84 HOW TO LIVE IN THE COUNTRY 



and to secure its ready absorption from the atmos- 

 phere. This is not possible after the plants get 

 large enough to cover the ground. In Florida I 

 find that subirrigation is quite important, but just 

 now a system of overhead pipes for sprinkling is 

 quite popular. 



I would not undertake to run a garden without a 

 thorough understanding of mulching. Mulching 

 means placing a quantity of loose material over 

 the dirt and around each plant that we set or 

 grow. It is a term generally applied to planting 

 trees, but you should mulch all plants asters, and 

 other flowers moved from your hot bed, your roses 

 and shrubs, beans, potatoes, strawberries, and rasp- 

 berries, as well as your apples and pears. 



When you have one of your petunias or pansies 

 well pressed into the ground, place around it a 

 double handful of light compost to prevent the evap- 

 oration of moisture from the soil. When you have 

 transferred your tomato plants from the hot bed, 

 put around each one a shovelful of compost. There 

 is not a thing that you can plant or transplant that 

 will not be the safer with this treatment. If a dry 

 spell comes on, your little plants will still keep fresh 

 and green. The compost that you use should be 

 well-rotted manure, made of old leaves, barn manure, 

 and coal ashes. 



The best way to plant potatoes is under a com- 

 plete covering of old straw or grass. In Florida 

 I use the fall grass, which is of little value as hay. 



