I 



THE EFFECT OF SUB-WATERING RADISHES. 

 W. M. MuNSON and L. J. Shepard. 



Much has been said and written upon the subject of "sul)- 

 watering" or "sub-irrigation" in greenhouses. The present 

 paper simply details the experience of the writers in growing 

 radishes by the new method and by the ordinary method of 

 surface watering. 



The method usually employed, in sub-watering greenhouse 

 benches, is to provide a water-tight bottom and run one or more 

 lines of tile or perforated iron pipe underneath the soil. The 

 method employed in the first trial noted below was suggested 

 by Professor Woods, and consists of a line of 2-inch drain 

 pipe, cemented at the joints and closed at the ends, as seen in 

 the cut. The water for the soil must pass through the porous 

 sides of the tile. 



First Trial: A quantity of seeds carefully selected as to size 

 and quality, were planted on the lower bench in the house 

 devoted to lettuce and radishes. When the plants were two 

 weeks old they were thinned to about 13^ inches. After thin- 

 ning, some of the plants damped off, so that the total number in 

 the two lots is not the same. The percentages, however, are 

 not affected. 



The follow^ing table shows concisely the results obtained : 



YIELD OF RADISHES FROM SUB-WATERED AND SURFACE-WATERED 

 BENCHES COMPARED. 





o| 



^"6 



C 00 



01 

 cl 







^ " S 



SI'S 



Treatment. 



p 



■2^ 





t- 9 



3 



"2 =n 





m 





ss 



5* 



528 



500 





S2>> 



S£>. 





i^ bH 



'Z P. 



z<<a° 



zSg 



Zo 



s-tsa 



a«cc 



Sub-watered 



63.5 



62 



49 



13 





7» 



S».4 



Surface-watered .. 



65.3 



87 



55 



2'2 



10 



63 



Tl.» 



