The Detroit times., 1916-10-03
aY THORNTON w. suRoEss.

II happened in the middle OF the
summon that Farmer Browns hoy
ono day took his shovel and down
,n one corner OF the garden started
10 dix. II was IN corner where
nothing was planted because r1sht
In thai DarticuIar place the soil va
40 sandy that nothing worth while
would grow. so il Was a good place
20 make the pit which Farmer
Browns Boy had made up his mind
10 dig. A pit, you know f. a hole
straight down ln he ground. Ana
this was good place foT a pt De-
cause II was out OF tae way. pia'"
OF no use for any other purpose and
M the same time was hight whcN
the Dit could be OF the most servic1.
You see Farmer Browns ioF wa.
going 10 dig that pit for a purpose
II was 10 be what Palmer Bro"
calls compost pin, You al. know
that the little plants draw their tood
from the earth II the earth has no
food in II plants cannot grow any
more than we can grow without "at.
ing. The food which the plants
reed. and which their roots take
from the earth. IS largely composed
of very fine particles OF vegetable
matter which has rotted away 10
IS this which gives color 20 soil anu
makes II black and what Farmer
Brown would call rich When You
find prre sand there is mono Of This
matter mixed with b., and hat Is
why plants cannot grow
Now In this pit which Farmer
Browns Boy had started out 10 DIX
he meant 10 help Old Mother Nature
make a lot OF this food for the plants
that he might use next spring 10
make the plants OF his garden grow
In this pit when Il was finished he
would from time 10 time throw the
fallen leaves which he lad raken up
and old sods. and some dressing
from the barnyard. all sorts Of things
that would rot and so make food FOR
the plants. Such pile rotted ava
IS called compost, and this vas 10
be a compost pit You see Farmer
Browns Boy believes in being pre-
pared and he was already making
plans for next year. when he meant
70 have the finest garden any where
around
SO as he dug thst pit lie whistled-
He says II Is always easier 70 work
n you whistle az the same time.
First. he marked on big circle, and
then he dug ard dug and dug. throw
ing out the sand in pile on one
side. BY and by that hole vas so
teep that only Farmer Browns Boy
head appeared above the ground,
Still he kept on working, and AZ
last only the very top q HE head
could he seen That pit was now 80
deep that Il VAS hard work 20 throw
the sand ont.
IL guess II is Ceer enough said
Farmer Browns boy, stopping 10
rest. I'm make the sides nice and
straight and smooth and then ]
guess ii will do"
So after a while he smoothed the
sides With his shovel, and when he
had finished he had a pit with sides
perfectly straight up and down. and
almost six feet deep. In fact ~ was
30 deep that he had 10 rest his
shovel against the smooth wall and
climb up on that In order 20 get out.
''Tf anybody tumbles in there they
won't get out in a hurry,-.ssaid he K!
as he looked down into II They (
!. ould need wings 10 get out. II rs I
90 deep TO jump out OF. and they Z
couldn't climb those steep sandy /
walls. guess I'll have TO keep an /
Eve on this 20 see that 40 one gets
caught In IT,"
OF course he meant his little
friends OF the Green Meadow and
the Green Forest You see he knew
that many OF them often visited his
garden, and II might Ne that NOT
knowing that the pit was there one