Evening star., 1918-03-31
1HAT war garden Mary persuaded

ing difficulties 1 did not antici-
q pate, even in my most reluctant
moments. l said something about
abandoning the idea, but Mary said.
"Slacker:" and I shut up.
I had expected to spade my garden.
but 1 didn't expect that 1 would have
to excavate it, That's what 1 did for
two evenings-just plain excavating.
At one place l have a hole two feet
deep and about five feet across, and
still haven't struck soil.' I have mined
out beautiful collection of bricks and
boken bottles, mixed with pieces of
lath and plaster and other things,
which it would take an optimistic gar
dener to view as fit material for seed
bed. And now 1 am wondering how far
down it is to bedrock.
Fred Turner. who lives next door, has
been very sarcastic over my activities.
He is employed in the Department of
Agriculture. and on the strength of his
job processes to have a great stock of
farming lore, though he was born here
in Washington and l don't believe he
ever grew even an onion. He leaned
over the fence the other evening and
"
a dog house, and. if SO, why I required a
cellar under it,
1t peeved me for a minute and I was
of mind to tell him it was a grave for
undesirable neighbors; but Mary and
Mrs. Turner are good friends, borrow
coffee and sugar and things from each
other. and she wouldn't have liked it if
I had broken off neighborly relations.
So 1 told Turner ! had tip there was
lot hot
mining for it. / think he believed for
minute that Xwas in earnest and had a
notion to sehd in a call for st. Eliza
beth to come and get me.
But let's start at the beginning of
my weeks garden activities. I,didn't
get down to actual work until Thurs
day evening, because Monday. Tuesday
and Wednesday evenings were spent
With Mary, deciding what we should
grow and planning a planting program
The agreement we finally reached is
only tentative and is likely to be sub
jected to good many changes, but it,
at least, gives me start from which to
work.
My lot is twenty feet wide and the
back yard has a depth available for
gardening purposes of seventy-ive
feet. There must be left a walk to
the alley gate about three feet wide,
so l had figured on a garden seventeen
by seventy feet, giving me 1875
square feet for cultivation. But I have
had to make change in the plan
which loses me ffty-one square feet.
Our house is on a numbered street and
faces west. There is board fence
about five feet high around the back
yard. and the walk to the alley gate
has been along the north fence.
l have decided to move it over to the
south side and then carry it across the
back end to the gate, which is in the
northeast corner. The strip three feet
wide and seventeen feet long at the
back will be taken from the garden
area, but I figure l will make it up by
now is. along the north fence, is the
sunniest place in the garden, and the
three feet / am going to use for a
walk along the south fence will be in
the shade most of the day, and 1 prob
ably couldn't grow much there anyhow.
by sacrificing afty-one feet
get 216 feet moved out of the shade
and into the sun. That benefit ought .
to more than make up my loss.
/ am going to reserve details of my
program until it takes little
more definite shape and until l have 1
a better idea or how many more brickss