In staking out a garden it is well first to put heavy stakes, like the ones the boys made, in each of the four corners of the entire plot and put a string around.  This strings off the outline of the entire garden.  Sight along the lines as Jay and Albert did to be sure the lines are straight.  In sloping land true up with great care.  On a level bit of land sighting is easy.

Next if there is a main path string that off using twine, stakes and always sighting.  If the garden is a large one of many small plots the next thing to do is to string lengthwise the entire garden, measuring off plots and paths.  Then widthwise measure off paths.  The side paths give you the width-boundary of the plots.  But the paths have cords through portions of them.  So put stakes in the corners of the plots.  Cut the cord in the centres of cross paths and tie to stakes.  If carefully done each plot is marked off shipshape.

In general make the main paths four feet wide, plot paths or side paths eighteen inches.  Plots with widths about one-third of the lengths are right.  This did not hold true for this garden since the beds were long narrow strips.  In such cases the width should be a comfortable one to lean over and work across.

In staking such a garden plot as the girls’ it is well to first line off with stakes and cord the entire outline of the garden.  Then next string off main paths and intermediate ones.  It is very easy then to string off the beds, for the path boundaries have done most of the work for you.

The girls planted all their seeds except poppy and grass seed in drills just as one plants lettuce and radish.  This is a far easier way to plant since as the little seedlings come up one can easily distinguish the nice even row of little plants from weeds.  They decided later that it would have been easier if the poppy had come up in drills.  For it came up in little tufts here and there.  And, sad to say, the poppy does not stand transplanting.

In making drills take two stakes and a string.  To either end of the string tie a stake.  The length of the string after tying should be the length of the drill one wishes to make.  This will be usually either the length or width of the bed.  This, then, is your line for the drill making.

Another thing the girls did which makes garden measurements easy is the following:  mark off on the rake or hoe handle three feet.  One of these feet measure off into inches.  This saves carrying a measuring rod into the garden.  The marking should be done on the edge of the handle and not on either the under or upper surface of it.  If garden stakes are made one foot in length they can be used in measuring.

Nasturtium culture needs some explanation.  Nasturtiums are the most accommodating of flowers.  They will live on almost any soil.  The seeds are large and so are very easy for little girls to handle.  They may be placed two seeds together six inches apart in the furrow.  If the soil is very dry and the weather very warm, soak the seeds over night.  Plant the seeds about one inch deep, cover over the soil and firm it well.  It is easy enough to keep the nasturtium bed weeded for the seedlings are large and not to be mistaken.  Keep the flowers well picked all summer and you will have numberless blooms.