108 Bush-Fruits 



The exposure of the field to sun and wind will affect the 

 amount of water which the plant takes from the soil. 

 Evaporation is dependent on sunlight, wind velocity and 

 atmospheric humidity. The latter factor cannot be con- 

 trolled, but a northern exposure and protection from pre- 

 vailing winds by natural or artificial windbreaks will in- 

 fluence the others. 



The next need is so to fit and prepare the soil, by its 

 previous treatment, as to embody in it the greatest pos- 

 sible amount of decaying vegetable matter (humus). 

 Some material always rotting in the soil should be the 

 aim. This, more than any other one factor, will help the 

 soil to store up moisture for that trying time when it is 

 so much needed. 



The soil preparation should be deep and thorough. 

 Water must often be taken up quickly or lost. Good 

 tillage, both before and after planting, helps to bring this 

 about. 



The amount of plant-food in the soil may greatly in- 

 fluence the effect of drought. Experiments have shown 

 that plants growing on a soil lacking in plant-food, require 

 many more pounds of water to produce a pound of dry 

 matter than when growing on a soil which is rich. Ap- 

 parently the soil solution from the poor soil is weaker and 

 more is needed. This point should not be overlooked. 



Frequent surface tillage or thorough mulching, together 

 with keeping down weed growth, are the most available 

 methods for preventing the waste of soil moisture during 

 the growing season. Two lines of effort are open in deal- 

 ing with the moisture problem. The first consists in 

 putting the soil in condition to store up moisture; the 



