All along the sides and front of the schoolhouse close to the building the nasturtiums were planted.  The ground was hard packed.  The plough had left the soil untouched near the building.  So the boys spaded this up.  All the stone was picked out.  Good soil was brought from the woods, fertilizer from the barn and it was all worked thoroughly in.

Stakes had to be made.  An easy stake to make is one from a lath.  Mark off 18-inch lengths or such lengths as are required.  Make one end pointed for about six inches; sandpaper.  You have a good stake, that is, a good temporary one.  These were driven in to the outer edge of these nasturtium strips at distances of four feet and strung with three cords four inches apart.  The cords should be carried about the stakes in a groove made for this purpose.  Thus the cord will be held and not slip up or down.  Thus strung off, border beds will not be stepped on or run over by cats and dogs.

The nasturtiums were planted four inches apart, in drills one foot apart.  Just two rows were planted.  The first row was six inches from the front edge, then a foot space left, then another drill.  Finally one foot was left between that and the foundation of the building.

The girls of the fourth grade made the drills with the hoe handle.  The children of the first and second grades cut out pieces of paper in inch lengths.  Four of these placed along in a row gave the right distance for planting the seeds.  The nasturtium seeds were soaked over night.  And since the soil was warm and mellow, it helped.

Along the walks ageratum was planted in the following manner to serve as a border.  A drill was made as if for lettuce planting.  The seeds were sown in the same way as for that vegetable.  When the plants were an inch high they were thinned to six inches apart.

The zinnia was planted according to Helen’s way of planting and told by her under the girls’ planting in a later chapter.

The verbenas, as the other flowers, were planted in early May.  They were planted one-fourth inch deep and six inches apart in drills one foot apart.

The poppy bed was made fine, very fine, by much raking.  Then the seed was sown as the grass seed was, that is, by the method we term broadcast sowing.  These plants were thinned later so as to stand about eight inches apart.  But the plants thinned out were not used again, for these poppies will not stand transplanting.  This bed was simply one gorgeous red in August.

In the early spring days the gutters were cleaned out thoroughly.  The road patching was quite a different matter.  These country roads, like those of many places, were just dirt roads.  Now earth is poor material for road construction.  But if drainage is properly looked out for, and the earth road is smooth from rolling, earth roads make, after all, fine roads for summer travel.