HOME-AND-NEIGHBORHOOD

THE TURNIP-HOEING MATCH

RALPH CONNOR

To-day the City has pushed out into the country, and the Farm with its big family of vegetables has come to town. Wise people have dug gardens in their back yards and, when summer comes, they have their own fresh vegetables for the dinner-table. Every boy or girl who has worked a home or school garden knows that success depends largely upon good use of the hoe.

Here is the story of a turnip-hoeing contest in Canada, in which a boy wins the victory from a grown-up farmhand. In it are some fine suggestions that will help you to win in playing any kind of game. See whether you can find them.

1

Read silently:

I. THE RIVALS

THERE are turnip-hoers and turnip-hoers, just as there are painters and painters. It was Tim Haley's ambition to be the first turnip-hoer of his district, and toward this end he had striven both last season and this with a devotion that deserved, if it did not achieve, success. Quietly he had been patterning himself on that master farm-hand, Perkins, who for some years had easily held the championship for the district.

Tim had been observing Perkins' excellencies and also his defects. Secretly he had been developing a style of his own, and all unnoted he had tested his speed by that of Perkins by adopting the method of lazily loafing along and then catching up by a few minutes of whirlwind work. Tim felt in his soul the day of battle could not be delayed past this season, indeed, it might come

any day.

2 To the turnip field went Haley's men, Perkins and Webster leading the way, Tim and Cameron bringing up the rear.

"You promised to show me how to do it, Tim," said Cameron. "Remember I shall be very slow." "Oh, shucks!" replied Tim, "turnip-hoeing is as easy as rolling off a log if you know how to do it."

3 "Exactly!" cried Cameron. "But that is what I don't. You might give me some pointers."

"Well, you must be able to hit what you aim at." "Ah! that means a good eye and a steady hand," said Cameron. “Well, I can do billiards some and golf. What else?"

4 "Well, you must n't be too careful but slash right in and don't give a rip.”

"Ah! nerve, eh!" said Cameron. "Well, I have done some foot-ball in my day- I know something of that. What else? This sounds good."

5 "Then you've got to leave only one turnip in one place and not a weed, and you must n't leave any blanks. Dad gets hot over that."

"Indeed, one turnip in each place, and not a weed," echoed Cameron. "Say! this business grows interesting. No blanks! Anything else?" he demanded.

6"No, I guess not, only if you ever get into a race you've got to keep going after you're clear tuckered

out and never let on.

feeling worse than you."

You see the other chap may be

ex

7" By Jove, Tim! you're a born general!" claimed Cameron. "You will go some distance if you keep on in that line. Now as to racing let me venture a word, for I have done a little in my time.

spurt too soon."

"Eh?" said Tim, all eagerness.

Don't

"Don't get into your racing stride too early in the day, especially if you are up against a stronger man. Wait till you know you can stay till the end and then put your best licks in at the finish."

"By Jiminy! you're right," he cried, a glad light in his eye and a touch of color in his pale cheek, and Cameron knew he was studying war.

The turnip field is laid out in a series of drills, a drill being a long ridge of earth some six inches in height, some eight inches broad on the top and twelve at the base. Upon each drill the seed has been sown in one continuous line from end to end of the field. When this seed has grown, each drill will show a line of delicate green, this line being nothing less than a compact growth of young turnip plants with weeds more or less thickly interspersed.°

9 The operation of hoeing consists in the elimination° of the weeds and the superfluous turnip plants, in order that single plants free from weeds may be left some eight inches apart, in an unbroken line extending the whole length of the drill. The artistic hoer, however, is not content with this. His artistic soul demands not only that single plants should stand in an

• Words marked in this way are defined after the selections; other difficult words are given in the glossary, or little dictionary, at the end of the book. You will find a guide to diacritical marks inside the back Learn to look up words quickly.

cover.