The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1920-03-13
z: ,
THE STORIES THE :
DEWDROPS TOLD :
written for the United States
School Garden Army, Depart
ment of the Interior)
COMPANION cRoPs-THE GAR
DEN ALLIES
3 = =

Billy more manly to have the two
younger ones to look after sometimes,
and both the boys feel that they must
take special care of their little sister"
Mothermine was talking to a neigh
Dor who had come in to see her. The
neighbor had said something about
some children she knew who were
very cross to one another. Some
times-so the neighbor' said--they
even slapped faces.
II wonder if the plants ever quar-
REL" thought Dolly. She had been
talking so much with the plants that
she thought a great deal about them.
Tomorrow morning when | go in
to.the garden l will ask the first Dew
drop Fairy l see about it" said Dol
ly to herself.
The first Fairy she saw was one
she had never met before. She was
dressed in a frock of light green-a
very pretty shade it was, too. 1t
was ruffled from the waist to the
hem. The ruffles were a little GRIN
killed.. They were, so Dolly thought,
very lovely.
The Fairy had a bright little face,
too. She spread all her ruffles out
and made Dolly a grand courtesy
the kind you are taught to make in
dancing school. Dolly tried to make
one, too, but her legs were rather fat
and very short, so her courtesy was
not as graceful as that Of the Fairy.
"What did you say you were going
to ask me?" said the Fairy.
Now, wasn't that strange? Dolly
hadn't said word and yet here was
the Fairy talking just as if she had
spoken.
"oh, was just thinking" said
Dolly, "that l should like to know if
the plants ever quarrel. Do they?"
"WeH, not exactly what you would
call quarrel" said the Fairy. Of
course, we don't like to be imposed
upon, but still we get along very well.
Some of us are so happy together that
we are called companion crops"
GLOW funny" said Dolly. "Why
do they call you that?"
ut is because two or three kinds of
vegetables can be grown in the same
rows explained the light-green
Fairy.
ooh, please tell me about it," cried
Dolly. "That must be fine; it saves
so much ground"
"That is very sensible remark,
Dolly" said the Fairy. THAT is ex-
actly what it does. You see, for in
stance, cabbages are rather large
plants when they are grown. If the
gardener manages nicely be can raise
cabbages and radishes and lettuce all
together"
"He can't plant one right on top of
the other, can he?" said Dolly.
"oh, no. This is the way. You see
most gardeners plant cabbage seed in
the fall and keep them in boxes
through the winter. Then, in the
spring they have roots big enough to
plant. They should be set in rows
about feet apart. Then, about ten
inches from the cabbage he should
plant radish seeds, quite early in the
spring"
ooh, know the Radish Fairy. He
was the first Fairy saw after met
the Queen. He told me a lot. But he
didn't say anything about being plant
ed with the cabbages."
perhaps he wasn't. 1t doesn't al
ways happen that way. But let me
tell you some more. After the rad
ishes are planted, then, about half
way between the two, some lettuce
seeds should be planted-=-oe lettuce
pants set out"
"oh," cried the little girl; 81
know you now-you are the Lettuce
Fairy. l see now why you wear that
pretty green frock with the ruffles."
Thanks for liking my dress-I
rather fancy it myself" said the
Fairy. "But / should like to tell you
about the companions You see,
there is plenty of room to hoe and
weed between the plants without dis
turbing them. The radishes ripen
first. They are pulled up and sent
to the table,"
"They taste so good" said Dolly.
81 had the first ones from the gar
den and would have eaten the whole
dish full if Mothermine had let me-"
when they are out of the way,
then comes my turn" said the Fairy.
cit takes them about four or five
weeks to ripen. Then, in about
month or so, l am ready for salad"
"You surely do make good salad"
said Dolly. eve had some yester-
day for dinner and Fatherbob said let
tuce was one of the most wholesome
and some other word / don't re-
member-vegetable. Any way it
meant that everybody ought to eat
lettuce know that much about it. F."
"WeI, you see how it is, them"
said the Fairy. "By the time the
cabbage gets large enough to need the
room we are all out of the way, and
it can grow as big as it likes. Don't
you think companion crops are pref