Water and the Plant 81 
POG DR Nes 
Fic. 48. On the surface of the stone is a thin film of capillary water; at the 
bottom is a drop of free water. 
Draining a garden. On the farm a well-drained plot 
can usually be selected for the garden. Cities and 
villages are usually so well drained that simple ditching 
about the garden or perhaps across it is all that is needed 
to carry off the excess water from the soil. But in low- 
lying land it is sometimes necessary to plant the crops 
on narrow ridges with open ditches between, in which the 
free water is exposed to the air for rapid evaporation. 
Loosening a soil by deep spading and by adding vege- 
table matter improves the drainage of fine, compact soils. 
When the water can be led to a lower level, tiling, or 
underground drainage, is an excellent means of drain- 
ing a “wet” garden. For literature on such a special 
