THE FIRST BOOK OF FARMING

PART I

_General Principles Underlying Plant Culture_


CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION TO PLANTS


Our object in reading and studying this book is to find out some facts
that will help those of us who are thinking of going into farming and
gardening as a business or recreation to start right, and will also
help those of us that are already in the business to make our farms
and gardens more productive.

In order to make the book of greatest value to you, I would urge you
not only to read and study it, but also to make the excursions
suggested and to perform the experiments. In other words, it will be
of much greater value to you if you will make the observations and
investigations and find out for yourselves the important facts and
principles rather than simply take statements of the book
unquestioned.

A very good time to begin this work is during the latter part of the
summer, when the summer crops are ripening and the fall and winter
crops are starting into growth. So suppose we begin our study with a
visit to some farm in early September, to bring to mind the many