In laying out the garden we should bear in mind that hand labor is the most expensive kind of labor. Hence we should not, as is commonly done, lay off the garden spot in the form of a square, but we should mark off for our purpose a long, narrow piece of land, so that the cultivating tools may all be conveniently drawn by a horse or a mule. The use of the plow and the horse cultivator enables the cultivation of the garden to be done quickly, easily, and cheaply. Each vegetable or fruit should be planted in rows, and not in little patches. Beginning with one side of the garden the following plan of arrangement is simple and complete: two rows to corn for table use; two to cabbages, beets, radishes, and eggplants; two to onions, peas, and beans; two to oyster-plants, okra, parsley, and turnips; two to tomatoes; then four on the other side can be used for strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, currants, and gooseberries. [Illustration: FIG. 224. WHERE DELICIOUS GARDEN VEGETABLES GROW] The garden, when so arranged, can be tilled in the spring and tended throughout the growing season with little labor and little loss of time. In return for this odd-hour work, the farmer's family will have throughout the year an abundance of fresh, palatable, and health-giving vegetables and small fruits. The keynote of successful gardening is to stir the soil. Stir it often with four objects in view: 1. To destroy weeds. 2. To let air enter the soil. 3. To enrich the soil by the action of the air. 4. To retain the moisture by preventing its evaporation. corn corn cabbage beets radishes cabbage beets eggplants onions peas beans onions peas beans oyster-plants okra parsley parsnips oyster-plants okra parsley parsnips tomatoes tomatoes strawberries currants raspberries blackberries strawberries currants raspberries blackberries strawberries currants raspberries blackberries strawberries currants raspberries blackberries [Illustration: FIG. 225. HOW TO LAY OUT THE GARDEN[1]] This illustration shows that practically every garden vegetable and all the small fruits can be included in the farm garden, and all the work be done by horse-drawn tools. [Footnote 1: The number of rows and arrangement of the vegetables in the outline above are merely suggestive. They should be changed to meet the needs and the tastes of each particular family.] CHAPTER IX FEED STUFFS SECTION LI. GRASSES Under usual conditions no farmer expects to grow live stock successfully and economically without setting apart a large part of his land for the growth of mowing and pasture crops. Therefore to the grower of stock the management of grass crops is all-important.