THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



21 



Water for irrigating purposes should be somewhat warm 

 when applied. Cold springs do not afford a satisfactory 

 supply for some crops unless first pumped into a reservoir. 

 A temperature of 60 de- 

 grees is desirable, though 

 not always necessary for 

 the best results. 



Aim to wet the roots 

 of the plants and avoid 

 getting water on the 

 leaves. 



Wooden troughs af- 

 ford the cheapest con- 

 duits for water and 

 should be used when- 

 ever practicable. Iron 

 pipe is expensive and 

 much more difficult to 

 manage than wooden 

 troughs. 



Applying Water with 

 Hose. In a small gar- 

 den, lawn hose is a fairly 

 successful means of applying water. On a larger scale 

 it is too cumbersome and expensive a method. It re- 

 quires constant attention and too much perishable 

 equipment, besides the water cannot be evenly applied. 

 About three acres can be gone over in a day by using a large 

 hose and with a water pressure of one hundred gallons a 

 minute. 



Subirrigation is a term that refers to the application 

 of water to the roots of plants by means of underground 

 channels, such as tile or other drains. It works best in sandy 



Fig. 3. The Skinner system of irrigation. 



