WATER IN COMMERCIAL GARDENING. 27 



Plants send out their roots more evenly in a sandy than in a 

 clayey soil. The roots go down four feet or more and as far 

 horizontally, sending out a multitude of root hairs which come in 

 contact with the soil water and take it up with what food it contains 

 to the leaves where the plant can make use of it. 



Plants when young need very little water but their demand for it 

 increases till near maturity. Crops like corn, beans, onions, to- 

 matoes, and squash are good examples. They pay well for irriga- 

 tion. 



The surface soil of our gardens is full of microscopic life which 

 is bound to be of increasing interest in years to come. Plant 

 diseases are caused by microscopic life. All this life needs water 

 to develop and we need water to aid us in spraying mixtures and 

 solutions to fight these plant diseases. The finer we can make 

 the spray in applying these mixtures the more beneficial they are. 



The water used for washing vegetables for market must be from 

 a good source. Well or spring water while cold is the very best 

 for use in summer as it will cool, clean, and freshen them. Vege- 

 tables that are washed clean at time of harvesting and cooled by 

 cold water will look better and stand up better and be better than 

 those washed any other way. If there is any dirt left on the spinach 

 or lettuce it will not keep well. 



For washing radishes, beets, and onions there is nothing better 

 than a New Boston nozzle on a three-quarter inch hose of city water 

 supply. For carrots, parsnips, and celery a brush must be used 

 and plenty of rinse water. 



To wash lettuce nicely without breaking do not allow too many 

 heads in the tub at once. Have a supply pipe from above near the 

 centre of the tub with a quarter-inch stream falling fifteen inches 

 free from the pipe. Bring each head by hand under this stream 

 to rinse and then place on a shutter to drain before packing. 



The rainfall in Massachusetts over a period of from 1871 to 1910 

 has averaged 42.71 inches a year. This rainfall is usually well 

 distributed so that most farm crops mature well. But in 1S79 the 

 rainfall was phenomenal, being 65.53 inches, and in 1908 the rainfall 

 was again phenomenal, being only 30.07 inches. 



But every summer lately we have had droughts of varying length 

 and there are verv few commercial gardeners but have found it 



