ON GARDENING 



other plant developer is water. Where water is 

 present, anywhere in the world, we find plant life 

 luxuriating. Where it is absent, we find the des- 

 erts. There is no acre of soil anywhere that might 

 not produce its crop of vegetation if properly wa- 

 tered. And, on the other hand, some of the rich- 

 est soils in the world are those that are absolutely 

 barren and fully merit the designation of desert 

 lands because water is lacking. 



Of course the gardener in many regions is sup- 

 plied with water in adequate quantity for his 

 plants by the natural rainfall and may disregard 

 the question of artificial irrigation. But even in 

 regions where the rainfall is usually adequate, 

 there are almost certain to come periods of 

 drought and the wise gardener who wishes to 

 make sure of his crop will make provision for the 

 meeting of this emergency. 



Even where the soil is fairly moist, it is often 

 possible to force the growth of a plant by addi- 

 tional watering. 



You may readily test this for yourself by the 

 free watering of alternate plants in a row in a time 

 when the rainfall is only moderate. You may thus 

 produce giants and dwarfs, say in a row of toma- 

 toes, from the same lot of seed, under conditions 

 which are absolutely identical except as to the 

 matter of water supply. 



[15] 



