was quite smooth. Daddy Blake, his wife, Aunt Lollypop and Uncle Pennywait
also raked and smoothed the parts of the garden where they were going to
plant their seeds. Sometimes the older folks helped the children.

Next door Mr. Porter was planting his garden, and red-haired Sammie
thought he was helping. At least he picked up the stones and threw them at
the fence. If Roly-Poly had been there maybe Sammie would have thrown the
stones for the little poodle dog to run after. But Roly had been sent
away for a few weeks, until the gardens had begun to grow. For Roly never
could see a nicely smoothed patch of ground without wanting to dig in it,
and spoil it.

"We'll bring him back when the garden things are larger and well-enough
grown so he can not hurt them," said Daddy Blake.

Hal and Mab planted their corn and beans. Daddy Blake showed his little
girl how to punch holes in the brown earth along a straight row which her
father made with the rake handle, and into the holes she dropped the
beans, covering them with earth so that they were about two inches down
from the top. Hal's corn did not have to be planted quite so deep, and he
dropped five kernels in a circle about as large around as a tea-saucer.
This circle would, a little later, be hoed into one big hill of corn.

"How long before my beans will grow?" asked Mab.

"And my corn?" Hal wanted to know.

"Well, beans begin to grow almost as soon as they are in the ground,"
answered her father, "but you can't see them until about a week. Then the
little leaves appear. Hal's corn will take longer, maybe ten days, before