The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. | Page 6

nice background for a garden."
"If you wish to drop in to see me before the next week's meeting we'll
have plans for the coldframe worked out to explain to the boys then.
You measure the space where you are going to put the frame and ask
your father about the lumber. As lumber is your father's business, I
should almost think you could get us some soft wood, say white-wood,
for our stakes and markers," suggested The Chief.
"Of course, I can," promised Jack.
"Now Peter," said Jay.
"My garden is to be just potatoes."
"Peter and potatoes!" jeered Albert. "Oh, Peter!"
"I don't care, I'm for potatoes and profit."
"Peter always does make money. So I suppose his potatoes will turn
into money, too," volunteered Philip.
"My stunt," said Myron next, "is to be strawberries. I want to raise
strawberries. Mr. Marsh, on the Longmeadow Farm, has offered to give
me some plants. I'll do the corn stunt; aren't you going to, Pete?"
"Of course, that was understood, and Philip will have his corn at

grandfather's too, for a city backyard is no place for corn."
"Now, Albert, you may talk for both of us," said Jay.
"Our land has to be drained, but it is not exactly the same proposition
that George has. Water stands on our land. We had thought of putting a
drain pipe in. It seems as if there should be an easier way, but we don't
know one," Albert stopped and looked at The Chief, who leaned back
in his chair and thought a minute.
"I guess, boys, we had better stop and talk over the matter of drainage.
There are three kinds of drains, namely: the open drain, the blind drain,
and the tile drain. Each one has worked out of the other. The simplest
sort and the one man first used is the open ditch. A piece of land was
covered with water. A ditch was dug through the land at the place or
places where water was standing. Usually a little stone is thrown into
the bottom to help drain the water off.
"Such a drain put out of use quite a bit of land. So partly because of this
a second sort of drain was worked out. A good body of stone was put
into the drain, then earth filled in over this. Water percolating down
through the soil followed along these drainage courses. Formerly it
settled in spots and made boggy land. Finally a more systematic sort of
drain developed from this last one. Instead of a body of stone, a drain
tile was placed on the bottom of the trench.
"Straight off you boys can see which one of these three represents the
best all around drain. Out in the country or where there is no need to
think of utilizing every bit of land, the open drain is often seen. But
where every bit of land must be used, the open drain is out of the
question.
"All drains come under the head of one of these three types. After all,
boys, since you can put in the tile drain would it not be wiser to do so?"
"Surely," answered Albert. "But I should think soil which has been
under water for some time, as this has, would be a bit poor."
"In case you find the soil is sour, as it may be, you can sweeten it up.
There is a certain farm sweetener in lime," added The Chief.
"We shall plant on our land onions, peas, and tomatoes." continued
Albert. "We believe that the soil is going to be especially good for
onions."
"I guess I shall have to break in again right here. Onions need a fine,
rich, deep soil. To be sure moist soil is good for certain varieties of

onions. That is why, I imagine, you thought your soil good. You must
get this soil into better garden condition before you devote it to a crop
like onions. Try a general vegetable garden this season. Work out the
crop value of the soil.
"Philip, do you know what you are going to do?"
"I know that I have everything to do. I thought perhaps I should do
something like this. We want that old backyard to be really pretty. The
yard is a long narrow strip of land just like most city backyards. I
thought I'd make a walk straight through it. I want a little fish pond at
the end. I thought I'd lay out a few flower beds with paths in between
them. Mother says she will buy me a few shrubs."
"I say, Chief, don't you think some of us might go up to the city and
help Philip make the cement pond?" asked Albert eagerly.
"We might," murmured Jay,