“Just about, and you can quickly determine for yourself which class a vegetable belongs to by examining the root or full-grown product. A cabbage, kohlrabi, and similar vegetables are not roots.”
As the children passed other Little Farms, they found that some owners had planted dwarf and bush peas; dwarf and climbing beans; and other vegetables not commonly used by other Little Citizens.
Maggie appeared very eager as they neared her small farm, and finally, Vene called out to the others:
“Oh, see that pretty plot. Full of flowers! Whose is it?”
“That’s Little Mother Maggie’s,” replied the farmer, smiling at the wizened little girl.
“How neat and well-kept,” commended Uncle Ben.
“Yes, Maggie spends all her spare time here and takes great pride in the plants. I told her the variety to plant to show quick results; but now she has a box full of young plants at the Nest, where she is starting later flowers for her garden when these are gone,” explained Farmer Jones.
As Maggie could do with her garden what she pleased, she now went carefully between the rows of flowers and gathered all that were full-blown. These she presented to Uncle Ben and to the Blue Birds.
“Oh, Maggie, why did you pluck all the lovely blossoms?” cried Ruth.
“Farmer Jones says dey make twice as many flowers if I keep a-pickin’ dose wide open an’ ready to fade,” replied Maggie, astutely.