124 AGRONOMY 



Effects of overwatering. Although plants need much mois- 

 ture, they may very easily have too much, which results in 

 various abnormal conditions. Tomatoes, cabbage, melons, 

 plums, and other fruits are liable to crack from this cause, 

 when heavy rains follow a drought. Anything that will cause 

 a reduction in the water supply may act as a remedy. In the 

 case of cabbage, pulling on the stem so as to break some of 

 the roots may prevent the heads from bursting. House plants 

 are frequently overwatered. Few plants can long keep up the 

 struggle if left standing in a jardiniere containing an inch or 

 more of water. 



Time to water. Air in the soil is a necessity. A saturated 

 soil is as harmful as one that is too dry. About 50 or 60 per 

 cent of the moisture a soil can hold is about the amount de- 

 sirable. When watering plants it is better to give the ground 

 a good soaking at considerable intervals than to give it more 

 frequent applications of smaller amounts. Light watering 

 makes plants shallow rooted and more susceptible in times of 

 drought. A few plants, such as the geranium, petunia, and 

 tomato, possess glandular hairs which have the faculty of ab- 

 sorbing moisture from the air or from dew. This accounts for 

 their ability to thrive in places too dry for ordinary plants. 

 The so-called " Spanish moss " of the Southern states, which is 

 really a relative of the pineapple, absorbs all its moisture 

 through its leaves. 



Effects of lack of water. Plants grown without an adequate 

 supply of water are inclined to be short and stunted, but the 

 lack of moisture favors the development of flower buds and 

 causes the wood to ripen. A large number of our spring 

 flowering plants form their flower buds daring the heat and 

 drought of summer, and florists allow their plants to become 

 pot-bound when flowers are desired, since this prevents the 

 absorption of much water and food materials. Removing part 

 of the root system may have the same* effect. 



