If you are particularly interested in the subject, send to the United States Department of Agriculture for Bulletin No. 157, on “The Propagation of Plants.”
“REMEMBER in all gardening, that experience is your best teacher. Do not become discouraged if you fail. Do not undertake too much. Remember that most people fail to get good plants because they do not prepare deep good beds, and do not ‘cultivate,’ or stir the ground. Watering is nothing like so necessary.”
This is what Mary Frances was telling a number of children in the garden one day as Billy came upon her unawares.
“You couldn’t have better advice, children,” he said.
“Than Billy gave me,” Mary Frances added. “He taught two friends and me so well, that next year we are each to have our own garden plot, and ‘race’ with Billy to see who can raise the finest vegetables.”
“Some of the very finest are to be sent to the County Fair,” stated Billy.
“And they’ll be ‘winners,’ you may be sure,” Bob prophesied as he and Eleanor joined the group.
“So will some of our flowers, won’t they, Nell?”
Before Eleanor could answer Mary Frances, there sounded the joyous shrill crow of Feather Flop.
“I’m sure they will!” it meant to the little girl, but none of the others seemed to hear the rooster.
Perhaps he did know—for one year from that day, each of the children received some premiums at the County Fair; but, to Mary Frances’ surprise, she had three more than Eleanor; two more than Bob, and one more than Billy!
“I wonder why your garden did better than all the rest,” said Bob. “You didn’t seem to work any harder than we did.”
“Oh, it was just a ‘happen so,’” answered Mary Frances, but she remembered that many a morning she had seen prints of the claws of Feather Flop in her garden, and a little pile of weeds at
For Teaching Useful Things in an Entertaining Way
These are not mere story books to be read through and cast aside. They are instruction books in story form which the youthful readers joyfully study because they think it is play. But in this play they learn principles of usefulness which fascinate because of the manner in which these principles are presented.
=THE MARY FRANCES GARDEN BOOK, or Adventures Among the Garden People.= The spirit of comradeship and of loving understanding of little men and women thoroughly permeates this unique garden book. The enchantment of the story of Mary Frances’ gardens successfully carries the play-lesson idea, as the most potent method of creating a love for work and learning, into a realm undreamed of before. The little reader’s delight is heightened by cut-out gardens which are inserted in the book. These cut-out gardens are beautifully colored to show the natural color of the flowers, insects, etc. They include a playhouse, April and May garden, June and July garden, August and September garden, vegetable garden, etc., and will not only familiarize the child with the plants and their seasons of bloom, but also inspire a love for practical outdoor gardening. The world was begun in a garden, and the story of reproduction is given in a most reserved and skilful manner as the great plan for the perpetuation of life. Size 7¼ x 9½ inches. Illustrations on every page, with colored cut-out gardens. Cloth, with colored inlay on front.