeing away. “I did study; but, somehow, I like -gardening so much, it didn’t seem hard work.” - -“You must have worked hard, though, or you wouldn’t have won that -garden prize of five dollars at school. Billy, you must feel rich! What -are you going to buy with it?” - -“I don’t think I’ll buy anything with what I have left; it seems fine -to me to just keep it in my bank account.” - -“Oh, dear,” sighed Mary Frances, “I wish I could make some money—not -just save some of what is given to me.” - -“Why don’t you?” asked Billy. - -“Why don’t I what?” Mary Frances looked up from her work. - -“Make some money,” said Billy. - -“How could I?” asked Mary Frances in bewilderment. - -“Why, sell some of the vegetables you raise in the garden.” - -“Oh, Billy! Billy!” cried Mary Frances. “Do you suppose for a minute I -could?” - -“Course you could,” answered Billy, “if I helped you, especially. I -would like some spending money myself. Suppose we go into partnership?” - -“Oh, let’s!” cried Mary Frances. “How much better than trying to do -such a thing alone! And I wouldn’t want you to help me unless we -divided the profits.” - -“And I wouldn’t want to help you on any other basis,” agreed Billy. - -“But,” exclaimed Mary Frances suddenly, “what about your own garden? -You’ll not need any partnership with me. You yourself will raise all -you can sell.” - -“Have you noticed what I have growing there, Mary Frances?” - -“Billy,” said the little girl shamefacedly, “I haven’t. I haven’t -noticed at all. How selfish I am!” - -“Well,” laughed Billy, “I don’t mind at all, so you needn’t feel bad, -but I’ll tell you. Chiefly rhubarb and asparagus; and they are both -plants which need two years, or three, before they may be disturbed, -so you see why I’m so generous with my offer.” - -“I understand now, Billy,” smiled Mary Frances. “My, won’t you be rich -when the rhubarb and asparagus are ready to sell!” - -“I do expect to make some money,” said Billy. “Father said he would pay -me something for what is used by the family. It cost quite a sum to -buy the little plants I set out—all I spent of the prize money was for -them.” - -“Well, I certainly am glad you will help me, Billy,” said Mary Frances, -falling to work. - -“All right; then it is settled,” Billy said. “It won’t be long before -that lettuce and those radishes will be some size.” - -“But the parsley bed has shown only the tiniest little green leaves -here and there! I wonder if it’s never going to come up!” exclaimed -Mary Frances. - -“It often takes six weeks for parsley to germinate,” explained Billy. - -“Germinate?” inquired Mary Frances. - -“Yes,” answered Billy, “for the seeds to grow—start up, you know—wake -up from their sleep.” - -“Oh,” said Mary Frances, “I understand.” Then suddenly, “Oh, Billy, -I can scarcely wait until we can begin to sell things! I believe, I -really believe I can cut some flowers to sell!” - -“Certainly you can if they are beautiful enough!” said Billy. “Well, -I must make a start or else I’ll never get over to the camp, and the -fellows are down on me now for being away so much. So long—get all that -hoeing done.” - -“Good-bye, Billy; it will all be done when you reach home,” called Mary -Frances. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -MR. HOP TOAD HOPS IN - - -SHE worked away very hard for half an hour. - -“My,” she thought, “this is such warm work I guess I’ll take a little -rest,” and she sat down under the tree nearby. - -She was just going to sleep when she thought she heard someone speak. -Yes, it was Feather Flop, and he seemed to be arguing with someone. - -“He wouldn’t talk to a stranger,” thought Mary Frances, “I wonder who -it is. I don’t dare peep, for fear they’ll stop talking if they see me.” - -Pretty soon the voices came nearer. - -“I tell you,” Feather Flop was saying in a boastful tone, “I tell you I -am of the greatest benefit to the garden.” - -“If so, why so?” The question was asked in a funny, croaking voice. - -“If so, why so?” mimicked Feather Flop. “Because it is so. So there!” - -“Yes, certainly, if saying so makes it so,” replied the voice. “But -it is not so in my opinion. For instance—pardon me till I catch that -fly—how many snails do you imagine I have eaten to-day?” - -“Oh, I don’t know,” said Feather Flop; “but I do know this. I know I am -the biggest benefit to the garden.” - -“I beg pardon, sir,” answered the other; “I think I can easily prove I -am the biggest benefit to the garden.” - -“Cluck! Caw!” exclaimed Feather Flop. “You mean you are the biggest -toad in the puddle, Hoppy, you poor old toad!” - -“Ho! Ho!” thought Mary Frances. “So it’s a hop toad! I just believe -it’s that big fellow that lives under the stepping stone. I think I’d -know him. I believe I’ll peep!” - -She looked cautiously around the tree. “It is! It is that same fellow I -really believe! My, I wish I could ask him some questions!” - -“Indeed, I do not mean anything of the kind, Mr. Feather Flop,” -retorted the hop toad, and Mary Frances could see his throat swell -with indignation. “I mean that I am actually and truly one of the most -helpful living things to have in a garden.” - -“Now, now, don’t get angry,” begged Feather Flop, “I want to hear about -that! I want to find out, Hoppy, how you are more beneficial to the -garden than I am.” - -“Well,” answered the hop toad, blinking his eyes with a satisfied -smile, “it’s this way: suppose I begin with the baby toads——” - -“A crow told me they taste very good,” interrupted Feather Flop. - -“For shame!” whispered Mary Frances. “Isn’t that awful of Feather Flop!” - -The rooster must have heard her, for he suddenly bowed his head, -saying, “Oh, I beg your pardon, Hoppy—really I do! Please excuse me!” - -“I suppose you don’t know any better manners,” answered the hop toad, -“so I’ll have to excuse you, and I’ll tell you—if you don’t interrupt— - - -THE STORY OF THE HOP TOAD - - My mother told me that one lovely day early in May she - awoke from her winter’s nap. Oh, yes, that’s what we do - in winter—sleep in the ground. - - Well, my mother awoke, and went happily hopping down - to the meadow pond to lay some eggs. Perhaps you don’t - know them when you see them—toads’ eggs. They look like - tiny black pills in strings of transparent jelly. This - jelly either drops to the bottom of the pond or fastens - to water weeds. - - -TADPOLES - - The eggs grow larger and larger and pretty soon become - baby toads, or tadpoles. - - Well, I was one of the tadpoles that spring, and my - brothers and sisters and I soon ate some of the jelly, - and then some of the delicious slime in the pond. - - Yes, we lived in the water and breathed somewhat the - way fishes do. - - When we were about ten days old, our mouths grew much - stronger and our jaws grew horny so that we could bite - off pieces of plants. - - How lovely it was! I can remember now how cool and - pleasant it felt to swim about in the pond. We had long - flat tails which we used for swimming. - - Now, Feather Flop, if you interrupt again I shall not - finish my story! No, we didn’t eat our tails; of course - not. Our tails were absorbed into our bodies to help - with their growth. - - When we were about an inch long we had but stump tails, - and found we had to come to the surface of the water - for more air every day, we decided we were no longer - tadpoles, but real hop toads. We swam to the shore of - the pond and hopped away. - - -TOADS’ ENEMIES - - Many of my little brothers and sisters, alas! were - eaten by snakes, and—yes, Feather Flop—gobbled up by - crows. - - No, Feather Flop, dogs wouldn’t bite us, because—do - you see the warts on my back? They are very useful to - me. When I want to disgust an enemy, I can send out of - those warts a disagreeable, biting secretion, and I am - dropped pretty quickly. - - No, of course, we cannot make warts on people’s hands. - No toad ever did anything of the kind! It’s a horrible - untruth. Certainly we seem cold to people’s touch. - That’s because our blood is of the same temperature as - the air. Their blood is warmer. - - Well, as I said, almost any enemy drops one of us - grown-up toads quickly but snakes! They don’t seem to - mind us at all. Ugh! when I see one I either hop away - with all my might, or I bury myself in the earth. No, - Feather Flop, I can’t teach you how! I do it with my - hind legs. See how I can kick! - - There are two more ways in which we escape our enemies. - - In the first place, if you notice carefully, you will - observe that I am almost the color of the leaves on - which I am sitting. If I should hop out there on the - path, my coat would change in a short time to nearly - the color of the path. Oh, I do not care to try it - now. The sun is shining there, and I certainly do - not like sunlight and heat! The fact of our color - being nearly the shade of our surroundings prevents - enemies from seeing us. Yes, you are right, we shed - our skins several times a year, and we swallow them. - We generally do this when no one is looking. The other - way we escape notice is the fact that we feed mostly at - night, while our enemies are asleep. - - -HOW TOADS HELP THE GARDEN - - Speaking of food, Feather Flop—have you eaten any of - those delicious tent caterpillars? No? Well, you should - try some. Don’t you like them? They stick to your - throat? Oh, I didn’t know that, but I’ve noticed that - you didn’t seem to eat them, nor “thousand-leggers.” - That’s the reason I said I was of more benefit than you - to the garden. - - Just listen until I tell you what I had this early - morning for supper. No, not breakfast! I told you I - feed at night. Early morning brings my supper time! - Well, these are what I had: - [F -]6 cutworms - 5 thousand leg worms - 6 sow bugs - 9 ants - 1 weevil - 1 ground beetle - - We eat also snails, injurious beetles, grasshoppers, - worms, potato bugs, and lots more of harmful creatures. - Well, ants and spiders may be useful, but ants are a - question, and we eat few spiders. Spiders are lots - of fun to catch, though. See, there is one! See how - my tongue shot out at him? My tongue is fastened to - the lower jaw at the front of my mouth. You didn’t see - it? Well, I suppose we toads do use our tongues pretty - quickly. They have a sticky substance spread over them, - so we’re pretty certain to make our “catch.” - -“Now, Feather Flop, I think I’ve told you almost everything. Is there -anything else you’d like to know?” - -Mary Frances had been listening with all her ears. - -“My, there are things I’d like to know,” she thought. “How I wish he’d -talk to me!” - -“No,” said Feather Flop in a crestfallen voice, “I don’t think of any. -I certainly must acknowledge that you are usefuller than I thought!” - -“Thanks! All right!” replied the toad, taking a hop. - -“Hold on, please, Hoppy!” Mary Frances ventured to call. - -The toad turned. - -“Please, Mr. Hop Toad,” she begged, “please will you tell me something? -I’ve overheard your wonderful story. If it is not too inquisitive, may -I ask why your throat puffs all the time?” - -“Certainly, certainly,” croaked the toad, “my voice is hoarse, Miss, -but I’ll do my best to answer. You see, we toads have no ribs to use -when we breathe, so we have to swallow every bit of air we use.” - -“Oh,” said Mary Frances, “that is it. I am so much obliged to you for -telling me. Here is a fish-worm—or do you call them angle-worms, or -earth-worms?—for you!” - -“A fish-worm!” exclaimed the toad. “That is fine. Throw it down, -please. No, that is the wrong end toward me. Fish-worms wear rough -rings along their bodies which hurt the throat if swallowed the wrong -way foremost. They’re pretty large to get down, so I may have to rub it -down my throat with my hands.” - -This the funny little toad did, and after getting it down, patted its -little stomach. “My, it was so good. I shut my eyes while I swallowed!” -he said. - -Mary Frances laughed outright. “I’m glad I gave you a treat,” she -said. “I wish I knew something else I could do to make you happy.” - -“Then just take a stick and scratch my back, please.” - -Mary Frances did as requested. - -Feather Flop looked on all the while without a word. At length he -blurted out, “You told me, little Miss, I think, that fish-worms were -good for the garden—that they stir the soil and make it light and -porous. I’ve never eaten one since you told me that!” - -He looked scornfully at the toad. - -Mary Frances smiled. “Oh, Feather Flop, indeed I thank you, but you -see, we don’t need so many of them. You could take one once in a while.” - -“I must be going,” said the toad, “and I thank you, Miss. You’re much -more polite and kind than some people I’ve known!” glancing at the -rooster. - -“He means the boy that stoned him,” said Feather Flop. - -“Excuse me, I did not refer to him,” said the toad; “but really, boys -are terribly hard on us! And think of all we do to help them. We eat -the dreadfully destructive insects.” - -“I wonder if my brother Billy ever—” began Mary Frances. - -“No, not any more,” said the toad. “I’ve lived here in this garden five -years and it’s over a year since he’s troubled any of us.” - -“He never will again,” promised Mary Frances. “I shall certainly tell -him your story.” - -“Good-bye, and thank you very much!” suddenly exclaimed the toad, -hopping away very rapidly. - -“Oh,” called Mary Frances, “I want to ask you something else. Won’t you -talk to us again?” - -This time the toad did not turn around nor answer a word, but hopped -more rapidly than ever. - -“I can catch him!” exclaimed Feather Flop, “and I’ll peck him as hard -as ever I can, too, for treating you that way!” - -“Don’t you dare, Feather Flop,” called Mary Frances, running after him. -“I’m ashamed of you!” catching him up. - -“Oh, dear,” sighed Feather Flop, “and I wanted to help you so much! I -am always doing something wrong!” - -“Listen, Feather Flop,” explained Mary Frances, “that probably -frightened him so he’ll never speak again.” - -“I’ll be to blame for that, too,” mourned Feather Flop. “Oh, I’m sorry, -so sorry.” - -“Never mind, my friend,” said Mary Frances; “I appreciate the kindness -you meant to show even if you made a mistake.” - -“Are you sure you forgive me, little Miss?” asked the rooster. - -“Quite sure,” answered Mary Frances. “But I can’t promise about the hop -toad!” - -“I don’t care a hop about Hoppy,” said the rooster, “just so you -forgive me.” - -“I guess a rooster, even if as clever as Feather Flop, can’t understand -such things,” mused Mary Frances to herself. - -“Please be polite to him for my sake, then,” she said. - -“I will! indeed I will!” promised Feather Flop. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[F] This list is taken from U. S. Farmers’ Bulletin No. 196, Usefulness -of the American Toad. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -MR. CUTWORM, THE VILLAIN - - -“IF he mentioned cutworms,” said Billy, as Mary Frances finished -telling him the story of the hop toad, “If he mentioned cutworms among -the insects he eats, I certainly am glad to make his acquaintance. Will -you introduce me to him?” - -“Certainly I will, Billy; come right down into the garden.” - -The children looked all over the place for the hop toad, but were -unable to find a trace of him. - -“I remember,” said Mary Frances, “that he told me he slept in the day -time.” - -“Oh, of course,” replied Billy, “that’s the reason we don’t see him. I -might have thought of that!” - -“Hello, he’s been lazing on the job though,” he exclaimed. “Look at -those three young tomato plants, all cut off near the roots. Neat work, -that. Mr. Cutworm the Villain’s, I’ll bet!” - -“Oh, dear! Billy, won’t they grow up again?” - -“Not much!” exclaimed Billy. “No, indeed; we’ll have to put in new ones -in their place. We’ve had so little trouble with cutworms that I forgot -to take precaution.” - -“What’s that?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Precaution—why, means to keep him from the plants. We could have used— - - -PAPER COLLARS TO PROTECT PLANTS FROM CUTWORMS - - Cut strong paper into rectangles about 2½ x 5 inches. - Wrap a paper loosely around the stem of growing tomato - plants and other tender stems before packing the earth - around them. Let the paper extend about an inch above - the ground, but make it narrower if it covers the roots. - -“Oh, how funny,” laughed Mary Frances, “for plants to wear paper -collars.” - -“They would cheat Mr. Cutworm out of several good meals,” said Billy. -“It’s provoking to find plants cut off that way. You see, the worms do -their villainous work at night!” - -“Oh, do they live under ground all the time?” - -“No, we learned in school that they are the larvæ, or young, of a -certain night-flying moth. They live in the ground until they change -into cocoons (or worms-in-cases), which they weave about themselves. -Finally the cocoon comes out of the case as a moth. Here is a picture -of the villain.” - -“Ugh!” shuddered Mary Frances. - -“Hello, here is the real thing,” exclaimed Billy as he kicked aside -some earth. - -“Oh, isn’t he ugly!” exclaimed Mary Frances. - -“We’d never preserve him for his beauty,” agreed Billy. “Some farmers -make poison bait for cutworms by mixing a little poison and molasses -with bran or clover, and throw it on the ground at night when birds and -chickens have gone to bed. They are careful to take it up early in the -morning so that no other creature will get it by mistake.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -BIRDS AS PLANTS’ FRIENDS - - -“NOW, Feather Flop said—” began Mary Frances; “I mean, if Feather Flop -had been in the garden there wouldn’t have been so many cutworms.” - -“Mary Frances!” exclaimed Billy. “How ridiculous! You don’t seem to -understand that that old rooster would have eaten up all the young -plants himself!” - -Mary Frances bit her lip to keep from laughing as she saw Feather Flop -peeping around the tree in back of Billy. - -“If that rooster were a robin or a wren it would be different,” went on -Billy. “Just listen, Mary Frances!” pulling a paper out of his pocket. - -“‘One robin has been known to feed his family five yards of worms a day. - -“‘A chicka-dee will dispose of 5500 eggs of the canker-worm moth in one -day. - -“‘A flicker eats no less than 9000 ants a day. - -“‘A pair of wrens have been seen to carry 100 insects to their young in -an hour. They are especially fond of plant lice and cutworms. - -“‘Little humming birds lick plant lice off foliage with lightning -rapidity. - -“‘The yellow-billed cuckoo eats hundreds of tent caterpillars in a day. - -“‘Seed-eating birds destroy myriads of seeds of destructive -weeds—actually eating hundreds of tons of seed. - -“‘The Department of Agriculture of the United States estimates that the -tree sparrow alone saves the American farmer $90,000,000 in a year by -eating seeds of weeds.’” - -“That isn’t the English sparrow,” laughingly interrupted Mary Frances. - -“No,” replied Billy, “not so much can be said in its favor.” - -“How do people know what the different birds eat?” asked Mary Frances. -“Did someone watch to see what each different bird took for a meal?” - -“No.” Billy referred to his clipping. “Scientists have examined the -contents of the stomachs of the birds, and have learned what food each -kind of bird uses. There was a time when people imagined that robins -stole so many cherries and berries that it was a good deed to kill -them. Now they have found that they destroy so many injurious insects -that they do not begrudge them a few cherries. Besides, if mulberry -trees are planted nearby, they will prefer their fruit to the cherries.” - -“Oh, Billy,” cried Mary Frances, “isn’t it wonderful! Not only do -birds help us by destroying harmful insects and seeds, but they help -us by their beauty. I believe they are the most beautiful of living -things! They could have helped us just as much, and have been as ugly -as—cutworms.” - -“Yes,” laughed Billy, “I believe that is so, but it takes a girl to -think such things out. The most remarkable fact to me, however, is that -without birds we would die of starvation. It has been estimated that -if they were absent for one season alone, the United States would lose -over $300,000,000, and if they disappeared entirely, agriculture and -farming would be impossible within a few years.” - -“Bees and birds,” commented Mary Frances softly, “keep us from -starving. How wonderful it all seems. Why, Billy, it must have all been -planned out when God made the world!” - -“I have thought of that myself, Mary Frances,” said Billy; “it’s one of -those thoughts a fellow doesn’t often speak out loud. I don’t know why.” - -“Everybody ought to take care of birds,” went on Mary Frances. -“Surely the reason they don’t, is because they do not understand how -wonderfully they help us. Do you recall Miss Carey’s poem—‘An Order for -a Picture’? I learned a part of it in my literature course last winter: - - - * * * * * * * - - “‘Afraid to go home, sir; for one of us bore - A nest full of speckled and thin-shelled eggs, - The other, a bird, held fast by the legs, - Not so big as a straw of wheat: - The berries we gave her she wouldn’t eat, - But cried and cried, till we held her bill, - So slim and shining, to keep her still. - - “‘At last we stood at our mother’s knee. - - * * * * * * * - - You, sir, know - That you on the canvas are to repeat - Things that are fairest, things most sweet, - Woods and corn fields and mulberry-tree, - But, oh, that look of reproachful woe! - High as the heavens your name I’ll shout, - If you paint me the picture, and leave that out.’” - -“I know just what that means,” said Billy, “for one day—only I’ve never -told it, for I knew how it would grieve mother—I killed a little wren. -I was quite a little chap and had no real intention of doing such a -thing. I aimed a stone at the little thing, and down it came—dead.” - -“Well, Billy, there’s this comfort,” said Mary Frances; “it didn’t -suffer. That’s very different from injuring it and letting it live on -in agony.” - -“Yes,” said Billy, “you see I didn’t understand; boys don’t, I guess.” - -“Birds and bees,” Mary Frances repeated, “keep us from starving. I -suppose you know of many other beneficial animals or insects.” - -“Oh, Billy, let’s have lots of birds in our garden!” she went on. - -“Why, how?” asked Billy. “Perhaps we could put food out for them.” - -“Yes, but I wasn’t thinking of that. I thought maybe we could put -houses where they would build.” - -“Of course,” replied Billy; “and we could keep a small bath tub full of -water for them.” - -“What fun!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Billy, do you know how to build -the right kind of houses for each different kind of bird?” - -“No, I do not,” answered Billy; “I know of only a few. They are the -ones our manual training teacher showed us. I have some pictures right -here in my book. It’s queer I didn’t think of them!” - -“Let me see,” cried Mary Frances. “Oh, Billy, will you make some later -on?” - -“I’m to make them in school next term,” explained Billy. “Mr. -Carpenter, our teacher, told me about these houses one day when we were -out walking. We happened to talk of what Professor Weed had told us in -a lecture on birds, you see.” - -“Do let me read about these houses,” begged Mary Frances, looking over -his shoulder at the picture of— - - -A ROBINS’ SLEEPING PORCH - - Robin Redbreast will not live in an enclosed house, - but desires merely a shelter where the family can have - plenty of fresh air. - - “I believe in living out-of-doors,” says Mrs. Robin - Redbreast, “and I shall not send the children to school - in a schoolhouse, no matter how sanitary. They shall - be educated in the open air. There is a lot more to be - learned outdoors than indoors.” - -[Illustration: ROBINS’ SLEEPING PORCH] - - -A BUNGALOW FOR WRENS - -[Illustration: WRENS’ BUNGALOW] - - Jenny Wren and her husband like a little perch to rest - upon before entering their home. In order to keep the - English sparrow from being inquisitive and troublesome, - make the entrance only 1 inch in diameter where Mr. and - Mrs. Sparrow cannot enter. - - “They are not a bit nice neighbors,” fusses gentle - Jenny Wren. “They pick a quarrel over nothing, then - peck our family to pieces if they can.” - - -THE MARTENS’ HOTEL - - Do not charge Mr. and Mrs. Marten for lodgings. Instead - be thankful that they bring their friends and relations - with them, for Martens come in companies and love to - linger where invited. They destroy myriads of insects. - -[Illustration: MARTENS’ HOTEL] - - -THE BLUE BIRDS’ COTTAGE - - These heavenly blue birds, with pinkish plumage on - their breasts, add great beauty to our home gardens, - and fortunate is the owner of the bird house which - they select “rent free.” They are desperately afraid - of English sparrows, or more of them would tenant the - houses round about the home garden. Blue birds eat up - whole families of garden pests at a meal. - -[Illustration: BLUE BIRDS’ COTTAGE] - - -“My, aren’t those bird houses dear!” said the little girl. “I hope -we’ll have one of each kind some day. Then we’ll feel that our garden -is well protected from injurious insects. Are there any other creatures -which destroy them beside toads and birds?” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -LITTLE LADYBIRD - - -“CAN’T say with certainty,” replied Billy, “until I look in my note -book.” - -“Well, it’s just inside the play house, isn’t it?” asked Mary Frances. - -“I’m getting rather tired, Mary Frances,” said Billy. - -“Oh, go get it, Billy,” Mary Frances begged, “please do, bring it out -to the garden bench—that’s a good fellow.” - -“Well, if it were any other subject than gardening, you couldn’t -persuade me, young lady; but I guess I’ll go.” - -“There are lots of beneficial insects named,” he said, coming out of -the play house, “but the one you know best is a different kind of a -bird from the feathered——” - -“I know! I know!” eagerly interrupted Mary Frances, repeating the old -rhyme— - - “‘Ladybird, Ladybird, fly away home! - Your house is on fire, and your children will burn.’” - -“Good!” exclaimed Billy. “Ladybird or ladybug; but why they are given -so charming a name, I can’t imagine.” - -“I can imagine, Billy. Have you ever noticed, besides being so very -pretty, how neat they are; how ladylike they look when they fold their -wing covers and tuck in their inside wings; and did you ever see them -wash themselves? They do it so carefully! I don’t wonder at their being -named Ladybirds.” - -“Humph, Mary Frances, you certainly have an enviable imagination. I -should say they were more fittingly named Possumbugs. Have you ever -noticed how they ‘play possum’ when you try to pick them up?” - -“Indeed I have,” Mary Frances laughed at the remembrance. “Maybe they -do that to save their lives just as opossums do; but they are so very -pretty that I’d call them Ladybirds for that reason alone.” - -“Not all are pretty alike,” commented Billy. - -“Why, don’t they all wear shiny red dresses with black polka dots?” -asked Mary Frances. - -“No,” smiled Billy, “some wear shiny black dresses with red or yellow -polka, dots; sometimes the dress is yellow with black spots.” - -“Oh, isn’t that interesting!” cried Mary Frances. “I never tried the -rhyme on any but the red ones with black dots.” - -“I never ‘tried’ the rhyme. How do they act?” asked Billy. - -“Well,” laughed Mary Frances, “usually, if you blow your breath upon -them, they fly away; if you just watch them, they generally turn around -and run as fast as they can in the opposite direction from which they -were going.” - -“Probably looking for food,” said Billy. - -“Probably running to save their children’s lives.” Mary Frances was -quite indignant. - -“Perhaps my notes will tell,” said Billy, opening his note book again -and beginning to read: - - -LADYBIRDS OR LADYBUGS - - The Ladybird is a little beetle about a third of an - inch long. There are many species of ladybirds; they - all are of the same general shape, somewhat like a - split pea, but much smaller. They are usually of - brilliant shiny colors with spots of contrasting - colors: sometimes red with black spots; sometimes - black with red or yellow spots, sometimes yellow with - black spots. The young or larvæ of the ladybird are - not in the least like their mothers. They are little - black, rough, worm-like creatures with six legs, having - reddish-yellow or rusty spots on their backs. Both the - young and the parents are very helpful to the garden - because they eat harmful insects—scale insects and - aphids or green plant lice. - - One species of ladybird which the California fruit - growers brought from Australia has been the means of - exterminating a scale insect very injurious to the - orange and lemon trees of the Western coast. The larva - of the ladybird turns into a hard encased pupa, and - later into a full-grown ladybird insect. - -“My,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “another garden friend! Why, Billy, one -is never alone in the garden. There are always lots of friends about.” - -“And enemies too,” said Billy. “Some time I’ll tell you about one of -the silliest of enemies, which Professor Weed called an ‘animated honey -drop’ or aphis.” - -“Tell me now, Billy? Oh, do tell me now!” - -“Not much! Not much! Some other time, Mary Frances. Do you think I’m an -animated encyclopedia—always ready to deal out information, or do you -think—? Oh, so long!” - -Before Mary Frances could answer, Billy had disappeared. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -CURLY DOCK - - -“JUST in the nick of time,” said Billy as Mary Frances came racing with -Eleanor around the front of the house. “Why, hello! who’s here? Excuse -me, Eleanor, I didn’t know you were to arrive until this afternoon,” -shaking hands with Mary Frances’ “best girl friend.” - -“She wasn’t expected until afternoon,” explained Mary Frances, “but -some friends of her father’s were coming this way in their car, so -she’s here quite early. Oh, I’m so glad!” as she kissed Eleanor again. - -“I wish we’d never moved away, Mary Frances,” said Eleanor, returning -her embrace. - -“You said I was just in the nick of time, Billy,” Mary Frances suddenly -exclaimed. “Why, so is Eleanor. We can share the secret with her!” - -“Another of Mary Frances’ secrets!” cried Eleanor. “Please tell me -about it!” - -“Oh, Mary Frances makes so much out of nothing,” said Billy. “It’s -simply this: we’re planting a garden, and don’t want the folks to know -it.” - -“That isn’t all, Eleanor,” said Mary Frances, “Billy is teaching me how -to garden. He took a course in gardening last year, and he explains to -me everything his professors taught him.” - -“Jiminy!” exclaimed Billy. “Everything! Well, not much! I’m trying to -tell her just a little bit of what they tried to teach us fellows. By -the way, doesn’t Bob garden?” - -Eleanor began to giggle. The children looked at her in surprise. -Finally she answered: “Such gardening! Believe me—no garden can raise -a crop of weeds equal to his. I must tell you what I was laughing at. -Early in the Spring Bob planted in a box some seed one of the boys had -given him, and Father allowed him to put it in the sunniest window. -He watered and tended it, and finally set the little plants out. The -fellows told him that he’d be surprised at the wonderful plants he’d -get; that he could have them served as ‘greens’ for our dinner.” - -“What were they?” interrupted Mary Frances. - -“Hush!” exclaimed Billy, who was much interested. “Eleanor will come to -that soon.” - -“Well, the plants certainly did grow! They grew large, broad leaves, -quite curly, but no one seemed to know what they were. One day Bob -asked the farmer who sold us potatoes to look at his garden, and -I’ll never, never forget how that man laughed. He roared; he shook; -he doubled up with laughter. He struck his knee with his hand, and -tried to speak, but no words would come. Bob looked on at first with -amazement, and then with anger, finally with disgust. - -“‘If you wouldn’t mind telling the joke,’ he said, ‘we might share in -the fun.’ - -“In a few moments the farmer spoke: ‘Well, sir,’ he said, ‘that’s the -finest crop of curly dock weed I ever seen!’ and he began to laugh -again.” - -“My, I bet Bob was ‘sore’!” laughed Billy. - -“Yes, he was, but that wasn’t the best of the joke,” Eleanor went on. - -“‘I’ll serve a mess of it to those fellows!’ he cried. ‘And Dick -Willoughby’s got to eat the most—even if I’m compelled to have the -doctor there to keep him from being poisoned.’ - -“‘That would be a treat,’ the farmer said. ‘Curly dock makes one of -the best “greens” in the Spring. Just boil the leaves until tender, -and serve like spinach. Only, young feller, next time you want a mess, -just come over and weed out my meadow. Don’t you take up your time and -your pa’s land a-cultivating what grows wild and can be had without the -asking.’” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -THE STUPID HONEY DROPS—APHIDS - - -BILLY and Mary Frances enjoyed Eleanor’s story very much, and laughed -heartily over Bob’s discomfort. - -“Well, Eleanor,” said Mary Frances, “you’ll be able to teach Bob a -lot about gardening if Billy will let you share the lessons he’s been -giving me. By the way, Billy, what did you mean by ‘just in the nick of -time’?” - -“Nothing much,” replied Billy, “only I wanted to show you some of the -‘animated drops of honey’ about which I spoke.” - -“Oh, where are they?” cried Mary Frances. - -“What in the world do you mean, Billy?” Eleanor exclaimed. - -“Follow me if you want to know,” commanded Billy, leading the way to -one of his mother’s rose bushes. - -He lifted a long new branch. - -“How funny the tip looks!” exclaimed the girls. “All bristling, like a -burr.” - -“Look more closely,” said Billy. - -“Oh, Billy,” laughed Mary Frances. “Billy, it’s not a green burr at -all! It looks that way because of thousands of those little tiny green -plant lice!” - -“Yes,” acknowledged Billy, “nothing but aphids. I’ll now try to repeat -a little of our lesson on— - - -APHIDS OR PLANT LICE - - There are several species of aphids, but those most - commonly seen are little green ones. - - Nearly all delight in feeding upon the sap of young - tender[G] shoots. They thrust their tiny sharp beaks - into the stem, and, with their hind legs or claws in - the air, suck the juices into their soft little bodies. - The sap is turned into honey-dew in their stomachs, and - ants use them for their cows! But they give them honey, - and not milk. Perhaps ants like honey-milk better than - we like cow’s milk. Aphids seem very insignificant. - They are helpless little creatures, and are very easily - killed. Indeed, they are so stupid they don’t seem to - know when they are being killed. Even though they are - stupid, they do a great amount of harm in the garden, - stealing the vital fluids of the plants. - - They multiply so rapidly that their many enemies do not - do away with all of them, so almost all gardeners use a - “spray” to kill them. - - One of the most interesting of their enemies is the— - - -APHIS-LION - - This little worm-like creature is hatched from the egg - of the mother lace-wing, an airy green fly with light - lacey wings. She places eggs on a leaf nearby a group - of aphids. The little creature that is hatched is very - hungry and immediately begins to look for food. - - It seizes the first aphis it can find in its strong - pincers, and lifting it high in the air, drinks the - honey juice in its body with great enjoyment. - -“Greater than Mary Frances shows when drinking chocolate soda?” queried -Eleanor. - -“That’s a question,” laughed Billy. “I’ve never seen many aphis-lions -eat, but I have seen Mary Frances drink chocolate sodas ‘galore.’” - -“But, Billy,” reminded Mary Frances, after they had finished laughing, -“you haven’t told us what other enemies the aphids have, nor what you -mean by using a spray.” - -“Oh, if you stop to think, you’ll realize that spiders and several -different kinds of birds will eat them. They are such stupid little -creatures that it’s not difficult to find or catch them.” - -“But what about spraying—is that difficult?” asked Eleanor. “You see, I -want to surprise Bob with my superior knowledge.” - -“Oh, Billy, do give us just as many lessons as you can possibly squeeze -into the time Eleanor visits us, won’t you?” cried Mary Frances. “Do -tell us about spraying or any other thing we ought to learn about -gardening.” - -“Why, Mary Frances, you talk as though I knew a lot on the subject!” -said Billy, “when, as a matter of fact, I don’t begin to know anything. -It seems to me that the more I study, the more there is to learn. - -“I’m willing,” he went on, “to tell you girls what I can remember of -what Professor Weed told about insect pests and insecticides—but I do -wish you were both boys!” - -“We don’t, though. Do we, Eleanor?” said Mary Frances. “I shouldn’t -think you’d mind. You’re always with boys during the school term, and—I -don’t believe they’d listen anything like as well as Eleanor and I -will.” - -FOOTNOTE: - -[G] There are a few aphids which feed upon roots. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -SOME SPRAYS FOR GARDEN PESTS - - -“REALLY, there is some truth in that,” said Billy. “I’m not certain -that I can remember much about the subject; but, since you are so -anxious to learn, my children, I’ll refer to my trusty note book, and -read to you about— - - -GARDEN PESTS - - If we examine the various insects which injure plants, - we find they do the harm in two different ways, - according to their method of feeding. The different - methods of feeding are by— - - (_a_) biting; or, - (_b_) sucking. - - _Biting insects_ have _mandibles_, or jaws. - - The biting insects most familiar to you are beetles, - grasshoppers, and many “worms,” or larvæ. - - If you catch a grasshopper, and hold a blade of grass - in an upright position close to its mouth, you will - observe that the jaws do not move up and down, but - sidewise. This is true of all insects. - - It is quite easy to see the holes in leaves, bark, - flowers or fruit where biting insects have been - feasting. - - _Sucking insects_, instead of jaws, have a _haustellum_ - or proboscis, which is a sucking tube, or beak, - somewhat like a sharp hollow bristle. - - This they use to thrust down through outer layers of - bark or leaves into the inner tissues where they draw - up the sap or lifeblood of the plant. - - Among the sucking insects are aphids and scale insects. - - Now, it is an easy matter to throw poison on the parts - of the plants that biting insects devour, where they - will eat and swallow it, and then die; but it is almost - impossible to place poison in the inner portions of the - plants where sucking insects feed. - - Fortunately, most sucking insects have soft bodies - which are easily destroyed; but it is a rather - difficult task to do this work of destruction of - sucking insects, because every insect must be touched - by the destroying material to smother it, or destroy - its breathing pores. Every farmer is familiar with some - insecticides, or insect poisons. - - The trouble with using poisons, however, is that most - poisons which will kill insects will also kill people, - so it is better for young gardeners to use remedies - harmless to human beings, but deadly to insects, of - which there are a few.[H] - - Insecticides or insect poisons are applied to plants in - two ways: by— - - (_a_) dusting with powder; or, - (_b_) spraying with a liquid. - - A “sulphur gun” is a great help in applying powder; - although an old can with holes in the top may be used - as a sprinkler. - - Liquid sprays may be applied with a patent “sprayer,” - which may be purchased from any seed house; or with a - whisk broom. - - It is absolutely essential to reach the _under_ sides - of the leaves in applying insect destroyers. - - Among the best insecticides which are non-poisonous to - human beings is Hellebore. - - Following is a list of remedies for insects oftenest - found in gardens. - -HELLEBORE - - {For spraying: use two tablespoons Hellebore to a gallon - {(four quarts) of water. - { - {For dusting: mix two tablespoons Hellebore with fifteen - Remedies {tablespoons flour. Keep in a closely covered can. After - for {a day or two this flour may be sprinkled on the upper - Biting {and under sides of the leaves. This is best done while - Insects {the dew is upon them. The use of the flour is simply - {for the sake of economy. - { - {Wood ashes and also insect powder discourage cabbage - {worms. - - {For dusting: insect powder, snuff, sulphur, tobacco dust. - {Tobacco stems (laid on the ground) will discourage them. - { - Remedies {For spraying: Dissolve 1 lb. caustic Whale Oil Soap in - for {½ gallon (2 quarts) hot water. Mix one cup of this mixture - Sucking {with five cups of water for plant lice, etc. - Insects { - {Hot Water for Aphids or Plant Lice. Hold the branch - {under water at a temperature of about 125°, or as hot as - {possible to hold the hand under. - - Fungi of various kinds attack plants. Mildew is a form - of fungi. - - {Dust the plant well with Flowers of Sulphur. - For { - Fungi— {Bordeaux Arsenate of Lead is used as a spray in early - Mildew {Spring, to prevent fungi, but it is deadly poison and - {should not be used by children. - - For {Severe poisons are generally used, the fumes of which - Insects {kill the insects. Tobacco tea, made by boiling a pound - that Feed {of tobacco stems in a gallon of water, or Ivory - Under {soapsuds, if thrown on the ground, will discourage - Ground {these insects. - - For Cutworms, {Poison Baits are used: that is, bran or grass is - and Insects {sprinkled with sweetened poison. (NOTE: It is - Feeding on {better for children to use the precaution of paper - the Surface {collars as already explained to Mary Frances in the - of the Ground {talk on the Cutworm.) - - There are also many excellent remedies sold by seed - firms under commercial or “patent” names. - -“Well, Billy,” cried Eleanor, “if I remember one-tenth of the lesson, -I’ll be satisfied!” - -“And I, too!” echoed Mary Frances. - -“If I’d thought,” continued Eleanor, “you were such a wiseacre, Mr. -Professor Billy, I’d have brought a note book.” - -“Oh, you girls can see my notes any time,” said Billy, pleased with -their compliments. - -“What I didn’t like, Billy, was the constant reference to ‘children,’” -Mary Frances went on. - -“Now, little girls,” began Billy, “that is just for ‘Safety First.’ -When you are a little older and more experienced in gardening——” - -“Oh, Billy, if you tease, you’ll spoil everything!” declared Mary -Frances. “Do keep your old poison secrets. I don’t like the idea of -killing bugs even.” - -“Nor the fellow ‘who needlessly puts his foot upon a worm,’” quoted -Billy. “I bet Bob would rather like that lesson, even if you and -Eleanor didn’t.” - -“I’m going to write down what I can remember for Bob,” declared -Eleanor. “May I use your desk, Mary Frances?” - -“Nothing could please me better,” answered her friend, leading the way -through the play house door. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[H] The small amount of arsenical poisons used by market gardeners and -farmers is not dangerous unless the plant is used immediately after -their application. The danger lies in having such poisons within reach -of children. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -EARLY VEGETABLES - - -“YOU will tell me, won’t you, Mary Frances, how you started the garden, -and how in the world you induced your brother to give you lessons?” - -Eleanor looked up from the notes she had made. - -“If it hadn’t been for Feather Flop,” began Mary Frances. - -“Feather Flop!” exclaimed Eleanor. “Do you mean your pet rooster?” - -“Yes,” declared Mary Frances, “he really had a great deal to do with -it, although Billy ridicules the idea.” - -“I can’t quite understand it myself,” Eleanor said. “I thought chickens -were very injurious to a garden.” - -“Not Feather Flop! He has been so interested from the very first that -I myself have been amazed. Eleanor, you should hear about the cutworms -and other insects he has eaten, and the weeds he has taken out of the -garden.” - -Mary Frances grew excited in being able to praise the rooster to -someone. - -“He made little piles of weeds at the end of each vegetable patch, and -I had to pretend to Billy that I did the weeding, for he’d never, never -have believed that Feather Flop did the work.” - -“Isn’t it wonderful!” exclaimed Eleanor. “Do tell me more about him!” - -“Hush!” exclaimed Mary Frances, “here comes Billy.” - -“Hello, girls, want to see something fine?” Billy looked in the play -house window. - -“Of course!” cried the girls at once. - -“Come on out then—follow me.” - -Billy led them to the vegetable garden. - -“What is it?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Just brush a little of the earth away from that radish,” replied -Billy, pointing to one of the largest plants. - -“Oh, look!” cried Mary Frances, as she pulled the little red ball root, -and held it up for admiration. - -“Oh, Eleanor, it is ready to eat! The very first thing from my garden. -Let’s give it to Eleanor, Billy!” - -“Indeed, no!” declared Eleanor. “I think, Mary Frances, you should have -the very first of the crop!” - -“I know what!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “I’ll cut it up into three -pieces!” - -“Augh, count me out!” exclaimed Billy. “I don’t want any! Besides, I -guess there are several others nearly that size.” - -“But no other first ones!” declared Mary Frances. “My, if the garden -weren’t to be a surprise, I’d want to divide this with Mother and -Father, too.” - -“So would I!” exclaimed Eleanor. - -“Well, if girls aren’t silly!” Billy looked almost disgusted. “If -you want the radish, eat it up. The garden can’t be a secret much -longer anyhow, for in a day or two you can pull a couple of bunches of -radishes and several small heads of lettuce.” - -“Oh, it seems too good to be true!” exclaimed Mary Frances, dancing -around in joy at the thought. - -“But,” said Eleanor, “surely your parents know you are gardening. -Anybody with eyes could see that.” - -“Yes,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “they know we are doing some work near -the play house, but I asked them not to try to find out anything -about what we were doing, and they haven’t come near! They want to be -surprised! I know they do!” - -“But how did you get the money to buy the seeds and plants?” asked -Eleanor. - -“Mother gave me permission to use some money from my bank, and Billy -loaned me some from the money he won as a prize in school. I have to -pay that back.” - -“When we sell some of the vegetables,” said Billy. - -“You don’t wonder that I’m excited, do you, Eleanor?” cried Mary -Frances. - -“Indeed I don’t,” said Eleanor. “I wish Bob and I had just such a -garden.” - -“You can have,” said Billy; “I hope Bob will be able to make me a visit -as soon as he has finished being ‘coached’ in his Latin!” - -“That won’t be for some time,” replied Eleanor. “Meanwhile, I’ll try to -learn all I can about gardening, and we’ll be ready to start in earnest -next Spring.” - -“Oh, won’t that be lovely!” cried Mary Frances. “I’m so glad you’re -here to see our experiment. How soon did you say, Billy, we could take -the radishes and lettuce to Mother?” - -“About day after to-morrow,” answered Billy, examining the vegetables -closely again. “And a picking of peas in about ten days.” - -“Oh, goody! I love the vegetable garden almost as well as the flower -garden,” cried Mary Frances, “although the flowers are so interesting -and are growing beautifully. Come, let us go look to see if any are -ready to bloom,” leading the way to the front garden. - -“Excuse me,” said Billy; “I’m going fishing.” - -“Good luck!” cried both the girls. “Wish you’d take us!” - -But Billy pretended he didn’t hear. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -FEATHER FLOP’S TEMPTATION - - -“QUEER,” said Feather Flop, as he stopped crowing for a moment early -the next morning, “queer, that I can never get to see my little Miss -alone any more. How I do hate to see company come, for then I can’t get -a word with her! Never mind, I’ll go over to the vegetable garden in a -few minutes to see how everything is getting along. I’ll crow very loud -now; she might possibly hear and come out.” - -He flapped his wings and swelled out his breast, and began to crow loud -and long. - -He looked at the windows of Mary Frances’ room. - -“No sign of her yet. Well, I’ll go over to the garden now, and I’ll -work hard to help her.” - -He walked over to the play house garden, occasionally stopping to give -an answer to a neighboring hen or rooster. - -“You’re earlier than usual this morning,” crowed the rooster in the -next neighbor’s yard. - -“Cock-a-doodle-doo,” answered Feather Flop. “It doesn’t take much to -beat you! Good-morning, though!” and walked on. - -When he arrived at the vegetable garden, he fell right to work pulling -weeds from between the rows of onions and peas. - -When he came to the lettuce, he stopped his work. - -“My,” he said. “My, doesn’t that look good! Oh, how sweet and tender -that looks! I don’t believe anybody would miss a leaf or two of the -little leaves inside those largest heads.” - -He picked at the inside of the largest and most beautiful head in the -garden. - -“Good!” he ejaculated. “Good! I should think so! I wish I had more!” - -“I hope nobody saw me,” he whispered as he looked around. No one was in -sight. “Nobody would miss that little peck! I’ll try another head.” - -“That’s better than the other,” he said, swallowing the dainty morsel -and blinking hard. “I’ll take a little from each of these large heads, -and nobody will know anything about it.” - -“That’s all I’ll try now,” he decided finally. “I don’t wonder human -beings like such stuff.” - -He fell to work again and stopped only when he saw Mary Frances and -Eleanor come out of the house and go to the hammock. Then he ran near -enough to hear what they were saying. - -“To-morrow morning,” Mary Frances began, “to-morrow morning I can -take in the beautiful lettuce. Oh, Eleanor, such perfect heads. I can -scarcely wait one more day.” - -“If we hadn’t promised to go over to Cloverdale, we would work in the -garden all day to-day, wouldn’t we, Mary Frances?” said Eleanor. - -“Eleanor, I believe you love a garden almost as much as I!” declared -Mary Frances. “Well, we can’t work in the garden to-day; we must get -ready for our little journey.” - -“But, oh—lettuce for to-morrow!” cried Eleanor, throwing her arm around -Mary Frances’ waist as they skipped up the walk into the house. - -Feather Flop watched them from behind the tree where he was hiding. -“Maybe I oughtn’t to have touched it after all,” he said. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -FEATHER FLOP GETS ANGRY - - -FEATHER FLOP was in the vegetable garden the next morning long before -the children came for the radishes and lettuce. - -When he saw them coming, he ran around a corner of the play house, -where he could hear every word, but could not be seen. - -“Oh, Billy,” cried Mary Frances, happily, “isn’t this just fine! -Eleanor and I will pull the radishes and you can get the lettuce.” - -Eleanor began to help Mary Frances, and Billy went to the lettuce bed. - -“Well, of all things!” He shouted so loud both the girls jumped. - -“What in the world’s the matter?” Mary Frances dropped the radishes she -had in her hand. - -“Matter!” roared Billy. “Matter! That old rooster of yours has eaten -the hearts of the lettuce! That’s all! Darn him!” - -“Oh, Billy, don’t use such language!” cried Mary Frances. “Maybe he -didn’t do it. Maybe it was a cutworm or a sparrow, or—or—” - -“Look here!” demanded Billy. “Who took that bite?” pointing to a hole -in the lettuce just the size of Feather Flop’s beak. - -“Oh, dear!” exclaimed Mary Frances, “I’m afraid it was Feather Flop! -Oh, how could he have done such a thing!” - -“That’s not the only one!” went on Billy, examining further. “Every one -of these big heads has just such a bite taken out!” - -“What shall we do!” exclaimed Eleanor. “What a disappointment!” - -“I’m ready to cry!” said Mary Frances. “I wonder if any of it is fit to -use!” - -“Yes,” answered Billy, “of course, you can use some of the leaves, but -the beauty of each head is spoiled! Here, you girls take these things -to the house.” - -“Where are you going?” asked Mary Frances. - -“I’m going hunting—hunting for a bird!” replied Billy grimly. - -“Oh, don’t hurt him!” called the girls. - -“Not if I can help it,” said Billy. - -“What are you going to do with him?” again called Mary Frances. - -“Come help me catch him, and you’ll see. I’m going to make a prisoner -of him!” Billy just then caught sight of Feather Flop as he half ran -and half flew across the lawn. - -The rooster gave them a long chase, but finally Billy caught him and -tucked him under his arm. - -Feather Flop meanwhile kept up an incessant chatter. - -“We know you’re not pleased, old fellow,” said Billy as he put him into -a coop and held it down, “but you’re going to be put into a safe place. -No pleading off for you! Now, I’ve got you fixed.” - -“Yes, you bad boy!” said Mary Frances. - -At twilight, however, a little girl crept out with a plate of lettuce -to the old hen-coop where Feather Flop was prisoner. - -“Feather Flop,” Mary Frances whispered softly, “Feather Flop!” but -there was no answer. - -She stooped down and looked into the coop. At first she didn’t see the -rooster, then she espied him leaning up close to the farthest corner. - -“Why, Feather Flop,” she exclaimed, “are you ill? Why didn’t you -answer?” - -“I’m not sick,” muttered Feather Flop. - -“Why, what is the matter then, old fellow?” said Mary Frances. - -“Are you going to let me out?” asked the rooster sullenly. - -“Not to-night, Feather Flop, I’m afraid. I think, myself, you need a -little punishment. Tell me, why did you do it?” - -“I’ll not answer,” said Feather Flop. “I’m mad!” - -“Oh, Feather Flop!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Oh, Feather Flop! You did -wrong, and now you’re angry! What is the matter with you? You used to -be so nice!” - -“Oh, let me alone,” answered the rooster. - -“All right, then,” said Mary Frances. “All right! I’m going away now.” - -“I don’t care! You could have saved me from being a jail bird!” said -Feather Flop, turning tail. - -“Excuse me, I don’t care to answer another word!” he declared, putting -his head under his wing. - -Just then her mother called her, and Mary Frances had to leave him to -go into the house. - -“Poor old Feather Flop!” murmured the little girl. “Maybe I should have -saved him from being locked up like a real thief! I don’t believe he -meant to be so bad!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -FATHER AND MOTHER’S SURPRISE - - -“PERHAPS you suspected, Mother dear,” said Mary Frances after showing -the radishes and lettuce, and telling about the garden lessons Billy -had taught her. “Perhaps you and Father suspected we were gardening.” - -“We had an idea that something was being done in that line,” smiled her -mother, “but we did just as you requested. We didn’t try to find out.” - -“Wasn’t that dear!” exclaimed Eleanor. “I think Mary Frances has such -wonderful experiences!” - -“She has had a happy life,” said the mother, looking sympathetically at -Mary Frances’ little friend, for Eleanor’s mother had died two years -before. - -Only for a few moments did the tears stand in Eleanor’s eyes, then she -said: - -“Mary Frances has been so good about sharing her splendid times with -me. Do you remember the cooking lessons, and the sewing lessons, and -Mrs. Paper Doll’s housekeeping lessons, girlie?” - -“They’re not so far past that you can’t remember,” smiled Mary Frances’ -mother, “but you girls are growing up fast. I hope that, even when you -are young ladies, you will delight in just such lessons as you have -already had.” - -“I feel sure I shall,” declared Mary Frances. - -“I do, too,” said Eleanor. - -“Play lessons,” went on the mother, “keep fun in your hearts and ‘fun -keeps one young,’ you know.” - -“Well, these garden lessons were fun,” said Mary Frances, “but they had -a great deal of hard work attached. Oh, Mother dear, I’ll ask you what -I meant to! May we serve the lettuce and radishes for dinner, and not -say a word to Father about them? Then, perhaps he’ll say, ‘What fine -radishes! What tender lettuce! Where did you get them, Mother?’ Oh, -wouldn’t I just love that to happen!” - -“I don’t doubt that he will say it, Mary Frances! I would, I know, for -I’ve not seen any so fine this year,” replied her mother. - -“I have the radishes all washed and ready for the table,” said Eleanor. -“Shall I put them on?” - -Mary Frances nodded. - -“Just put them in the refrigerator until nearer the meal hour,” said -her mother, “then they’ll get more crisp!” - -“How about this lettuce?” asked Mary Frances, who had it well washed by -this time. “Feather Flop didn’t hurt it so much after all,” she said to -herself. “I don’t think I’ll say anything about what he did.” - -“Put it in this glass-covered dish and place it on the ice to make it -crisp in the same way.” - - * * * * * - -“Here comes Father!” exclaimed Mary Frances, and she and Eleanor ran to -meet him. - -“Dinner’s about ready, Father,” said the mother, greeting him and -nodding her head to the girls to put their “surprise” on the table. - -“Billy will be here in a minute,” he replied. “I saw him as I turned in -the walk. There he is, now.” - -“Why,” he exclaimed, as he looked at the table, “where did these -beautiful little red radishes come from? We haven’t seen such beauties -this year! And that lettuce! Who’s been sending in such a treat?” - -Mary Frances was delighted. - -“It’s our surprise!” she explained. “They are from my own garden, -Father!” and she told about the lessons. - -At least she tried to tell, but Billy, and Eleanor, too, helped in -telling the story. - -“Such interesting lessons, Father!” said Mary Frances. “My, I had no -idea gardening is so wonderful.” - -“Fine!” exclaimed her father. “Billy boy, I see it paid to send you to -a practical school.” - -“I wish,” said Eleanor, “that Bob was going to study gardening, too.” - -“Can’t you persuade your father to send him away to Billy’s school this -Fall?” - -“Wouldn’t that be splendid!” exclaimed Eleanor. “I never thought of it. -I’ll try my best!” - -“But, Father, you and Mother both had an idea of what we were about, -hadn’t you?” asked Billy. - -“We knew ‘something was up,’ Billy,” smiled his father, “but we didn’t -know radishes and lettuce were.” - -Everybody laughed. - -“Now, that we’re all in the secret,” Mary Frances declared happily, “I -like it better than ever.” - -“Father can give us a lot of information I don’t know a bit about,” -said Billy. - -“I believe Mother knows a lot she’s not telling,” said Mary Frances. - -“Father, won’t you give us some lessons on the wild flowers?” asked -Billy. - -“That would be delightful,” his mother said. “We could all share in -such lessons. For instance, some day soon we could all take a walk in -the woods.” - -“Won’t that be a picnic!” Billy was enthusiastic. “When shall we go? -Can’t you make a holiday of it, Father? Let us take our lunch.” - -“If it suits all parties, we’ll go day after to-morrow,” said his -father. - -“It just suits me!” declared Billy. - -“It just suits me!” echoed Mary Frances. - -“It just suits me!” said Eleanor. - -“How about you, Mother?” asked the father. - -“It will charm me to accept the invitation,” smiled the mother. - -“Don’t you girls oversleep!” warned Billy. - -“Oh, Billy, we’re not the sleepy-heads!” laughed Mary Frances, shaking -her finger at Billy. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -FEATHER FLOP MAKES UP - - -“UNLESS you speak to me, Feather Flop,” said Mary Frances, when she -took his breakfast to the coop next morning, “unless you speak to me, -I am not coming out again! I’m going to get Billy to bring you your -food,” and she turned away. - -Feather Flop stuck his head between the slats of the coop, and a tear -rolled out of each eye. - -“Oh, please don’t go away,” he begged. “I’m so awfully ashamed of -myself I don’t know what to say. That’s the reason I didn’t answer.” - -“You poor dear old Feather Flop,” cried Mary Frances, opening the -slats. “You poor old fellow!” - -“I’m so awfully ashamed,” went on the rooster, “that I’d gladly have -you chop my head off and make a potpie of me.” - -“Oh, Feather Flop, don’t feel quite so bad as that,” exclaimed Mary -Frances. “I forgive you, my friend.” - -For the first time, Feather Flop looked up. - -“Do you?” he asked. “Please tell me again.” - -“I forgive you, Feather Flop,” repeated Mary Frances, gathering him up -in her arms. “The lettuce wasn’t so badly hurt, after all.” - -“My, I’m so thankful,” said Feather Flop, “though I don’t see how you -can forgive me. Are you certain that you do?” - -“Very certain!” smiled Mary Frances. “As certain as I am that you’ll -never do such a thing again!” - -“Never again!” solemnly declared Feather Flop, holding up one claw. -“Never again!” - -“Well, now, eat your breakfast,” said Mary Frances, putting him down -and gently stroking his beautiful feathers. - -“I—haven’t—eaten—a—beakful,” said Feather Flop between hungry pecks, -“since—I—was—put—in prison,—so—you—can—imagine—how—awfully—hungry—I—am.” - -“Indeed I can,” laughed Mary Frances, delighted to see him his own self -again. - -“Does being forgiven always make a person feel hungry?” asked Feather -Flop. - -“Well, being unforgiven makes a person feel very unhungry,” said Mary -Frances. - -“A strange thing about me, I guess,” said Feather Flop, “is, that after -I’ve eaten a full meal, I’m not hungry.” - -“Of course not,” laughed Mary Frances. “Nobody ever is.” - -“It’s very sad, though,” declared the rooster. - -“Why,” began Mary Frances, “I don’t see anything sad about that.” - -“It’s sad, because it’s so much fun to be hungry and eat. I’d like to -eat every minute myself—when I’m forgiven.” - -“You do pretty well, Feather Flop,” said Mary Frances. “I wouldn’t -complain. It’s far worse to be hungry and not to be able to get food.” - -“I hadn’t thought of that,” said Feather Flop. - -“What’s the next lesson?” he asked abruptly. - -“Next lesson?” echoed Mary Frances. “Oh, about roses. Isn’t that a nice -one?” - -“Call on me for anything I can do,” said Feather Flop. “I’d starve a -year and a half before I’d touch anything good in the garden again.” - -“Oh, thank you, my friend,” said Mary Frances. “Thank you! I’ll call -upon you, never fear. I must go now, though.” - -“Shake hands?” asked Feather Flop, holding out his claw. “Just to show -real forgiveness.” - -“Certainly,” said Mary Frances, taking his claw in her hand and shaking -it in a most serious fashion. - -As much as she wanted to, she did not smile. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - -ROSES - - -“VERY many people love roses more than any other flowers,” began Billy, -“and Miss Gardener explained to us that for this reason, rose growing -has become a specialty among professional floriculturists.” - -“Mercy, Billy,” interrupted Mary Frances, “please explain those last -two long words.” - -“‘Professional floriculturists,’” explained Billy, “are men who raise -flowers as a profession or business.” - -“Thank you,” said Eleanor. - -The children were in the rose arbor, where the girls had begged him to -give them a lesson on roses. - -“Because,” Eleanor had said, “roses are my favorite flowers.” - -“Mine, too, except violets,” Mary Frances had added. - -“The result of this specializing,” resumed Billy, “is that there are -many beautiful new kinds of roses constantly being introduced into our -country, for while a good many new roses have been produced here, the -most have been produced by growers across the ocean, in Ireland and -France.” - -“I never knew that,” exclaimed Eleanor. “I thought that roses were—just -roses.” - -“So did I!” declared Mary Frances. Then suddenly, “Oh, here comes -mother! Don’t stop talking, Billy! Mother will love to hear!” - -“Oh, I don’t think—” began Billy. - -“Please let me listen, Son,” interrupted his mother’s pleasant voice. -“You know how I love roses, I would certainly appreciate hearing what -you learned from your teachers about them.” - -“Well, all right, Mother,” said Billy, “but I’ll stick more closely to -my notes than I generally do, since we are honored by your presence.” - -The girls made room for her on the arbor seat, and Billy opened his -note book. - -“Here is the place,” he said in a moment. “Here commences the lesson on -Roses— - - -OLD-FASHIONED ROSES - - A flower garden would be lacking in interest and - beauty, indeed, without the Queen of Flowers, the rose. - - No matter how small the garden space, some roses may be - grown, and their loveliness and perfume will well repay - the work of caring for them. - - There were no such beautiful roses in your - grandmothers’ gardens as you may grow to-day, for more - beautiful and more perfect roses come into existence - every year. - - Perhaps you have heard of “Damask,” and “Cabbage,” and - “China” roses; old-fashioned sounding names they are, - very familiar to the ears of your grandparents. - - They were the great-great-grandparents of the hardier - and lovelier roses of to-day, the “Hybrid Perpetuals,” - and “Hybrid Teas.” - - -HOW NEW ROSES CAME ABOUT - - Some few of the new roses were accidents, so called - because good Mrs. Bee carried some strange rose pollen - to the pistil of one or more of the old-fashioned - roses, and the new rose seed-babies took on a new - nature. When the little plants from the new rose - seed-baby bloomed, rose lovers were delighted with the - more perfect loveliness of the new flower. - - They carefully saved the new plant, and tenderly cared - for it. When it was old enough and strong enough, they - took “cuttings” from its shoots, and grew more plants - like it. - - Now, rose lovers after noticing what good Mrs. Bee had - done by accident, thought, “I wonder if a person could - not dust the pollen from a very different rose on the - pistil of some particular rose.” This was tried, and - to-day we have such wonderful improvements on the - old-fashioned roses that no other flower gives quite - the pleasure to garden lovers as the rose. - - -HOW ROSES ARE PROPAGATED - - No, the seeds of the new varieties would probably - not bring plants like themselves. More likely they - would resemble closely their parents or grandparents. - Besides, it takes a long time to raise a plant from a - rose seed. - - So the safest and surest way to propagate, or grow more - of, the new varieties is by: - - (_a_) Cuttings, or - (_b_) Budding. - - -CUTTINGS - - _Cuttings_ are “slips” cut from the plant, which if - kept in damp sand will take root. - - New geranium plants are usually procured in this way. - In fact, the old plant is often cut entirely up into - sections and each section is planted in an earthen pot. - They are kept damp, and soon throw out roots. The new - plants of the geranium will bloom much better than the - old one, especially in winter, in the house. - - Many roses will readily grow out-of-doors from - cuttings. Among these are the Rambler roses, the - Dorothy Perkins being one of the easiest to raise. - Among the Hybrid Tea roses, the La France grows readily - from cuttings. - - Cuttings, however, do best if raised under glass, in a - greenhouse. - - Each little cutting may have its own greenhouse. This - is arranged by— - - -GROWING ROSE CUTTINGS UNDER GLASS JARS - - At any time in warm weather some cuttings will - take root under an inverted jar. The best time to - experiment, however, is in the Spring or in August. - - The tip cut from a strong growing shoot, or cane, does - best. It should have at least three joints, one of - which is near the base. After all the leaves but one, - and the tip are cut off, the “slip” is placed in damp - sandy soil up to _one-third_ of its length, and covered - over with an inverted quart jar. The glass jar is the - little cutting’s own hot-house where it will have - wonderfully good conditions for “taking root.” - - Do not lift the jar for many a day, but keep the soil - well watered. - - After a number of weeks, most likely you will notice - new leaves putting forth, and will know that the - cutting has become a little plant with its own roots. - Let it grow under the jar until the tip reaches the - glass; then uncover. - - It is not necessary to make cuttings especially for the - purpose, for rose[I] bushes have been raised from the - stem of a blooming rose after the blossom has faded. - - Cuttings are inexpensive, and the method is an easy - one for obtaining a large number of plants; but there - is a better and quicker and more certain way for - professional rose growers. - - This is by— - - -BUDDING - - In order to find what is meant by budding, you must - understand that the “bud” referred to means the little - green “eye” on the stem of the plant where a branch - will grow. - - This “eye” is cut off with a sharp knife, and slipped - under the bark of some wild rose plant, called the - “stock.” - - The advantage of budding is that the growth is rapid - and commences with the strong roots of the wild plant. - - If you buy rose plants from the dealer, they will - probably be budded plants. Now, watch for— - - -“SUCKERS” - - You see, in budding, after the “bud” or “eye” has begun - to put forth leaves, all the branches of the wild rose - plant are cut away, and only the new bud allowed to - grow. Sometimes the _wild rose stock_ or root will send - out a shoot after the new rose bush is planted. If this - is allowed to grow, it will use all the food sent up - by the roots, and the new budded growth will die out, - unless the _wild rose shoot is cut off close_. - - “Suckers” are very easily discerned. They are full - of prickles, are light green in color, and usually - have seven leaves. Cultivated rose bushes with few - exceptions have five leaves. - - You do not want to find any of your lovely rose bushes - killed in this way—so watch out for “suckers!” - -Billy looked up from his note book, “I haven’t read exactly as I have -taken these notes,” he said; “I’ve made the lesson shorter. Do you wish -me to go on?” - -“Oh, please do!” cried the girls. - -“Yes, Son,” said his mother, “that is, if you are not too tired. I -imagine we are coming to that interesting point where we will learn -what roses were recommended to you for planting.” - -FOOTNOTE: - -[I] Mary Frances has several rose bushes blooming, which she made from -cuttings. She saved some especially beautiful cut roses which were -given her. When the flowers had wilted she cut them off and followed -the directions Billy had given. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI - -THE BEST ROSES TO PLANT - - -“YOU are quite right, Mother,” replied Billy, “but before we were given -the lists, we learned a little more about the history and— - - -CLASSES OF ROSES - - If we should go back many years, and give the names - of the old roses and follow their history until the - present time, you could scarcely remember their names. - - Already you have heard of “Damask,” “China,” and - “Cabbage” roses, and have been told that they were - among the grandparents of the roses of to-day. - - -THE HOMES OF CERTAIN ROSES - - Perhaps it would interest you to know that Damask roses - were found around Damascus, in Syria, and taken to - Europe in about the year 1573; that the “Cabbage”, or - “Provence”, rose is supposed to have been known to the - Romans, and later was grown extensively in Provence, in - the South of France; that the “China” rose was brought - to Europe sometime in the eighteenth century from - China, where it is a native or “wild” rose; that the - beautiful, fragrant and delicate Tea rose was brought - from China to England about 1815. - - -ABOUT HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES - - It is not necessary to tell what particular old roses - became the great-grandparents of our present roses. - Indeed, it would be a difficult matter, for commercial - rose growers have guarded well the secret of just what - roses they used to produce the new ones. - - The term given to a new flower is _hybrid_, which means - a _mixture_. When, about the year 1825, a new class - of roses, called the Hybrid Perpetual, was brought - into existence, everybody was glad, because these new - hybrids bloomed longer than any of their parents; were - of good strong growth; and were perfectly _hardy_. - - Perfectly hardy _means that they would live - out-of-doors over severe winter weather_. - - Hybrid Perpetual roses are among our most prized roses - of to-day for these same reasons; but we now have a - still more valuable class of hybrids, with a longer - season of bloom, which were derived from— - - -TEA ROSES - - Perhaps the loveliest of all roses are the Tea roses, - because of their beauty and enchanting fragrance; but - they are delicate. Very few Tea rose bushes can live - out-of-doors over _cold_ weather. Not only are Tea - roses most beautiful and fragrant, but they _bloom - almost continuously_ during the entire season. - - -ABOUT HYBRID TEA ROSES - - So, as I have said, garden lovers who lived where the - winters were severely cold and bring snow, could not - have the lovely Tea roses in their gardens. - - You can imagine their delight when another new class of - roses appeared—roses which bloom freely like the Tea - roses, and have much of their fragrance, yet are hardy - and can live out-of-doors in winter weather, except in - the “way north country.” - - The name of this wonderful new class of roses is Hybrid - Tea; which means, as you already know, that the new - roses are the result of a mixture of Tea roses with - others. - - Hybrid Tea roses are, in fact, a mixture of Tea roses - with Hybrid Perpetuals. - - -WHAT ROSES TO PLANT - - For blooms for cut flowers, you will plant many Hybrid - Tea roses, and some few Hybrid Perpetuals; for, while - Hybrid Perpetuals bloom plentifully only in June, and - have a few blooms in the Autumn, they are so large - and magnificent that no one wishes to do without the - following: - - Hybrid Perpetual Roses { Paul Neyron: - (Abbreviation: H. P.) { - { One of the largest roses in existence; - Hybrid Perpetual Roses { a deep pink in color. - bloom profusely in { - June, and a few times { Frau Karl Druschki: - in Summer; quite well { - in the Fall. They are { Pure white, large and perfect in form. - very hardy. Prune after { Buds sometimes 3 inches long. Blooms well. - June blooming to get { - Autumn blooms. { Mrs. John Laing: - { - { Soft pink, very fragrant and free - { flowering; one of the best. - { - { Prince Camille de Rohan: - { - { Deep crimson maroon. - - There are several other very desirable Hybrid Perpetual - roses, but the name of one only of each color has - been listed, because one has so much more pleasure in - cutting a half dozen buds of the same color and form - than a mixture of different kinds. - - Even if one has space for many rose bushes, there is - a great deal more satisfaction in having two or more - bushes of the same variety than many different kinds, - for a bouquet of the same kind of flowers is so much - more beautiful than an assortment. - - Perhaps you thought that the words Hybrid Perpetual - meant continuous blooming. Many a grown person has made - this mistake in looking over the seedsmen’s catalogs. - Probably the name Perpetual refers to the fact that the - plant lives over from year to year and has such a long - life. In England, however, Hybrid Perpetuals bloom for - a much longer time than in our country, for the climate - is better suited to roses. - - Of the many, many beautiful Hybrid Tea roses, you will - wish red, white, pink, and yellow; and you will be - pleased if you grow some of the following: - - {Red: - { - {1. General McArthur. - { A satisfactory bloomer, crimson scarlet. - { Good for cutting. - { - {2. Gruss an Teplitz. - { Bright crimson. Pretty foliage. Flowers in - { clusters on a weak stem. A constant - { bloomer, and very desirable for that - { reason, and for the color and form of - { foliage. - { - {White: - { - {1. Kaiserin Augusta Victoria. - { Pearly white, tinged with light yellow. A - { very satisfactory rose. - { - Hybrid Tea Roses {2. Innocence. - (Abbreviation: H. T.) { White. A good bloomer - { - Hybrid Tea Roses are { - free-blooming, hardy, {Pink: - and combine to a large { - degree the beauty of {1. Caroline Testout. - color of the H. P. { Very good for color and hardiness. - with the fragrance and { Fragrant; blooms freely. - continuance of bloom { - of the Tea roses. {2. Killarney. - { A general favorite, because of good color - { and form, and a continuous bloomer. Subject - { to mildew. - { - {3. La France. - { Excellent. Very fragrant. Charming in - { color. - { - {Other excellent pink roses: - { Lady Ashtown. - { Killarney Brilliant. - { - {Yellow: - { - {1. Duchess of Wellington. - { Deep yellow and orange. Excellent bloomer. - { - {2. Mrs. Aaron Ward. - { Indian yellow; free blooming. - { - {3. Marquise de Sinety. - { A magnificent rose of sunset shades, but - { not so easily cared for, nor so free - { blooming, as Duchess of Wellington. - - In looking over these lists, perhaps you are wondering - why you do not find the name of the rose, American - Beauty, so dear to American hearts. The American Beauty - rose is not hardy, and is grown under glass, and as - we are considering only out-of-door roses, it is not - listed. - - If you happen to live in the warm climate of the South - or in California, you can have the luxury of growing - the more tender roses, and I am giving you a list of - some of the best Tea roses. - - Do not attempt to raise them if you live where there - is much snow in winter; a few of these might “winter - over” if well protected, but with the many exquisite - Hybrid Tea roses, it is only a waste of time for young - gardeners to experiment. - - {Red: - { - { There are no dark red tea roses, the - List of Tea (Scented) { nearest perhaps being Souvenir de - Roses { Catherine Guillet, coppery-carmine, shaded - { with yellow. - { - Tender roses which {White: - require extraordinary { - winter protection in {1. Mrs. Herbert Stevens. - the vicinity of { - New York. { Beautiful in form. Sometimes tinged with - { faint pink shadings. - Do not prune severely. { - {2. White Mamam Cochet. - { - { White, sometimes tinged with pink. - { - {Pink: - { - { Mamam Cochet. - { - { Hardiest of all Tea roses; excellent for - { cutting. Free blooming. - { - { Duchesse de Brabant. - { - { Most fragrant. Silvery pink. - { - {Yellow: - { - {1. Lady Hillingdon. - { - { Reddish yellow; a beautiful rose. - { - {2. Souvenir de Pierre Notting. - { - { Canary-yellow, deeper in center. - - Below is a list of Climbing Roses. Climbing roses were - brought into existence in a way similar to any of the - other new roses. - - { Red: - { - { Excelsa. - { - { A great improvement on the Crimson Rambler, - { the foliage being nearly free from mildew. - { Blooms in June. - { - { American Beauty Climbing Rose. - Hardy Climbing Roses { - (For places where the { Resembling the American Beauty in shade; - winters bring snow) { blooms are of quite good size, on weak stems, - { but rather good for cutting. A desirable - { rose, but not for showy effect. - { - {Pink: - { - { Dorothy Perkins. - { - { A splendid rose; grows very rapidly, - { sometimes 20 feet in a season. Flowers in - { clusters. Foliage charming. Blooms in June. - { - { Debutante. - { - { Fragrant, very desirable because blooming - { sometimes in July, in September and October. - { - { Tausendschön. - { - { Sometimes called “Rose of a Thousand - { Blooms.” Flowers early in large clusters. - { Very hardy; beautiful foliage. Color, blush - { pink and white. - { - { American Pillar. - { - { Grows very rapidly. A brilliant pink single - { rose, borne in clusters. Foliage excellent. - { - { - {White: - { - { White Dorothy. - { - { Flowers at the same time as the Pink Dorothy - { Perkins. - { - {Yellow: - { - { Shower of Gold. - - In warmer parts of the country there is a great variety - of beautiful climbing roses, among which may be named: - - {Pink: - { - { Climbing Bridesmaid. - Climbing Roses for the{ - South and Pacific { Rose pink with crimson shadings, very - Coast { fragrant. - { - {White: - { - { Climbing Devoniensis. (“Magnolia Rose.”) - { - { Large creamy white roses with pink center. - {Yellow: - { - { Marechal Niel. - { - { This well-known magnificent climbing rose - { bears masses of double fragrant blooms which - { are excellent for cutting. - - - There is another class of roses about which you should - know: - - -WICHURAIANA ROSES (EVERGREEN OR MEMORIAL ROSES) - - These roses will live in our coldest climate. - - The first were brought from Japan in 1892. The - Wichuraiana roses are highly valued where the winters - are severe or where the plant cannot receive special - care, as in a cemetery. (For this reason they have been - called “Memorial.”) Once planted, they seem to care for - themselves. They trail along the ground, or over rocks, - and often climb over any support. - - Do not plant them in the rose garden where you need - space to grow bushes for blooms which are lovely for - cutting. - - Wichuraiana roses bloom in June and July and sometimes - later. Insects do not trouble the beautiful shiny - foliage, which stays green nearly all winter. - - The single roses, if not cut, become red berries in - the Autumn. “_Wichuraiana_” is the catalog name of the - single variety. - - Blooms of the Wichuraiana roses are small compared - with the Hybrid Tea or Hybrid Perpetual, but some are - beautiful. - - { Gardenia. - { - The Best Wichuraiana { Sometimes called “Hardy Marechal Niel,” bears - Rose { lovely yellow buds which open into double - { flowers of cream color, resembling a Cape - { Jessamine. - - Suppose you live at the seashore or in the mountains; - suppose you have very poor soil for roses; then you - will be glad to plant— - - -RUGOSA ROSES - - Sometimes Rugosa Roses have been called, “Ironclad,” - because of their thick leathery foliage, which is - seldom, if ever, troubled with insects; and because of - their wonderful hardiness and ability to live under - trying conditions. - - They bloom early, in large flowers, some of which - resemble large single wild roses; others resemble large - “double wild roses,” if you can imagine such roses. - Many make the Autumn gay with their brilliant red seed - berries. - - Do not make the mistake of planting Rugosa among the - rose bushes you are growing for cut flowers. - - They are used where heavy growth is needed; as among - shrubbery or for a hedge. A single plant looks well on - a lawn or at a corner of a house. The Rugosa roses grow - from four to six feet tall. - - In case you wish one or two of these, the following are— - - The Best Rugosa Roses {White: - (Ramanas, Japanese) { - { Blanc Double de Coubert. - Of very hardy heavy { - growth, with large { Pure double white blooms. - single or semi-double { - flowers, many bearing {Pink: - red seed pods in { - Autumn. { Conrad F. Meyer. - { - { Silvery rose; double; one of the best. - -“There,” said Billy, looking up from his book, “isn’t that a long -lesson? Well, the reason for it all is this: Miss Gardener and -Professor Weed are rose enthusiasts—‘rose crazy,’ we boys called them.” - -“Their love of roses was an excellent thing for you boys,” said his -mother, “for I believe you know more on the subject than most grown-up -people.” - -“Just listen!” exclaimed Mary Frances, “Billy, don’t you feel repaid -for giving us the lesson? What comes next?” - -“Next comes—let me see,” replied Billy. “Oh, yes, it’s about planting -and caring for roses, I remember.” - -“When will you give us that?” asked Eleanor. - -“Does it tell about ‘Tree Roses?’” asked Mary Frances eagerly before -Billy could answer Eleanor. - -“I’ll tell you _now_,” he said, “about— - - -TREE ROSES - - Tree Roses are Hybrid Perpetual or Hybrid Tea or other - roses, budded or grafted high up on strong stock, or - wild growth, and cut or pruned to the form of trees. - - They are very attractive in a formal or “set out” - garden, or for edging walks, but such great care must - be taken to keep them warm during cold weather that it - is best not to try them except in places where there is - little snow in winter. - - For winter bed covers, place boards around the plant - and fill with earth. - - -“Miss Gardener said,” went on Billy, “that English and Irish rose -growers are constantly sending new varieties of roses over to -Americans, but the new roses have to be tested in our climate before -we can be certain if they will do well here. That’s all the lesson for -to-day,” he declared. “Come to-morrow morning for the next lesson—that -is, if you want to. The day after, you know, we go on the Wild Flower -Picnic.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII - -THE WICKED ROSE BUGS - - -“‘ZEALOUS care brings big reward in growing,’ our professor told us.” - -Billy was perched in the fork of an apple tree. The two girls and his -mother were sitting on the grass which made a thick carpet beneath its -branches. - -“He used to say it over so often that the fellows nicknamed him -‘Rosy,’” Billy went on. - -“Oh!” exclaimed Mary Frances, “wasn’t that awful!” but she and Eleanor -giggled, and even her mother smiled. - -“You didn’t call him that, though?” said Eleanor. - -“Not when he could hear me,” laughed Billy. “But if I’m going to give -you this lesson we must make a start. The subject, by the way, is— - - -HOW TO PLANT ROSES - - Before you can make a list of the roses you wish to - order, you must understand something about the state in - which they will be when received, how far apart they - may be planted, and— - - -WHERE TO MAKE BEDS FOR ROSES - - Roses like warmth and air. They love to drink, but they - do not like wet feet. - - Knowing these things, you will select for your rose bed - an airy, sunny place on the south side of a building or - wall, if possible, where the ground is not so low that - it will hold moisture long. - - Having decided what is the best place you can offer - your roses, you will want to know— - - -HOW TO MAKE BEDS FOR ROSES - - 1. Do not buy too many plants for the space. Do not - make the bed over five feet wide. If wider, you will - tread on the soil and make it heavy. - - 2. Remember, roses are usually planted twenty-one - inches apart. (Do not plant Wichuraiana or Rugosa roses - in the bed.) - - Alternate the plants, as shown in the following diagram: - - (1) (2) (3) This saves garden space, and gives - (5) (4) room for the roots. - (6) (7) (8) - - 3. To be beautiful, roses must have plenty of good - food. So _dig deep_; eighteen inches is a good depth. - Fill this space with a mixture of soil and well-rotted - stable manure. It is best not to let the roots of the - roses touch the manure. Sprinkle a little soil over - the manure before putting the plant into its place. If - the ground is very damp, dig deeper than two feet and - throw in a basket of stones, through which the water - will drain. - - 4. Roses are received from the dealer either growing in - pots, or dormant (dry), or with little balls of earth - around the roots wrapped in damp moss. - - The young inexperienced gardener will do best with the - potted plants, but if the plants are dry and dormant - (dormant means _sleeping_), it is well to soak the - roots before planting. Never expose damp roots to the - air. Keep in water or damp earth until planted. - - -HOW DEEP TO PLANT ROSES - - Unless grown in pots, spread out the roots and pack the - earth firmly about them, putting the plant deep enough - to bring earth three inches over the “bud” or graft. - - -THE BEST TIME TO PLANT ROSES - - depends on where you live. - - In general, Spring is the best time, but in the South - and on the Pacific coast, Autumn is best. - - Some of the _hardiest_ sorts will grow well, when set - out in the Fall, even in places where the winters are - severe. - - Now, the bushes are planted, and we will think about— - - -CARING FOR ROSES - - The chief cares for roses are: - - 1. Cultivating, or stirring the soil. - - 2. Feeding. - - 3. Destroying insect enemies. - - 4. Pruning. - - You already understand the importance of cultivating - and the importance of feeding the plants. - - -FERTILIZERS - - Two of the best foods for roses and easiest to use, are - bone dust and dried sheep manure, which you can buy - at the seed store. These you may dig into the soil as - you cultivate, being sure not to let the fertilizers - directly touch the roots. - - -ENEMIES OF ROSES - - 1. Rose Bugs. - - 2. Aphids. - - 3. Rusts and Mildews. - - 4. Borers and other chewing insects. - - There are several different kinds of beetles, called - rose bugs, which come up out of the ground where they - have spent the winter, just at the time of the most - abundant and beautiful blooming. - - In the Middle Atlantic States they stay in a place - about two weeks. - - The best way to rid a plant of these enemies of roses - which “eat them alive,” is to hand-pick them, throwing - them into a can of kerosene. - - There is a patent preparation which is good. Write your - dealer for information as to this. - - Treat for other insects as you have already learned. - - If your parents think you may be trusted to handle - a poison, spray in the early Spring with “Bordeaux - Arsenate of Lead” to prevent mildew and rust. In - summer, use Flowers of Sulphur. - - Now, as to— - - -PRUNING ROSES - - Prune rose bushes in the early Spring, just when the - plants _begin_ to show green, which means that their - sap is beginning to flow. Use pruning for cutting the - stems back. - - Remember these principal rules: - - 1. Hybrid Perpetual Roses should be cut back about two - feet from the ground. - - 2. Cut back Hybrid Tea Roses more sparingly, that is, - farther from the ground than Hybrid Perpetuals. - - 3. Cut back Tea Roses only a short distance. - - 4. Cut only the dead wood from the other kinds. - - Pruning cuts off the ends of the branches and causes - the plant to throw out strong joints from the eyes - along the canes, which will bear flowers. - -“My,” exclaimed Mary Frances, as Billy closed his book suddenly and -jumped to the ground. “Is that all about roses?” - -“No, dear,” answered her mother. “No, that is just a ‘first beginning,’ -as you used to say when you were little.” - -“Speaking of insect enemies, I see the wicked rose bugs have eaten into -the hearts of the most beautiful roses we own,” went on her mother. - -“Come,” cried Mary Frances, “let’s go see if we can find them—and drown -them in kerosene.” - -“Oh, but I’m afraid of them!” shuddered Eleanor. - -Mary Frances laughed. “They won’t hurt you!” she said, running ahead. -“I bet I can catch the first hundred!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII - -THE FAIRY WOOD NYMPHS - - -JUST as the family had planned, they started on the walk in the woods -the next morning. - -Mary Frances and Eleanor were walking with their mother, while Billy -and his father followed with the lunch baskets. - -“Be careful where you step!” called Billy suddenly; but it was -too late, for with a cry of pain, his mother fell upon the thick -undergrowth. - -Billy and his father came running. - -“Oh,” cried Mary Frances, “oh, dear! I ought to have told mother. I -remember tripping over the vines here. Are you much hurt, Mother dear?” - -“Not much,” she replied, but as she made an effort to move, she sank -back with a little sigh. - -“It isn’t a bad sprain, dear,” said the father, examining her ankle, -“but you ought not walk another step.” - -“Oh, the poor children will be so disappointed!” - -“That’s just like mother!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Never to think of -herself first!” - -“I know what you and I can do, Father,” said Billy. “Let’s make a -‘sedan chair,’ and carry mother home.” - -“That’s a good idea, Son—we’ll leave the girls and the lunch; and -if the doctor says she may come, I’ll drive mother out late in the -afternoon after she has rested.” - -“Oh, no, let us go with you!” cried Eleanor and Mary Frances together. - -“It will make me so much happier, girls,” said the mother, “if you will -stay and try to enjoy yourselves. Billy will be back soon, and maybe -you can have a bunch of wild flowers ready to take home when you come -this afternoon. I’m not hurt seriously, but I think a hot-water bath -and bandage for this ankle will prevent further trouble.” - -“All right, Mother dear,” said Mary Frances, kissing her. “If it will -make you happier, we’ll stay.” - -“I’d eat lunch right over there,” suggested Billy, pointing out a -lovely green spot near a spring. - -“Trust Billy to think of pleasant ‘eats,’” laughed Mary Frances, as -Eleanor and she picked up the lunch baskets, and Billy and his father -started off with the mother comfortably seated on the “sedan chair” -which they made with their hands. - -“We’ll wait for you, Billy,” called Eleanor. - -“Better not,” said Billy, “because I may be late—I may stay to dinner -at home.” - -“We’ll wait a while, any how,” called Mary Frances. “Good-bye!” - -“Good-bye!” called everybody. - - * * * * * - -The girls felt quite lonely and sad as the other three disappeared from -sight. - -“Oh, dear,” sobbed Mary Frances, “I just pretended to be cheerful -because I knew how sorry mother was to disappoint us.” - -“My, but you were brave,” replied Eleanor. “Indeed, I felt just like -crying, but when I saw how you were behaving, it made me feel ashamed.” - -“Well,” said Mary Frances, drying her eyes, “let’s set the table—Billy -will be back sooner or later, and I don’t want him to see I’ve been -crying!” - -So they spread their lunch cloth and paper plates. - -“If we only had some flowers for a centerpiece!” exclaimed Mary Frances. - -“Let’s go gather some!” suggested Eleanor. - -“All right!” Mary Frances sprang up. - -“What can we put them in?” asked Eleanor practically. - -“Oh, I know!” cried Mary Frances running to one of the lunch baskets. -“Let’s drink this milk, and use the bottle for a holder.” - -“Lovely!” said Eleanor. “My, I didn’t know I was hungry!” - -“Neither did I—let’s take a sandwich and start.” - -Mary Frances led the way. “I’ve often walked through this path,” she -said, “and I’ve always found some flowers.” - -“Oh, dear, what was that?” cried Eleanor suddenly. - -“Nothing at all,” answered Mary Frances, “or maybe a bird flying about -among the leaves.” - -“It isn’t a bird!” declared Eleanor. “It’s not a bird!” pointing down -among the whirling leaves. “Hush! Do look carefully, Mary Frances, and -listen!” - -They stood still. - - “Wild carrot, toad flax, - Buttercup and daisy, - Do you love them well as I? - If not, you’ll be crazy.” - -Although the voice was very thin and piping, they heard every word -distinctly. “That’s not a bird,” whispered Mary Frances. - -“Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy,” sang the voice. - -Still the girls didn’t see anything among the leaves where the voice -seemed to come from. - - “Tinkle Bell, - In a dell, - Dearly loved - A daisy. - Do you love one - Well as she? - If not, you are——” - -“What?” asked the little piping voice. - -All the leaves stopped whirling. - -“What?” again asked the little voice. - -“Crazy,” replied Mary Frances, laughing softly. “But we’re not crazy. -We dearly love daisies, and wild carrot, and buttercup and—well, yes, -we love toad flax, too.” - -“Oh, I’m so glad, because we can be friends.” - -At that the leaves began to whirl and dance furiously, and out of the -midst of them leaped a little fellow not anything like as large as Mary -Marie, Mary Frances’ doll. - -He was dressed in forest brown from the tip of his pointed cap to the -toe of his pointed boot. His coat and tiny knickerbocker breeches were -made of green leaves. Even his hair and beard were yellowish-green as -though made of very fine grass. For buckles on his shoes he wore tiny -dew drops which glistened like diamonds. The buttons on his coat were -of the same. At the end of his peaked cap dangled a tiny wild fringed -gentian. - -“Flower lovers are always friends,” said he, bowing. “Young ladies, it -gives me much pleasure to introduce myself. I am Jack-in-the-Pulpit!” - -Mary Frances wanted to ask him how he happened to be out of the -pulpit, but she suddenly thought he might not like the question, so she -said: - -“Why, how do you do, Mr. Jack? We are pleased to know you;” and she and -Eleanor both smiled. - -The little fellow was delighted. - -“You really are glad—that I can see. There are lots of human people who -come into the woods who never listen or look when we call.” - -“Why,” asked Eleanor looking round, “are there more of you?” - -“Oh, my, yes,” nodded the little fellow. “Lots and lots more, only -the others are very busy getting flowers ready for next Autumn and -Spring—that is, all but one. Her name is Bouncing Bet.” - -At that, the leaves began to bounce and to whirl again, and out of -their midst sprang a tiny little lady. She was so beautiful that both -the girls exclaimed, “Oh, isn’t she lovely!” - -She certainly was lovely, in a gown of queen’s lace over wild rose -petals. On her feet were tiny lady slippers; on her head a lovely -violet. Her hair was of yellow-white thistle-down. When she spoke, her -voice sounded like a laughing bell. - -“So you’ve found them at last, Jack,” she laughed. “You’ve found human -beings who can hear us and can see us. Let’s tell what we can do for -them.” - -“Yes,” said the little fellow in green, taking Bouncing Bet’s hand and -speaking to the girls. “Please be seated.” - -As the girls sat down on the grassy slope, Jack began to speak: - -“We know you are wondering whether we are really the flowers, -‘Jack-in-the-Pulpit’ and ‘Bouncing Bet.’ No, we are the fairies of -those flowers. Every kind of flower has its fairy. They try to talk -with the human beings they see, but very few can hear them or see them. -Now, that you can see us and hear us, we would like to take you with us -into Fairy Flower Land——” - -“And tell you all we can in one short afternoon about wild flowers,” -finished Bouncing Bet. “Jack, lead the way.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX - -GOOD AND BAD WEEDS - - -AT that, the little fellow picked up a tiny stick, which he used -as a cane, and started ahead, Bouncing Bet following with a happy -hop-skip-and-jump step. - -Mary Frances and Eleanor were surprised that they had to hurry to keep -up to the tiny little beings. - -At length they came to a high hedge. - -“Touch me with your hand,” said Jack to Mary Frances, holding out his -arm. - -“Touch me with your hand,” said Bet to Eleanor. - -“Now, when I say ‘three,’ all jump,” commanded Jack. - -“One, two, three!” Over the top of hedge they went as though they had -wings, and found themselves in the midst of a wonderful garden. - -“Oh,” cried Mary Frances, “I never, never saw so many wild flowers -blooming at once.” - -“This is a fairy garden,” answered Bouncing Bet, “and the fairies keep -it for just such friends as you, who are anxious to learn about wild -flowers.” - -“But we can tell you only the shortest flower stories to-day.” Jack -caught up the conversation. “Just take a seat please, and I’ll begin.” - -The girls sat on a pretty rustic bench under a tree, and Jack and Bet -leaped upon a branch in front of them. Then Jack began: - - -“GOOD AND BAD WEEDS” - -“Of course you know that all the flowers cultivated in your gardens -have come from wild flowers. - -“Through years of care, the wild flowers have improved so that it would -be almost impossible to trace each of the plants in your gardens to the -wild flowers from which it was started. - -“There are many hundreds of wild flowers, but none more beautiful than -those growing in America. There are many different kinds which were -growing here when America was discovered, but the seeds of many more -were carried over from Europe in grain for the colonists. - -“Some of the wild things are most helpful to human beings; such as -mint, and dock, and dear old dandelions, and other ‘weeds’ which -may be eaten. From ‘weeds’ also come some of the most wonderful of[J] -medicines. Perhaps you have tested the medicinal effects of mustard, -catnip, and boneset.” - -“I tried catnip on our Jubey,” said Mary Frances. “It did her lots of -good.” - -“I’ve had mustard plasters, and mustard baths, and boneset tea when -I’ve been ill with chills,” Eleanor added. - -“Just so! just so!” nodded Jack-in-the-Pulpit; “so you see, many -‘weeds’ are not useless plants, but are very valuable. The Indians knew -that.” - -“My, I hadn’t any idea weeds were valuable,” said Eleanor. - -“I always knew about mint and catnip,” Mary Frances replied, “but I -didn’t know other weeds were of so much help.” - -“Of course there are many weeds which seem of no value at all. They -steal the food of valuable plants and choke them out.” Jack went on. -“For instance, there’s corn cockle, the seeds of which are poisonous. -It loves to grow among the corn and wheat, and troubles the farmers -terribly.” - -“I think the flowers are quite pretty,” Mary Frances ventured to say. - -“Oh, you know them when you see them?” asked Jack. “That’s good, -because we can go on with our story faster if you know some of the -wild flowers. You would like to gather some out of our fairy garden, -wouldn’t you? Well, you may take some of all that are in bloom at this -time of year, after we finish telling you what we so much want you to -learn about our dear flowers.” - -“Now, it is Bet’s turn,” he went on, turning toward the dainty little -fairy, who began to bounce happily up and down on the branch of the -tree. - -The girls were delighted with her dancing. At length she stopped and -began to talk in her musical voice. - -“I am going to talk a little about the flowers,” she said, “and shall -mention only the ones known by most people, because we have such a -short time for your lesson. I shall just mention them, and if you -do not know them, please interrupt me, and Jack and I will take you -through the garden to show them to you. Do you know the— - - {This charming gold and white, wheel-shaped - {flower, which is a troublesome weed to the - Daisy (Other names: {farmer, blooms everywhere afield from May to - Ox-Eyed Daisy, {November, from Canada to the southern States, and - White Weed) {to the Mississippi River. It is perhaps the best - {known wild flower in the Eastern United States. - - {Almost everywhere this tall rod, bearing yellow - {flowers, which resemble huge buttercups, may be - {seen from June to November. Its velvety leaves, - {which grow in rosettes on the ground, are soft to - {the touch, but if sheep or cows try to eat them, - Great Mullein (Other{the down upon them becomes splinters in the - names: {tongues of the animals. That is one reason it - Velvet Dock, {grows so widely—the down saves the leaves from - Aaron’s Rod, {harm. This same down is sometimes used by humming - Flannel Leaf) {birds to line their tiny nests, which are no - {larger than a large thimble, yet hold two - {humming-bird babies. - { - {The seeds of the great Mullein are eaten by - {goldfinches, or they would scatter yet more - {abundantly. - { - {The great Mullein is a native of Europe. - -“My winter coat is made of velvet dock,” said Bouncing Bet. - -“Mine is made of flannel leaf,” Jack added. - -“Yet they are both made of the leaves of the great mullein,” laughed -Mary Frances. - -“Good.” laughed Bouncing Bet. “Jack, we didn’t catch her.” - -“Now comes a wild flower with a charming name,” she went on. “It is the— - - {This bright orange milk-weed is found blooming - {nearly everywhere in the United States except - {the far West, from June to September. It is - {greatly loved by butterflies because in its - Butterfly Weed (Other{small deep blossoms they find sweet nectar, - names: {which even the long tongues of bumble-bees - Pleurisy-root, {cannot reach. The pollen lies deep, too, and - Orange-root) {adheres to the long legs of the butterfly. - { - {The stem has very little milky juice, and the - {seed pods are not so interesting as those of the - {Common Milk-weed. - - {This plant grows in the northern, eastern and - {middle western part of the United States and is - Common Milk-weed {most interesting because of the white milky - {juice in the stems, and because of the fluffy - {the seed pods. When I tell you about Seed Babies - {down in with Wings, I’ll tell you more about - {this milk-weed down. - -Just as Bet finished speaking about the milk-weed, there sounded a -silvery clock. - -One! Two! Three! it chimed. - -“Oh,” exclaimed Jack. “Oh, can it be possible that it is three o’clock! -Bet, you must stop talking and give me a chance!” - -“Oh, dear,” sighed Eleanor. “Oh, must she stop talking? I am so anxious -to learn more about the wild flowers.” - -“Do you know all I’ve told about, when you see them?” asked Bouncing -Bet. - -“No,” replied Eleanor. “Do you, Mary Frances?” - -“Not all,” Mary Frances shook her head. - -“Come then,” cried Jack and Bet, jumping from the tree. “Come,” and -they led them among the flowers, and pointed out to them besides the -ones mentioned: Wake Robins, Trailing Arbutus, Lupines, Forget-Me-Nots, -Columbines, Heather, Laurel, California Poppies, and hundreds of other -wild flowers which were in bloom in the outside meadows and fields and -woods. - -“I’m so sorry we haven’t time to tell you the story of each one,” said -Jack. “Some time next year, please come again and we’ll tell you.” - -“We could come to-morrow, couldn’t we, Mary Frances?” Eleanor ventured, -but Jack answered: - -“No, not to-morrow. Only once a year can flower fairies talk with human -beings. It must be to-day. So now, just as quickly as possible, I am -going to tell you something about how plants are related to each other, -but please be more comfortable. Do take a seat in the grape-vine swing.” - -Then the girls noticed a hammock nearby, formed by the interlacing of -growing grape vines. - -It was wonderfully comfortable, and they leaned back contentedly as -Jack took his place in a little green lily-shaped flower growing close -by, and Bouncing Bet pranced around on the lawn near him. - -“Jack’s in his pulpit now,” she said. “Hear him speak.” - -FOOTNOTE: - -[J] For information concerning weeds used in medicine, send for -Farmers’ Bulletin No. 188, which may be had free from the United States -Department of Agriculture. - - - - -CHAPTER XL - -BOUNCING BET AND HER FRIENDS - - -“YOUNG ladies,” began Jack-in-the-Pulpit, “Bouncing Bet and I have -arranged a little play for you. It’s to be this way: after finishing -a few introductory remarks, I will call the names of various flower -families. Bet has been around to see certain members of each family, -and although they are very busy, they have promised to come when she -calls—that is, the fairy of each flower or plant that she calls will -come to this grassy slope which is to be the stage for our play.” - -“How perfectly lovely!” cried the girls. - -“But they will have little time to talk,” warned Jack. “So,” he went -on, “let me tell you a few facts about— - - -PLANT FAMILIES - -“It may surprise you to learn that certain plants belong to certain -plant families. - -“You know that certain animals belong to certain animal families -and can easily recognize that gentle Pussy Cat is a near relative of -fierce Mr. and Mrs. Tiger, and of Mr. and Mrs. Lion, and of Mr. and -Mrs. Panther and all the young panthers, and lions and tigers. They -all have some similarity: they all have pointed teeth, and sharp -claws, and can lap liquid food with their tongues. They all tread with -light, soft-padded toes. There are other members of the Cat Family of -which you can think. Even though Mrs. Puss is of near relation, she’s -mightily afraid of her big relatives. - -“Now, I wonder if you know that faithful Mr. Dog is own cousin to -terrible Mr. and Mrs. Wolf. Indeed, I may be mistaken, perhaps he is -their own brother, they are so much alike in some ways. - -“Just as animals belong to certain families so do plants. They resemble -each other in certain points which you may not notice at first, but -which you would readily see if pointed out to you.” - -Jack drew quite a long breath. - -“Now we are ready for the play, Bet,” he announced, and Bet bounced -down to the grass-carpet stage. - -Said Jack, “The first plant family called upon will be the Rose family.” - -Bouncing Bet blew a long musical whistle by using two fingers at her -tiny mouth, and out from some shrubbery stepped a dainty little lady -dressed in pink rose petals. - -“My name is Rose,” she said, smiling and throwing the girls a kiss; -“and I’ll introduce some of my cousins in the— - - -ROSE FAMILY - -“_Cherry_,” she called. Out stepped a red ripe cherry with a white cap -trimmed with green leaves. Of course, the legs were very tiny, nearly -like pins. Cherry smiled and bowed and took a place beside Rose. - -“_Peach_,” Rose called, and out stepped a beautiful peach, with a pink -cap, trimmed with green leaves. - -“_Strawberry_,” called Rose, and surely enough, out came a red ripe -strawberry with a white cap trimmed with green leaves. - -“_Blackberry_,” called the little Rose lady once more, and before the -word left her mouth, a big blackberry came tumbling in, on his head a -white cap, trimmed with green. - -“Oh, pardon me,” said Blackberry, picking himself up. “I was afraid I’d -be late.” - -Rose smiled and motioned the blackberry into place beside the -strawberry. - -Once again Rose called a name. - -“_Apple_,” she called, and roly-poly, “head-over-tin-cups,” came a -round rosy-cheeked apple into their midst. - -“Excuse me,” puffed Apple. “Please excuse my manners, Cousin Rose, but -I am so fat that hurrying gets me all out of breath,” and he fell in -line. - -“That will do,” interrupted Jack-in-the-Pulpit, “that will do for the -Rose family; we will now—” - -“Excuse me,” interrupted Mary Frances, “but may I ask—if all these are -members of the Rose family?” - -“There’s no mistake,” replied Jack. “Now, if you stop to think, you’ll -realize how very much the blossom of the cherry, and the strawberry, -and the blackberry, and the peach, and the apple resemble a wild rose.” - -“Oh, I do!” said Eleanor. - -“And I remember also,” added Mary Frances, beaming, “that the seed pods -of the roses look like fruit.” - -“Good!” cried Jack, dancing around. - -“Good!” cried Bet, bouncing around, and all the members of the Rose -families who were present formed a “ring-around-a-rosy,” and danced -around and around, and at length formed into line near the bush through -which they had come. - -“Their caps are their blossoms!” exclaimed Eleanor. - -“They are,” said Bouncing Bet. “Oh, you will always be on the lookout -now to find other members of that family, for there are many more. I -wanted to call _Bridal Wreath_, but there wasn’t time.” - -“No time, indeed,” interrupted Jack. “Now, Bet, call the Night Shade -family. They are not so pretty as the Rose family,” he whispered, “but -just as useful.” Bouncing Bet blew upon her fingers. - -“Indian file,” she called, and out filed several members of the— - - -NIGHT SHADE FAMILY - -There were: - -_Common Night Shade_, a tiny round black pill-like berry with a tiny -white cap. - -_Sand Burr_, in a buff coat full of prickles. And what do you think? -There was— - -_Common White Potato_, with a ridiculously small bell-shaped green and -white cap. - -“Oh,” Mary Frances could not help exclaiming; “is White Potato a member -of the Night Shade family? I thought night shade was poison!” - -“I ain’t poison—I ain’t! Not after I’m cooked!” growled Potato. “You’ve -ate up enough of my brothers and sisters to know that!” - -“Hush!” admonished Bouncing Bet. “Keep still! That’s terrible grammar, -even though you are a common ‘Tater,’ you ought to speak more correctly -than that.” - -“Excuse me, but we’ve fed hundreds and thousands of people, and that’s -more than any of the rest of you can say, even if you don’t like my -grammar.” - -“Mercy!” cried a _Tomato_, running in. “Did you forget me?” He was -dressed in a bright red, and wore a tiny yellow cap trimmed with -green. “I belong to the Night Shade family, too, and I have fed -hundreds and hundreds of people.” - -“Oh, you Love Apple!” broke in Potato. “Your relatives haven’t fed -people as long as mine have.” - -“That must be so,” said Mary Frances. “I remember that my grandma told -me that when her mother was young, tomatoes were called love apples, -and were thought to be poisonous. Grand-mothers raised them in their -gardens, though, because they were pretty.” - -“Poisonous!” Tomato’s face turned redder than ever. “Poisonous! Well, -I should say! But then, you know how good we are, and that we are -excellent for people who eat too much meat.” - -“Indeed we do know, don’t we, Mary Frances? We have some of you in our -lunch basket,” laughed Eleanor. “Mary Frances has a lot of you growing -in her garden, too.” - -“Has she any of my brothers and sisters growing in her garden?” asked a -new voice. - -The girls saw the funniest, fattest brown fellow waddling along. - -“Hello, Humpty Dumpty!” cried out Tomato. - -“Nonsense,” declared the new-comer, “I’m not Humpty Dumpty! I can prove -it; I can fall and you can pick me up again. See?” - -With that, over he went, smash! - -The other Night Shade people all ran to help him up. “How’s that, young -ladies?” said he when they had set him on his tiny legs. “Doesn’t that -prove I’m not an egg? Humpty Dumpty, indeed!” - -“Oh, you _Egg Plant_!” cried Potato. “Welcome, cousin. You’re another -useful member of the Night Shade family.” - -“Perhaps ‘you-all’ don’t like me as well as those other Night Shades, -but some folks do.” - -“Who’s that?” asked Eleanor. - -“It looks like Lucinda Marguerite, my colored paper doll,” replied Mary -Frances, laughing. - -No wonder she thought so, for the owner of the new voice looked like a -little darky, dressed in green, with a long-pointed white cap. - -“Some folkses likes me bettah than food,” went on the speaker. “You can -just put that in your pipe an’ smoke it!” - -“_Tobacco!_” guessed Mary Frances. - -“Oh, how funny!” cried Eleanor, and they burst into gales of laughter. - -“I didn’t know tobacco had such a pretty blossom,” said Mary Frances, -examining the pointed cap more carefully. - -“That will—-” Jack-in-the-Pulpit began. - -“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” cried a new voice, and in danced a -beautiful little lady, dressed in a fluffy-ruffly skirt made of flower -petals. - -“Guess quickly,” smiled Bouncing Bet. “Quickly!” - -“_Petunia_,” guessed Eleanor. “We have them in a window-box at home.” - -“What a pretty member of the Night Shade family,” said Mary Frances. - -“Fall in line,” Jack commanded, leaning far out of his pulpit, and -pointing out a place where the Night Shade family took their position. - - - - -CHAPTER XLI - -BUTTERCUP AND DAISY FAMILIES - - -“THE next family,” announced Jack-in-the-Pulpit, “will be the— - - -BUTTERCUP FAMILY - -At the moment Bouncing Bet whistled, in danced the family headed by -little Buttercup. - -“My name’s little _Buttercup_,” she sang. - -You can imagine how lovely she looked dressed in shiny yellow, trimmed -with green. - -Then she introduced the others: - -“This is _Columbine_; this, _Marsh Marigold_; this _Larkspur_,” she -said, “and this is _Cowslip_; and this, _Pæony_.” - -All the beautiful flowers bowed and smiled and threw kisses as they -danced to the place Bouncing Bet pointed out to them. - -“Aren’t they lovely,” murmured Mary Frances. “I’ve always loved -buttercups, but I hadn’t any idea there were so many beautiful members -of their family.” - -“Oh, there are many more,” spoke Jack, “but our time is shortening, and -as Daisy wants very much to greet you, I shall call for some members of -the very large— - - -SUNFLOWER FAMILY (COMPOSITE FAMILY) - -Such a number of flower people came dancing and running in that it was -difficult to see who was who, with the exception of the big Sunflower -who led them. - -“I’m _Daisy_,” called a charming gold and white flower fairy. “And I -love everybody, no matter whether everybody loves me or not.” - -“Oh, we love you!” shouted Mary Frances and Eleanor. “You are a dear!” - -“I hope you love all the Sunflower family,” spoke up a big -_Chrysanthemum_. - -“Oh, please love me!” “And me!” “And me!” “And me!” begged _Dahlia_, -and _Goldenrod_, and _Aster_, and _Cosmos_. - -“And me!” said the _Bachelor’s Button_ in a deep masculine voice. - -“And me!” repeated a dudish-looking _Dandelion_, at whose comical -dress the girls couldn’t help smiling, for he was rigged up in the -height of an old-fashioned style, with a high collar and a knotted -green tie; with “pumps” on his feet—and he carried a grass-blade cane! - -“I know they love me!” There stood _Black-eyed Susan_, with arms akimbo. - -“We’ve loved you for years!” declared the girls. - -“Here comes that _Everlasting Flower_!” exclaimed Dandelion. - -“What a way to speak!” whispered Eleanor; but the speech of Dandelion -was soon explained when a crisp Strawflower, or “Everlasting,” came -stiffly in. - -“Everlastingly late,” said the new-comer dryly, “but nothing like so -common as some flowers,” glancing at Dandelion. - -“Don’t disgrace the family by quarreling,” warned the big Sunflower. - -“It’s so hard to keep such a big family straight,” he said with a sigh, -yet he went on proudly, “You see, ours is the very largest flower -family. There are from 11,000 to 12,000 members of the Sunflower or -Composite Family.” - -“I wonder how many different kinds of plants are known,” said Mary -Frances to Eleanor. - -“About 120,000,” answered Jack, who overheard from his pulpit. “I wish -we could show you all the different flower families, and tell you about -them, but as we haven’t time, we will explain about just a few more. -Bet, will you begin?” - -Then Bouncing Bet began to speak in her sweet musical voice. - -“The _beans_ and _peas_ you eat belong to the same family as -the _clover_. It is the _Pulse_ family. The _cranberry_ and the -_honeysuckle_ and the _rhododendron_ and _trailing arbutus_ are of the -_Heath_ family.” - -“And may I ask,” interrupted Mary Frances, “to what family you belong?” - -“And Jack?” added Eleanor, eagerly. - -“Thank you for the questions, dear children,” smiled the delighted -little fairy. “I will tell you: _Jack-in-the-Pulpit_ belongs to the -_Arum_ family. Calla lily and——” - -Here the fairy looked at him and giggled. “Shall I tell them, Jack?” -she asked. - -“Go ahead,” replied Jack a little grimly. “Maybe they better hold their -noses while you mention that other member of my family,” he suggested. - -“Well, the beautiful white calla lily and—and—” Bet hesitated. - -“Say on,” said Jack, “or I’ll tell, myself.” - -“Well, Skunk Cabbage, then,” said Bouncing Bet, “_Calla Lily_ and -_Skunk Cabbage_ belong to Jack-in-the-Pulpit’s family.” - -“Mercy!” Mary Frances exclaimed before she knew it. - -“Oh,” gasped Eleanor. - -“I beg your pardon—indeed, I do!” said Mary Frances to Jack. - -“Oh, never mind,” he replied, “I must say we are not very proud of that -branch of the family, but they have one thing about them which is very -interesting. They are the very first flowers in the Spring—oftentimes -blooming in February. There are other members of the _Arum_ family, -though, of which we are prouder.” - -“He’ll tell you about them later,” smiled Bouncing Bet. - -“Your family isn’t the same as his, then?” queried Eleanor. - -“No,” she replied, “I belong to the _Pink_ family.” - -“Oh,” asked Mary Frances, “are all your family pink in color?” - -“Oh, no,” Jack answered her. “She’s all dressed up in her -Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. She just borrowed that ‘queen’s lace’ -gown. _Queen’s_ lace belongs to Wild Carrot, you know, and _Wild -Carrot_ belongs to the _Parsley_ family. Run, Bet, and take off your -party clothes. Dress in your own clothes; then they’ll recognize you.” - -Bet bounced away, laughing, and returned almost immediately in her -every-day dress of—you know, calico-and-gingham-like petals. - -“Now we know you, Miss Bet,” cried Mary Frances; “but even your -every-day dress is light pink! Are you sure all your family doesn’t -wear pink all the time?” - -“Oh, no,” answered Bouncing Bet, “you’ll soon see that that is not the -case when I mention my cultivated cousin, _Carnation_; and another -cousin, _Sweet William_.” - -“And you’ll be glad to know also,” laughed Jack, “that among her -relatives is _Dusty Miller_.” - -“Now, Jack,” laughed Bet, “that’s an old joke of yours! Please go on -and tell something about some other members of your own family. - - - - - -CHAPTER XLII - -WATER BABIES - - -JACK cleared his throat and began: - -“Well, I don’t want to seem to be too proud or conceited, but -to me it is quite a pleasant thing to think that the roots of -Jack-in-the-Pulpit, or _Indian Turnip_, which is my other name, have -been used as a medicine many a time; and that the roots of my cousin -_Calamus_, or _Sweet Flag_, are valuable as a tonic. Some of the _Arum_ -family like dry soil and some like damp, marshy places. I do not like -very dry places myself, and Cousin Calamus Sweet Flag likes his feet -wet all the time.” - -“Isn’t it wonderful,” Mary Frances leaned forward in her interest. -“Isn’t it wonderful, how plants growing side by side are so different?” - -“They eat the same things, yet are so different,” smiled Bouncing Bet. -“For instance, isn’t it surprising that an onion and a lily may grow -side by side? By the way, the _Onion_ and _Lily-of-the-Valley_ and -_Tiger Lily_ and _Day Lily_, and _Hyacinth_, and _Dog-toothed-Violet_, -and _Solomon’s Seal_, and, yes, _Asparagus_, all belong to the same -family.” - -“Oh,” murmured the girls, “to think that the onion and the lovely -Lily-of-the-Valley are cousins and belong to the same family!” - -“Yes, and Onion is cousin of _Easter Lily_, and _Tulip_ too,” Bet added. - -“What about Water Lilies?” asked one of the girls. - -“Now,” answered Bouncing Bet, “you’ve mentioned another member of the -same family as the onion, for by this time, no doubt, you have guessed -that I am naming members of the _Lily_ family. _Water Lily_ is one of -their greatest beauties. How she ever manages to be so fragrant, so -lovely, living in mire and slime, only her Maker knows. She is our -dearest Water Baby.” - -“Oh, please tell us of more Water Babies,” begged the girls. - -“There’s a whole family of big water babies, that you know well,” Jack -broke in. “That is the _Cattail_ family.” - -“How interesting!” cried Mary Frances. “I thought cats didn’t like -water.” - -Just then the silvery bell of the fairy clock struck the half-hour and -Jack turned toward all the fairy flower folks who were present. - -“Time’s up! Thank you, kind friends,” said he, “and now, after a dance, -you may go.” - -With that, the sweetest music the girls had ever heard began to play, -and the fairies began to dance, keeping time perfectly with their tiny -feet. - -“I’m afraid it’s a dream, and that I’ll wake up,” whispered Eleanor to -Mary Frances. - -“So am I!” Mary Frances whispered back, and took hold of her little -friend’s hand. - -Suddenly the music stopped and every fairy except Jack and Bet -disappeared. - -“It was so beautiful,” said Mary Frances, still speaking in a whisper, -“that we can never thank you.” - -“We’re so glad you enjoyed our little surprise,” Jack replied, “for it -shows how you love us flowers. Now I want to tell you something about -the way in which we grow, and how to feed us. You have a garden, and I -feel certain you would like to hear about that.” - -“I’ve studied quite a little about seed-babies,” replied Mary Frances. -“I love the little things dearly.” - -“Good,” cried Bet; “you’ll love them even more after you’ve heard what -Jack is going to tell you.” - -“Do water babies grow in the same way as other plant babies?” asked -Mary Frances. - -“In quite the same way,” replied Jack. “I’m going to show you how the -roots of plants take up the food needed, and how the leaves help make -that food right for their digestion.” - -“Why, I thought—” began Eleanor. - -“Yes?” asked Jack, expectantly. - -“I thought that plants breathed with their leaves.” - -“Well, they do breathe with their leaves too, but they also breathe -with their stem surface; or, in trees, with the surface of the trunk. -In fact, they breathe all over.” - -“I know,” said Eleanor, “that I’ve been taught to wash the leaves of -house plants in order that the leaves might get air.” - -“Very wise, indeed,” said Jack. “Air is very, very important to -the leaves, as you will see when I have told you about their way of -growing.” - -Just then he took a tiny silver bugle from his shoulder and blew a long -note. - -Four little elves appeared. They were dressed in light brown and dark -brown leaves. On their heads, each wore a cap of a different color. -One was red; one was yellow; one, tan; and one, pink. They all stood -“attention,” looking at Jack. - -“Bring in the magic tree,” said Jack, and off ran the elves. - -In a moment they returned, half carrying and half dragging a plant -which looked like a tiny tree. It was growing in a glass tub, which, -although small, seemed a heavy burden for the little fellows. - -“Oh!” Mary Frances sprang up. “Oh, please, let me help,” she begged as -she stooped down to take it. - -“Better not, better not,” warned Jack. “That is a fairy tub and will go -to pieces if you touch it.” - -By that time the little elves had it in place, and they smiled their -thanks to Mary Frances as they wiped the perspiration from their -foreheads with tiny handkerchiefs made of colored Autumn leaves. - -Jack jumped down from his pulpit. - -“That will do, attendants,” he said. “Thank you,” and the little elves -ran away. - -“We have here,” he continued, “a fairy view of the way in which plants -grow. Come, Bet!” - -With that, both the little fairies sprang to the top of the tub, and a -wonderful thing happened. - -The tub and the tree began to grow so fast that before you could count -three, they were as high as the girls’ knees, and before you could -count seven, the top of the tree was even with Eleanor’s head. - -“That’s tall enough, tree,” cried Jack, and both tub and tree stopped -growing. - -“Can you see, young ladies,” he asked as he bent over the side; “can -you see the roots of the magic tree through the glass?” - -The girls could see them plainly. - -“Did you notice how they pushed their way through the stones and pieces -of rock, and even moved them as they grew!” - -“I did!” answered each of the girls. - -“I thought it wonderful,” continued Mary Frances, “but I supposed it -was a fairy way of growing.” - -“No,” Jack shook his head; “that is the way all plants grow, whether -small or large, only they grow slowly. Notice the smallest roots. They -are hollow and have very thin delicate coverings.” - -“You will see why in a minute,” he went on, “but now I wish to call -your attention to something else. In between the stones and sand you -will notice decaying leaves and——” - -“Humus!” cried Mary Frances jumping up in excitement. - -“Good!” he said. “Humus soup is what the plants eat. The tiny roots -draw it up through their thin walls. In the humus soup is not only -decaying vegetable matter, but very tiny bits of mineral matter, -too—like pepper and salt for the plant, maybe.” - -The girls laughed. - -“Listen!” he went on earnestly; “for any plant to produce one pound of -dry matter, the roots must take up from 300 to 500 pounds of water.” - -“Oh, now, I see why plants must have water,” said Mary Frances. “Now, I -understand why it is so necessary to cultivate—to hold the moisture in -the ground.” - -“To make humus soup,” Eleanor added. - -“Fine!” cried Jack, rubbing his tiny hands in glee. “It’s splendid to -teach such interested persons. It took human beings many, many years to -find these things out. If only their eyes and ears had been open to us -fairy folks, it wouldn’t have taken so long.” - -“Now, human people, in growing garden plants, want to give them the -best kinds of food,” he continued. “So, after studying to find out what -is in the soil that plants need most, they have gathered those things -together from various places, and have made Commercial Fertilizers. - -“They are to be had in a powdered form, and are very concentrated plant -food. Nothing is better to use, however, than barnyard manures.” - -“One of the best commercial fertilizers is Nitrate of Soda.” (See -Chapter LVIII entitled, “Some Hints on Growing Vegetables.”) - - - - -CHAPTER XLIII - -HOW PLANTS GROW - - -“WHAT becomes, please, of the humus soup after the plant roots take it -up?” asked Mary Frances thoughtfully. - -“It’s a wonderful story,” Bouncing Bet spoke in her sweet voice. “You -see, the plant food soup is carried up into the larger roots, into the -sapwood of the tree, into the branches and into the leaves; and the -leaves——” - -“Give us shade!” Eleanor did not realize that she had interrupted. - -“They do,” smiled Bet. “But that is not their work.” - -“Oh, do leaves work?” Eleanor was surprised. - -“They work very, very hard,” Bet replied. “They do such wonderful work -that a leaf has been called a leaf factory, or a leaf-mill.” - -“You think that leaves do not resemble the factories or mills you have -seen,” went on the fairy. “It is not in appearance that they resemble -mills and factories, but in the work they do; for they manufacture -starch. I suppose there is really no starch in the whole world that -leaves have not made.” - -“Oh,” exclaimed Mary Frances; “even the starch in our dresses—is that -made by leaves?” - -“Yes,” Bet smiled, “even that; and the starch in your bread and the——” - -“Tell them the story, Bet,” said Jack, who was much interested. - -“All right,” answered the little fairy, turning to pick a leaf from the -magic tree. “Please do not interrupt, and I will tell you about— - - -THE LEAF-MILL - - Nothing can grow without the right kind of food. - - Plants cannot use the “plant-food soup,” just as it is - taken up by the roots, to make new growth. - - The leaves must first turn the liquid food into - _starch_, which is the right kind of food for the plant. - - A leaf has been called a leaf-mill, because it has many - tiny grinding stones. - - These tiny grinding stones are the green grains - in the cells which form the leaf. They are called - _chlor-o-phyll_ bodies. - - The leaf-mill grinding stones are turned by sunshine - power. Without sunshine they cannot work. - - By the leaf-mill grinding stones, a gas from the air - (carbonic acid gas) is mixed with the plant food soup - sent up by the plant’s roots, and starch is formed. - - While doing the work of manufacturing starch, the - leaf-mill throws off into the air another gas, called - oxygen. Oxygen is needed by all animals; carbonic acid - gas (or carbon dioxide) is needed by all plants whose - leaves make starch. - - But even the starch must be changed before the plant - can use it to make new growth. It must be made into - sugar! - - So the leaves act as stomachs, and digest the starch - they have made for the plant’s use. In them, in some - wonderful way, the starch is changed into sugar, and - some mineral matter from the humus soup is mixed with - the sugar. This combination forms a perfect food, ready - for the plant to make into new growth. - -“Isn’t it a wonderful story?” asked Bouncing Bet, as she finished -speaking. - -“It’s the most surprising garden story I’ve yet heard,” declared Mary -Frances. - -“I’ll never, never think of leaves again as just ‘for shade,’” declared -Eleanor. “But I’m glad they do give shade,” she added. - -“Trees give a great deal of shade,” said Bet, “because they expose as -large a surface of leaves as possible to the sun. On a large tree, -nearly half an acre of leaf surface may be in the sunlight at once.” - -“And the sunlight turns the grinding-stones of the leaf-mill,” said -Mary Frances softly. - -“And they make food for the tree,” Eleanor whispered. - -“Sometimes a plant does not need for immediate use all the food the -leaves have made,” Bet continued, “so it stores it away for future use: -sometimes, in roots; sometimes, in leaves; sometimes in other parts of -the plant—as in the grains of wheat.” - -“I wonder how the storage places look,” said Eleanor. - -Bet laughed. “You’ve often seen some of them,” she said. “When you eat -turnips and beets, you are eating the food stored in the roots of these -plants. When you use onions, you are using food stored in leaves.” - -Mary Frances thought the fairy had made a mistake, and Bet seemed to -read her thought. - -“Oh, no,” she laughed, “I’m not mistaken. You see, the bulb of the -onion is made up of the thickened lower ends of the leaves, the top -green parts of which have dried off.” - -“It is interesting,” she went on, “to see how quickly the plants which -have stored food begin to grow when put into the warm place. It is -because of this fact that bulbous flowers are the first to bloom in -the Spring. They do not have to make food to begin to grow, for their -food is ready for use, and just a little warmth and moisture will start -them.” - -“Oh, I see why crocuses, and hyacinths, and tulips bloom so early,” -said Mary Frances. - -“Yes,” nodded Bet, “and it is an interesting experiment to make a -carrot hanging basket. Cut the top off a large carrot and scoop out a -hollow. Fill the hollow with water, and hang the carrot in a warm room. -The beautiful green leaves will soon grow, using the material stored in -the root for food.” Just at this point, Jack stepped forward. - -“I’m sorry,” said he, “to interrupt such an interesting lesson, but as -we have so little time, by your leave, Bet, I will commence my story -about some of our most peculiar relatives—if the young ladies would -enjoy hearing about them.” - - - - -CHAPTER XLIV - -A WICKED INNKEEPER - - -“INDEED, we would enjoy hearing about them,” declared both the girls. - -“Before I begin to tell you about our peculiar relatives, some of which -kill, some of which steal——” - -“Oh!” gasped Eleanor. - -“Oh!” muttered Mary Frances. - -Just at that moment out of the bushes ran the tiniest, littlest bit of -a dog that ever lived. - -At first the girls didn’t see him, he was so small. - -He ran right to Jack, and put a tiny bit of paper in his hand. - -“For pity’s sake, Bet,” Jack exclaimed, “I forgot to send back the -magic tree and here’s the Queen’s messenger with a command from Her -Majesty! Oh, oh, oh!” - -“Will it be all right if he sends it back immediately?” Bet asked of -the tiny dog, whose head she was patting. - -The dog wagged his tiny tail and stood on his hind legs. Bet bent her -ear to his mouth. - -“It will be all right,” she said aloud, “if you return it this minute.” - -“Attendants!” shouted Jack. “Attendants!” - -Out ran the tiny elves. - -“Take back the magic tree!” commanded Jack, “and apologize to Her -Majesty for keeping it over time.” - -He took a little box out of his pocket. Opening it, he shook out a -shining powder, and before the girls could see how it came about, the -tiny tree just as they first saw it, growing in the little tub, was -before them. The elves sprang to its sides. The little dog ran on -before; and elves, dog and tree vanished from sight. - -“I wouldn’t have had it late for anything!” Jack spoke sadly. - -“You were teaching us so kindly,” said Mary Frances; “that was the -reason you forgot. Oh, I’m so sorry.” - -“If you appreciate my lesson so much,” Jack said, smiling, “the Queen -won’t mind at all.” - -“How glad we are!” cried the girls. - -“And now,” Jack went on happily, as Bet danced around; “now, I will -begin a story about one cousin— - - -A WICKED INNKEEPER - - As you know, plants hang out signs to attract Mrs. Bee - and Mrs. Butterfly and other insects to the feast they - have spread—the pollen and the nectar feast. The signs - are the attractive colors of the flowers. - - One flower that hangs out a very pretty little white - sign is the Sundew. The sign seems to say to the - passing fly or gnat, “Come, rest upon one of my pretty, - sparkling leaves, and take a meal at my pretty white - blossom-table. Stop at Sundew Inn.” - - The little fly is charmed with the cordial invitation, - and lights down upon one of the leaves which glisten - all day with a substance that looks like dew. - - In a moment, he knows his mistake, for the sparkling - drops are a sticky fluid which holds the little fellow - fast, and the tiny hairs on the leaf’s surface bite him - like so many mosquitoes! - - The leaf rolls up a little, and more of the sticky - fluid pours upon him. It is the digestive fluid of the - plant. The wicked Sundew Innkeeper is eating up his - guest! - -“Just like the Spider and Fly in the old story,” said Mary Frances, -repeating the lines: - - “‘Will you walk into my parlor?’ - Said the spider to the fly, - ‘’Tis the prettiest little parlor - That ever you did spy.’” - -“Exactly!” agreed Jack. “The sundew invites the fly for the same reason -that the spider does—because it needs it for food.” - -“Oh,” shuddered Eleanor, “do plants eat animals?” - -“Not if they can help it,” replied Jack. “Many, many years ago, when -the sundew’s great-great-great-great-grandparents were unable to find -the kind of food they needed, they developed this method of getting -nitrogenous food, to keep from starving.” - -“Oh, I see,” said Mary Frances, looking wise. - -“Is the sundew the only plant which eats insects?” asked Eleanor; “and -does it grow around here?” - -“It grows in every section of this country,” replied Jack, “and also in -Europe and Asia.” - -“The Pitcher Plant, which is found in soggy marshes, eats insects, -too,” he went on; “only it manages in a different way. Its leaves are -shaped like vases or pitchers, and are usually half filled with water; -its flowers are reddish purple in color, easily deceiving the flies -into thinking they are meat. The insects are attracted also by the -sweet fluid, which is on the edge of the ‘pitcher,’ and crawl or slide -down the slippery hairs which line the upper part. - -“Once down, the bristly hairs prevent them from climbing back, and they -are drowned in the water. The plant eats the soup which their bodies -make. The form of Pitcher Plant which grows in the western states has -vases large enough to drown small birds and field mice.” - -“It isn’t a pretty story,” commented Mary Frances. - -“Not a bit,” agreed Eleanor. - -“It would make us ashamed, wouldn’t it, Jack,” Bouncing Bet was -speaking, “if anybody but Mother Nature had invented that way of -keeping things moving?” - -“She must have had good reason,” replied Jack. - - - - -CHAPTER XLV - -UNINVITED GUESTS - - -“SO much, then, for the disrespectable murderer branch of the family,” -he continued. “Now I will tell you about some of our thieves. We don’t -approve of them any more than you would approve of a cousin who turned -out to be a thief, but—well, I shall begin by telling you about— - - -DODDER - - No plant would invite such a miserable pauper as a - visitor. It’s worse than any beggar you have ever - known, for a beggar at least digests his own food. - - Not so with dodder. It is too lazy to do even that! - It has therefore, no leaves. It doesn’t need them. It - starts out as an honest plant baby, but soon “goes - wrong,” reaching out long tendrils by which it takes - hold of any convenient plant neighbor. It sends little - leg-like suckers down into the stem of this plant - neighbor. It lets go of the earth with its roots, and - drinks the life-blood, or sap, of its host, the plant - on which it has seized hold. - - The disgracefully lazy dodder does no work at all - except to make flowers and seeds. The flowers are tiny, - star-shaped, of a yellowish, greenish or white color, - and each flower makes four seeds to go on to make more - thieving plant babies! - -“Isn’t it disgraceful!” exclaimed Bet. “Jack and I never want to -associate with plants that murder and steal——” - -“Not if we can help it,” said Jack, “we don’t.” - -“You’ll be sorry,” he went on, “to learn that Indian pipes, too, are -uninvited guests, living on food in other plant roots.” - -“Oh,” said Mary Frances regretfully, “I always thought them so pretty!” - -“Well, they are pretty, and dodder, even, is pretty in a way, because -of its yellow color, but both are— - - -PARASITE PLANTS - - Parasite means “eating at another’s table.” - - Parasite plants are those which fasten upon other - plants and steal their food. - - Real parasite plants lack all green color, for since - they steal food already digested, what need have they - for green matter (chlor-o-phyll) by means of which a - plant digests its food? - - There are also some half parasites, which, while - living partially upon stolen food, get some food for - themselves. - - The pretty waxy Christmas mistletoe is a half parasite. - You notice that it has some green coloring or - chlor-o-phyll, which it uses to digest the nourishment - it gathers from the air. - -“My,” exclaimed Eleanor, “I’m glad it doesn’t steal all its food. That -shows it’s trying to help itself. It isn’t such a ‘piggy’ as some -plants!” - -“Oh, not every parasite plant destroys the plant whose food it takes. -Not very long ago, human beings found out that the very tiny parasite -plants which fasten themselves to peas and beans and other similar -plants (called Legumens) are very beneficial to them. They do steal -some predigested food, but in return they give to them a much more -valuable food, which they have taken from the air. This valuable food -is nitrogen. - -For this reason, these parasitic plants, or nitrogerms, have been -gathered and grown, and are now sold under the name of ‘Cultures for -Legumens.’ When applied to peas, beans, clover, etc., they cause them -to grow very rapidly, and give very abundant crops.” - -“How wonderful!” said Mary Frances. - -Just then the fairy clock chimed four. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVI - -HOW SEED BABIES TRAVEL - - -“COME,” cried Bouncing Bet. “Now, I am going to tell you a wonderful, -true fairy story. You never realized, did you, that plants travel? I -mean that they travel without the help of human beings.” - -“No,” the girls shook their heads. - -“You can’t deny that they spread from place to place, can you?” asked -Bet. - -“Indeed, I can’t,” said Mary Frances; “the dandelions have spread all -over our land within a short time.” - -“And I’ll tell you how they did it,” Bet went on. “But first I’ll tell -you— - - -WHY PLANTS TRAVEL - - If the seeds of a plant always fell on ground nearby, - the space would soon become choked up, and the new seed - babies would have no chance to live; so, many plants - have been provided means of sending their seed babies a - long distance from the mother plant, and in this way - they have spread or traveled from place to place, until - some cover very large areas. - - - HOW PLANTS TRAVEL - - _Seed Pods with Burry Coats_ - - Did you ever think, when you pick “beggar lice” and - “sand burrs” off your clothing and throw them down on - the ground, that you are helping the plant mother do - just what she wanted you to do with her seed baby? - - She put “stickers” all over the coat of her seed baby - so that it might catch hold of your dress, or of the - fur of your doggie, or your cow, and be dropped in a - new place where the seed baby could grow with better - chances than at home near her. - - When you make burr baskets out of the sticky burdock - seeds, unless you burn them, you are helping the - burdocks to travel. - - _Pods which Shoot Seeds_ - - The mother plants of the “spider plant,” and of the - pansy, and of the violet send their seed babies to new - homes by using seed pods which burst open and shoot the - seeds far and wide in all directions. - - _Tumble Weeds_ - - Some mother plants actually carry their seed babies to - new places. - - The “tumble weeds” of the West dry up in Autumn, - and are broken off near the roots by the wind, - which carries them along over field and meadow; and - everywhere they go, they are dropping seed babies in - new places. If you watch them as they tumble about you - will feel like laughing at their comical appearance. - - Now we have come to the fairy seed babies, the— - - _Seed Babies with Wings_ - - You’ve seen them often—seed babies flying about on the - wings which their plant-mother gave them. Sometimes you - have helped them start to fly. - - Oh, yes, you have. - - Don’t you remember when you pulled the fluffy head off - a dandelion, and blew it to “see what time it was?” - - Of course you didn’t know it, but you sent scores - of dandelion seed babies floating off in the air on - their fairy wings. Perhaps the wind took one up where - you left off blowing, and landed it such a distance - away from its old home that it might have seemed like - hundreds of miles to the little thing. - - Milk-weed seed babies fastened to their beautiful silky - down, which is so light it floats along like a fairy’s - feather, actually travel on the “wings of the wind.” - - Some trees, too, give their seed babies wings. Haven’t - the winged seeds of the maple fooled you into thinking - they were birds or insects of some kind? It has amused - you, too, to notice how far the wings of these seed - babies have carried them on the wind. - -“Haven’t the plant mothers provided wonderfully for their seed babies’ -welfare!” exclaimed Mary Frances. - -“Yes,” replied Bet; “back of the plant mother is another mother—Mother -Nature. Oh, but she is wise!” - - - - -CHAPTER XLVII - -HAVE A SEAT ON A TOAD STOOL - - -“MOTHER NATURE has taught plant mothers many secrets as to how to take -care of their babies,” Bet continued, “but perhaps her most amusing -trick is the wrapping of certain seed babies in seed cases which look -like worms or bugs. Did you ever notice the seeds of the castor oil -plant?” - -“They look exactly like bugs!” Mary Frances exclaimed. - -“Almost,” Bet nodded; “probably to make some bird think it’s going to -have a fine meal. When the seed has been carried a little distance, the -bird will discover its mistake, and drop the seed baby in a new home.” - -“What a cunning trick!” exclaimed Eleanor. - -“Isn’t it!” said Mary Frances. “I remember now, that I once saw on a -plant what I thought was a worm, and when I tried to brush it off, it -burst open, letting the seeds scatter about.” - -“I wonder if that wasn’t this plant?” Bet asked as she held up a dried -flower head, out of which a worm seemed to be crawling. - -“That’s it!” cried Mary Frances. “What is the plant called, please?” - -“It has a very long name,” Bouncing Bet replied; “too long for you to -remember, I fear; but it means a ‘coiled worm,’ and shows how perfectly -one plant mother has performed this comical trick.” - -“I suspect all plant mothers have some trick,” Mary Frances ventured. - -“That leads me to tell you about one kind of plants we’ve not yet -mentioned. - -They are the— - - -PLANTS WITHOUT FLOWERS - - If plants have no flowers, you will ask, how can the - new baby plants grow? Can there be seed babies without - flowers? - - No, flowerless plants do not bear seeds, but they do - have plant babies, otherwise we would not have ferns, - mushrooms, and many other important plants. - - The plant babies of flowerless plants come from spores, - not seeds. - - Did you ever gather Christmas ferns? They are the ones - which cheer you so with their beautiful green color - in the woods when so many other things are asleep in - winter. - - On the back of the fern leaves, perhaps you have - noticed little brown rusty-looking spots. - - In these spots or spore-cases are the spores. When the - spore cases are ripe, they burst open and throw out the - spores which look like a fine dust. - - Each grain of this dust must live in a moist, warm - place, and pass through several changes before a baby - fern can grow. - - Mosses grow in a similar way. So, also, do— - - -MUSHROOMS OR TOAD STOOLS - - Mushrooms are flowerless plants, and they do not grow - from seeds, but from spores. - - The spores fall from the pretty gills on the under side - of the umbrella part of the plant. - - Of course, since they have no green color, you know - that mushrooms do not make their own food. They, like - most other— - - -FUNGI, - - live on dead vegetable matter. - - Mushrooms grow by means of thread-like feeders which - they send down into the dead material which they use. - - It is a good thing that fungi use dead trees and leaves - and other dead matter for food; otherwise, these things - would keep on piling up! - - I wish to tell you of one kind of fungus, though, which - lives on living material in trees. It is called the— - - -BRACKET FUNGUS - - Perhaps you have thought the bracket-like shelves you - have seen on some tree, pretty. - - You did not know, then, that some spores of the bracket - fungi had fastened into a wound in the bark, and had - sent long threads down into the living part of the tree. - - The poor tree cannot help itself, and after a while it - will die of starvation because the bracket fungi have - used up all its food material. - - So do be careful never to injure the bark of a tree; - for wherever it is torn, it leaves an open wound—just - as when you scratch your finger or your arm. - - There are other fungi which you’ve seen oftener than - toad stools. They are— - - -MOLDS - - You’ve often seen the mold which comes on bread which - has been left in a rather dark, warm, moist place. - - The mold comes from the thousands of germs in the - dust in air. These germs settle down and use anything - possible for food, and send out spore-dust to make more - germs. - - While they are growing and making spore cases, they - appear as molds and mildews. - - The germs in the dust are too tiny to be seen without a - microscope, and their near relatives— - - -BACTERIA - - are about the tiniest of living things. - - They grow everywhere. Some do us harm and some benefit - us wonderfully. - - Cheese is made out of milk by one of the good kind; - another kind makes vinegar; some other kinds fasten - themselves to the inside of our mouths and bodies, - bringing disease, like typhoid fever and consumption. - - When we keep our bodies and mouths and teeth clean, we - help our blood to destroy such bad bacteria. - - Sunlight destroys bad germs. - - Fresh air destroys bad germs. You should have plenty of - fresh air both day and night. - -“Pshaw,” said Jack, as Bet finished speaking; “toad stools are meant -for fairies to sit on, and mushrooms for human beings to eat. What kind -of nonsense are you trying to teach, anyhow, Bet?” - -The girls laughed, for they saw Jack wink as he spoke. - -“Come,” said he, “you’ve been standing too long—come, have a seat on a -toad stool?” - -With that he ran toward a beautiful white mushroom, and Bet followed. - -When they were seated, Mary Frances asked: - -“What is the difference between a mushroom and a toad stool?” - -“Well,” Jack replied, “I guess there isn’t really any difference, -although some people think that toad stools, if eaten, poison people -and that mushrooms are harmless, but some mushrooms are very poisonous, -so do not try to use any you gather, unless some grown people know them -to be harmless, for some of the most beautiful would kill you the most -quickly.” - -“I’ve eaten mushrooms,” said Eleanor, “but they were canned ones.” - -“Oh, they are safe enough,” Bet smiled. - -Then the fairy clock struck the half-hour. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVIII - -SOME WAYS TO RID OF WEEDS - - -“FOUR-THIRTY!” exclaimed Jack, “and we have only until five o’clock.” - -“My, you’ll have to talk fast,” said Bouncing Bet, “in order to tell -all you want to.” - -“One quarter of all I want to, you mean, Bet,” Jack replied. - -“I’m afraid my brother and father and mother will come look for us,” -said Mary Frances. - -“No,” Bet shook her head, “not until five o’clock.” - -“I suppose fairies know,” Eleanor whispered. - -Jack began to talk rapidly: - - -WEEDS - - To the little plant baby which you love and wish to - grow, weeds are like terribly hungry beasts who steal - their food, and choke them to death, and say: - - “Get out of here! I’m a piggy-wig, and I want - everything myself!” - - So unless you want your favorite plants to die, you - will kill the weeds in your garden. - - Even if some of your plants do live through the fight, - they are weak and poor from the lack of food, and the - hard work they have been through. - - Someone has said that weeds are plants that are not - wanted, and people often find that the less they are - wanted, the harder it is to get rid of them. - - You see, most weeds have grown in spite of everything, - and have accommodated themselves to such unpleasant - surroundings that when they find themselves in splendid - surroundings, as in your garden soil, they begin to - grow ‘with a vengeance.’” - -“I know!” Mary Frances laughed. - -“Well, we fairy folk want to help you as much as possible with your -garden. I am going to tell you about— - - -SOME WAYS TO RID OF WEEDS - - Of course, one of the best ways is to pull the weeds, - never allowing them to go to seed. That’s best for - annual kinds. - - But the perennial kind must have the roots destroyed, - so deep digging or ploughing in the Fall is a great - help. - - Cleaning off the growth and burning it in the Fall - kills many seeds which might “winter over,” and come up - in the Spring. - - Salt is often used to kill grass in paths and garden - walks. - - Some of the commonest weeds found in the garden are— - - _Lamb’s-quarters_, or _Pigweed_, which is usually very - unwelcome in the garden, but which some people use for - “greens.” - - _Roman Wormwood_, or _Hogweed_, which, from its name, - you can see is troublesome everywhere. - - [Illustration: ROMAN WORMWOOD] - - _Beggar-ticks_, or _Stick tights_. - - I guess you know them— - - Their seed babies, I mean. Didn’t you get them all over - your dresses and stockings one day in the woods? - - [Illustration: BEGGAR-TICKS] - - _Smartweed_ and _Knotweed_ and _Lady’s Thumb_ all - resemble each other in appearance. - - _Plantain_ and _Rat Tails_ (Rib Grass, English - Plantain) are cousins in the same family. - - _Pepper Grass_ and _Shepherd’s Purse_ are cousins, too, - and both belong to the Mustard family. You’ve often - eaten pepper grass seeds, haven’t you? - - _Field Laurel_, or _Sour Grass_, has leaves with a - pleasantly sour flavor. - -“Excuse me,” said Mary Frances, as Jack paused, “but you didn’t mention -that if you ‘cultivate’ your garden, it will kill weeds.” - -“I’m so glad you said that!” Jack replied. “It is the best way to keep -weeds out of your garden; but I was speaking of where they had ‘gotten -a start.’” - -“They’re hard to pull sometimes,” remarked Eleanor. “I’ll tell you how -I know. We have just the tiniest lawn, and father gives me an ice-cream -cone for pulling five cents’ worth of weeds.” - -“Isn’t that lovely of him!” Jack exclaimed. - -“Sometimes,” he went on, “it is not only for the sake of the plants you -want to have grow that you destroy the weeds, but to protect yourself. -For instance, you wish to kill out all poisonous plants; such as— - - -POISON IVY - - The leaves of poison ivy, if touched, will provoke a - painful, poisonous rash on the skin of most people. - This is caused by the irritating, acrid juice in the - leaves. This juice probably protects the plant—for - instance, no cattle will enjoy eating it. - -[Illustration: POISON IVY] - - Thousands of cases of ivy poison could be avoided if - everyone knew the plant. - - Remember, the poison ivy vine has three leaves on a - stem, while its harmless and beautiful cousin, Virginia - Creeper, which resembles it so much, has five leaves on - a stem. - -Jack stepped forward and showed the girls the difference in the leaves, -just as they are pictured here. - -They examined them carefully. - -“I think I’ll never mistake poison ivy for that other plant,” said -Eleanor. - -“I hope not,” Bet chimed in, “for I am so fond of— - - -VIRGINIA CREEPER - - This plant is a native of America, growing everywhere - from Canada southward even to Cuba. It makes a charming - decorative vine on wall and fence. - - It will soon repay one for the trouble of carrying a - root home from the woods, for it easily takes root - in a new place, and everyone is delighted with its - magnificent brilliant red foliage in the Autumn. - -“That sounds like a book, Bet,” exclaimed Jack. “I think the most -interesting thing about Virginia Creeper is the tiny hand-like -‘clingers’ with which it holds on to the wall or fence.” - -“I was going to tell that, Mr. Jack,” Bet replied; “but, never mind, I -want to tell about— - - -SOME WAYS IN WHICH PLANTS PROTECT THEMSELVES - - You remember that I told you that the “velvet” fur of - the great mullein keeps animals from eating the leaves? - - Well, perhaps you’ve never thought of it, but the - prickles of the rose and blackberry and the thorns of - some trees prevent their being destroyed many and many - a time. - -“Indeed, I know,” laughed Mary Frances. “No one will ever see me try to -pick a wild cactus!” - -“Or nettles?” asked Jack, pretending to pick splinters from his hand. - -“I hope your garden never has more weeds than we saw when we were over -there in the moonlight last evening,” he went on. - -“Why, were you in my garden?” Mary Frances was amazed. - -“It looked splendid,” beamed Bet. - -“We will come often,” Jack added, “and if we never see more weeds than -last evening, you’ll be growing wonderful vegetables and flowers.” - -“Feather Flop—” Mary Frances began, then she thought perhaps she’d -better not mention the rooster. - -“It’s about time to say good-bye,” Bet said, “but you need not feel -sorry because we will— - - Come in the moonlight - To see how your garden grows.” - - - - -CHAPTER XLIX - -QUEEN’S LACE TRIMS WELL - - -“HOW lovely that will be, Mary Frances!” exclaimed Eleanor. - -“I shall come out some evening to see you, dear fairy folks,” said Mary -Frances, “even if you cannot talk with me. Maybe Eleanor will come, -too.” - -“I don’t believe you’ll know us when you see us. I might come as Jack -Frost,” Jack answered. - -“And I might seem a Luna moth,” said Bouncing Bet. “But you’ll know we -are interested and are trying to help you.” - -“Come,” said Jack, “we have a gift for you. Here is a package of wild -flower seeds which we hope you will plant.” - -“Thank you, oh, thank you!” Both the girls were delighted. - -“There’s only one condition with our gift; you must never tell anyone -about us! If you do, not a seed will grow.” - -“Oh!” The tears came into Mary Frances’ eyes. “Not Mother?” she asked. - -“Would the Queen let them tell her mother?” Jack turned to Bet. - -“Yes,” said Bet, “because her mother believes in fairies.” - -“Indeed she does!” Mary Frances was enthusiastic. “She knows all about -the Cooking People.” - -“Yes,” both Bet and Jack nodded. - -“The Thimble People.” - -They nodded again. - -“And the Doll People.” - -“The Queen of All Fairies sent them, you know,” said Jack to Bet. - -“Of course,” Bet replied. - -“Now for my party dress,” she suddenly sang out, and with “Excuse me!” -ran away. - -When she came back she was dressed in the queen’s lace gown, only it -was more gorgeous than before, for it sparkled with a thousand jewels. - -She picked up her dainty pink skirt and began to dance. - -“Isn’t my dress pretty?” she asked. - -“Queen’s lace trims well,” she laughed. “Come, Jack!” And together they -danced in mid-air, treading on nothing. - -“Good-bye, dear girls,” they sang. “Good-bye, little gardeners! Good -luck! Remember the fairies will be watching your gardens!” - -Just then Mary Frances noticed a big soap bubble floating toward the -little dancers. Nearer and nearer it came, and stopped in front of them. - -Jack opened a door in the soap bubble, and in they stepped. - -“Good-bye,” cried Bouncing Bet, as Jack closed the door. - -“Good-bye!” cried the girls. “Good-bye, kind, lovely fairy folks!” - -Jack and Bet threw kisses to them until the bubble floated out of sight -over the tops of the trees. - - * * * * * - -“Oh, Mary Frances,” cried Eleanor after a short silence. “Oh, it was -the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me!” - -“Well, so this is where you girls were hiding!” Billy’s voice made both -the girls jump. “My, you gave me a scare! Not a bit of lunch tasted, -and not a sign of you!” - -“Oh, Billy,” exclaimed Mary Frances, “how you startled me! How’s -Mother? Could she—could she come?” - -“Mother’s all right,” said Billy, “only Father thought best for her -not to try to come, and sent me for you girls—Hello! I see you’ve been -gathering wild flowers.” - -He had spied the flowers that Jack and Bet had let them gather. - -“Gee! aren’t they beauties! Did you find them near here? I don’t wonder -you forgot your lunch!” - -“Oh, Billy—that reminds me—I’m awfully hungry!” Mary Frances said, “and -I imagine Eleanor is, too.” - -“I’m—I am hungry,” Eleanor spoke as in a dream. - -“Well, then, since there are no fairies to bring the lunch baskets to -us, let’s go to the lunch baskets,” said Billy, picking up the bunches -of flowers and leading the way. - -“You’ll need a pail to put these flowers in water,” he said. - -When he spoke of fairies, Mary Frances put her fingers to her lips. -Eleanor smiled and nodded. - -“Let’s spread supper!” said Billy. - -“That will make us late getting home, I fear,” Mary Frances parleyed. - -“No, sir-ee!” Billy smiled, “Father’s going to drive over for us!” - -“Oh, isn’t that fine!” cried the girls, opening the baskets. - -They ate as only hungry children can eat. - -“Here comes Father—just in time for dessert,” cried Billy suddenly, and -all ran to meet him. - -They reached home before dark, and were welcomed by a smiling mother. - -“Our wild flower picnic was a success after all,” Mary Frances said, -kissing her and giving her the beautiful flowers. - - - - -CHAPTER L - -THE WILD FLOWER GARDEN - - -THE girls were in Mary Frances’ mother’s room whispering to her the -story of their experience with Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Bouncing Bet. - -“Wasn’t it wonderful?” Eleanor clapped her hands softly. “Oh, I am so -glad I could share Mary Frances’ pleasure!” - -“I am as glad as Eleanor,” Mary Frances said. “I wish every girl and -boy, too, could have seen and heard what we did!” - -“So do I, dear,” said her mother. “Shall you ask Billy to help you -plant the seeds of the wild flowers?” she asked. - -“If you think, Mother dear, it wouldn’t be a wrong story to simply tell -him that we got the seeds in the woods?” - -“I think that would be all right,” replied her mother. - -“What about Eleanor’s package?” asked Mary Frances. “Shall she keep it -until she goes home to plant in her own garden?” - -Her mother hesitated. “I may as well tell you, girls. I have a -wonderful surprise for you, myself.” - -“Oh, do tell us!” they cried. - -“Sit down, then,” she said, and they took their low chairs to her knee. - -“This is my secret. Our dear old friend, Eleanor’s father, has to go -away on business—maybe he will be gone a year—and Eleanor is to come -live with us.” - -“Oh, how lovely!” cried Mary Frances, throwing her arms about her -friend’s neck and kissing her. - -Tears came into Eleanor’s eyes. - -“I’m so glad,” she said. “I shall miss Father terribly, but if you and -Mary Frances’ father just adopt me for a while, it will be something -like having my own dear father and mother. What about Bob? Do you know -where he is to be?” - -“Yes, dear child,” smiled Mary Frances’ mother; “that is another -pleasant surprise. Bob is to go away to school with Billy.” - -“Oh, will he study gardening?” cried Eleanor. - -“He will, if he wishes, your father said.” - -“Isn’t that grand!” Eleanor was enthusiastic—then her face suddenly -clouded. - -“When will Father go?” she asked. - -“Not until the middle of September, Eleanor. He and Bob are to come -visit us the first of the month, and you are to be with us from now on.” - -“You’re to be my sister!” Mary Frances laughed. - -“And you may call me Mother, if you wish, dear,” added Mary Frances’ -mother. - -“Oh, it seems so cozy and lovely!” sighed the little girl. - -“Well, now, my girlies, since the secrets are told, why not get Billy -to help you plant the wild flower seeds?” - -“All right!” they cried, jumping up and kissing her before they ran -away. - -“Oh, Billy! Billy!” they shouted as they saw him in the garden. - -“Here come ‘our twins’,” laughed Billy, turning toward his father. “I -wonder what’s up.” - -“Hello, girls,” he answered as they came near. “What can we do for you?” - -“Oh, Billy, and Father, have you heard the news? Of course you have! -Eleanor is to be my sister, and yours, Billy, and she’s to call Father, -Father; and Mother, Mother; aren’t you, dear?” said Mary Frances, -kissing Eleanor, who smiled shyly. - -“Whew!” exclaimed Billy. “Stop for breath, Mary Frances, can’t you? If -Nell were as bad as you——” - -“Oh, Billy!” chided Eleanor. - -“I guess all that Billy means to say,” interposed his father, “is that -we’re all glad that such a good little girl is to come live with us.” - -“You’ll have to live up to that reputation, young lady,” laughed Billy. - -“And now,” Mary Frances produced the packages of wild flower seeds, “we -want our brother to help us plant seeds.” - -“What kind of seeds are they?” questioned her father. - -“Where did you get them?” asked Billy. - -“We got them in the woods where we gathered the wild flowers,” answered -Mary Frances. - -“No wonder I couldn’t find you,” Billy commented. “Where do you think -they’d better be planted, Father?” - -“Not near a garden of cultivated flowers,” said his father. - -“No,” Billy remarked, “for we learned that the cross-fertilization or a -mixture of pollen might bring very poor flowers in the garden if wild -ones were planted too near, and might also fill it up with weeds.” - -“Down in this corner would be a good place, it seems to me,” said their -father, leading the way. - -“I’ll be with you as soon as I get my spade and fork,” called Billy. - -Everybody helped, and the bed was soon planted. - -“I know they’ll all grow for Jack——” Eleanor began. - -Mary Frances pinched her arm, and Eleanor just caught herself in time. - -“For Jack Frost will not get here soon enough to harm them,” finished -Eleanor. - -“He’ll not be here in time to harm the perennial kind,” Billy said. - -“No,” his father took up the thought, “August is an ideal time to plant -the seeds of perennials.” - -“We have a number of seeds ready for planting.” Billy turned to Mary -Frances. “Where are they, sister?” - -“In the play house,” replied Mary Frances. “Shall we get them?” - -“Yes,” said her father, “I have plenty of time now, and I will help -Billy, if he will act as ‘master of ceremonies.’” - -“Father, I don’t know such a heap.” Billy’s face colored. - -“Well, son,” said his father, “we’ll all appreciate your telling us -all you can of what you learned. I know a little theory on the subject -myself. I only wish I could have had training and experience in -gardening when I was a boy.” - -“It’s the most interesting subject in the world, I believe,“ Billy said -earnestly. - -“Here are the seeds,” cried Mary Frances, as she and Eleanor came with -a number of packages. - - - - -CHAPTER LI - -GROWING PERENNIALS FROM SEED - - -“WE bought,” said Billy, taking the packages in his hand, “only the -seeds of the perennials which are easily grown. It’s far better to buy -the young plants of the more delicate kinds.” - -“I should think so. May we see what you have here?” asked his father, -reading aloud the names on the envelopes which Billy gave him. They -were— - - Gaillardia - Coreopsis - Iceland Poppies - Larkspur - Bell Flowers - Oriental Poppies - Baby’s Breath - Hollyhocks - Foxgloves - Columbines - -“Of course,” Billy explained, “all of these seeds could be started in -the early Spring in a sunny window in the house, or in a hotbed, and -transplanted to the open ground in June; but the advantage in planting -them in July or August is that they will get a good start before cold -weather, and will bloom the next Summer.” - -“Oh, wouldn’t they bloom in the coming Summer if planted in the house -very, very early in the Spring?” asked Eleanor. - -“A few, such as sweet williams and gaillardia, might,” Billy answered, -“but it would be quite uncertain.” - -“Do you make the seed bed in just the same way as for any other seeds?” -asked Mary Frances. - -“Yes, taking great pains to have it finely pulverized. Well, let’s get -to work! Father, please tell us what you think is a good place.” - -After pointing out a good sunny place, his father helped Billy make the -seed bed, and the girls sowed the seed. - -“Cover the tiny seeds with just a thin layer of soil,” directed Billy, -“but put a heavier cover on the larger ones. The rule is to cover a -seed with three times its diameter.” - -“Next we press them down firmly,” said Mary Frances, “and sprinkle with -water very gently.” - -“Good!” her father praised her. “What a fine little gardener you are! -By the way, when do we see that play house garden of yours, dear?” - -“Oh, Father, that’s to be another surprise!” Mary Frances answered. -“You’re to be invited to a Garden Party—you and Mother, and other -people, too.” - -“Won’t that be fine! I hope you will not forget Aunt Maria,” her father -smiled. - -“That’s a part of the secret, Father; please, please don’t guess any -more! And please don’t tell Mother, will you?” Mary Frances begged -anxiously. - -“Indeed, I shall not, little girl,” he answered. “I think it is a -delightful idea.” - -“The bed should be shaded from the hot sunlight,” Billy went on -irrelevantly, “until the plants are quite large.” - -They turned toward him. - -“How’s that best managed, son?” - -“It can be managed in several different ways,” said Billy. “For -instance, brush may be laid over the bed, but that is not a very good -method. A better one is to make a— - - -CHEESE-CLOTH SHADE FRAME - - Drive down several stakes on the border and in the - center of the bed. - - Make a cover of cheese-cloth to fit over the bed, and - fasten it to the stakes. - - You see, the cheese-cloth lets in light and air and - rain, yet protects the little seedlings from the direct - hot rays of the sun. - -“We boys will drive down the stakes if you girls will make the -cheese-cloth cover,” volunteered their father. - -“Sew we will, won’t we, Eleanor?” laughed Mary Frances. - -“Was that a pun?” asked Billy. “Why, Mary Frances!” - -“She meant we will so,” Eleanor tried to explain, but everybody smiled. - -“You do not need to sew if the beds are narrow, for the cheese-cloth -will be wide enough,” Billy said, “nor if you use another method of -shading the seed beds. I mean if you use— - - -LATTICE SHADE FRAME - - Instead of using cheese-cloth, laths are fastened to - the upright stakes to form a “lattice.” - -“I think the cheese-cloth frame would be less trouble to make.” Eleanor -was much interested. - -“All right, then,” said Billy. “We’ll expect you to have your part -ready in time.” - -“Do you leave the cheese-cloth, or the lattice shade frame over them -all winter?” asked Mary Frances. - -“No.” Billy shook his head. “After the little plants are about three -inches high, you remove the frame, and let them grow with a will. By -the latter part of September they will be well rooted, able to live -over winter if covered with leaves when the weather becomes frosty, and -sheltered from the north winds.” - - - - -CHAPTER LII - -THE MONEY THE CHILDREN MADE - - -“ELEANOR, if you’re going to ‘market garden’ with Billy and me, you’ll -have to get up right away.” - -Mary Frances shook her little friend into wakefulness. - -“Mar-ket—gar-den-ing?” yawned Eleanor, stretching. Then sitting -up, “Oh, yes, I remember now, Mary Frances! How stupid of me! It’s -Saturday! My, I’m sorry I overslept!” - -“Never mind, girlie, but hurry up and dress. Billy’s already out in the -garden putting things in the wheelbarrow.” - -They didn’t take much time for making a fancy toilet, and were soon out -in the play house garden with Billy. - -“Hello, girls,” he called. “Aren’t these green peppers beauties?” -holding some up. - -“Green peppers!” said Eleanor. “Why, lots of those green peppers are -red!” - -“Oh, you’re no Italian,” laughed Billy, “or you would know that most -green peppers turn red when ripe enough.” - -“What else have we to-day?” asked Mary Frances. “Of course we have our -parsley, and lettuce, and tomatoes, and ‘pot herbs.’” - -“And cabbage, and carrots, and beans, and cucumbers,” added Billy. - -“And egg-plants!” Eleanor was proud to be able to add a name to the -list. - -“All the articles mentioned, Ma’am,” said Billy, pretending to offer -them for sale. - -“I’ll buy everything you have,” answered Eleanor, “if you’ll sell for a -penny.” - -“‘Said the piggy, “I won’t!”’” Mary Frances misquoted, “and I don’t -blame Billy, for we’ve made lots of money this Summer.” - -“Yes, I know,” said Eleanor; “from the times I’ve been out with you -selling garden truck, you must have quite a fortune by now.” - -“Oh, say——” began Billy. - -“What?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Why, I was just thinking that since Eleanor was always helping us so -much, she ought to share in the profits.” - -“Wouldn’t that be fine!” Mary Frances hugged her friend in delight. - -“No.” Eleanor shook her head. “If you divide among three, you won’t -make money nearly as fast.” - -“We’ve done so well that we won’t mind going a little more slowly,” -said Billy. “Shall we tell what a pile we have in the bank, Mary -Frances?” - -“Oh, Billy, you know I’m crazy to tell her!” - -“Well,” Billy took a book from his pocket, “last Saturday night we had -forty-four dollars and fifty-seven cents, and Mrs. Dailey owes us two -dollars and nineteen cents.” - -“Oh, Billy, did you two make that much in this short time?” Eleanor -could scarcely believe her ears. - -“More than that!” Mary Frances exulted. “And we’ve paid Billy back the -money we borrowed from his ‘prize money’ for seeds.” - -“Let me see. Forty-four and two are forty-six,” said Eleanor. “You may -have sixty dollars by cold weather!” - -“More likely seventy, Billy?” asked Mary Frances. - -“I’ve heard of counting dollars before they were hatched,” Billy -laughed. - -“Is Nell a partner from now on?” asked Mary Frances. - -“Yes,” Billy said, “if she helps, she shares in the profits—but, gee, I -wish Bob was here!” - -“Well, you know he’s coming soon!” said Mary Frances, “and, besides, -you’ll be together the whole school year!” - -“Say, you girls get to work!” exclaimed Billy, and they flew to gather -parsley, and tiny little red peppers, and thyme, and leeks, out of -which Mary Frances made penny bunches of pot herbs, while Eleanor tied -some three-cent and five-cent bunches of the parsley. - -“Are we ready now?” asked Eleanor as Billy piled the wheelbarrow high -with vegetables. - -“No, indeedy!” Mary Frances exclaimed. “Now, it’s my turn. Come on out -into the front garden and help me gather my bouquets.” - -“Let me see the order book, Billy, please?” she asked. - -“Oh, yes, Doctor Hopewell wants roses, larkspurs, and baby’s breath; -Mr. Courtley asked for sweet peas. As we have only the perennial kind -which have no odor, I shall put a sprig of lemon verbena with them. -Aren’t they beautiful?” as she began to gather them. “I just believe -Mr. Courtley is going to give them to Miss Constance. Last Sunday she -wore to church the bunch of tufted pansies he bought of me on Saturday.” - -“Nell, you gather yellow flowers to-day. Isn’t that right, Mary -Frances?” - -He handed her a basket. - -“In that,” Mary Frances nodded. “You’ll find scissors inside the play -house door.” - -Eleanor was soon cutting perennial sunflowers and coreopsis. - -“Billy, get some blue flowers to put with the coreopsis?” Mary Frances -called after a minute, and Billy began to cut some eupatorium. - -“Isn’t this a charming bouquet!” exclaimed Eleanor as she arranged the -blue and yellow flowers. - -They all admired it, but they voted the pink roses, and larkspur, and -baby’s breath the most beautiful of all. - -“Now, we’re ready to start!” Billy led off with the wheelbarrow, the -girls following with baskets of the herbs and flowers. - -“Have you planned to do anything special with the money, Mary Frances?” -asked Eleanor. - -“Well, for one thing, I shall save a good deal for seeds and plants in -the Spring, and Billy says we’ll plant bulbs in the Fall. That will -cost quite a little.” - -“And we’re planning to make a hotbed and a cold frame,” broke in Billy, -who overheard. - -“And when we started gardening I borrowed quite a little sum for seeds -from my savings account—with Mother’s permission. I have to put that -back,” Mary Frances added. - -“Money, like all good things,” Billy looked wise, “should be taken care -of!” - -“Oh, you miser, Billy!” Mary Frances playfully shook her finger. - -“Isn’t it strange what funny ideas some people have of how things -grow?” remarked Billy. “A city chap at school told me he had always -thought that cabbages grew on vines and potatoes were picked off -bushes!” - -“Well, if he never saw them growing, how could he know?” Mary Frances -reasoned after they stopped laughing. - -“That’s right!” teased Billy. “Stand up for him.” - -By that time they were in the heart of the village, and had very soon -sold everything, for the village people had become accustomed to look -for the children. - -“Every vegetable you bring is so fresh that we wait to buy of you,” -several said. - -“Splendid luck to-day,” commented Billy, on the way home. - -“Have you saved the things your mother ordered?” asked Eleanor. - -“Of course,” answered Billy. “You don’t suppose we’d neglect one of our -first and best paying customers.” - -“Mother is a dear!” said Mary Frances. “So is Father! They must wonder -why they haven’t been invited to see our gardens.” - -“When are you going to ask them?” Eleanor inquired. - -“Why, don’t you remember? When we give our garden party.” - -“That’s to be about the first of September, I believe,” said Billy. - - - - -CHAPTER LIII - -MARY FRANCES’ GARDEN PARTY - - -“THERE!” Mary Frances looked up from her writing. “That is the last -invitation, all ready for the envelope. Eleanor, did you hear?” - -“I heard,” her little friend laughed, “but I was so busy putting the -last curl to the tail of the address on the last envelope that I -couldn’t pay attention.” - -“Oh, I am so much obliged to you for addressing them,” said Mary -Frances. “Let me see if I’ve thought of every one,” laying them aside -as she counted. - -“Here is Grandma’s; here, Aunt Maria’s; here, your father’s; here, -Bob’s; and last, but very important, Mother and Father’s. Let’s go mail -them.” - -“What did you say to Aunt Maria?” Eleanor inquired as they walked along. - -“I said,” Mary Frances recited: - - “DEAR AUNT MARIA:— - - “Please come to my Garden Party next Wednesday. We’ve - been industrious enough this Summer to please even you! - - “I don’t want to tell you any more, for fear I’ll spoil - the surprise, but we won’t have a bit nice time unless - you are with us. I’ll never forget how pleased you were - with my cooking surprise. - - “With love, which I want to give you in real hugs, and - real kisses, - - “MARY FRANCES.” - -“Mary Frances, do you dare hug your Aunt Maria? I’d never dare, I’m -sure. The very thought scares me! She always seems so cross.” - -Mary Frances laughed. “I used to feel the same way,” she said, “but -after I found out that she was cross just because she was afraid——” - -“Afraid? Your Aunt Maria afraid!” - -“Yes, afraid, and ashamed that somebody might think she was loving and -kind. When I found that out, I felt different. I was sorry for her.” - -“I know she loves you dearly,” Eleanor admitted. - -“She’s a dear old bear who growls just for fun, and I hope she comes -to the party. Grandma will come, I know, and——” - -“So will Father and Bob,” finished Eleanor. - -“Oh, I can scarcely wait for Wednesday!” - -They were at the post office by this time. On their way home they -discussed their plans. - -“Billy will bring the tables to the play house on Tuesday,” said Mary -Frances, “and we’ll all do everything we can to get ready.” - -“What shall we have for refreshments?” Eleanor asked. - -“Why, I think it would be lovely to have everything from our garden—of -course, excepting the ice-cream,” Mary Frances laughed. “I wonder how -this would be: - - Tomato and Lettuce Salad with Mayonnaise Dressing - Creamed Potatoes - Cucumber Relish - - Sandwiches - Green Pepper and Cheese - Nasturtium - - Ice-Cream - Spearmint Jumbles - Coffee - -“Oh, Mary Frances, that sounds perfectly wonderful to me!” exclaimed -Eleanor, “but how can you manage to serve so many things?” - -“It won’t be hard to manage,” Mary Frances answered, well pleased. -“I’ve thought it all out carefully. We can have the mayonnaise dressing -all ready for the salad the day before, and can make the sandwiches -Wednesday morning if we wrap them in waxed paper.” - -“How do you make those sandwiches, Mary Frances?” asked Eleanor. - -“Oh, I’m glad you asked that, for they are so good, Eleanor. Use— - - -FOR TWELVE GREEN PEPPER SANDWICHES - - 3 five-cent packages cream cheese - 2 green peppers, chopped very fine - - Mix together and spread on well-buttered thin slices of - bread. Cover each with another buttered—— - -“As if I didn’t know that much!” exclaimed Eleanor. “How do you make -the other kind?” - -“Oh, the nasturtium sandwiches? Why, you use the chopped stems and -a few flowers of the nasturtium plant between the bread. They taste -something like the daintiest of radishes.” - -“I can make the sandwiches!” Eleanor exclaimed. “They are easy. Now, -what about the potatoes?” - -“They can be creamed in the morning and warmed in the oven just before -serving.” - -“Oh, that’s fine! What about the spearmint jumbles you mentioned?” - -“I made up that recipe,” Mary Frances confessed. “You see, I’m so crazy -to have everything from the garden that I just had to be original.” - -“I’m wild to hear about this recipe!” Eleanor said. “Let’s go into the -play house and I’ll write it down.” - -When they were seated, Mary Frances began: - -“I looked all over the garden, Eleanor, and I couldn’t think of a thing -we could use in making candy, and I certainly think we need candy, -don’t you?” - -“Indeed, I do!” Eleanor agreed. - -“Suddenly I spied the spearmint growing with my other herbs. ‘The very -thing!’ I thought, so I just made up a very simple recipe for— - - -SPEARMINT JUMBLES - - 2 cups sugar - ½ cup water - 1 cup mint leaves - - 1. Wash the mint leaves. - - 2. Put the sugar in a saucepan. Add the water. - - 3. Stir sugar over the fire until dissolved. - - 4. Cook quite hard until the sugar begins to turn - brown. Take from the fire. Add mint leaves, stirring - hard. - - 5. Turn out on a buttered pie plate. Add 2 tablespoons - butter. - - 6. Stir hard until candy falls apart or crumbles into - small pieces. - -“My, but you are smart, Mary Frances!” declared Eleanor. “I wish I -could do such things—but what if some people don’t care for spearmint -flavor?” - -“We could make some fudge.” Mary Frances met the suggestion, “but I -think everybody ought to think it good this time because it’s from our -garden. I didn’t like to plan for ice-cream even because it didn’t grow -there.” - -“Don’t you wish it did!” cried Eleanor. - -“If it did, I’d have acres of ice-cream plants!” Mary Frances laughed. - -“We’ll cook everything right here in the play house,” she continued; -“that little stove will do all that we want.” - -“Oh, won’t it be too grand for anything!” Eleanor hugged Mary Frances -in enthusiasm. - - * * * * * - -So when Tuesday came, they set to work, and carried out their plans. - -“Who’s to serve the feast?” asked Billy, as he arranged the plates -according to the girls’ directions. - -“Oh, we’ll do that,” answered Mary Frances. “All we ask you to do, -Billy, is to open the freezer and dish the ice-cream.” - -“Believe me, you may count on me, ladies,” said Billy, bowing. “Count -on me for a large share in the ice-cream work, although I can’t see -that there will be much work, for I ordered it in the form of bricks.” - -“Billy, you’re a brick!” laughed Eleanor. - -By twelve o’clock Wednesday, the refreshments were ready, and the girls -went to the big house to “doll up,” as Billy said. - -Mary Frances glanced out of the window just as she fastened the last -button of Eleanor’s dress. - -“Here comes Aunt Maria!” she cried and bounded down-stairs and out on -the porch to meet her. While she was hugging her, Eleanor’s father and -Bob appeared on the scene, and you can imagine how happy the little -girls were. - -“Where can Grandma be?” Mary Frances asked, after her mother and father -had welcomed everybody. “Oh, there comes the station auto-bus. It’s -going to stop here!” Surely enough it stopped, and out stepped the dear -old lady, whom everybody tried to greet at once. - -In the midst of the confusion, Mary Frances and Eleanor slipped away to -the play house, and a little later Billy and Bob piloted the guests to -the play house garden. - - “Mistress Mary, never contrary, - Will show how her garden grows,” - -announced Bob, leading the way up the path, where Mary Frances shook -hands with each one in a most grown-up, dignified fashion introducing -them to “My friend, Miss Eleanor,” just as Mother Paper Doll had done -in the Housekeeper story. - -“So this is you children’s garden surprise, dear! Isn’t it beautiful!” -There were tears of joy in their mother’s eyes. - -“Were there ever such children!” exclaimed their grandmother. - -“If there are any more wonderful, I have yet to see them!” Aunt Maria’s -nose went up into the air with pride. - -“Jolly good gardener, Bill!” Bob slapped his friend on the back. - -“What you’ll be next year,” Billy retorted. - -“Father hasn’t said a word!” Mary Frances suddenly discovered. - -“I’ve been speechless with surprise, dear,” he said. “It certainly paid -to wait to see such a garden. The flowers are wonderful!” - -“Why, haven’t you seen the garden before this?” everybody asked, and he -told the whole story. - -As he finished, Bob and Eleanor’s father spoke. “I’m gladder than ever -that Bob’s to go away to Billy’s school!” - -Then nearly everybody began to talk at once, saying how much more -sensible the ideals of education were to-day than when they were young, -and more of such grown-up talk, which gave the boys and girls a chance -to slip away to get the refreshments. - -“How did you guess we were hungry?” asked Bob’s father as Mary Frances -served the salad, and Eleanor passed the sandwiches in a dainty basket, -trimmed with pink bows. - -“Where did you find such beautiful lettuce and tomatoes, dear?” asked -Grandma, showing her enjoyment of the treat. - -“That’s part of the secret,” laughed Mary Frances. “After you’ve tested -our vegetables, we’ll show you our vegetable garden.” - -“Gee!” exclaimed Bob, “you don’t mean to say you raised these?” - -“Everything’s from this garden except the ice-cream!” Eleanor asserted -proudly. - -“Some farmers!” Bob started to say, but his father interposed. - -“You forget, son, that you’re in a formal social gathering—at a garden -party, if you please.” - -“Please pardon me,” Bob begged, bowing to the company. - -“Let them talk—it’s the youngsters’ party,” somebody whispered so loud -that everybody heard, and everybody laughed. - -After the ice-cream and coffee had been served, and the bonbon dish -of candy was passed, “What delicious mints!” so many people praised, -that Mary Frances said she would carry the candy dish with them to the -vegetable garden, and all could see the bed of mint where she gathered -the leaves for the flavor. - -It would be impossible to tell you how happy and proud the children -were as they showed their vegetable garden, with its beautiful neat -beds bordered with nasturtiums. - -You can imagine how they looked, for if you read the garden lists in -early chapters of this story, you know what they had growing. - -“Everybody may pick a bouquet,” said Mary Frances, seizing Eleanor’s -hand and leading the party to the flower garden. Just as they started, -Doctor Hopewell drove up with his son and two daughters. - -“We couldn’t help stopping,” he declared. “You made such a beautiful -picture.” - -They were welcomed with delight, and the girls insisted upon their -having some salad and ice-cream. - -“Isn’t this the most charming thing you ever heard of!” sighed Marjorie -Hopewell. - -“It’s just like a girl’s dream come true!” her sister Helen agreed. - -“The girls will never get over this. To have peace I’ll have to turn -farmer yet! Bill and Bob will have to give me pointers!” their brother -Harry laughed. - -“Indeed, I’d like to see you all doing what these young people have -done,” their father told them. - -The doctor and his family left in about an hour, with flowers for Mrs. -Hopewell, but the other guests stayed until five o’clock, sitting on -the easy chairs which Billy had placed along the walk in front of the -play house. - -The day was so beautiful—not too warm, not too cool; not a rain cloud -in the sky, but scattered about with little white fleecy “flocks of -lambs” clouds, as Mary Frances said. Perhaps that and the beauty of -the garden made them linger, but they seemed sorry to leave. - -“You will all come again! Soon!” Mary Frances and Billy made them -promise. “And you’ll come to our garden party next year! We’ll have -both Bob and Eleanor for partners then!” - - - - -CHAPTER LIV - -FEATHER FLOP’S CONCEIT - - -“OH, Feather Flop! Feather Flop!” called Mary Frances, as she carried a -pan of the “left overs” of the garden party out to the rooster the next -morning. - -Feather Flop made some queer gurgling noise in his throat. - -“Why, what’s the matter, old fellow?” she asked in alarm. - -“Matter?” cawed Feather Flop hoarsely. “Matter? Why, this: I’ve nearly -crowed my bill off trying to call you. I’m so hoarse I can scarcely -whisper! I grew so weak, finally I had to lean up against the fence to -crow!” - -“Mercy! Was it as bad as that?” asked Mary Frances. “Why, I must -have been so tired out from our garden party that I slept so soundly -I didn’t hear. I’m sorry—you must have wanted to see me very -particularly, too!” - -“‘Our garden party!’” echoed Feather Flop. “‘Our garden party!’ As -though any mention had been made of me!” - -“Oh! oh! oh!” cried Mary Frances. “Oh, was that it, Feather Flop? I -never thought—really! I supposed I must keep you a secret just as I’ve -been accustomed with other fairy folks.” - -“Fairy folks!” exclaimed Feather Flop. “Fairy folks! I’m not a fairy! -I’m a farmer! and even if you don’t remember, it doesn’t change the -fact that if it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have had any garden at -all.” - -“Why, you conceited old fellow!” cried Mary Frances. “How do you make -that out? But,” seeing the disappointment on his face, “of course, I -appreciate your help. Indeed I do, Feather Flop,” she added. - -“Don’t you recollect?” asked Feather Flop. “Don’t you recollect that -day when you couldn’t understand the seed catalogue? Who was it that -helped you then? Who was it, little Miss?” - -He cocked his head and looked up at her expectantly. - -“Why, it was you, Feather Flop!” Mary Frances exclaimed. “It certainly -was you, my old friend!” - -Feather Flop blinked. “I’m glad you can call it to mind!” he remarked. -“If you had only just mentioned my name at the garden party, I wouldn’t -have felt so bad.” - -“Oh!” said Mary Frances. - -“Even if you’d just said to me, if you’d just said, ‘Feather Flop, -old chap, you can’t come to the garden party, of course, but you’re -invited,’ I wouldn’t have felt as I did.” - -“Oh, dear!” said Mary Frances. - -“If you’d said at the party, ‘Now, if my old friend, Feather Flop, -hadn’t helped me,’ or something like that, I’d have been so proud and -glad.” - -“How do you know I didn’t?” Mary Frances parleyed under sudden -inspiration. - -“How do I know? I was there. I was there even uninvited!” declared -Feather Flop. - -“Why, where in the world were you?” asked Mary Frances in astonishment. -“You couldn’t have been in the garden, for we were everywhere.” - -“It’s a riddle!” Feather Flop’s voice sounded as though he was -laughing. “I was in the garden! You can’t guess where!” - -“Indeed, I can’t.” Mary Frances shook her head. “Unless you were under -something inside the play house.” - -“No, I wasn’t inside the play house,” said Feather Flop, in a voice -which still sounded like laughter. “Guess again! One more guess!” - -“Give it up.” Mary Frances acknowledged her defeat. - -“Why, I was outside the play house on the roof!” declared the rooster -triumphantly. - -“Oh!” cried Mary Frances, delighted. “So that is where you were! You -really were at the party, after all! Now I shall feel better. If I’d -only realized how you felt, I’d loved to have invited you and to have -had you there!” - -“That makes it all right,” said Feather Flop brightly. “I only thought -you’d forgotten me and maybe didn’t want me! That’s what made me so -sad!” - -“Not want you!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Not want you! I think you are -the most wonderful rooster in the whole wide world, and the smartest——” - -“Farmer?” asked Feather Flop anxiously. - -“Yes, indeed, farmer!” declared the little girl, picking him up and -tenderly smoothing him. “If it hadn’t been for you, I doubt if I’d have -had a garden!” - -“Oh, I’m the happiest rooster in the wide world!” sighed Feather Flop, -“and if I weren’t just a plain farmer rooster, I’d turn into a fairy -prince, dressed in blue satin trimmed with gold and diamonds, but as it -is—I’m hungry!” - -“Come!” laughed Mary Frances. “Come, eat,” she said. “I like you far -better than any fairy prince, for you’re my own dear friend—my farmer, -Feather Flop.” - -And Feather Flop looked so proud you might have imagined him in tiny -overalls and sun hat. - - - - -CHAPTER LV - -BOB AND BILLY’S VACATION - - -THE boys had been at school several weeks, and Mary Frances and Eleanor -were well started in their studies, when one golden-leafed day in -October, each girl received a letter from her brother as they stopped -at the post office on their way from school. - -“We’re coming home on Friday,” both letters read alike, “to plant the -bulbs, and we’ll expect your help after school, and all day Saturday, -if necessary; and we’ll hope—just hope—for some play house cooking.” - -“Isn’t it comical for them to say just the same thing!” exclaimed -Eleanor. - -“Won’t we have fun!” Mary Frances answered. “Let’s see, this is -Wednesday. I wonder if Billy wrote to Mother.” And away they flew to -find out. - -“Mother, you’ve known for several days, I just believe,” declared Mary -Frances, whereat her mother laughed and confessed that she had known, -but that it was her turn to keep a surprise in store for them. Then -all three fell to making plans for the visit. - -“We’ll give a dinner in the play house,” decided Mary Frances, “and -invite you and Father.” - -“Oh, you children would have more pleasure without grown-ups,” -protested her mother. - -“Not a bit of fun without _our_ kind of ‘grown-ups,’ you mean,” Mary -Frances contradicted lovingly. “Doesn’t she, Eleanor?” - -“Yes, indeed!” Eleanor answered emphatically. - -“You dear children!” was all the mother said, but the girls knew that -their invitation was accepted. - -When the boys came, there was so much to talk about that they didn’t -get to work until Saturday. There were stories of the jokes which the -second year fellows played on the “Freshies,” and of the winning of the -big football game, and of the rigid training in athletics, and a volume -of other talk new to the girls; at least, new to Eleanor, and equally -entertaining to Mary Frances and her parents. - -“I wrote ‘the governor’ all about that,” said Bob as he finished -relating one particularly amusing incident. - -The girls looked puzzled. - -“He means his ‘old man,’” explained Billy. - -“Oh, Billy! How you talk!” cried Mary Frances. “Do you mean his father?” - -“Sure guess!” nodded Billy. - -“Well, Father, if that’s the way they learn to talk, I shouldn’t think -you’d let them go back.” Mary Frances pretended to be indignant. - -But he only laughed, saying, “Oh, they’ll outgrow it.” And the boys -took up anew the threads of their stories. - -It was quite late before they got to bed, but they were up bright and -early Saturday morning. - -“We fellows haven’t time now to explain why bulbous plants bloom so -readily in the Spring.” - -“We know; don’t we, Mary Frances?” Eleanor exclaimed without thinking. - -Mary Frances pursed her lips to look like “Hush!” and shook her head, -which made Eleanor remember that Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Bouncing Bet’s -lessons were to be a secret. - -“If you know so much, Nell,” Bob replied mockingly, “perhaps you can -tell the difference between a corm, a rhizome, a tuber, and a fleshy -root.” - -“Well! Well!” cried Mary Frances, “I guess we better not lay claim -to any more knowledge,” and she winked at Eleanor, who nodded -understandingly. - -“But,” said Billy, opening his note-book, “we will tell you a little -something about— - - -THE PLANTING OF BULBS - - Anyone can have flowers which grow from bulbs. - - They require so little care that everybody can be - cheered in the early Spring with the sunshine of - daffodils, and the fragrance of hyacinths, and the gay - color of tulips; which, after the dullness of winter, - are appreciated more, perhaps, than any other flowers. - - Their leaves and flowers being wrapped with their food - supply, in the storage bulbs, it takes only the call of - a few days of warmth and sunshine to bring them into - bloom. - - So every one should— - - -PLANT SPRING-FLOWERING BULBS IN AUTUMN - - In October or November is the best time of the year for - planting Spring-flowering bulbs; in localities where - the Winters are not severe, December is perfectly safe. - - The bulbs should have time to make some roots before - the ground freezes. - - -HOW TO PLANT BULBS - - Bulbs do not like clayey soil, nor do they like - dampness; neither do they thrive on fresh manure. - - Remembering this, you already know just about what kind - of soil they need—well-drained, loamy soil, full of - humus or well-rotted manure, and some sand; for sandy - soil is needed by all bulbs. - - If you do not have such garden soil, dig quite large - holes with your trowel, and fill them with such a - mixture. If you do not have well-rotted manure, use a - sprinkling of bone meal. - - -DEPTH TO PLANT - - A good rule for the depth to plant bulbs is twice their - length; but sometimes it pays to plant them deeper to - protect them. - - If planted deeper they come into bloom a little later, - but the protection of the depth may save them from - destructive freezing. - - -WHERE TO PLANT BULBS - - Blooms of bulbs look beautiful anywhere. One need not - hesitate to place them in masses (a number near each - other) in the garden borders, for after they bloom and - die down, there will be no bare spots if some annuals, - with short roots, are grown over them; such as alyssum, - ageratum, violas, verbenas. - - Plant the low-growing sorts of bulbs in the front, and - the taller kinds in the back of the garden. - - Cover, when the ground begins to freeze, with several - inches of dry leaves or grass. - - Most bulbs do best if not lifted after blooming; that - is, let them be in the ground for several years. Then - the new bulbs which have grown on the old ones will - need to be separated and planted. - - Narcissus and daffodils may remain many years without - disturbing. - - Hyacinths do not do as well as other out-door hardy - bulbs, becoming less vigorous each year. They do a - little better if the bulbs are lifted and dried in the - Summer and replaced in the Fall. - - If you plant— - - -BULBS IN THE GRASS - - One caution is necessary: after they are through - blooming, wait until the green leaves turn yellow - before cutting the grass. If the leaves are cut before - they turn, the bulbs will die. - - Nowhere else do such flowers look so beautiful as in - the grass. - - To plant small bulbs, such as crocus, dig holes in the - turf with an apple-corer, or with a “dibble,” which is - a pointed stick. Throw in a tiny bit of bone meal and - some sand. After placing the bulb, being certain to put - the root end down, and the pointed top up, cover with - sand and pack the turf firmly back in place. - - A better way is to lift the turf with a spade. Dig, - to loosen up the soil; add a little bone meal; plant - bulbs, replace sod. - - To place them in an artistic position, throw down a - handful and plant where they fall. - - - - -CHAPTER LVI - -DAFFODIL AND OTHER BULBS - - -“GOOD!” Bob approved as Billy paused, “that’s a splendid lecture, Bill.” - -“Isn’t it?” cried Eleanor. “I believe we know almost everything now -about planting bulbs.” - -“What kinds are we going to plant?” asked Mary Frances, looking at the -large package the boys had brought with them. - -They opened it and Bob began to speak: “Young ladies,” he commenced; -then, “Oh, I say, Bill, I can’t come this ‘professor act.’ You’d better -do the lecturing!” - -“No, sir-ee!” declared Billy. “It’s your turn now. Go ahead.” - -“Oh, go on, Bob,” cried Eleanor. - -“Please do!” begged Mary Frances. - -“All right, then,” replied Bob, laughing, “only don’t expect much -erudite stuff from humble me—even when I read my notes.” - -Then, opening his book, and clearing his throat, he started once more: -“Listen, young ladies, and you will hear of— - - -BULBS TO PLANT IN THE FALL - -_Snowdrops_ - - The earliest Spring garden flower, sometimes coming - literally out of the snow as early as February; but - usually blooming in March. The blossoms are small, - white, bell-shaped, not in the least showy. Only one - who has come upon them unexpectedly blooming in his - garden knows the thrill of pleasure which they bring. - As they are small and inexpensive, plant a number of - bulbs about two inches apart, to cover an irregular - circle. Once planted they take care of themselves. - -_Squills_ (_Scilla_) - - Near the Snowdrops, plant in the same way, a dozen - Siberian Squills. Beautiful blue flowers, which will - bloom perhaps while some of the Snowdrops are in - blossom. Once planted, do not disturb. - -_Grape Hyacinths_ (_Muscari_) - - Little stalks of tiny tight blue bells, or white, - somewhat the shape of tiny fairy-folks’ grapes. - Everyone should have a dozen or so of these pretty - early Spring-flowering bulbs. - -_Narcissus_ or _Daffodils_ - - Everybody knows a daffodil, for breathes there a human - being with soul so dead as not to feel warmth of heart - at the sunshine glow of its yellow petals? - - But not everybody knows the difference between - daffodils and jonquils and narcissus. - - The fact is, they are all sold by dealers under the - name Narcissus. - - Every Narcissus has a “cup and saucer” form. In some, - the cup, or _trumpet_, is tall; in some, it is short; - in others, it is double: and according to the shape of - the cup, each Narcissus is named. - - All dealers agree that the type with the double cup - is called _daffodil_. It is not generally thought so - attractive as the single sorts. - - The single sorts are of the following different - varieties of Narcissus: - - {_Giant Trumpet._ Very showy, with large cups and - { saucers. Buy “Emperor,” and “Empress.” - {_Medium Trumpet._ (“Star” Narcissus.) Not so - { large nor attractive, but very graceful. Buy - _Narcissus_ { “Barii Conspicuus.” - {_Poet’s Narcissus._ Old-fashioned favorite. Charming - { fragrant white flowers, with cups edged with red. - { Buy “Poeticus” (Pheasant’s Eye) or “King Edward - { VII.” Very easily grown. - - _Jonquils_ are the small-flowering type of Narcissus. - They are easily grown, and many have a charming - fragrance. - - _Polyanthus Narcissus_ or Nosegay Daffodils are the - little clustered kind grown indoors. - - All these distinctions, and many others, are made - by the dealers, but almost everyone of us thinks of - all the yellow Narcissus as Daffodils. They grow so - readily, with almost no care, that everyone, with only - the tiniest garden, should plant at least a half dozen - bulbs of the “Giant Emperor.” - - Within a few years after planting, the Spring will - bring dozens of blossoms of— - - “Daffodown-dilly, - Come up to town, - In a green petticoat - And a gold gown.” - -_Hyacinths_ - - Single sorts do better than double. As a rule, - hyacinths do not improve from being kept in the ground - all Winter; they may be taken up and stored in a cool - cellar over Winter to be planted in the early Spring; - but a better plan is to let the old bulbs gradually - “run out,” and plant a few new bulbs each Fall. These - are sent to dealers every Autumn from Holland, because - the climate of Holland is nearly perfect for bulb - growing. Sometimes hyacinths do quite well for a number - of years kept in the ground out-of-doors. - - Their charming fragrance, color and form, make them a - most attractive flower. They come in white, pinks and - purples. - -_Tulips_ - - The most gorgeous of all Spring-flowering bulbs. - - {_Early Single._ Grow about eight inches high; come in - { pinks, reds, yellows, white. - {_Early Double._ These are not so beautiful as the single - { varieties. - {_Cottage Garden_ (May flowering). A tall variety, growing - { about eighteen inches high, blooming much later than - _Tulips_ { the Early Single. - {_Darwin._ The most desirable of all tulips, but not very - { early. The tallest grow nearly thirty inches high. - { Globe-shaped flowers of most brilliant shades of reds, - { purples, pinks and white. If yellow is desired, buy - { one of the Cottage Garden, for there are no yellow - { Darwins. - {_Parrot._ Showy; of variegated shading and irregular - { petals. Not so artistic as single sorts, but very odd - { and interesting. Buy only a _few_ bulbs. - - While tulips are most effective if planted in groups - or masses, an edging of the stiff blooms of the Early - Single is delightful, especially if a red is alternated - with a white. They look almost like “candles in bloom.” - -_Lilies_ - - Lilies dislike sour soil, so sprinkle some lime over - the ground before digging it deeply. A little powdered - charcoal in each hole helps, too, and it is well to - dust each bulb with flowers of sulphur to protect from - worms and mildew. - - Lilies love shade, and do best among other perennials - because they will shade their roots, which spread out - near the surface of the ground. By the way, since they - spread near the surface, do not “cultivate” lilies. Do - not disturb the bulbs, which will bloom for years if - planted right in the first place. Most lilies bloom in - Mid-summer. - - {_Plantain Lily_ (Funkia). The most easily grown, - { with spikes of blooms about eighteen inches - { high, in white, blue or lavender. - {_Yellow Day Lily_ (Hemerocallis). Grows anywhere, - { sometimes killing out other flowers. - { Blooms on stems about thirty inches high. - {_Madonna Lily_ (Candidum). Beautiful, stately, - { tall white lilies with delightful fragrance. They - { resemble “Easter Lilies.” Cover bulbs with - _Hardy Lilies_ { only two inches of soil. - {_Red Spotted Lily_ (Lilium Speciosum Rubrum). - { A tall Japanese lily, easily grown. Large white - { flowers dotted with red, borne on a tall stem. - {_Tiger Lily_ (Tigrinum). Orange spotted with - { black. Very easily grown. - {_Lilies-of-the-Valley._ Grown from “pips,” or tiny - { bulbs. Plant in the Spring in rich earth. They - { like some shade. - -_Iris_ (_Flags_) - - _Spanish Iris._ Exquisite orchid-like blooms, in white - and rich shades of blue, yellow, bronze. - - _German Iris._ Very easily grown and very desirable. - - -BULBS TO PLANT IN EARLY SPRING - - Among these are: - -_Tuberoses_ - - Plant in May, and again in June and July, in order - to have a continuation of bloom of these powerfully - fragrant and beautiful white flowers. - -_Gladiolus_ - - These bulbs are planted in May and June at two weeks - intervals, in order to have blooms from July to - October. They like rich soil, and powdered sheep - manure, which is sold by the pound, is a good - substitute for rotted stable manure. They like the - sunny places. - - The bulbs of both tuberoses and gladiolus should be - taken out of the ground in the Fall after the foliage - becomes yellow. The stems are cut off and the bulbs - dried on an airy shelf, or any place which is neither - very warm nor very cold. They are set in the ground - again in the Spring. - - Cannas and dahlias grow from fleshy roots and are - planted in the Spring also. They are lifted and dried - in the Fall. - - If your garden space is small, the following selection - of bulbous plants will give a great deal of enjoyment: - - -HARDY BULBS FOR A SMALL GARDEN - - 6 Snowdrops - 6 Grape Hyacinths (2 white, 4 blue) - 6 Emperor Daffodils - 6 Poet’s Narcissus (Pheasant’s Eye) - 6 Early Single Tulips - 12 Darwin Tulips (3 each, of four different colors) - 3 Spanish Iris - 6 German Iris - - -GROWING BULBS INDOORS - - It is very interesting and delightful to grow bulbs - indoors, where the warmth “forces” them into bloom in - the cold winter months. If they are managed in the - right way, you may have blooms from Christmas on. Do - not attempt to have over a half dozen pots the first - year. - - Bulbs may be grown indoors in pots or in prepared - fibre, which may be bought of a dealer. - - If grown in pots, prepare a rich soil of sand and leaf - mold. If impossible to get leaf mold, use a sprinkling - of bone meal. Place some pieces of broken flower pots - or pebbles in the bottom of the pots to drain the water - off, or the bulbs will mold. - - If grown in prepared fibre, moisten the fibre before - putting in the pot, but do not make it wet enough - to wring. Plant bulbs as in soil, but do not pack in - tight. After watering, turn pot on the side to drain - off the water. A piece of charcoal in the bottom of the - pan or pot keeps the fibre sweet. - - Hyacinths do well when grown in glass vases. The glass - vases used are made for the purpose, and hold the bulb - just above the water—not touching. - - The main point in growing bulbs indoors is to arrange - to keep them growing in a _dark, cool_ place until - the roots have formed and the leaves show about three - inches. - - This is accomplished in several different ways. Perhaps - the simplest of all is to place the pots on a cool - cellar floor and cover them with ashes, which will - assure their being kept in the dark. Keep them damp by - watering the ashes once or twice a week. (The same idea - is better carried out by the use of a _cold frame_, the - making of which is described in the next chapter.) - - Place the pots on ashes in the frame, throwing three or - four inches of ashes over them; or use dried peat moss - instead of ashes. This is sold by dealers in seeds and - plants. - - Place glass cover on the cold frame when the weather - becomes severe. - - About three weeks before you wish them to bloom bring - some of the potted bulbs into the warmth of the house. - Do not place them immediately in a very warm place - or in the sunlight. Give them as much fresh air as - possible. - - After planting bulbs in prepared fibre, or hyacinths in - glasses, keep them in a dark, airy closet until the - roots have formed, which will be in about six weeks. - Then bring them into warmth and light. The roots of the - hyacinth should reach the bottom of the glasses before - bringing them into the light. - - Daffodils and single tulips, crocuses, polyanthus - narcissus (often grown in pebbles in water) all are - easily forced into bloom indoors. - -“But,” added Billy as Bob drew a long breath, “growing bulbs indoors -is a rather tedious experiment, and better not be attempted by young -children,” as he pulled Mary Frances’ hair ribbon untied. - -“Well, neither of you would have known much, Mr. Superior Knowledge,” -laughed Eleanor, “if you hadn’t studied this all within a week or so.” - -“Let’s begin to plant,” was Billy’s answer. - - - - -CHAPTER LVII - -BILLY BUILDS A HOTBED - - -DURING the Christmas holidays the children made wonderful plans for -their gardens. - -“Everything should be started very early,” said Bob, airing his newly -acquired knowledge, “and the best place to start seeds is in a hotbed.” - -“I tell you what we’ll do, Bob,” Billy suggested. “Let’s come home in -March and build one!” - -“Won’t that be grand!” cried the girls with enthusiasm. “We’ll help all -we can.” - -“Ah! You can’t——” began Billy, then stopped. - - * * * * * - -So one sunny day in the early part of March, just the very day Eleanor -discovered some of the snowdrops blooming, the boys surprised them. -About an hour after they came, the lumber and sashes for the hotbed -arrived. - -“We bought the frames ready to set up,” Billy said, “but a fellow could -make one quite well. Even a grocery box, if cut in the right shape and -covered with glass, makes a good substitute.” - -“Yes, we made that kind at school for practice,” added Bob, and to show -how well he had learned his lesson, he started to dig where they had -decided to place the hotbed. - -Meanwhile Billy referred to his useful note book, and explained what -they were about to do. “The situation is very important,” he said, “for -we learned at school that a— - - -HOTBED - - should be sheltered from the north winds; so, if - possible, place it on the south side of a large - building. - - Let it slant toward the sunny south, where the glass - sash will catch the sun’s rays. - - You see, a hotbed is a tiny greenhouse. In both a - greenhouse and a hotbed, artificial heat is supplied. - - Greenhouses are heated by steam or hot water pipes: - ordinary hotbeds are heated by fresh manure, which, in - the process of decomposing, gives off a great amount of - heat. - - Heat, air and sunlight are essential for plants’ growth. - - The slanting glass sash catches the sunshine, and holds - in the heat which the manure gives off. The sashes are - raised a little in the warmest part of each day, which - gives the plants air. - - The frame is generally about eighteen inches high in - back and twelve inches in front. - - Dig nearly two feet deep, in a space a foot wider and - longer than the frame. - - Get ready a pile of fresh horse manure which has been - mixed with one-third as much bedding straw or litter. - - If very dry, sprinkle with water. When, in a day or - two, it begins to steam, turn it well over, and in a - day or so more, fill the dug-out space to within six - inches of the top. - - Place the frame on this, and bank up the _outside_ with - more manure. Cover the manure with earth. - - Fill the inside with earth six or eight inches deep, - and water with a sprinkler. - - Put on the sash, and place a thermometer inside. It may - go up to 120 degrees, but in a few days will come down - to 90 degrees, when the bed is ready for planting. - - Seeds may be planted direct in the soil, but a more - convenient plan is to fill shallow boxes, called - “flats,” with soil, and plant the seeds in them, - placing them in the hotbed. They are easily lifted if a - slat is nailed across the middle, when the young plants - are ready for transplanting into the— - - - COLD FRAME - - The frame and glass sash of a cold frame are just like - those of a hotbed, but the cold frame is placed on the - ground without fresh manure, sometimes without any - manure. - - Usually, the earth is dug up to the depth of a foot and - mixed with well-rotted manure and the frame placed on - _top_ of it. Soil is also banked up on the outside for - protection from cold winds. - - An old cooled off hotbed is really a cold frame. - - A cold frame is always useful for— - - 1. “Wintering over” plants a little too tender to leave - unprotected. - - 2. Transplanting seedlings (young plants) from the - hotbed, where they will gradually become accustomed - to a cooler atmosphere before they are placed in the - outside ground. - - Young lettuce plants may be placed in the cold frame in - the Autumn, and will supply salad nearly all winter. - - Parsley and herbs will stay green the winter through if - placed in the cold frame. - - Some hardier seeds may be started in the cold frame - instead of the hotbed; such as cucumber or melons. - - Always cover the sash with burlap or old carpet on very - cold nights, to prevent young plants from freezing. - -Before the boys returned to school, the children had sowed in their new -hotbed the seeds of the following flowers and vegetables: - - Ageratum - Alyssum - Corn flowers - Snapdragons - Lettuce - Radishes - Parsley - Tomatoes - Peppers - - - - -CHAPTER LVIII - -SOME HINTS ON GROWING VEGETABLES - - -MARY FRANCES repeated to Eleanor some of the lessons which Billy had -given her on growing vegetables. - -She had a little book in which she had taken notes. - -“Billy told me,” she said, “that when he was little, he used to wonder -why things wouldn’t grow if they were just ‘stuck down’ in the ground. -You see, he didn’t know that the making of the beds was the most -important matter of all.” - -“Why, I’ve heard people say that anything would grow if planted by -certain people—that they ‘had luck,’” Eleanor stated. - -“If you had watched those very people,” Mary Frances replied wisely, -“you would probably have seen that they loosened up the soil before -they ‘stuck’ the plant down.” - -“I imagine that’s true,” agreed Eleanor. - -“Well,” Mary Frances continued, opening her book, “as you know, in -getting the outdoor beds ready, you— - - (1) Dig deep to loosen the soil; - (2) Spread over it well-rotted manure; - (3) Dig and turn the soil over again; - (4) Rake the top soil fine and level. - - It is a good plan to spread leaves and manure over the - ground in the Fall and dig them in in the Spring to - make the soil rich and crumbly, or friable. - - Did you ever think how many different parts of plants - are used for food? - - We eat the _roots_ of some vegetables; such as beets, - carrots, radishes, turnips. - - Of others we use the _leaves_; such as lettuce, celery, - cabbage, spinach, parsley. - - Of others, the seeds; as beans, peas, corn. - - Of others, the fruit; as peppers, melons, tomatoes. - - - THE EARLIEST VEGETABLES TO PLANT - - The following vegetable seeds are not very delicate, - and can stand a good deal of frost. - - Plant as soon as the ground is warm, about the first of - April. - - _Peas_ { The new early “Lactonia” peas are to be - {recommended, because it is not necessary to - Plant seeds 2 inches {use brush for them to climb upon. Buy one - apart, 2 inches deep, {pint. Sow peas every week for a month to have - 1½ feet between {them ripen from time to time - rows. {(“successively”). - - { “All Heart” is very delicious. Remember that - {lettuce will be much more tender and crisp if - _Lettuce_ {grown very quickly in beds rich in manure. - {Over it, a shade frame should be used in - Plant seeds ½ inch {mid-summer and hot weather. - deep, broadcast, or 3 { In transplanting to rows from the hotbed, - inches apart, in rows 1 {put plants 6 inches apart. - foot apart. { Cos, or Romaine, or Celery Lettuce is very - {easily grown. The heavy ribs of the leaves - {are crisp and good. It grows quite well in - {hot weather. - - _Onions_ { - { Buy yellow onion sets—one pint. It takes two - Cover the onion with {years to raise onions from seeds. When ready - soil. Leave 2 inches {to pull, take every other one or so, leaving - between onions; 6 inches{the smallest to grow larger. - between rows. { - - _Radishes_ { The best are the little red globe shape. - {Sow some in early Spring in hotbed. Sow every - ½ inch deep, about 2 {week to have “successive,” crops. They will - inches apart. Rows 1 {be ready in about four weeks. Radishes like - foot apart, or {a sprinkling of lime in the soil. - broadcast. - { Buy five-cent package of Crosby’s - _Beets_ {“Egyptian.” Seeds may be sowed thick, for - {not all germinate. Thin the rows by pulling - Seeds 1 inch deep, 2 {the weakest plants. The young leaves may be - inches apart, in rows 1 {cooked as “greens.” Never cut the tops off of - foot apart. {beets when cooking. Cut off only the leaves. - {Beets may be sowed again in June for a late - {crop. - - -THE SECOND EARLY VEGETABLES TO PLANT - -(About ten days after the first) - - { Buy one package “Sutton’s Red Intermediate.” - _Carrots_ {Carrots do not like new rich soil. - { Radishes may be sowed between the rows; for - Sow ½ inch deep, 3 {they will be pulled before the carrots need much - inches apart, in {room. Sow carrots rather thick, and thin out - rows 1½ feet apart. {weak plants. - - { Buy one package “Prizetaker Leeks.” Sow in - _Leeks_ {March or April, and when they are about half a - {foot high, transplant to deep, rich soil, 6 inches - Sow seeds 1 inch {apart, in rows 1 foot apart. Plant deep, to - deep, 2 inches {“blanch,” or whiten the tops. - apart, in rows 1 { Leeks may be sowed in September and transplanted - foot apart. {in the Spring. - - { Buy one package “Dwarf Perfection” or “Moss - {Curly.” Soak seed over night in water. Parsley - _Parsley_ {may be broadcast if space is limited. Add an - {equal quantity of sand to the seeds to help - Sow ½ inch deep, {sowing. Throw sand and seeds over the seed bed. - about 4 inches {Cover by using a toy rake. When 4 inches high, - apart, in rows 1 {it may be transplanted to rows. “Winters over” - foot apart. {in cold frame, and in some localities outdoors, if - {covered with leaves. - - _Thyme_ and _Sweet { Buy one package each. Broadcast and rake - Basil_ {in the seeds. Sweet Basil grows tall. Thyme - {only about four inches high. - Broadcast. - - { Sow broadcast in March in flats (shadow boxes) - {in hotbed, or under glass. When 2 or 3 inches - {high, thin out. When ground is really warm, set - {out 15 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart. Children - _Peppers_ {will not need more than half a dozen plants of - {large sweet peppers. Buy “Chinese Giant.” - { Little red peppers are particularly pretty in the - {garden, and are useful for flavoring soup—use - {only a half or a quarter of one, though. Buy - {“Small Chili” or “Red Cherry.” - - { Sow about a dozen seeds in late March or early - {April in strawberry box filled with rich soil, and - {place under glass. Some warm day in May, make - {a hill about eight inches high, and after tearing - _Cucumbers_ {off the bottom of the box, plant it in the hill. - {After a few days, thin out the weakest plants, - {leaving three or four standing. Two or three moth - {balls in the ground, when the leaves come - {through, will keep bugs away. - - - - { Sugar Corn takes up so much room in the - {garden that only a very few hills should be planted - {by a child. When the weather is very warm, - {make little hills 3 feet apart. Drop 6 corn kernels - _Corn_ {a little distance apart into the hole. Cover with - {about an inch of soil. Shallow cultivation helps. - {Buy one package “Stabler’s Early” for early - {corn; one package “Stowell’s Evergreen” for - {later crops. - - { _Lima Beans._ Buy “Bush Limas,” because it - {will not be necessary to set poles for them to - {climb upon. Wood ashes mixed with the soil - _Beans_ {helps them grow. They do not like damp, heavy - {soil. Do not plant before warm weather, because - 2 inches deep, 6 {beans are tender. Plant in _warm_ weather, - inches apart, in {edgewise, with the “eye” down. - rows 18 inches { _String Beans._ Buy “Stringless Green Pod.” - apart {Plant every week after all danger of frost is past, - {2 inches deep, 6 inches apart, in rows 18 inches or - {2 feet apart. - - { It is best for the small gardener to buy the - {plants and set them out in rows when the weather - {is really warm. “Earliana” is the best early - {variety. - { “Ponderosa” is the best later variety. If you - {sow seeds, start them under glass in March or - {even earlier. When plants are about 3 inches high, - _Tomatoes_ {transplant to strawberry boxes. Break bottom of - {box and transplant box into the open ground - Plants, 2 feet {when it is really warm. Tomatoes need supports - apart, in rows {to rest or climb upon. The simplest support is - 3 feet apart {a stake driven down near them, to which the - {stems are tied as they grow. Stakes driven at - {intervals with heavy cords running from one to - {the other make another good support; but the - {best is a slat frame. - { If grown from seeds, they will not be ready for - {about 18 weeks. - -[Illustration: TOMATO TRELLIS OR SUPPORT] - - { _White Potatoes._ It is best for children not to - {attempt to grow more than one plant of potatoes, - {but they may be interested to know that white - {potatoes are grown from the “eye,” cut in a large - {square-shaped piece of the potatoes. The potatoes - {form on the roots of the bush, and are dug - _Potatoes_ {and stored in the Fall. - { _Sweet Potatoes_ grow on the roots of a very - {pretty vine which trails over the ground. To get - {the young plants, some sweet potatoes are grown in - {hotbeds, and the vines are transplanted in hot - {weather to open ground. - - In transplanting, always press with your fingers the - soil firmly down around the roots. - - -FERTILIZERS - - As you know, in order to make good and rapid growth, - plants need the right kind of food. Manure is the - best fertilizer. In manure almost every kind of plant - food is supplied, but there are chemical foods which - stimulate growth and are easily applied. If it is - impossible to obtain manure, use decayed vegetables and - leaves, and _Commercial Fertilizer_, which is made up - of the mineral or chemical food needed by plants. Do - not use too much, for it is very heating and may burn - the roots of young plants. Never let the roots come - into direct contact with the powder—always sprinkle - some earth over it after throwing a small quantity - (about two tablespoonfuls) in a hole. - - _Bone meal_ or Ground Bone is another excellent food. - If sprinkled on the ground and dug in around the roots - of roses, it will give them a good food supply. - - _Nitrate of Soda_ is a very stimulating food for - _vegetables_. Use 1 tablespoonful in 4 quarts of water - in the sprinkler. Do not use until the plants are - at least 3 inches high, and only once in two weeks. - Sprinkle ground near roots—do not sprinkle leaves. - - _Cow Manure_ and _Sheep Manure_ may be purchased in - powdered form for use in a small garden, and in this - form are most easily managed by little folks. - - Powdered Sheep Manure dug in around the roots of roses - once a month assures a wealth of bloom. - - -INSECTICIDES - - All plants will be attacked by insects. - - One of the best insecticides for children to use, - because it is not poisonous to human beings, is Slug - Shot, a patent preparation, which will kill worms and - many other biting insects. It is inexpensive and need - be dusted but lightly on foliage which is bitten. - - Tobacco tea made by throwing boiling water over tobacco - stems, and letting it cool, is used for aphides (Plant - lice). - - For other insecticides, see Chapter XXIX. - - - In the following blank pages, write down your own - experience in gardening; for example, - - -----------------+---------------+--------------------------------- - NAME. | DATES. | REMARKS. - -----------------+---------------+--------------------------------- - _Sweet Peas._ |Plant in the | Plant in deep drills, in rich - (Improved Early | _Autumn_, or | earth. Give them a wire - Spencer.) | early Spring. | frame to climb upon. Never - Pink, lavender, | | water at night, as the dampness - white. | | causes them to mildew. - | | Pick blossoms daily. - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - - - - -CHAPTER LIX - -THE CITY GARDEN - - -CHILDREN who live in the city usually have so little ground that they -are not often encouraged to attempt gardening. - -Even in the tiny 9 x 12 foot city yard, provided it has sunshine during -some part of the day, a surprising variety of plants may be grown. - -In the new style of building, happily the old-fashioned boarded-up -fence is disappearing, being replaced by iron fencing, which gives an -open appearance and admits air to the rear of the dwelling; but if one -lives where the garden is “walled in,” a great deal of pleasure may be -gained from— - - -HANGING GARDENS - - Along the sunniest wall of the garden, hang boxes on - iron brackets as shown in the picture on this page. - - The lower garden should be placed high enough to let - the sunlight into the small hotbed which is placed on - the ground. - - In the upper garden, annual flowers and vines may be - grown. - - In the lower garden, plan to have— - - -A SOUP AND SAUCE GARDEN - - containing mint, parsley, chives, onions, little red - peppers. - - In the ground near the hotbed, you may grow tomatoes, - carrots, and— - -_Okra_ or _Gumbo_ - - Plant seeds in May. You will probably need only two - plants, one foot apart. Use the pods while young. - “White Velvet” is a good variety. The plants grow three - feet tall. In chicken or tomato soup the beautiful - green odd-shaped slices give a richness of flavor. - - In using fresh thyme in soup, add it a few moments - before serving instead of cooking it from the first, - and notice the improvement of flavor. - - In the hotbed garden you may have radishes and lettuce - at the time they come with, their tempting freshness - and their high prices in the Spring markets. - - * * * * * - - In the city, many flowering plants are grown in sunny - windows. The following named will be found among the - best for the— - -INDOOR GARDEN - - Hyacinths - Chinese Lilies - Tulips - Tuberous-rooted Begonias - Ferns - Bermuda Buttercup Oxalis - English Ivy - Impatiens Sultana - Spirea - Geraniums - - _Bermuda Buttercup Oxalis_ blooms all winter in - clusters of golden yellow flowers. The foliage is - beautiful, resembling that of clover. - - _Grand Duchess Oxalis_, in pink, is another charming - house plant. It comes in white and lavender also. - - The other types of Oxalis are pretty in hanging baskets. - - The bulbs of Oxalis cost from three to five cents each. - Plant six in a pot, and be certain to give them good - soil, partly leaf loam. Keep them in a dark, cool place - for a short time. Water them as they dry out. Bring to - the light gradually. They will sometimes bloom in six - weeks. Oxalis, already started, may be had of a florist. - - Another pretty house plant is a vine grown from a sweet - potato placed in a hyacinth glass or bottle of water. - - * * * * * - - For the dining table center piece, the next time you - have grapefruit for breakfast, save the seeds, and - plant them quite thick, about one-half inch deep, in - a shallow earthen flower pot. Keep well watered. It - may take six weeks for the leaves to peep through, but - they make a beautiful green decoration for the house in - winter. - -[Illustration: SWEET POTATO VINE] - - Do not forget your strawflowers which you dried in the - Summer. They look pretty with the Japanese air plant, - which stays green so long without water. - - -WATERING HOUSE PLANTS - - Immerse the pot in a bucket of water, and leave it - until it stops bubbling. This done twice a week is far - better than daily sprinkling. Neither is it good to - keep water in a saucer under a plant; the roots do not - like a constant soaking. Wash the leaves from time to - time, and when the weather is warm enough, give them - some fresh air. - - Tobacco dust will keep away green lice (aphides); so, - also, will Persian insect powder. Blow either on with - little bellows, or “air guns.” - - There is a plant food for house plants which is sold by - dealers. One teaspoonful dug into the earth once in two - weeks is very beneficial to their growth. - - - - -CHAPTER LX - -GARDEN COLOR-PICTURES - - -MOTHER NATURE never makes a mistake if left to her own choice of colors. - -Indeed, she is a real color artist. What could be lovelier than the -purple of the New England aster, near the lavender of the Joe Pye weed, -with an interlacing of wild carrot and yarrow; then, not too near, -the dangling orange jewel weed, and a little farther away, the brown -cat-tail-all set in a green frame, in the soft light of the dove blue -of the sky? - -That is just one of Mother Nature’s color-pictures. If you watch her -many pictures, you will learn that— - -Flowers in masses are more beautiful than in design. - -That many white flowers are needed to divide the severe contrast of -colors. - -That— - - {purple and lavender - Yellow combines well with {blue - {scarlet - {browns - -but that yellow does not combine well with crimson or magenta. - - {yellow - Blue combines well with {crimson, magenta - {pink - -Light pink and yellow are good together, depending upon the shades. - -It is difficult to describe the beauty of Mary Frances’ garden. Peeping -over the green velvet of the lawn is a border of low-growing white -flowers which look like ribbons of snow. They are sweet alyssum—“Little -Gem.” - -Just back of them come pink Baby Rambler roses; next, a large mass -of charming blue-lavender eupatorium; and “locking arms” with the -eupatorium, on the other side, is a rudbeckia, a bush bearing little -“brown-eyed” flowers. - -Between the pink of the Baby Rambler and the blue of the eupatorium -is a bush of feverfew; and between the blue of the eupatorium and the -yellow of the rudbeckia is the white of achillea. - -Mary Frances says that she thinks that these flowers form the most -perfect color-picture in her garden. - -On the other side of the garden are perennial sunflowers which are so -much more desirable than golden glow, and beneath them are brilliant -nasturtiums. - -One must remember that the various shades of one color always combine -well together. - -For instance, in the Spring, Mary Frances has pink tulips blooming just -beneath a bush of flowering almond; and daffodils beneath golden bell -or forsythia. - -The flowering almond and forsythia shrubs that Mary Frances has, she -grew from little sprigs which a neighbor gave her. She simply put them -down into the ground and kept them well watered! - -All the flowers mentioned except nasturtiums are hardy perennials, and -have never had but the slightest care since planting two years ago, -except thinning out where they became too thick. - - - - -CHAPTER LXI - -PATTERNS FOR PAPER FLOWERS - - -DEAR GIRLS AND BOYS: - -Don’t you want to make a flower, now that you begin to know how -wonderful they are? - - -TO MAKE A WILD ROSE - - Materials required: - - Pink, green, yellow tissue paper; white tracing paper; - very _fine_ wire; heavy wire for stem; yellow beads; - small piece beeswax; pair small pincers; scissors; glue. - - 1. To make the _corolla_,— - - (_a_) Lay a piece of pink tissue paper over the pattern - of the _corolla_ shown in the picture on the next page. - - (_b_) Cut out; and curl the tips of the petals, by - drawing them through between the thumb and blade of the - scissors, just as your mother does ostrich feathers. - - 2. Trace, through a piece of tracing paper, the - _calyx_, and _foliage_, as shown in the picture. Cut - out, and use for patterns in cutting green tissue paper - calyx and leaves. - - 3. To make the _stamens_,— - - (_a_) Cut three pieces of fine wire, two and a half - inches long, for the _filaments_. (See picture of - stamens.) - -[Illustration: HOW TO MAKE A WILD ROSE] - - (_b_) Fasten a small yellow bead _anther_ on each end - of the wire _filaments_, by bending the end of the wire - over the bead with pincers. Fold the filament wires in - half. - - 4. To make the _pistil_ and _stem_,— - - (_a_) Cut a piece of heavy wire six inches long—to form - the _stem_. - - (_b_) On one end, fasten a large yellow bead to form - the _stigma_. Cut a piece of fine wire eight inches - long. One inch below the _stigma_ bead, hold the folded - _filament_ wires in a little bundle around the stem - wire, and wind with the fine eight inch wire—to form - the _ovary_. The heavy wire between the _stigma_ and - the _ovary_ represents the _style_. - - 5. Cut a piece of beeswax a little less than a - half-inch square. Mould it with the fingers under hot - water until you have a soft ball. - - 6. Slip the pink _corolla_ up the wire stem until over - the wound wire. Spread the _stamens_ out to prevent the - corolla from slipping off. - - 7. Fit the beeswax over the wound wire to form the - _calyx_ cup; and pack a tiny bit of yellow tissue paper - into the opening of the corolla _under the stamens_. - - 8. Wind the _calyx cup_ with the green tissue paper - calyx which you cut by the pattern, and fasten the end - with a tip of glue. - - 9. Run a fine wire in and out through the stems of the - foliage. - - 10. Cut a piece of green tissue paper eleven inches - long and one inch wide. Commencing at the green _calyx_ - cup, wind the stem of the rose with this green strip - of paper. Half way down, insert the _petiole_ of the - foliage, or leaves, under the strip, and continue - winding to the end of the stem. Fasten the end by - winding with fine wire. - -There! you have the flower, and you know the names of the parts as well -as Billy and Mary Frances know them. - - - - -CHAPTER LXII - -THE MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUTS - - -EVERY boy or girl who will carefully make up the Mary Frances Garden -Cut-Outs, and will study the lists of flowers printed on the reverse -side of each garden, will very soon become familiar with the name, -season of bloom, and appearance of the best-known perennials. Notice -the artistic effect of “massing,” or grouping the same kind of plants -close together. - -In order to recognize the flowers mentioned in the lists, turn to -Chapters VII, VIII, IX, and X, to read descriptions. - - -DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING - -THE MARY FRANCES GARDEN CUT-OUTS - - 1. Turn to the picture of Mary Frances’ Play House - before the Children Planted the Gardens. - - Cut along the red lines A, B, C, on the edge of the - picture; and D in center of grass plot. - - 2. Turn to Mary Frances’ Garden Cut-Out No. 1—Early - Spring Hardy Garden. - - Detach or cut out the page. - - Cut along the edges of each colored portion. - - 3. Insert the little flaps A, B, C, D, of the cut-out - portions into the openings A, B, C, D. - - 4. Follow the same directions in - - Garden No. 2—Early Summer Hardy Garden. - Garden No. 3—Mid-Summer Hardy Garden. - Garden No. 4—Late Summer or Early Fall Hardy Garden. - -You will be delighted with the fairy-like way in which you have changed -the landscape in front of the picture of Mary Frances’ Play House; but -the pictures give only a slight idea of the beauty of the real gardens -which Billy and Mary Frances made. In order to see how beautiful the -flowers are, you will have to plant your own real gardens. - -May they give you as much pleasure as they did Billy and Mary Frances. - - - - -CHAPTER LXIII - -LITTLE GARDENERS’ CALENDAR - - -THE following plan was given to Mary Frances and Eleanor by the boys. - -They called it— - - -THE LITTLE GARDENERS’ CALENDAR - - In _Mid-Winter_ or _January_, plan out your garden, - drawing a map and filling in space. - - * * * * * - - A little later, in _February_, get the hotbed ready, - and spray roses with Bordeaux Arsenate of Lead, - remembering it is a violent poison. Use one tablespoon - to a quart of water. This will help prevent mildews and - fungi. - - * * * * * - - In _March_, or even in _February_, study seed catalogue - and order seeds. - - Plant some seeds in the hotbed. - - Prepare some of the out-door seed beds by spading and - manuring. - - In _April_, transplant hardier plants to cold frame, or - open ground. - - Spray everything again. - - If weather is warm enough, sow seeds out of doors. - - * * * * * - - In _May_, sow seeds of some annuals and vegetables - out-of-doors. - - Look out for weeds: kill them while young. - - * * * * * - - In _June_, plant seeds and seedlings in open ground. - - * * * * * - - In _July_, plant late seeds; carrots, turnips, etc. - - * * * * * - - In _August_, start perennials for next year. Weed! - - * * * * * - - In _September_, order bulbs needed. - - Move flowering plants which are not in right place. - - * * * * * - - In _October_, save seeds of annual flowers, labeling - each envelope carefully. - - Set out bulbs, unless you live below or near the Mason - and Dixon line; _November_ is a better time in that - case. - - In _November_, rake up leaves and make into compost - heap. Throw a little lime among them. Never burn them. - They make humus. - - Take up summer bulbs and store them carefully. - - Spread manure over the ground to be spaded in the - Spring. - - Hill earth about six inches high over rose bush roots. - - Spread litter and leaves over bulbs and perennials to - protect them during winter. - - * * * * * - - In _December_, trim dead wood from rose bushes. - - Destroy nests of cocoons, burning them, and read the - MARY FRANCES GARDEN BOOK. - - - - -CHAPTER LXIV - -BUDDING AND GRAFTING - - -TO most boys and girls, the marvelous method of getting new varieties -of fruit is a matter of great interest. - - In budding, as you know, a bud is set under the bark of - a growing plant. - - In grafting, the top of the plant is cut off and a - branch of another plant is inserted. These branches are - usually cut in the Autumn and kept in sand all winter. - - In the Spring, the tree to be grafted is cut and - the branch (or, scion) is inserted, as shown in the - accompanying drawing, and held in place by raffia and - grafting wax. - -[Illustration: GRAFTING] - -It was not until the boys’ second winter at the garden school that they -experimented with grafting peach trees and budding rose bushes, and it -was a year later before they knew the result of their work. - -If you are particularly interested in the subject, send to the United -States Department of Agriculture for Bulletin No. 157, on “The -Propagation of Plants.” - - - - -CHAPTER LXV - -PRIZES AT THE COUNTY FAIR - - -“REMEMBER in all gardening, that experience is your best teacher. Do -not become discouraged if you fail. Do not undertake too much. Remember -that most people fail to get good plants because they do not prepare -deep good beds, and do not ‘cultivate,’ or stir the ground. Watering is -nothing like so necessary.” - -This is what Mary Frances was telling a number of children in the -garden one day as Billy came upon her unawares. - -“You couldn’t have better advice, children,” he said. - -“Than Billy gave me,” Mary Frances added. “He taught two friends and me -so well, that next year we are each to have our own garden plot, and -‘race’ with Billy to see who can raise the finest vegetables.” - -“Some of the very finest are to be sent to the County Fair,” stated -Billy. - -“And they’ll be ‘winners,’ you may be sure,” Bob prophesied as he and -Eleanor joined the group. - -“So will some of our flowers, won’t they, Nell?” - -Before Eleanor could answer Mary Frances, there sounded the joyous -shrill crow of Feather Flop. - -“I’m sure they will!” it meant to the little girl, but none of the -others seemed to hear the rooster. - -Perhaps he did know—for one year from that day, each of the children -received some premiums at the County Fair; but, to Mary Frances’ -surprise, she had three more than Eleanor; two more than Bob, and one -more than Billy! - -“I wonder why your garden did better than all the rest,” said Bob. “You -didn’t seem to work any harder than we did.” - -“Oh, it was just a ‘happen so,’” answered Mary Frances, but she -remembered that many a morning she had seen prints of the claws of -Feather Flop in her garden, and a little pile of weeds at - - - THE END - - - - -The Mary Frances Books - -For Teaching Useful Things in an Entertaining Way - -By Jane Eayre Fryer - - -[Illustration] - -These are not mere story books to be read through and cast aside. They -are instruction books in story form which the youthful readers joyfully -study because they think it is play. But in this play they learn -principles of usefulness which fascinate because of the manner in which -these principles are presented. - -[Illustration] - - =THE MARY FRANCES GARDEN BOOK, or Adventures Among - the Garden People.= The spirit of comradeship and of - loving understanding of little men and women thoroughly - permeates this unique garden book. The enchantment of - the story of Mary Frances’ gardens successfully carries - the play-lesson idea, as the most potent method of - creating a love for work and learning, into a realm - undreamed of before. The little reader’s delight is - heightened by cut-out gardens which are inserted in the - book. These cut-out gardens are beautifully colored to - show the natural color of the flowers, insects, etc. - They include a playhouse, April and May garden, June - and July garden, August and September garden, vegetable - garden, etc., and will not only familiarize the child - with the plants and their seasons of bloom, but also - inspire a love for practical outdoor gardening. - The world was begun in a garden, and the story of - reproduction is given in a most reserved and skilful - manner as the great plan for the perpetuation of life. - Size 7¼ x 9½ inches. Illustrations on every page, with - colored cut-out gardens. Cloth, with colored inlay on - front. - - Net =$1.50= - - =THE MARY FRANCES HOUSEKEEPER, or Adventures Among the - Doll People.= A glimpse into this book is enough to - make a girl’s heart leap. Here she finds not only the - story of the Paper Doll Family of Sandpile Village, - and how they acquired a home, but also the paper dolls - themselves—thirty-six large sheets of dolls and of the - new, patented kind of cut-out furniture. The practical - explanation of household duties and management are - woven in so skilfully that as the story tells how Mary - Frances learned to dust, to sweep, or make beds, the - little reader takes it all in eagerly as part of the - story. 250 pages. 7¼ x 9½ inches. Illustrations on - every page. Cloth, with colored inlay on front. - - Net =$1.50= - - =THE MARY FRANCES SEWING BOOK, or Adventures Among the - Thimble People.= It tells, in as quaint and delightful - a story as ever appealed to a child’s imagination, how - the fairy “Thimble People” teach Mary Frances to sew. - It teaches _the reader_ how to sew—how to make every - variety of garment—how to make the various stitches—how - to use patterns—how to fold and cut the material—how - to piece it together. The book includes a complete - set of patterns for doll clothes—undergarments—street - clothes—coats—hats—even a wedding dress. 300 colored - illustrations. 320 pages. 7¼ x 9½ inches. Cloth, with - colored inlay on front. - - Net =$1.50= - - =THE MARY FRANCES COOK BOOK, or Adventures Among - the Kitchen People.= This winsome book so happily - combines fact and fancy that any girl who reads it will - all unconsciously absorb the principles of cookery - while devouring the most fascinating sort of story. - It throws a glamor around the processes of baking - and boiling and leads girls into pleasant habits of - usefulness and industry. The book gives recipes in the - simplest, plainest words. It describes every operation - clearly—just what Mary Frances did, and how she learned - to avoid mistakes. The book stimulates the imagination - and creates a desire to follow Mary Frances’ example. - Cloth, 170 pages. 7¼ x 9½ inches. Over 200 colored - illustrations. - - Net =$1.20= - - - THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY - PUBLISHERS PHILADELPHIA - - - - -Handsomely Illustrated Books For Children - - -[Illustration] - -=MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ALL NATIONS—By Logan Marshall.= A book to win -the heart of every child. Famous stories from Greek mythology and the -legendary literature of Germany, England, Spain, Iceland, Scandinavia, -Denmark, France, Russia, Bohemia, Servia, Italy and Poland—stories in -which children, and men and women, too, have delighted through the -centuries. They are told in simple graphic style, and each one is -illustrated with a beautiful color plate. The work has considerable -educational value, since an understanding of many of the stories here -set forth is necessary to an appreciation of our own literature and -civilization. 24 full-page color plates. 320 pages. - - =$2.00= - -[Illustration] - -=FAIRY TALES OF ALL NATIONS—By Logan Marshall.= The most beautiful book -of fairy tales ever published. Thirty superb colored plates are the -most prominent feature of this new copyrighted book. These plates are -absolutely new and portray the times and customs of the subject they -illustrate. The subjects were posed in costumes of the nation and time -in which each story is set, and are unrivaled in rich color, lively -drawing and dramatic interest. The text is original and interesting in -that the famous fairy tales are taken from the folk-lore and literature -of a dozen principal countries, thus giving the book its name. Many old -favorites and numerous interesting stories from far-away lands, which -most children have never heard, are brought together in this charming -book. 8vo. Over 300 pages. - - =$2.00= - -[Illustration] - -=TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE—By Charles and Mary Lamb.= A superb edition -of these familiar tales has been prepared in similar style to “Fairy -Tales of All Nations.” Each of the twenty tales is illustrated with a -magnificent color plate by a celebrated German artist. It is one of the -finest gift books ever published for children, telling them in simple -language, which is as nearly like that of Shakespeare as possible, the -stories of the great plays. The subjects for the illustrations were -posed in costumes of the nation and time in which each story is set and -are unrivaled in rich color, lively drawing and dramatic interest. 320 -pages. 20 full-page color plates. - - =$2.00= - -=RHYMES OF HAPPY CHILDHOOD—By Mrs. Andrew Ross Fillebrown.= A handsome -holiday book of homely verses beautifully illustrated with nearly -100 color plates and drawings in black and red. Verses that sing the -irrepressible joy of children in their home and play life, many that -touch the heart closely with their mother love, and some not without -pathos, have been made into a very handsome volume. Gilt top, uncut -leaves. - - =$2.00= - - - THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY - PUBLISHERS PHILADELPHIA - - * * * * * - -Transcriber’s Notes: - -Obvious punctuation errors repaired. The character of y with a breve -does not exist in utf-8 and so has been replaced in this text with a y -with a circumflex ŷ. - -Page 41, “Tausendschon” changed to “Tausendschön” (Baby Tausendschön) - -Page 55, “Myotis” changed to “Myosotis” (Myosotis Palustris) - -Page 71, “windows” changed to “window” (prettiest shallow window boxes) - -Page 277, “see” changed to “seen” (You’ve often seen the) - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Mary Frances Garden Book, by Jane Eayre Fryer - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARY FRANCES GARDEN BOOK *** - -***** This file should be named 53098-0.txt or 53098-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/0/9/53098/ - -Produced by Emmy, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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