Daddy Takes Us to the Garden | Page 6

Aunt
Lolly.
"No, save some for candy!" laughed Uncle Pennywait. "I'll give you a
penny extra as my prize."
"We'll talk about spending the money when the prize is won," said
Daddy Blake. "Here it is," and he took from his pocket a bright, shining
ten dollar gold piece. Hal and Mab looked at it.
"But everyone must work hard in the garden to win it," said Mr. Blake.
"And, mind you! I may get my own prize, for I am going to work in the
garden, too. We will each choose some one vegetable, and whoever
raises the finest and best crop will get the prize."
"What made you think of this game for us?" asked Hal.
"Well, everyone is making gardens this year," said Daddy Blake. "You

know we are at war, and in war time it is harder to get plenty of food
than when we are at peace."
"Why?" asked Hal.
"Because so many men have to go to be soldiers," his father answered.
"The farmers and gardeners--thousands of them--have been called away
to fight the enemy, so that we, who never before helped to grow things
from the earth, must begin now if we are to have enough to eat and to
feed our soldiers.
"That is why I am going to have a garden--larger than we ever had
before. That is why many others who never had gardens before are
going to have one this year. All over vacant lots and play-fields, and
even some beautiful green, grassy lawns, are being turned into gardens.
They will take the places of many gardens that have been turned into
battle fields. We must raise more vegetables and fruits and we must
save what we raise."
"Why do we want to save it?" asked Hal, "Can't we eat it?"
"We will eat all we need," his father, "But you know that gardens and
farms can only be planted, and fruits vegetables can only grow when
the weather is warm. Nothing grows in the cold Winter. So we raise all
we can in Summer and save what we need to eat when snow is on the
ground."
"How are we going to make our garden?" asked Mab.
"And what am I going to plant?" asked Hal.
"Well, we'll begin at the very beginning," answered Daddy Blake. "The
first part of any garden is getting the soil ready. That is the dirt, in
which we plant the seeds, must be dug up and made soft and mellow so
the seeds will grow."
"What makes seeds grow?" asked Mab.

"And why can't we plant 'em anywhere?" Hal wanted to know.
Daddy Blake laughed.
"You're going to have a lot of questions to answer about this garden
game," said Uncle Pennywait. "You'll be kept busy."
"Yes, I guess so," agreed Daddy Blake. "Well I'll answer all the
questions I can, for I want Hal and Mab to know how hard it is to make
even one bean or radish grow from a seed. Then, when they find out
that it is not easy to have good vegetables, when the bugs, worms and
weeds are fighting against them, they will not waste. For waste is
wicked not only in war time but always."
"Oh, Daddy!" cried Mab. "Do the worms and bugs and weeds fight the
things in the garden?"
"Indeed they do," answered her father. "It is just like war all the while
between the things we want to grow and the things we don't want."
"Oh, if the garden game is like war I'm going to have fun playing it!"
exclaimed Hal, while Roly-Poly chased his tail around the table. I don't
mean that the little poodle dog's tail came off and that he raced around
trying to get hold of it again. No indeed! His tail just stayed on him, but
he whirled around and around trying to get hold of it in his mouth, and
he was having a good time doing it.
"There is one of the enemies you'll have to fight if you make a garden,"
said Daddy Blake with a smile.
"Who?" asked Hal.
"Your dog, Roly-Poly. Dogs, when they get in a newly planted garden,
often dig up the seeds, just as chickens do. So from the start you'll have
to keep Roly-Poly away."
"And chickens, too," said Mab. "They've got chickens next door."
"Yes, but they are kept shut up in their yard, with a wire fence around

it," said Daddy Blake. "However you must keep watch. Now suppose
we start and pick out what crops we want to raise for the prize of the
ten dollar gold piece. I have different kinds of seeds here--corn, beans,
tomatoes, radishes and others."
"I want to raise beans!" cried Mab. "Then I can have as many
bean-bags as