270 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



a large elm will transpire or yield to evaporation 

 eight tons of water in a day, and that it takes 

 more than five hundred ' \,ns of water to produce 

 one ton of hay, wheat, oats, or other crop. This 

 seems enormous ; but an inch of rain on an acre 

 of ground means more than a hundred tons of 

 water, and precipitation in our part of the coun- 

 try is about thirty-six inches per annum, so that 

 we can count on over thirty-six hundred tons of 

 water per acre to supply this tremendous evapo- 

 ration of plant life. 



Water-pot and hose look foolish in the face of 

 these figures ; indeed, they are poor makeshifts 

 to keep life in plants during pinching times. A 

 much more effective method is to keep the soil 

 loose under a heavy mulch, for then the deep 

 waters will rise. In our climate the tree's growth 

 for the year is practically completed by July 15, 

 and fortunately dry times rarely occur so early. 

 We are, therefore, pretty certain to get the wood 

 growth, no matter how dry the year, since it 

 would take several years of unusual drought to 

 prevent it. Of course the wood is not all that 

 we wish for in fruit trees ; the fruit is the main 

 thing, and to secure the best development of it 

 an abundant rainfall is needed after the wood is 

 grown. If the rain doesn't come in July and 

 August, heavy mulching must be the fruit-grow- 

 er's reliance, and a good one it will prove if the 

 drought doesn't continue more than one year. 

 After July the new wood hardens and gets ready 



