day. Remember good gardening means working your muscles hard."

"Thank you, Mr. Mills. By the way my arms and legs ache, I guess I know
about muscles."

"And remember too," continued Mr. Mills, "that certain vegetables are
very closely related and will intermingle. For example, do not plant
different kinds of corn close together. The pollen from one kind will
fertilize another kind and so you get a crossing which results in a
mongrel sort of corn. Melons and cucumbers will do the same thing. And
so care must be taken in order that this sort of intermingling does not
take place. You see, Jack, that there are many things a real good
gardener has to consider. Gardening is not only a matter of soil
preparation but it is also a matter of understanding plants and their
relations one to the other."

So the good soil was put on and Jack was ready for business. Straight
across the back was planted a row of sunflowers. Sunflower seeds belong
under the head of large seeds, and should be planted one inch deep and
one foot apart. Two seeds were placed in together. This is a safe plan,
because if one fails to come up, the other doubtless will come up. If
both appear, when the plants get about three inches high, pull out the
weaker one.

Then the boy planted a second row two feet from the first one. The first
row was planted close up to the fence. Jack found out that this was a
mistake. Always leave all about the garden a space of a foot or so, in
order that one may walk about freely and get at the rear row of plants
without trouble. Again, do not plant too close to a fence, unless the
planting be some vine or climbing plant, which you desire to have cover