IN THE EVERGLADES 37 



bring these useful ingredients to the roots from below, in this 

 way facilitating growth ; whereas if the water falls in imitation of 

 rain it has a tendency to leach out the fertilizer, and in case the 

 precipitation should be heavy, will often wash out or leach the 

 plant foods far below the reach of the roots, thus not only 

 depriving the plants of their present ration, but robbing the soil 

 of the greater part of its available nitrogen and other ingredi- 

 ents. It is a sight never to be forgotten to see a carefully sub- 

 irrigated garden, the rich dark green of the foliage showing 

 plainly as far as the field can be seen, and such an area appears 

 a veritable oasis when it happens to be surrounded by land that 

 is not irrigated. 



The fertilizer* for an acre of vegetables (operated on the 

 intensive plan as outlined in this book) costs not less than $40; 

 the irrigation for this same acre need not cost over $5, but still 

 is likely to be of more importance than the first item. Therefore, 

 we need not wonder if all fields where these conditions can be 

 easily and cheaply supplied will be equipped with some sort of 

 irrigating systems in the near future ; in fact, it is a cheap mode 

 of crop insurance. 



* See last part of Chapter VI, relative to lower cost of fertilizer on well 

 aerated Everglade land. 



