When spring comes, everybody begins to think of the garden. A little of the experience of one who has learned some by making many mistakes will do you no harm.
TOO MUCH WORK LAID OUT.—When the winter lets us out, and we are exhilarated with fresh air, singing birds, bland weather, and newly-springing vegetation, our ambition is apt to lay out _too much work_. _We_ began with an _acre_, in garden; we could not afford to hire help except for a few days; and we were ambitious to do things as they ought to be done. By reference to a Garden Journal (every man should keep one), we find that we planted in 1840, _sixteen_ kinds of peas; _seventeen_ kinds of beans; _seven_ kinds of corn; _six_ kinds of squash; _eight_ kinds of cabbage; _seven_ kinds of lettuce; _eight_ sorts of cucumber, and _seven_ of turnips—_seventy-six varieties of only eight vegetables_! Besides, we had fruit-trees to transplant in spring—flowers to nurture, and all the etceteras of a large garden. Although we worked faithfully, early and late, through the whole season, the weeds beat us fairly; and every day or two some lazy loon, who had not turned two spadefuls of earth during the season, would lounge along and look over, and seeing the condition of things, would very quietly say: “Why, I heard so much about your garden—whew! what regiments of weeds you keep. I say, neighbor, do you boil that _parsley_ for greens?” It nettled us, and we sweat at the hoe and spade all the harder, but in vain; for we _had_ laid out more than _could_ be well done. Nobody asked how much we _had_ done—they looked only at what we had _not_ done. To be sure so many sorts were planted only to test their qualities; but the laying out of so large a work in spring is not wise. _A_ HALF _well done is better than a_ WHOLE _half done_. Remember there is a _July_ as well as an April; and _lay_ out in April as you can _hold_ out in July and August. We have profited by our own mistakes and have no objections that others should do it.
VEGETABLE GARDEN.—Before you meddle with the garden, do two things: first inspect your seeds, assort them, rejecting the shrunk, the mildewed, the sprouted, and, generally, the discolored. Buy early, such as you need to purchase. Do not wait till the minute of planting before you get your seeds. Second, make up your mind beforehand just what you mean to do in your garden for the season.