A Water Garden 



progress, and hardly looks larger than it 

 did last summer. Insects injured the 

 early growth, and there was no later 

 growth for lack of rain. But the trees 

 are alive and healthy, so that we have 

 something to be thankful for. Our one 

 Mulberry-tree bore fruit plentifully, but 

 failed to make much leaf-way. None of 

 these trees were either top-dressed or wa- 

 tered, or they would have done better. It 

 is impossible for us to keep everything in 

 high condition, so that we must content 

 ourselves with the slow progress that na- 

 ture affords when unassisted. It really 

 seems as if sunshine and water are the 

 prime essentials, and that feeding is not 

 half so important as drinking. With this 

 view, it is hard to understand why it would 

 have upset the economy of nature to have 

 a shower every night in summer, to re- 

 fresh the fields and gardens of the world. 

 Possibly in time, when the new system of 

 producing rain has been brought down to 

 a fine point, there will be twice a week in 

 villages a pyrotechnic display, accompa- 

 nied with explosions, that will transform 

 241 



