Daddy Takes Us to the Garden Part 4

"Indeed I am," she said. "When I was a girl we used to raise many pumpkins in the cornfield at home. So I'll raise my pumpkins between your rows of corn, Hal."

"That's the way to do it," said Uncle Pennywait.

"I think I'll raise potatoes. They're easy to grow if I can keep the bugs off them, and they'll keep all winter."

"I'll raise tomatoes," said Daddy Blake, taking out a package of tomato seeds for his part of the garden. "We can eat them sliced in Summer and have them canned, ready to stew, in Winter, I'll have to plant some seeds in the house first to raise plants that I may set them out when it is warm enough. Now, Mother, what will you grow in the garden?"

"Carrots," answered Mrs. Blake.

"Oh, then we can keep a bunny rabbit!" cried Mab. "I've always wanted a bunny."

"Well, a rabbit may be nice," said Daddy Blake. "But, as I said, this garden is not all for fun. We are going to raise as many vegetables as we can, so we will have them in the Winter to save buying them at the store.

We can't afford to raise carrots for rabbits this year. There are your seeds, Mother," and he gave his wife a packet with a picture of yellow carrots on the outside.

"But there are a lot of seeds left," said Mab, as she looked at the large opened bundle on the table.

"Yes, well have to take turns planting these," her father said. "I just wanted you to pick out your prize crops first. Now we have made a start on our garden. The next thing is to get the ground ready as soon as it is warm enough. But first I think I'll start my tomato plants. I'll plant the seeds in the morning."

"Where?" asked Mab.

"In a box in the house. You may bring me in a little dirt and I'll let it dry out near the fire, for it is rather damp and cold yet in the garden."

The next day Hal and Mab brought in some dirt from the yard. It was wet and sticky but when it had been spread out on a paper under the stove it soon dried. That night Daddy Blake filled a big wooden box with the dirt, which he worked with a trowel until it was made fine and smooth.

"The first thing to learn in making a garden," the children's father said, "is to have your dirt made very fine, and to be sure that it is the right kind for what you are going to raise. Beans will grow in almost any kind of soil, but tomatoes and other vegetables must have soil which is called richer--that is it has more fertilizer in it--something which is food to the seeds and plants as bread, b.u.t.ter, meat and potatoes are food for us."

"Do plants eat?" asked Hal.

"Of course they do, just as I told you the trees did. Plants eat through their roots in the earth. They drink water that way, too, and through their leaves. And they breathe in the air and sunlight the same way.

Plants, as well as boys and girls, need warm sun, enough water and good soil to make them grow."

"But why don't you plant the tomato seeds right in the garden?" asked Hal.

"Because it is a little too early. The weather is not warm enough and the ground is too damp. So I plant the seeds in the house and soon there will be many little tomato plants in this box, which, you children must see to it, must be kept in the sunny window, and not out in the cool air. When the plants are large enough we will take them from the box and put them in the garden in nice long rows. This is called transplanting, which means planting a second time, and is done with many garden things such as lettuce, cabbage and celery."

"But you didn't tell us what makes the seeds grow," said Mab, as she watched her father carefully smooth the soil in the box and then scatter in the tomato seeds, afterward covering them up with a piece of window gla.s.s.

"I'll tell you as best I can, though no one really knows what is in the seed to make it grow. Only Mother Nature knows that. But at least we have a start with our garden," said Daddy Blake, "and to-morrow I'll tell you, as well as I can, why a seed grows. It is time to go to bed now."

As Hal and Mab started up stairs, thinking what a wonderful thing it was to have a garden, there came a ring at the front door.

"My! Who can be calling this time of night?" asked Mother Blake, in surprise.

Hal and Mab wondered too.

CHAPTER III

UPSIDE DOWN BEANS

"Let's wait and see who it is, Hal," whispered Mab to her brother as they stood on the stairs.

"Maybe it's somebody come to find out about a garden," added the little boy. "Daddy knows lots about how to make things grow, and maybe, on account of the war, everybody's got to plant corn and beans and things."

"I don't like war and soldiers," spoke Mab, while Daddy Blake went to the front door. "I don't care when you play soldier, and make believe shoot your pop gun, but I don't like REAL guns. Maybe this is somebody come to tell Daddy to go to war."

"I hope not!" exclaimed Hal.

When Daddy Blake opened the door the children heard some one saying:

"I guess this little fellow belongs to you, Mr. Blake. I found him over in my garden, digging away. Maybe he was planting a bone, thinking he could grow some roast beef," and a man's laugh was heard. Then came a sharp little bark.

"Oh, it's Roly-Poly!" cried Hal.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"He must have run away and we didn't miss him 'cause we talked so much about the garden," added Mab. "I wonder where he was?"

"Yes, that's my children's dog," said Mr. Blake to the man who had brought home Roly-Poly. "So he was in your garden; eh?"

"Well, yes, in the place where I'm going to make a garden. My name is Porter, I live next door. Only moved in last week and we haven't gotten acquainted yet."

"That's right," said Mr. Blake. "Well, I'm glad to know you, Mr. Porter.

Hal and Mab will be pleased to have Roly-Poly back, I'm also glad to know you're going to have a garden. I'm going to start my two youngsters with one, and if Roly-Poly comes over, and digs out your seeds, let me know and I'll keep him shut up."

"I will, and you do the same with my chickens. They're bad for scratching in a garden, though I plan to keep them in their own yard. So your boy and girl are going to have gardens; are they?"

"Yes. I want them to learn all they can about such things."

"I've got a boy, but he's too young to start yet. Sammie is only five,"

said Mr. Porter. "Well, doggie, I guess you're glad to get back home," and he gave Roly-Poly to Mr. Blake who thanked his neighbor, asking him to call again.

"Here, Hal and Mab!" called their father. "After this you must keep watch of your pet. I guess there will be many gardens on our street this Summer, and no dogs will be allowed in them until after the things are well grown. So watch Roly-Poly."

Hal and Mab promised they would, and Mab said:

"Oh, that's a cute little boy next door. He has red hair."

"His name is Sammie," said Mr. Blake. "Now off to bed with you, toodlekins!" and he made believe Roly-Poly threw kisses from his paws to Hal and Mab.

Daddy Blake had to go away early the next morning, to be gone three days, so he did not have time to tell Hal and Mab why it was that seeds grew when planted in the ground. But before going to school on Monday the brother and sister saw to it that the gla.s.s covered box in which the tomato plants were soon to grow, was put in a sunny window.

On the way to school they looked in the big yard of Mr. Porter who lived next door. He was raking up some dried leaves and gra.s.s and a small, red-haired boy was watching him.

"h.e.l.lo, little ones!" called Mr. Porter. "Have you got your garden started yet?"