Daddy Takes Us Skating

er the fence where Sammie's father was working in his garden

g's in our gardens to grow, and he only walks carefully betwe

le dog had crawled under the fence and had gone next door,

big, green bug,"

. "Maybe we'd better see what it is

worms and other things trying to spoil our gar

g as Roly's tail," called Sammie fro

hed Daddy Blake. "But a bug or worm of t

his little boy. But Sammie had no idea of touching the que

hey don't get in my garden. We must kill as many as we can," and he knocked the worm to the ground and stepped on it. Ro

nd see if there are any more worms,"

," said Mr. Porter. "We want to have our gardens good this year, so

nes, and there were more on Daddy Blake's. So many were f

es," he said. "The tomatoes will not be ready to pick-even the earliest-for s

Hal, next day, when he and Mab had help

ke everything else in this world, you can

, "was to plant the seed and it would grow into cab

sy for us. She will grow beautiful flowers, and useful fruits and vegetables from tiny seeds, but she also grows bad weeds and sends eating-bugs t

id Mother Blake, who had been hoeing among her

adishes,"

w that I have driven away the eating worms the vines

omatoes. Hal and Mab watched them eagerly, noting how they grew

mato has a

her with a smile. "That shows they are gettin

cheeks, some being red all over. These Daddy Blake le

her Blake when she saw them. "How fine! Our garden is beginning t

t thing, after the radishes, for the table from his garden,

them in my part of the garden," said Daddy Blake with a smile. "And I won't count t

are harvested, or brought in, and then we'll see who has t

es all Winter?" aske

cooked, and she can make ketchup and spices of them-chili sauce and the like-a

vines up by the roots, with the tomatoes still on them, and cover the roots with dirt. But they will

made a dressing for them, with oil, vinegar and spices, tho

eared they were poison, and in some parts of the country they were called Ladies' or Love Apples. But now many, many thousands of cans of tomatoes are put up every year,

eaten. Lettuce, too, Daddy Blake explained, would not keep over Winter, though it is sold in many stores when there

Blake. "It is said to be good for persons who have too many nerve

, they hurried out, after leaving their books i

gardens a little while?" asked t

Hal. "Did he co

I think he is cutting down the weeds which

e all right," said Hal. "My

o out and see Daddy, Hal. Maybe he'll

ns?" called Daddy Blake, when he saw

ny weeds in my

y beans,"

ey are small, and when there are not many of them, you will find it easier to keep your garden looking neat, an

rden. He wants to see every weed cut down. Besides, hoeing around your corn and beans makes the dirt nice and finely pulverized-like the pulverized sugar with which Mother makes ici

hoe a little

orgot about going off to play. Hal noticed that the ears of corn on his stalks were getting larger inside the green husk th

bout whom you may read in Mother Goose, or some book like that. Sometimes it ra

night after about a week of very dry weather. Around the roots of the many plants the eart

s where it doesn't rain as often a

he water is let run from the lake through little ditches, or pipes, so that the thirsty plants may drink. This is called the irrigation method, for to irrigate means to wet, soak or moisten with water. Each farmer or gardener

rs do what they call intensive cultivation. Those are big words, but they mean that th

over the earth around the roots of his plants, the gardener makes it very fine so it holds the moisture longer. In this wa

oe he pointed to a place around Hal's corn stalks

derlying earth. Hal and Mab saw that it was darker in color than that

es it?" a

and the moisture had all gone away-evaporated in the sun, if you want to use big words, just

" asked Mab. "I thought it j

nd these tubes suck up the water on your hands as the same fuzzy capillary tubes in a piece of blotting paper suck up the ink. A towel is a sponge or a blotter. And the earth is a sort of sponge when i

about a garden; isn't the

Hal. "I don't s'pose w

ot only for you but for everyone. But learn all you can, and learn, first of all, that

d be better for a wetting from the hose. So he attached it to the faucet and let Hal and Mab take turns sprinkling. As the drops fell on the thir

e had only been sprinkling a little while when he heard o

the corn a good soaking, just as if it had rained hard. A good watering for the garden means about two quarts of water to every square foot in your plots. Don't be afraid of the wate

stand up straighter when he had finished. They were refreshed, just as a tired horse is made to fee

!" cried Mab, as the little poodle dog ran

oly, just as if he

et wet-all right!" laug

aight at Roly and in a s

yelped as he ran out of th

Roly is a good little dog. He only dug once in the garden since he came back, but I tappe

how he was building little wooden frames under his tomatoes to keep the red v

o they will not break when the tomatoes

und, keep the weeds away from them, hoe them, water them, and keep the bugs and

tear the leaves to ribbons so the plants die, and bear nothing. This

hail?"

first in some cool air, far above the earth and then whips them into some warm air. The cool air freezes the rain, and when it falls it is not i

hail in our nice

n it would my beans," said Mab. "

n the steps after having worked in the garden, there came from the West low

ower, I think. Well, it wi

began splashing down, f

cried Aunt Lolly. "H

med Mab. "But I hope it do

for some time after they rattled down-were rather large. They bo

him and Mab how the inside of hail stones look. I'll run

the lightning was flashing brightly, whil

id his mother. "I wonder if he

r called something to Daddy Blake. A

ail-um

to him!" said Mrs. Blake. "You ha