“Well, you could do something right away,” said Billy. “You could start in this box which I filled with earth yesterday, and hung outside your play house window——” “Oh, Billy!” breathed Mary Frances, “I didn’t see it! My, how pleased I am!” “Humm!” Billy acknowledged her gratitude and continued: “You could start— AN HERB-GARDEN WINDOW BOX A SOUP-AND-SAUCE GARDEN -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- Parsley. | See List of Vegetables for Little Folks’ Garden. -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- Sage. | A savory herb. Buy the plant. It grows about 15 inches | tall. -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- Mint. | Used for “mint sauce.” Easily grown. Buy the plant. -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- Chives. | Somewhat like small delicate green onion tops. Bear a | pretty blue flower. Buy clump of roots. -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- Thyme. | Edge the box with thyme. | | See List of Vegetables for Little Folks’ Garden. -------------+-------------------------------------------------------- “I’ll start it immediately,” declared Mary Frances, who was very fond of cooking, “I’ll get my purse and go to the florist’s right now to buy the plants.” “Good-bye, then!” called Billy, “I’ve done my part. My next help is in eating the soup—or sauce!” CHAPTER XIII BILLY TESTS THE SOIL “DO you suppose, Professor—I mean Billy—do you imagine we can keep the garden a secret?” The early Spring day was so lovely that the children were sitting in the summer house. “I guess the folks will suspect something,” answered Billy, “when they see us digging and spading, but they won’t for a moment think of all we’re planning to do.” “They can’t help seeing things grow,” Billy went on, “but how little they’ll expect you to come in some day with radishes and lettuce from your own garden.” “You’re just like Feather Flop!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Well, I like that!” “I mean,” Mary Frances caught her breath, “I mean you think only of the vegetables, and forget that I will bring in a beautiful bouquet of flowers for the table.” “Oh, to be sure,” nodded Billy, “but you won’t have either unless we begin the next lesson. The first thing after making out the list, so our professor told us, is to understand about the soil. He said that after knowing what to plant, we must learn how to plant. So let us go have a look at the soil near the play house.” In front of the play house, Billy caught up a handful of earth. “Listen, Mary Frances,” he said, earnestly, “let us examine this closely. To test the soil is the most important point in gardening, as you will readily see after you have heard— GARDEN LESSON No. 3 TESTING THE SOIL