GENERAL CULTURAL NOTES 21 



which can be made in a few minutes if the necessary material is at 

 hand. Take a piece of zinc, about a foot long and s inches wide, 

 bend the sides for half its length so as to clasp the end of the hose 

 to hold it in position, and tie with wire. The other end should over- 

 lap the end of the hose by about 6 inches, and be turned up slightly 

 so as to meet the water, distributing it in such a manner as will 

 enable the soil to absorb it without being disturbed in the least. 

 This will also prevent the foliage and flowers from being spattered 

 with muddy water. 



MULCHING. This consists of covering the surface of the soil 

 with any loose material, such as well-rotted manure, cocoanut fiber, 

 stable litter, or half-decayed leaves. It acts in retaining the mois- 

 ture in the ground for the benefit of vegetation instead of being 

 lost by rapid evaporation. The soil, especially after heavy rain- 

 storms, gets a firm crust on the surface which ultimately cracks 

 open, readily parting with the moisture to a good distance beneath 

 the surface; thus the mulch acts as a layer between the drying in- 

 fluence of the atmosphere and the surface of the soil, preventing it 

 from getting hard and keeping it open. 



A good mulch, besides preventing evaporation is, to a certain 

 extent, similar in its action to a loose, silty surface soil, drawing up 

 the moisture from several feet below the surface. Mulching is also 

 beneficial, because if manure is used in which there is any feeding 

 substance it is washed down to the roots of the plants by heavy rains. 

 Cultivating acts in a similar manner to mulching, as the soil which 

 is loosened may be said to be a mulch of loose soil; but to be of the 

 greatest service this operation should be performed after every 

 shower of rain. 



Plants in pots need the surface stirred occasionally, partly for 

 the same reason that plants in the open ground are benefited by 

 frequent cultivating. The top layer of soil in the pots gets into a 

 caked condition; this is indicated at times by the water standing on 

 the surface longer than usual, and is caused by the particles of soil 

 being reduced by the action of the water to a muddy state, forming 

 a kind of puddle through which water takes a long while to perco- 

 late. Besides this many sorts of the lower forms of plant life readily 

 start causing a green moldlike growth to form upon the soil; this 

 gives the pots an unsightly appearance. When potting, a little 

 rough sand scattered on the surface is an excellent preventive, keep- 

 ing the whole mass porous and doing away with the necessity of 

 frequent stirring. 



