270 THE FAT OF THE LAND 
a large elm will transpire or yield to evaporation 
eight tons of water in a day, and that it takes 
more than five hundred tons of water to produce 
one ton of hay, wheat, oats, or other crop. This 
seems enormous; but an inch of rain on an acre 
of ground means more than a hundred tons of 
water, and precipitation in our part of the coun- 
try is about thirty-six inches per annum, so that 
we can count on over thirty-six hundred tons of 
water per acre to supply this tremendous evapo- 
ration of plant life. 
Water-pot and hose look foolish in the face of 
these figures; indeed, they are poor makeshifts 
to keep life in plants during pinching times. A 
much more effective method is to keep the soil 
loose under a heavy mulch, for then the deep 
waters will rise. In our climate the tree’s growth 
for the year is practically completed by July 15, 
and fortunately dry times rarely occur so early. 
We are, therefore, pretty certain to get the wood 
growth, no matter how dry the year, since it 
would take several years of unusual drought to 
prevent it. Of course the wood is not all that 
we wish for in fruit trees; the fruit is the main 
thing, and to secure the best development of it 
an abundant rainfall is needed after the wood is 
grown. If the rain doesn’t come in July and 
August, heavy mulching must be the fruit-grow- 
er’s reliance, and a good one it will prove if the 
drought doesn’t continue more than one year. 
After July the new wood hardens and gets ready 
