The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-10-04
eY THORNTON w. BURGESS.


II happened In the middle OF the
summer that Farmer Browns Boy
one day took bis shovel and down
IN one corner of the garden started
10 dig II was In corner where
nothing VAS planted because right
I'm that particular place the soil WAS
80 sandy that nothing worth while
would grow So II was a good place
20 make the pit which Farmer
browns Boy had made up his mind
10 dig \ pit, YOU know. Is hol"
straight down In the ground. And
this was a good place for a PHI be-
cause n was out OF tho way, "A place
of no use for any other purpose, and
a. The same time was right where
the pit could DE OF the most service.
You see Farmer Browns boy was
going 10 dig that pit for a purpose.
II was 10 be what Farmer BrOW9
calls q compost pit You all know
that the little plants draw their food
from The earth II the earth has no
food in it plants cannot grow any
more than we can grow without eat
ing. The food which the plants
need. and which their roots take
from the earth r. largely composed
of very fine particles OF vegetable
matter which has rotted away i
is this which gives color 20 soil and
makes Il black and what Farmer
Brown would call rich When you
find pure sand there Is none az this
matter mixed with It. and that g.
why plants cannot grow.
Now in this pit which Farmer
Browns Roy had started out 20 dig
he meant 90 help old Mother Nature
make a lot OF this food for the plants
that ne might use next spring 90
make the plants OF his garden grow.
In this pit when II was finished ha
would from time 10 time throw th"
fallen leaves which he had raEed up.
and old -ods, and some dressing
from the barnyard. all sort OF things
that would rot and $50 max" food for
the plants such pile yo'tod avaT
r. called cor post, and this wae 60
ne a compost pit. You soc Farmer
Browns Boy believes I'm being pre-
pared and 30 was already making
plans for ncNt year, when he meant
10 have the finest garden ans where
around
SO as he dug that Pr he whistled.
He says 4 IS Away easier 20 work
n you whistle AZ he sam" time.
First. he marked on a big circle. and
then ne dug ard duS and lug throw
ing ou' tho sand In a pile on one
side. By and by that hole vas so
deep that only Farmer Browns Boy 5
head appeared above tho ground
STU he kept on working. and ar
last only the very top q his head
could be seen mat PIT was now 50
deep that i' was hard work 10 throw
the sand ont
81 guess n IS 6cor enough" sail
Farmer Brown boy, stopping 10
rest "Tll make the sides nice and
straight and smooth and then /
guess q will de
so after while he smoothed the
sides with HIS hoyel, and whom he
had fnished no had pii with sides
perfectly straight up and down. and
almost ak feet deep In fact n was
so deep that ne had 10 rcst HIS
shovel against the smooth wall and
climb up on that IN order 10 get out.
IF anybody tumbles in there they
won't get out in hurry" said he
~ he looked down into II They
would need wings 20 get out II is
TOO deep 20 jump out o. and they
couldn't climb those steep sandy
walls guess III have 10 keep an
eye on this 20 see that no one gets
caught in IT,"
OF course he meant his little
friends OF the Green Meadows and
the Green Forest You see no knew
that many OF them often visited his
garden and It might Doe that not
knowing that tho pit was there one