54 A HOME VEGETABLE-GARDEN 



the middle of a hot day or at night, is like a cold 

 driving rain. It is a shock to their vitality. It 

 may check growth instead of hastening develop- 

 ment. If cold water is to be used, it should be 

 turned on very early in the morning, before the air 

 has begun to grow warm. Even then, it must not 

 be applied to the plants themselves. It must be 

 turned on to the soil. That will do fairly well, 

 except for delicate plants and when the weather 

 is very hot. The best way, however, is to use 

 water about as warm as the air surrounding the 

 plants. 



The ideal watering equipment for a garden is 

 the overhead system, an arrangement of hori- 

 zontal parallel pipes placed well above the reach 

 of growth and out of the way of cultivation. With 

 piping located in this way the water is partly 

 warmed by the hot air and sunshine surrounding 

 the pipes. Small spraying nozzles are placed at 

 intervals near enough to make watering the entire 

 garden easy. However, such a system costs a good 

 deal. Another plan is simpler and would cost 

 much less; and, although it would mean more 

 hard work, it would surely be satisfactory in re- 

 sults. The water might be run to the garden from 

 the water supply through pipes laid on the sur- 

 face, and then stored in an open trough until 

 warm. Then, whenever it is convenient, the water- 

 ing may be done. 



Watering a garden must be performed thor- 



