WATERING FORCING-HOUSES. 67 
is applied, and the normal condition of the surface should 
be simply moistness, not wetness. Of the two extremes, 
an habitually dry surface soil is much better than an 
habitually wet one. The fungi of damping-off breed pro- 
fusely upon wet surfaces; and these soils are the ones, too, 
upon which the green ‘‘moss’’ (which is really an alga) 
thrives. All this means that when water is used on the 
soil, it should be applied thoroughly, and that the un- 
der soil should remain moister than the surface soil. 
Frequent and slight waterings produce just the opposite 
conditions of distribution of moisture, and thereby invite 
fungous disorders at the same time that they withhold 
water from the roots of the plants. 
Benches usually require closer attention than beds do, 
especially (as in the case of tomatoes and melons) when 
they are subjected to strong bottom heat. The earth 
then dries out both on top and bottom. It is the com- 
monest thing to find the soil in such benches as dry as pow- 
der at the bottom whilst it is abundantly moist on top; 
and the gardener is generally found to be wondering why 
his plants ripen up prematurely and bear no crops of con- 
sequence. The thorough watering which has been ad- 
vised above — applying the water until the moisture can be 
seen or felt along some of the cracks on the bottom of 
the bench—will remedy this common difficulty; but the 
operator must be warned that if he allows any water to 
drip through his bench he may be leaching away valuable 
plant food. Beds upon the ground dry out from only one 
surface, and they usually replenish their store of water from 
the earth by means of capillary action. It is, therefore, 
necessary to exercise care not to water such beds too 
heavily. With profuse watering, they soon become 
soggy, cold and ‘‘sour.’’ In the fall and spring months, 
it is generally necessary to water forcing-house soils every 
day, but in winter the operation may not be necessary 
oftener than once or twice a week. There is particular 
danger of keeping the soil too wet and cold in the long, 
6 FORC. 
