THE USE 



same temperature as the air in the room con- 

 taining the plants to which I proposed to apply 

 it. I do not advocate the use of hot water. It 

 weakens the plants to which it is applied. 

 Nature uses no hot water in her gardening 

 operations, and she is the gardener who makes 

 no mistakes. 



Those who study their plants will discover 

 that there are times when they do not seem to 

 need as much water as at others. A dormant 

 plant — the plant that is trying to take a rest — 

 will require very little until it starts into active 

 growth again. Then, as this growth increases, 

 more and more water will be called for. You 

 may not be able to tell what amount to give, 

 from the looks of the plant, but the looks of the 

 soil will tell you when to give it, and the elastic 

 rule made mention of on a preceding page will 

 enable you to adjust your treatment to the 

 varying needs of your plants quite satisfac- 

 torily. 



There are seasons of the year when evapor- 

 ation takes place slowly, and at such times 

 much less water will be required by one's 

 plants than at others. This is especially the 

 case in fall, when we bring our plants indoors. 

 If, at this period, we were to make a practice 



44 



