THE^VEGETABLE^GARDEN 



155 



Watering with a hose by hand is not to be compared with water 

 applied by a modern irrigating system. The soil can be soaked evenly 

 and to as great a depth as desired, the water being put on whenever 

 and wherever wanted by simply turning a valve and occasionally 

 turning the pipe. For very small gardens a portable system of both 

 types can be had. 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CULTIVATION. What is "cultivation?" 

 Why do we do it and what does it accomplish? We cultivate to keep 



A vegetable garden for supplying a large household. Here, as in the smaller 

 gardens depicted on other pages, cleanliness and careful cultivation are pre- 

 eminent. Observe the handsome pergola around the exterior 



down weeds that might rob the growing crop of sunlight, air and 

 nourishment; to conserve the moisture hi the soil; to keep the soil 

 open and aerated, and to pulverize the soil or break up its particles 

 and thus assist the chemical and bacteriological changes in the soil. 

 Cultivation brings these results. It also creates what is called "a soil 

 mulch," i. e., a layer of dry soil on the surface which checks the loss of 

 moisture from the lower layers to the surface where it evaporates 

 rapidly. 



