Water and the Plant 



81 



FIG. 48. On the surface of the stone is a thin film of capillary water ; at the 

 bottom is a drop of free water. 



Draining a garden. On the farm a well-drained plot 

 can usually be selected for the garden. Cities and 

 villages are usually so well drained that simple ditching 

 about the garden or perhaps across it is all that is needed 

 to carry off the excess water from the soil. But in low- 

 lying land it is sometimes necessary to plant the crops 

 on narrow ridges with open ditches between, in which the 

 free water is exposed to the air for rapid evaporation. 

 Loosening a soil by deep spading and by adding vege- 

 table matter improves the drainage of fine, compact soils. 



When the water can be led to a lower level, tiling, or 

 underground drainage, is an excellent means of drain- 

 ing a " wet " garden. For literature on such a special 



