Water and the Plant 85 



A fine, loose condition of the soil also allows the 

 roots to penetrate more deeply and to spread more 

 widely, thus increasing the water supply available to 

 the plant. 



Conserving the soil moisture. Water evaporates from 

 the surface of a soil into the air. Then more water 

 rises from below, through capillary action, and this also 

 is lost to the air. Thus in time the soil becomes dried 

 out, and plants often suffer because the water they need 

 has evaporated into the air. 



If a mulch of fine manure, straw, or leaves is placed 

 over the soil, the evaporation from the surface is checked, 

 and the soil moisture is conserved; celery, eggplant, 

 Chinese cabbage, endive, and lettuce are benefited by 

 such mulches, especially in dry periods or when grown on 

 dry, sandy soils. 



A mulch may also be made of a layer of loose surface 

 soil. If the top inch of soil is raked loose and fine, it 

 quickly dries out, and because its connection with the 

 soil below is somewhat broken, the water does not 

 readily rise into it by capillary action. This loose sur- 

 face soil, therefore, acts as a covering for the lower soil, 

 keeping the moisture that is in it from being lost to the 

 air. Frequent shallow cultivation of growing crops is 

 very essential to maintain a surface mulch. 



Watering the garden. Crops use large amounts of 

 water, and even under the best methods of culture the 

 natural supply may be insufficient for their needs. It is 

 then often advisable to supply water by irrigation. This 

 subject will be discussed in the chapter on " The Care of 

 Growing Crops " (page 207). 



