CHAPTER XXXIII.—A FEW PRACTICAL “DON’TS” 292-298 Deep plowing 292 Department of Agriculture 294 Farmer’s life, the 292 Feed the soil 295 Making seeds comfortable 292, 293 Successful farmers 296, 297 Tools and their care 295 APPENDIX I. 299-300 Island of Guernsey products 299 APPENDIX II. 301-306 French Gardening, etc. 301 APPENDIX III. 307-317 Maylands Gardening Customs 307 APPENDIX IV. 318-321 Agricultural Courses 318 PREFACE. An intensive farm is only an enlarged garden patch. This book is not intended as a scientific book on agriculture; there are many such books which are out of the depths of everyone except professors and professionals. In a nice experiment station, nice experiments and scientific calculations are excellent; but I want to give the plain man or woman who has a back yard or back lot, out of which he might make part of a living or more than a living, a book that will show how to do it. I want to help the man or woman who has to do the cultivation at odd times and who finds it hard to get the time for the work, even though this work enables him to do far more work of other kinds. I have had all sorts of experience with gardening, in spite of telegrams and people who want “just five minutes for some important business.” So if you have the same trouble getting the time, do not let that discourage you. We can get health, happiness and some profit in spite of the interruptions. It won’t be enough simply to read this book; that won’t make you a gardener; but if you study it while you are working on the land and use your judgment and common sense, in one season you will be able to teach most of those whom you now have to hire as expert Gardeners at Three Dollars a Day.