About nineteen out of every twenty persons owning or renting a place in the country, or in some country village, start out in early spring with a bundle of good intentions, which are to be applied vigorously on the little plot called the garden.

These nineteen have resolved to have a garden wherein may be found vegetables of all kinds worthy the name ; also borders of flowers that the passer-by may see that the owners of these gardens have souls as well as stomachs, ideas as well as appetites. In the end the twentieth man had the garden, the others did not; he used the active, they the neuter verb in their operations. It will not do to say, "I am to have a garden," but that "I will have a garden." What are the necessities of a good garden ? Location is first, and that must be favorable ; it must be open to full sunlight and fresh air. The soil must have in it the elements that enter into the desired vegetables ; it must be dug deeply and thoroughly. In using the spade, go to the bottom of the soil, whether a few inches or a few feet, but no deeper. If hard pan underlies the soil, and the surface is a dead level, it must be drained, for, while plants cannot long subsist without water, they are moderate in their desires, and dread nothing so much as too much water.

Manure is the next requisite in order, and it must be applied liberally and intelligently. It must be in a condition for the plant to assimilate, as, in the garden, nature's methods are too slow. We want the plant-food prepared when it is put into the ground, so that the plant has nothing to do but to feed. The next step is to plant properly, not too much of any kind, or too thickly. Give each individual plant a chance to develop itself, and it will show its capabilities. And now comes an important part of gardening - choice of seed - and in this respect there is but one choice: always get the best. This can always be obtained from reliable seedsmen, rarely from others. Poor seed will give poor vegetables, no matter what attention may be paid to the growth of the plants.

Work is the remaining element of success. The soil must be kept loose and free from weeds. It must be worked deep; then it will retain what moisture is necessary, and carry off the remainder. Go over the surface every morning with a fine rake, and there will be vegetables, and no weeds. - C. L. Allen.