106 AMERICAN GARDENER. 



the water must be prepared in clouds and mists 

 and dews. Observe this. Besides, when rain 

 comes, the earth is prepared for it by that state 

 of the air, which precedes rain, and which makes 

 all things damp and slackens and loosens the 

 earth, and disposes the roots and leaves for the 

 reception of the rain. To pour water, therefore, 

 upon plants, or upon the ground where they are 

 growing, or where seeds are sown, is never of 

 much use, and is generally mischievous ; for, the 

 air is dry; the sun comes immediately and bakes 

 the ground, and vegetation is checked, rather 

 than advanced, by the operation. The best pro- 

 tector against frequent drought is frequent dig- 

 ding, or, in the fields, ploughing, and always 

 deep. Hence will arise a fermentation and dews. 

 The ground will have moisture in it, in spite of 

 all drought, which the hard, unmoved ground will 

 not. But always dig or plough in dry weather, 

 and, the drier the weather, the deeper you ought 

 to go, and the finer you ought to break the earth. 

 When plants are covered by lights, or are in a 

 house, or are covered with cloths in tho. night time, 

 they may need watering, and in such cases^ 

 must have it given them by hand. 



188. I shall conclude this Chapter with ob- 

 serving on what I deem a vulgar error, and an 

 error, too, which sometimes produces inconve- 

 nience. It is believed, and stated, that the ground 

 grows tired, in time, of the same sort of plant ; 

 and that, if it be, year after year, crop'ped with 

 the same sort of plant, the produce will be small, 

 and the quality inferior to what it was at first. 

 Mr. TuLLhas mostsatistactorily/zroi^, both by 

 fact and argument, that this is not true. And I 



