_The Library of Work and Play_ GARDENING AND FARMING BY ELLEN EDDY SHAW 1911 COPYRIGHT, 1911 THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE REAL BOYS OF THIS REAL CLUB AND TO THE GIRLS WHO ARE JUST AS GOOD AS BOYS CONTENTS PART I--THE GARDEN CLUB CHAPTER I. The Garden Club II. The Boys' Garden Difficulties III. The Girls' Secret IV. Garden Experiments Performed Indoors V. The Work Shop End of the Garden VI. What the Girls Made Winter Evenings VII. Improving the School Grounds VIII. Myron's Strawberry Bed IX. Jack's All-Round Garden X. Albert and Jay's Drainage Problem XI. George's Cabbage Troubles XII. Peter, Potatoes and Profit XIII. Philip's Backyard XIV. The Corn Contest XV. The Girls' Secret Work XVI. More About the Girls' Work XVII. The Girls' Winter Work XVIII. The Grand Wind-Up--Girls vs. Boys PART II.--THE CHIEF'S GARDEN TALKS CHAPTER I. The Soil II. Plant Food III. Seeds IV. The Plant Itself V. Increasing Plants VI. Garden Operations VII. Common Weeds VIII. Garden Pests IX. Vegetable Culture X. Flower Culture XI. The Wild-Flower Garden XII. Landscape Gardening XIII. How Boys and Girls Can Make Money from Their Gardens ILLUSTRATIONS Dee's Garden Was a "Lovesome Thing" _Frontispiece_ The Way The Chief Taught His Boys to Handle Tools Jay's Tile Drain Converted a Swamp into a Garden Philip's Backyard Made Beautiful by Annuals and Quick-growing Vines The Bulb Story Constant Cultivation of the Soil Saved George's Cabbages Jack's Rake Handle as a Measuring Stick Albert Sowing Large Seeds Singly Elizabeth Sowing Small Seed from the Package Myron Transplanting His Long-rooted Strawberry Plants Katharine Transplanting Her Flowers by a Method of Lifting PART I--THE GARDEN CLUB I THE GARDEN CLUB The door opened. A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room. The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys! Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night. Throw a fresh log on the fire, Albert. And all line up." For a few moments the big cheerful room seemed full of wriggling, twisting boys as great coats were pulled off and hung up carefully on pegs at the far end of the room. It was a rule here at The Chief's home that things should always be shipshape. Then the "line up" came. This was a little ceremony the boys always went through, having dropped into it quite of their own accord. They formed a line in front of the open fire with backs to it and faces toward the man. Then they solemnly saluted in military style. At this The Chief arose, saluted, and by a wave of the hand assigned each boy to his place at the table.