We were all soon there, including my wife, who shared my solicitude.

“You see,” resumed Mr. Jones, “that these weakly little rows of carrots, beets, and onions would soon be choked by these weeds, not an inch high yet.  The same is true of the corn and peas and other sags.  The pertaters are strong enough to take care of themselves for a time, but not long.  I see you and Merton have been tryin’ to weed and hoe them out at the same time.  Well, you can’t keep up with the work in that way.  Take now this bed of beets; the weeds are gettin’ even all over it, and they’re thicker, if anywhere, right in the row, so that it takes a good eye to see the beets.  But here they are, and here they run across the bed.  Now look at me.  One good showin’ is worth all the tellin’ and readin’ from now to Christmas.  You see, I begin with my two hands, and pull out all the weeds on each side of the little row, and I pull ’em away from the young beets so as not to disturb them, but to leave ’em standin’ straight and saucy.  Careless hands will half pull out the vegetables at the same time with the weeds.  I had to strap Junior once before he learned that fact, and it was amazin’ how I helped his eyesight and trained his fingers through his back.  Well, now, you see, I’ve cleared out this row of beets half across the bed and the ground for an inch or two on each side of it.  I drop the weeds right down in the spaces between the rows, for the sun will dry ’em up before dinner-time.  Now I’ll take another row.”

By this time Merton and I were following his example, and in a few moments a part of three more rows had been treated in the same way.

“Now,” continued Mr. Jones, “the weeds are all out of the rows that we’ve done, and for a little space on each side of ’em.  The beets have a chance to grow unchoked, and to get ahead.  These other little green varmints in the ground, between the rows, are too small to do any harm yet.  Practically the beets are cleaned out, and will have all the ground they need to themselves for three or four days; but these weeds between the rows would soon swamp everything.  Now, give me a hoe, and I’ll fix them.”

He drew the useful tool carefully and evenly through the spaces between the rows, and our enemies were lying on their sides ready to wither away in the morning sun.

“You see after the rows are weeded out how quickly you can hoe the spaces between ’em,” my neighbor concluded.  “Now the children can do this weedin’.  Your and Merton’s time’s too valyble.  When weeds are pulled from right in and around vegetables, the rest can stand without harm for a while, till you can get around with the hoe and cultivator.  This weedin’ out business is ’specially important in rainy weather, for it only hurts ground to hoe or work it in wet, showery days, and the weeds don’t mind it a bit.  Warm, sunny spells, when the soil’s a little dry, is the time to kill weeds.  But you must