work is all done. It is really done when the above method is used. And
after all we have said about the necessity for airing soil, and the need
of stirring things up so that the good bacteria may do their work, I
know you will all see the point immediately.

"Mere spading of the ground is not sufficient. The soil is still left in
lumps. Always as one spades one should break up the big lumps. But even
so the ground is in no shape for planting. Ground must be very fine
indeed to plant in, because seeds can get very close indeed to fine
particles of soil. But the large lumps leave large spaces which no tiny
root hair can penetrate. A seed is left stranded in a perfect waste when
planted in chunks of soil. A baby surrounded with great pieces of
beefsteak would starve. A seed among large lumps of soil is in a
similar situation. The spade never can do this work of pulverizing soil.
But the rake can. That's the value of the rake. It is a great lump
breaker, but will not do for large lumps. If the soil still has large
lumps in it take the hoe.

"Many people handle the hoe awkwardly. Get up, Jay, and show us just how
to hold it! Walk along as you hoe, drawing the hoe toward you. The chief
work of this implement is to rid the soil of weeds and stir up the top
surface. It is used in summer to form that mulch of dust so valuable in
retaining moisture in the soil. I often see boys hoe as if they were
going to chop into atoms everything around. Hoeing should never be such
vigorous exercise as that. Spading is vigorous, hard work, but not
hoeing and raking.

"After lumps are broken use the rake to make the bed fine and smooth.
Now the great piece of work is done. To be sure I have said nothing of
fertilizing. The kind and amount of fertilizer depends on the kind of