V. THE USE OF WATER 



HE question of watering 

 plants is a perplexing one 

 to most amateurs. They 

 want to do this part of 

 the work of plant-growing 

 properly, but nowhere can 

 they find any rules to tell 

 them the precise amount of water to give, 

 and the time to give it. They talk the mat- 

 ter over with their flower-loving friends, 

 and derive no satisfaction because, like them- 

 selves, their friends are without rules that 

 have anything positive about them. Each 

 one, therefore, becomes a law unto her- 

 self. Some solve the problem satisfactorily, 

 because they bring to its solution good judg- 

 ment resulting from careful and intelligent 

 observation, while others experiment, and go 

 from one extreme to another, generally to the 

 injury of their plants. These are the persons 

 who like plants, but never take the trouble 

 to study them in order to familiarize them- 

 selves with their requirements. Nine times 



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