THE ART OF MAKING THINGS GROW ioi 



and meeting a shower have been caught for the moment in the 

 fresh damp. Now weeds are famous surface growers ; in the 

 twinkling of an eye they strike root. At all events they make 

 far better speed in getting above ground than most of our 

 carefully planted seeds. The little beggars seem to under- 

 stand, too, that at this stage, where so many tiny green shoots 

 are just peeping up, a garden ignoramus will get bewildered 

 and will not be willing to risk pulling them out. So they get 

 at least one day's grace. They have gained their point, and 

 a fight with the pesky things is on. 



A gardener who means to win must use strategy. A true 

 diplomatist therefore covers the ground with a sort of dust 

 blanket or mulch. This is accomplished by gently stirring 

 or pulverizing the surface as often as possible. Such treat- 

 ment checks weeds, inasmuch as it takes the ground from 

 under their, very feet. In a big garden this is done at stated 

 intervals ; in a little one, nearly every day. A blanket of 

 this sort also protects the earth and enables it to conserve 

 the precious moisture. So long as the earth looks wet, the 

 moisture is pretty sure to be slyly escaping. Prevent this by 

 spreading on a dry powder, and presto ! evaporation stops. 



Now water acts according to the laws of capillary attraction 

 in the soil just as it does in a lamp wick or a lump of sugar. 

 A simple experiment illustrates perfectly what goes on in the 

 ground. Take a lump of sugar, lay on top a pinch of pow- 

 dered sugar, and dip its lower end in water. The water will 

 creep up through the lump, but no farther. Even after the 

 lump is saturated and has begun to dissolve, the powdered 

 sugar remains dry. Color the water, and its progress is even 

 more noticeable. 



This stirring process is technically known as cultivation. 

 Its value to the garden cannot be overestimated. Through 

 its practice three important things are accomplished : It kills 



