WATERING 147 



the foliage and at the roots, but the results obtained show 

 that much less harm is done by watering at the root at 

 such a time than on the foliage. 



Combined watering (foliage and root) has been done 

 in the early morning, and in the evening, when there was 

 little strong sun. Careful observation showed that the 

 advantages of early morning watering were extremely 

 great, especially in the case of sweet peas. On the other 

 hand, I failed to detect any difference at all in the case 

 of some strong perennials such as Chrysanthemum maxi- 

 mum. It did not seem to matter the slightest whether 

 they were watered in the early morning or evening. Both 

 sets of plants did equally well. 



I have proved beyond doubt that the sprinkling of 

 the foliage of plants with water during hot sunshine is 

 dangerous. It usually results in the leaves being badly 

 burnt, perhaps because the drops of water condense the 

 rays of the sun. Sprinkling is useful for freshening up 

 the foliage of border plants after a hot day, but it does 

 not make them less thirsty. It is usually done with a 

 small syringe or very fine nosed can, and the plants benefit 

 by it if they are not dry at the root. 



The Amount to Give : Various experiments have been 

 made as to the amount of water to give. In most cases 

 the soil was allowed to become so dry that the plants 

 began to flag before any water was applied. The trials 

 were rather interesting. In the case of perennials or deep- 

 rooting annuals, it was not enough to soak the soil to the 

 depth of 6 ins., and a soaking to the depth of 2-3 ins. 

 was practically useless. Perennials and deep-rooted plants 

 require the soil to be soaked at least a foot deep, but for 

 most bedding plants a depth of 6 or 7 ins. proved 

 sufficient. A soaking meant application of water until 

 the soil was thoroughly wetted throughout, but not so wet 

 that it turned into a puddle. 



For very big perennials a soaking to the depth of i ft. 

 was not enough. Sometimes it was necessary to soak to 

 the depth of 18 ins. But when that depth was reached, 



