50 MODERN STRAWBERRY GROWING 



carried on to a great extent in the growing 

 and maturing of many crops. 



Some of the methods used by these various 

 countries would be called crude by Americans, 

 but we find even so that the systems were 

 very practical under their conditions. 



What are some of the reasons why irri- 

 gation is so important? 



1. Water gives more than half of the 

 materials which make up the dry matter of 

 plants. 



2. Water constitutes from 50 to 90 per 

 cent, of the weight of plants in their green 

 stage. 



3. Soil organisms depend for their normal 

 activity on the correct amount of soil mois- 

 tures; otherwise they do not work so fast. 



4. Root hairs only absorb moisture 

 through the soil. In this moisture is dis- 

 solved plant-food, therefore without mois- 

 ture there is no absorption, resulting in lack 

 of growth and death. 



5. With a lack of rain in the spring, fer- 

 tilizer is of little avail, owing to being not 

 dissolved; irrigation makes this fertilizer 

 available. 



After these reasons are carefully taken into 



