will not keep quite all
Winter, I believe. At any rate I'm not going to keep ours that way. We'll
can them."

Mother Blake sliced the garden tomatoes for supper. She also made a
dressing for them, with oil, vinegar and spices, though Hal and Mab liked
their tomatoes best with just salt on.

"Tomatoes are not only good to eat--I mean they taste good--but they are
healthful for one," said Daddy Blake. "It is not so many years ago that no
one ate tomatoes. They feared they were poison, and in some parts of the
country they were called Ladies' or Love Apples. But now many, many
thousands of cans of tomatoes are put up every year, so that we may have
them in Winter as well as in Summer, though of course the canned ones are
not as nice tasting as the ones fresh from the garden, such as we have
now."

It was not long before there was lettuce from the Blake garden, and Mother
Blake said it was the best she had ever eaten. Lettuce, too, Daddy Blake
explained, would not keep over Winter, though it is sold in many stores
when there is snow on the ground. But it comes from down South, where
there is no Winter, being sent up on fast express trains.

"Lettuce is also as good to eat as are tomatoes," remarked Daddy Blake.
"It is said to be good for persons who have too many nerves, or, rather,
for those whose nerves are not in good condition."

One day, when Hal and Mab came home from school, they hurried out, after
leaving their books in the house, for they wanted to play some games."

"Aren't you going to work in your gardens a little while?" asked their
mother. "Daddy is out there."

"Is he?" cried Hal. "Did he come home early?"

"Yes, on purpose to hoe among his tomatoes, I think he is cutting down the
weeds which grew very fast since the last rain we had."

"Our parts of the garden are all right," said Hal. "My corn doesn't need
hoeing."

"Nor my beans," said Mab. "But let's go out and see Daddy, Hal. Maybe
he'll tell us something new about the garden."

"Well, where are your hoes, toodlekins?" called Daddy Blake, when he saw
the two children coming toward him.

"There aren't any weeds in my corn," said Hal.

"Nor in my beans," added Mab.

"Not very many, it is true," said Daddy Blake. "But still there are some,
and if you cut down the weeds when they are small, and when there are not
many of them, you will find it easier to keep your garden looking neat,
and, at the same time, make sure your crops will grow bett