“I call this a pretty nice place for work,” said Eloise in tones full of real interest.  The Chief nodded smilingly at her, for there was a bond of sympathy between the man and this real outdoor girl.  Eloise had a greater appreciation of the work than any one of the others.

“Where did that splendid window box come from?” asked Josephine.

“That is one the boys made last winter especially for the school.  I shall have to give you girls some group work first.  Then I’ll demonstrate potting and slipping to you all together.  Eloise and Josephine will start to put the drainage material into the pots.  Ethel and Dee may do the same for the window box.  Put in your curved pieces of pot over the drainage hole, then about an inch of drainage material.  There is a wooden mallet.  Crack up some bits of old flower pot as you need them.  Outside is a half barrel of old pots.  Instead of using all pot for this half inch of drainage material, use some charcoal.  In that barrel marked charcoal you will find plenty of pieces.  The charcoal is not only good for drainage but helps keep the soil sweet.  Helena, Miriam and Katharine will mix the soil.  Here are some firkins and peck measures.  To every three measures of soil from that pile there, which is nothing but garden soil, add one measure of sand and one of leaf mould.  Now, my leaf mould over there in that tub isn’t real mould from the woods.  You see the part desired in leaf mould is vegetable matter.  I can get that from old rotted leaves and rotted sods.  Notice, girls, that you see no green grass in that soddy matter I have shaved off with my spade—­only the under surface of the sods.  This surface is full of vegetable matter in the form of young roots.  Stir up all these portions thoroughly.

“Now, Elizabeth, look at these pots.  Some are brand new, some are clogged with soil and green matter.  Soak the new ones in a pailful of water and clean and wash the dirty ones.”

“I’d like to ask why I am to soak the new pots, and why, since soil is going right back into these old pots, I have to clean them.  I should think the soil clinging to the sides would help out.”

“Yes, I should like to know that, too,” said Miriam, stopping her work.

“If new pots are not soaked the soil in them dries out very rapidly.  You can see that would be bad.  Old soil clinging to plants interferes with the new root growth while the green affects the porosity of the pot.”

The girls stirred, scraped, and placed bits of pot in boxes and pots for a time without speaking.

“Are we putting the right amount of drainage into these pots?” finally questioned Eloise.