nd humus.
Plant corn in each box, set in a warm room, and keep watered for two or
three weeks. Note in which case growth is most rapid. Set boxes in a dry
place and cease watering. Which suffers most from the drought? Which
bakes hardest in the sun? Test the temperature of each after watering
and standing in the sun for an hour. Sand is warmer than clay, also the
presence of humus raises the temperature. This item is important, since
most seeds decay instead of sprouting if the temperature is below 45 deg.
Fahrenheit.

11. Enumerate the services rendered to the soil by humus.

12. In Experiment 10, let the corn grow for some time and determine
whether the very rich humus is the best in the end. Sand and clay are
almost altogether mineral; leaf-mould almost entirely organic; neither
alone is good, but a mixture gives the best results.

GARDEN WORK

The boys of this Form should attend to the fertilizing and spading of
the plots belonging to the girls of their Form. The girls themselves can
do all the rest of the work, and they should try to keep the plots
level, uniform in size, and in a straight line. If the corner posts are
kept in line and the plots made up the exact size, the appearance of
the garden will be greatly improved.

The pupils are now old enough to make their own choice of flowers and
vegetables. Very tall growing plants, such as corn and sunflowers, are
not desirable in individual plots as they shade other plants near them.
Corn is best grown in a large plot about twenty feet square. The same
may be said of vines, such as cucumbers, melons, squash, etc. If the
plots are small, it is better to plant but a single variety, but in
large plots from two to four varieties may be arranged to advantage.
Usually rows of vegetables, such as carrots and beets, may be placed a
foot apart, cabbage about twice that distance, and tomatoes a little
farther apart than cabbage.

Generally speaking, plants should be placed so that when full grown they
will just touch, cover the ground completely, and thus prevent the
growth of weeds.

As soon as the young plants appear above the ground, light cultivation
with rakes and claw-hand weeders should be started, so as to keep weeds
from growing and at the same time to provide a loose surface or earth
mulch for conserving the moisture and aerating the soil. Thinning should
also be begun when the plants are quite small, but it should not all be
done at once. As the plants i