162 



The Principles of Fruit-growing. 



spread of the top was six feet ; but the roots lie 

 just underneath the surface. This land could not 

 be plowed without great injury to the tree. Let 

 us consider the relation 

 of this tree to moisture: 

 the roots are in the dri- 

 est part of the soil ; the 

 grass is pumping out the 

 water and locking it up 

 in its own tissues and 

 sending it into the at- 

 mosphere with great ra- 

 pidity ; the soil is baked, 

 and pulls up the water 

 by capillary attraction and 

 discharges it into the air ; 

 there is no tillage to stop 

 this waste by spreading 

 a mulch of loose and dry 

 soil over the earth. If 



Fig. 18. Roots of a young apple tree in rich tilled land. 



one were to sink a well under this tree and were 

 to erect a windmill and pump, he could not so 

 completely deprive the tree of moisture! And the 



